We bid farewell to our new friends at Thabamati and flew 2 hours south to Cape Town. Our first impression…..paved roads are nice. Cape Town and the entire south coast is the opposite of the bush around Kruger. Modern, clean with roads and freeways better than much of the US. After driving 4 hours and 300 miles from Cape Town to Knysna I can tell you the roads are better than the 4 hour drive from Pheonix to Las Vegas. Have you driven highway 60 through Wickenburg? Aside from the roads, Cape Town is a beautiful seaside city, with numerous seaside communities reminding you of Southern California. Wonderful restaurants and wineries continue the California comparison and prices are a fraction of US prices. But many ask how safe is it?
There is an underlying feeling of danger. South Africa has a high crime rate, high poverty and high unemployment. You are warned to not walk around alone at night, to take uber to get around and you quickly notice the high walls, electric fencing and barbed wire that surrounds every building. An Irish couple we encountered while hiking said it was reminiscent of Northern Ireland during the troubles.
But there are no bombs going off, it is not a war zone. Tourists are rarely caught up in violence but may fall victim to petty crime. I believe almost all crime can be avoided with common sense and caution. The murder rate in Cape Town is less than New Orleans, and far less than Tiajuana. You avoid crime here as you do elsewhere, don’t walk around alone at night, don’t flash money or jewelry, take uber, and when in doubt ask your hotel or Airbnb host. Don’t drive at night in areas you don’t know and don’t stop for strangers.
This thinking was confirmed by two different travelers we spoke with. First, a British couple said they were driving near Durban and pulled over to help what they thought was a distressed driver which ended with them getting robbed. Our guide responded, “I would never recommend tourists drive that stretch of road and you should never stop for anyone but a police officer”. Another Brit told us he lived here for 14 years in the 80s and has returned every year since. He has driven all over the country and never had a safety issue. I am certainly no expert but after 3 weeks and over 600 miles of driving I would have no concern about traveling here.
So, what is Cape Town like? Like any big city it all depends on where you go. Its historical architecture is Dutch Colonial so you will see some old buildings with Dutch Architecture but much of it is a mix of everything, some beautiful and some boring. Day one we took the Kiff Kombi Tour around Cape Town. This was an all-day van tour around the various sights and districts in Cape Town. We toured the colorful Bo Kapp neighborhood with its art studios, very walkable and interesting. Next, we stopped at Truth Coffee, an amazing steampunk styled coffee house.
Great coffee, great atmosphere, great people, we returned for breakfast a couple days later. Then it was off to lunch at Steenberg Wine Farm. Again, you could easily have been in California with the high-quality wine, food, and facilities at half the price. A nice glass of Cabernet will cost $5 and a wonderful lunch entrée might cost $10. Next, was Chapman’s peak drive and I was glad our guide was driving as we twisted and turned along the mountainside road with stunning views of the Atlantic. We stopped for another wine tasting which we all thought was one winery too much, but the wine was good, and the winery was beautiful. A quick drive through district 6 and its street art but none of us felt safe enough to even get out of the van.
Finally, a quick stop for sunset at signal hill, which turned out to be a quick photo op as none of us were prepared for 55 degrees and 15 knot winds, and we knew sunset was beautiful back at our Airbnb with the amazing deck and views of the waterfront. If you are going to Cape Town with a group, I highly recommend our Airbnb. Huge space, three bedrooms, and that amazing deck. To top it off our host, Tacha was a great help in explaining where to go, where to eat and where to avoid.
The next day Jake and Cap decided it would be a great idea to get matching tattoos in Cape Town while Kelly and I preferred a long walk through Green Point Park and along the waterfront to the V&A mall. Not being in the market for a designer purse, or designer anything we ubered back to the apartment for sunset happy hour with the kids and then a late dinner of tacos and margaritas at Una Mas, as recommended by Tacha.
The kids had an evening flight back to the states, so we spent their final day driving down toward the Cape of Good Hope with a stop at beautiful Boulder Beach to check out the colony of Penguins. Cute and stinky, I am not sure it was worth the $10 per person entry fee but I like supporting the local economy and the park system. We drove up the coast for a fantastic seafood lunch overlooking Kalk bay at the Brass Bell Restaurant. A strong finish to Jake and Cap’s stay and a great two-week family vacation.
After our goodbyes and hugs we put the kids in an uber to the airport then Kelly and I grabbed an uber to the very upscale Constancia neighborhood for dinner at La Colombe, considered one of the best restaurants in the world. A beautiful setting, fantastic food and wine, prepared and served by warm and wonderful people. The vibe was much more relaxed and inviting than many fancy restaurants as we chatted with each cook, server and bus person who stopped by our table.
The next day Kelly and I drove out of the city an hour to Stellenbosch which is South Africa’s Napa Valley. Miles of beautiful farms and vineyards with a very Dutch look and feel. It is a world away from the big city vibe of Cape Town. A quintessential small town wine region, you could easily be in Sanoma. Shops, restaurants, and wineries abound. We stayed at the Boutique Coopmanhuijs Hotel in downtown Stellenbosch.
Very small and old school, similar to small hotels in Europe. No elevator but a lovely room and a big breakfast. Best of all was its location and ability to walk the tree-lined streets of Stellenbosch. Our stay at Coopmanhuijs was suggested by Kelly’s brother Tim who had been here several times on business. His hotel and winery suggestions were perfect.
On our second day we joined the cellar tour at the Babylonstoren Wine Estate. It was probably the best wine tour and tasting we have ever had. It finished in a barrel room where we tasted 10 wines with 10 small bites paired to each wine. A very memorable experience.
You may be thinking, I thought South Africa was poor and impoverished and all Greg writes about is fine wine and food. True, the contrast between the haves and have nots is stark here and never far from view if you are paying attention. I will expand more on the topic when I write about our township tour in a future post. However, South Africa is modern and beautiful and has the ability to employ, feed and house all its people and it appears to be improving. But it has a long road from its history of colonialism, slavery, racism and apartheid. You will quickly notice that most all travelers and diners are white, and all workers are black. The workers and drivers we encountered were kind, humorous and obviously happy to have a job when many do not. I cannot change the past; I can only help to improve the future. Not traveling to South Africa will not help the plight of native Africans anymore than not traveling to the US will help the plight or right the wrongs of Native Americans, or native Hawaiians or…. you realize almost everywhere you travel has a history of social injustice. Right or wrong, I think travel is a net positive, be aware of the past, be kind and generous and maybe you can be part of the solution.
G&K
