SIGHTS OF CAPE TOWN

SIGHTSEEING CAPE TOWN

Cape Town is situated almost at the Southernmost tip of Africa and used to be called the Cape of Good Hope or Cape of Storms, and has for centuries been a place admired for its beauty by foreigners who arrived here. Just looks at what happened when Jan Van Riebeek arrived here, he decided to stay, and likewise did Simon Van de Stel, Cecil John Rhodes and so many, many other usurpers stayed. In the same vain, I have numerous English, German, Portuguese and French friends who have come to visit Cape Town just once and thereafter decided to make it home because of one or the other reason. 

Cape Town City Bowl with Cape Town Stadium clearly visible.

A tour of the City of Cape Town by bus.

Table Mountain view from the Waterfront

But let me remind you that the reasons to come to Cape Town or come live in Cape Town are just too numerous. Keith, Bary, Earl and their families, Rolf, Gunter, Felix, Wolgang and their families, Paulo, Mauro, Manuel and their families and Olivier, Jean Claude and their families, all had a common reason to stay in Cape Town, which was the view of the mountains, the vastness of the sea, the amicability of the weather, the wide open spaces, the unlimited fresh air, the pure palatable water and the constitution. Yes, the constitution, Cape Town South Africa has the the World's most democratic constitution, with a cosmopolitan people to compliment it, which we collectively call the Rainbow Nation.

Table Mountain view from the Waterfront2

Cape Town has an enormously colourful past and just as colourful a present and more than likely a more colourful future. Cape Town can boast nationalities of varied colours, creeds, religions, customs, values all contributing to its diaspora. The population of Cape Town and the rest of South Africa speak English which is the main language of commerce & government and Afrikaans both contracted from West-Germanic languages. Officially, South Africa has 11 languages but many a Capetonian speak in English, swear in Afrikaans, pray in Arabic and sings in Nederlands but they are the exception to the rule. So many others do this in Xhosa, Zulu, Tswana, Ndebele, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga and Venda and it is therefore an accepted norm that most South Africans can speak more than one language.

Table Mountain, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Climate has a certain enchantment which appeals to foreigners who often conclude that "Cape Town is the most beautiful City in the World".  Table mountain is the most prominent structure when first laying eyes on Cape Town from both land and sea and its the ideal place to spend a day. There are numerous paths which lead to its top, where coin operated telescopes can be found to peer at the inner city from a distance or at Robben Island, where Nelson Mandele was incarcerated for 25 years of his life.

View of Table Mountain from De Waal Drive

Table Mountain has a restaurant on top of it with a cable car traversing up and down it sides for the less adventurous or for those who don't have the time to walk its paths. The view from above is spectacular with an almost 360 degree panoramic view by turning your head. The V&A Water-Front can be seen from the top of table mountain where there are duty free shops and restaurants and from where boat trips can be chartered to Robben Island. Waterfront is filled with posh Hotels and apartments for hire linked to a taxi service to and from the airport anywhere else you would like to go. A must see is Canal Walk shopping centre for its vastness, location and shopping appeal.

Cape Town and South Africa as a whole boast amaizing infrastructure and lays claim to almost 80% of all infrastructure that exists in the whole of Africa. It is certainly not European standards but we are working towards that, however the best part of Cape Town for foreigners especially those from America and Europe is the exchange rate, which is roughly 1.00 USD = 7.8 ZAR and 1.00 EUR = 9.7 ZAR respectively. Meaning you can get a lot of "bang for your buck". Thus it would be worth your while to visit our Tourists and Traders Expo where gifts, curious, art and craft are abound.

Cape Town also has a soccer scene where, Bafana Bafana, Bloemfontein Celtics, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs are the flavours of the month, but all their supporters are keenly awaiting the Soccer World Cup. The Stadiums are ready and awaiting for the commencement of the Soccer World Cup and the foreign tourist it will attract, but eventhough everyone is going to eat, sleep and breath soccer for the next few weeks, that not the only sights to see.

Twelve Apostles as seen from the coast

The Sights of Cape Town boasts  the Two Oceans Aquarium, the Castle of Good Hope, the Company's Gardens, the Traders and Tourist Expo, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the South African Museum, the Planetarium and Cape Point where the two oceans meet. There is also Dragon Boat racing at the Waterfront, Cruise around Cape Town's historic harbour and tours to the poverty stricken “Townships” of Cape Town, as well as whale watching along the Cape Whale Coast between June and November. There is also the Cape Winelands for the wine tasters, Boulders beach penguin colony, Lion's Head hike from which the Twelve Apostles mountain range, Camps Bay, Table Mountain, Devil's Peak, Signal Hill and the Cape Flats can be seen to mention but a few.

Table Mountain viewed from Blauwbergstrand.

EXPO CAPE TOWN

EXPO CAPE TOWN

Since South Africa won the Soccer World Cup Award, Art and Craft dealers were evicted from the Stadium Parking Area from where they vend their wares in order for construction at the stadium to commence. However the plight of these Art and Craft dealers was addressed when the Largest Art and Craft Expo in Cape Town within the Western Cape was opened. 

With more than 300 stalls undercover beside an indoor soccer area and with a food court, EXPO WP has a lot to offer. Quite recently in fact over the Easter Weekend there were events virtually daily, Easter Egg hunts, Art competition, Face painting, Car audio sound off, stage performances by local artists, visits from celebrities acting in local soapies, resulting in photo-shoots with the general public.

Essentially EXPO WP is a Tourism and Traders Market with dozens of talented carvers, sculptors, leather good manufacturers and wood turners and too many other to mention, all vend their wares. Any Tourist coming to South Africa during the Soccer World Cup owes it to themselves to see the splendid collection of African Art on display in a single are or at least come buy some Curios, Batics, Wire Art, Photographic Art, Oil paint canvases etc..

This is Just a sample of whats available.

Photograph courtesy of Photojani Photographic Studios.