Why Cape Town is a great place for tourists

Cape Town (CT), situated at the meeting point of two oceans—one frigid and one warmer—is one of Africa’s southernmost towns.

Against the backdrop of Table Mountain and her sisters, the city is breathtakingly gorgeous. Incorporate her multiculturalism and pleasant weather—it’s warmer than in Europe. One of the rare locations with a Mediterranean climate is the southern tip of Africa, if you remember your geography.

Like the white highlands of Kenya, colonialists were drawn to the area by its climate. If in doubt, endure a long, bleak winter. It is summer in Cape Town, where the sun rose at 5.28 am and set at 7.41 pm last Friday. In contrast, Hamburg in the north has wintertime sunrises of 8.11 am and sunsets of 4.06 pm.

Why hasn’t Nairobi made Ngong Hills’ closeness more well-known? Why can’t Ngong serve as our Table Mountain? How many tourists climb the slopes to get a bird’s-eye view of Nairobi via Table Mountain’s CT? With its striking resemblance to Table Mountain, we can also include Lukenya Hill.

An advantageous position

CT’s advantageous position has an impact on the economy. Because everyone wants to live there, living expenses are high. Housing is competitive, although Nairobi-style apartments are not very prevalent. It appears to be a flat city.

Near the airport, you soon encounter “mabati” shanties close to contemporary homes. The shanties were formerly occupied by the proprietors of the contemporary homes, I was informed. After receiving government-built homes, another group constructed a shanty and waited for their turn! More shanties can be found in the direction of West Somerset. In the rainbow nation, inequality is the norm.

The cabbie clarified that independence does not mean the end of segregation. Your financial situation presently determines this. Does it sound like you?

The roads are fine, but at rush hour, the traffic is as bad as in Nairobi. The city’s architecture and racial makeup give it a more European than African appearance. The street names, which include Afrikaans, English, and regional names, reflect the city’s history. In addition to being a city, CT also benefits from being a port. Table Mountain’s slopes provide a breathtaking view of the ships in the harbor.

Church Street, which is close to Long Street, which is well-known for its nightlife, was the location of my DAAD academic conference. One evening, we tested it while there was a lot of loud music and other activity.

There was time to explore the waterfront, which resembled Mama Ngina Drive in Mombasa but had greater room for strolling along the seashore. Our taxi drivers spoke Swahili on the way to and from our accommodation. They weren’t Tanzanian or Kenyan, though.

Huge rocks and concrete buildings that appear to have been built for the worst case scenario shield the city from the water.
The port is a popular tourist destination because of its ships and boats. Why not our ports? It advertises boat tours to Robben Island and throughout the port. The next time, I’ll take one. 

From the shoreline, a full view of Table Mountain is available. However, it appears that it will soon be blocked by growing skyscrapers. Along the seashore, the beauty increases as the sun sets.

High-end residences, restaurants, curio stores, and the 1992-built Victoria Wharf retail center are all located along the waterfront. Before, what was there? Do apartments get built out of grain silos?

The space is intended for pedestrians, and there are many of them. The rainbow nation is clearly seen. Drivers kindly pull over to give pedestrians a chance to cross the street.

The city is more than simply shanties; we also went to see their Muthaiga, which are isolated homes nestled on the leeward side of the Table Mountain.

Notable are Bishop’s Court and Newlands. The University of Cape Town and Rhodes Memorial are adjacent. There’s a botanical garden next door.

Numerous cultural

Kenya is proud of its wildlife. Why is there no discussion of our native flowers and plants? Does anyone have any experience with sandalwood? In Kenya, are there any botanical gardens? Public or private?

The botanical garden’s visit is completed with a statue of Nelson Mandela. There weren’t a lot of statues in Cape Town. Belgrade appears to have more statues than any other city I have been to.

My curiosity carried me beyond the scenic splendor that the coastline and mountains promoted. There was a Mzungu I met who used to reside in Nanyuki. Although all of the Afrikaans (Boers) I met acknowledged Anna Maria Cornelia Crous as one of their own, they were not related to her. Can you recall who she was? LinkedIn and Facebook may be more effective.

The indigenous languages of South Africa, especially iXhosa, captivated me, and I’m finding it fascinating. Eight clicks total—xh, qh, qa, gq, and nkq—with additional vowels. Gqeberha is an excellent example. Gqe can be clicked.

I delved further than clicks into their culture. It doesn’t matter; native South Africans don’t appear to like us. In Kenya, “blessers,” sometimes known as sponsors, were the subject of one intriguing lesson. I received a blessing hierarchy. Nigerians, Mzungu at the top, and everyone else. I inquired about Kenyans and was informed that they were just hair stylists and teachers.

Xhosa women are said to be the most aggressive, while Swati and Zulu women are said to be the most modest. I couldn’t independently verify that. If the Xhosa woman in our group was the spokesperson, there could be some truth to it. She showed us the click. The husband of a Xhosa and a Kenyan guy disputed that they are violent. The list of guys who are the most aggressive and the most modest is being created.

I can now distinguish between an inyanga and a sangoma. An anthropologist’s dream come true, I suppose, is South Africa’s rich cultural diversity. I discovered our hotel had unisex restrooms. That illustrates how far the city has come in terms of individual freedom, I was informed when I asked. On Long Street, there was greater “freedom.”

One would wonder why I’m ignoring economic growth, GDP, inflation, currency rates, and other economic and intellectual concerns. 

To the great majority, including those with advanced degrees, however, we are motivated by trivial matters. The weather, relationships, money, or muchene here and there.

See what WhatsApp groups are talking about. Typically, what gets viral? I haven’t reverted to the mean, though. We’ll be talking about seals, penguins, whales, wines, and economics next week.