Johannesburg, South Africa [Post #13, Day 135]

I am here at the airport in Johannesburg, having just arrived from Cape Town where I have spent the last two weeks – my first two weeks ever in Africa! I really enjoyed my time in Cape Town, it was a great first place to start my travels in Africa. It is a totally modern city, and in several ways reminded me of Perth, with the nature aspects reminding me of Albany (Western Australia), particularly the vegetation and rocky coastlines. From the moment I first saw the iconic Table Mountain I was captivated! The rock formations around Cape Town look very structurally unique, with interesting colors and textures, and I found myself constantly looking up at them in admiration.

The striking Table Mountain.

For my two weeks in Cape Town I explored around quite a bit. I started by visiting the V&A Waterfront and then the downtown areas. The Bo-Kaap neighborhood was particularly cool, with its vibrant colored buildings, and I ate at a restaurant serving traditional Cape Malay dishes. I really liked the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), especially the building itself which was converted from a massive concrete grain silo structure.

A colorful street in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood.

Traditional Cape Malay dishes from the Bo-Kaap Kombuis restaurant. The left photo shows butter chicken curry and rice, boboti (spiced minced beef topped with a milk and egg custard and baked, kind of similar to meatloaf), denning vleis (sweet lamb stew with tamarind and other spices, topped with mashed potato), and a rooti (flatbread). In the right photo are desserts, koeksister (fried dough, like a doughnut, infused with syrup), artepil pudding (potato pudding with stewed fruit), and malva pudding (containing apricot jam and topped with hot custard).

The outside of the Zeitz MOCAA in the left photo, and standing inside looking up at the ceiling in the right photo. The way the architects incorporated the old grain silo structures into the building design (including using them for elevator shafts) was very cool!

One of my favorite days was visiting the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in the morning, then hiking up Skeleton Gorge to the top of Table Mountain, then coming back down via the Platteklip Gorge route. It is advised not to hike alone due to the risk of muggings. I went to the gardens alone in the morning with the hope of finding a group I could join for the hike up Table Mountain. I met Jai and Mira, a very friendly couple from London and it worked out just perfect for us to do the hike together. It was really fun, the Skeleton Gorge route was like climbing up a rocky waterfall to get to the top, then we had a nice long walk along the top to get over to the cable car station and the start of the Platteklip Gorge trail. It seemed like we passed through several different mini ecosystems, with different landscapes and vegetation over the course of the hike, it was great! I also did a group hike to Suther Peak and Karbonkelberg, my first time attending an event that I found through the Meetup app, and that was very fun too. We were a group of about 20 with a range of ages, mostly locals with some visiting travelers like me. I love hearing the South African accent! I’m still trying to get used to responding to the common greeting of “Howzit?”.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. The faint white shape just above the mountain is the moon.

A view from Suther Peak.

Another highlight day was taking a tour to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, and then seeing the penguin colony in Simon’s Town and Boulders Beach. We had a great guide Louis who taught me a lot about the history of Cape Town and South Africa more broadly. The Cape of Good Hope was originally referred to as the Cape of Storms because it was such a treacherous area for ships. But in an effort to put a positive spin on it, and to encourage ships to continue using the route, it was renamed the Cape of Good Hope. I got to hike around a bit there and it was very scenic, it was a beautiful sunny day. We also saw ostriches and baboons while in the Cape Point Nature Reserve area which was a special sighting.

Cape Point on a beautiful day.

The Cape of Good Hope, rebranded from its original moniker the Cape of Storms.

Another day I took a tour to Robben Island where Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and many others were sent as political prisoners for opposing the oppressive government that instituted and enforced the apartheid system. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years before he was released at the fall of the apartheid government, becoming the first president representing the African National Congress (ANC) party and a new democratic and free South Africa. It was humbling to walk on the same ground as such a great man and leader, especially seeing his cell in the prison. I started reading Mandela’s autobiography A Long Walk to Freedom a while ago, and now want to continue, having a greater connection to and understanding of his life experiences and this part of world history. The national election (which occurs every five years) occurred while I was in Cape Town, on May 29th. The results are still being confirmed but it is a historic election in that it’s the first time since Nelson Mandela became president in 1994 that the ANC did not receive an overwhelming majority of the vote. This is attributed to the fact that many South Africans are unhappy with the current state of their country, with poverty and crime prevalent, and they feel recent government has done little to address these issues. Another issue I became aware of in Cape Town is called load shedding, where power is regularly shut down across different sections of the city, sometimes scheduled, but often at unexpected times, and sometimes for up to 8-10 hours. It seems that a coalition government, likely between the ANC and other parties, will be formed. It was interesting to get pieces of history from the different tours and people I talked to, and also through the book I’m reading. The apartheid system was terribly unjust and damaging in many ways, and I came to learn that lasting harmful effects are still felt and present in society today. I hope for the best for South Africa’s future, and for all the people of South Africa.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela's cell on Robben Island.

I had more of a challenge seeking out local traditional foods in Cape Town than I have had in other places so far. There are many restaurants, offering different international cuisines, but it was difficult to find South African ones! For some traditional Capetonian fare I was able to locate bunny chow, which was a massive meal of half a bread loaf, hollowed out and filled with curry. I got a few meals out of that. I also located a store selling Gatsby sandwiches, which was another massive thing! I couldn’t believe the size of it when they brought it out of the kitchen and gave it to me. I also tried chakalaka, and had some beef droëwors. I drank lots of rooibos tea, with milk and honey was my favorite, and dunking in bran rusks (kind of like biscotti) which were just the right amount of sweetness.

I stayed at a hostel in Green Point (A Sunflower Stop) for my first two nights, then transferred to an Airbnb in Camps Bay for the rest of my stay. The cost of a hostel dorm was more than I have encountered so far in my travels and having my own little Airbnb apartment was only a little bit more expensive so I went for it. I loved my little place in Camps Bay, I had a little kitchen and outdoor patio, and a larger communal deck area higher up which provided a beautiful view of the ocean. Staying in the Airbnb reminded me how I like to have some structure and routine in my daily life, it was so nice to unpack my bags and hang all my clothes in the closet, rather than living out of my suitcase each day. I had fun shopping for groceries at Pick n Pay and Woolworths, and preparing my own meals, I liked trying all the local produce, breads, and dairy. I’ve enjoyed the times most in my travels when I’m able to get a little routine going, it has brought me to the realization that after my current travels are over I need to find a way to strike the right balance of routine and spontaneity in my daily life. Too much routine and repetition becomes boring for me, but just the right amount I think works well, just like anything it’s a balance.

Having reached Johannesburg, I now have three more flights before reaching my next destination. From Johannesburg, I fly to Nairobi, Kenya. Then from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, then finally from Dar es Salaam to Arusha, which will serve as my setting off point for a safari through Serengeti National Park and surrounding areas. I just discovered my flight to Nairobi has been cancelled so I’ll be spending the night at a hotel in Johannesburg before continuing on my journey tomorrow.