Cape Town 3.0

December 6, 2013

When I was asked to return to Cape Town for work a few weeks after I was there in November, I wasn't exactly going to turn it down. M and I debated whether it made sense for him to join me for a weekend there again, but in the end decided that we couldn't pass up the chance to revisit one of our favourite cities. 

And so, this time around, we visited a few new neighbourhoods, beaches, seaside towns and sights that we hadn't explored on previous visits. I hesitate to say this in the event that it may jinx us, but yet again, we had incredible weather in the Mother City. And so…this is Cape Town 3.0.

Bo-Kaap: Formerly the Cape Malay Quarter, this little suburb is tucked into the base of Signal Hill and has quirky houses with unique stoeps lining the streets. Craftsmen, freed slaves and free traders settled in this neighbourhood in the late 18th century. We spent Saturday morning exploring this unique and colourful Cape Town suburb. 

Such vibrant colours. 

This is one of the wider and busier streets in Bo-Kaap; most of the smaller side streets still have traditional cobblestone.

One of the streets leading up to the base of Signal Hill. 

Love the scooter facing off with the beat-up car…

Traditional cobble-stone street with a couple of adorable kids who begged me to take their picture when they saw my camera. I don't typically oblige these sorts of request, but they were too cute and innocent to turn down. 

One of my now-favourite coffee shops in Cape Town.

Beadwork (colourful beaded animals in particular) is a uniquely South African craft, and while you can find it all over the place, the level of quality varies drastically. Housed in an unassuming run-down warehouse, this shop sells the best wire and beadwork I've seen anywhere in South Africa.

Muizenburg Beach: After spending the morning in Bo-Kaap and stopping for lunch at the Old Biscuit Mill market, we headed to the beach. This beach is about a half-hour drive from Cape Town, and is famous for its primary-colour painted bathing chalets. Apparently, I was having a thing for colourfulness on this particular trip to Cape Town.

The chalets did not appear to still be functional, as most of them were locked. They make for fun pictures though!

These guys were eager to get into the water.

Dramatic ocean skies.

Muizenburg is popular with locals, but like the rest of the Cape Town beaches, the water is icy cold! We went in the late afternoon and M went for a quick swim before we went for ice cream and some shopping in Kalk Bay (about 3km from Muizenburg).

On our first visit to Cape Town we attempted to make it to Signal Hill to watch the sunset, but ended up hiking Lion's Head instead (we didn't drive far enough along the road and didn't know we were in the wrong spot. Rookie mistake). This time, we made sure we had proper directions and found ourselves enjoying a stunning sunset over the Atlantic. We capped the day off with a lantern-lit dinner at La Mouette, a sweet French- Mediterranean restaurant in Seapoint. 

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens: After my morning jog along the promenade we decided to head to the city's famous botanical gardens for lunch. In the summer the park hosts live outdoor concerts, and we were fortunate to catch a local South African artist, Matthew Mole, doing his sound-check for that evening's concert. We were treated to a four-song mini-show as we sipped wine and ate our picnic.

I took this shot in the protea gardens, but I don't think it's a protea. I have no idea what kind of flower it is, but I thought it was lovely.

Paragliding: Something I have wanted to do since our first visit to Cape Town, we were finally treated to favourable flying weather. Despite M's fear of heights, he was all in for letting the wind carry him off of Signal Hill... 

My favourite moment was when the wind caught the shoot and my legs were still running but no longer touching the ground…M captured the play-by-play of my take-off on his iPhone.

Floating over the city and out to sea...

Settling in and floating over the city...

Guide:"hey bud, look up at the camera..."

M: "But look at that view!"

We made a quick stop in Camps Bay for pizza and beer before heading back to the airport to catch our flight to Joburg. Thanks CT for another incredible, memory-filled weekend!