Week Five: The Surrounding Area

          I began to move beyond central Cape Town and into the surrounding areas more this week. I made my way to Guguletu, Table View, Nordhoek and even Cape Point to browse new vistas and meet new people. I’m not finished exploring the city, but this week I felt ready to start pushing out to new places to try and get to know more about South Africa’s landscape.

         Guguletu is home to the infamous Mzoli’s Meat, a restaurant and bar people attend at all hours of the day to eat fresh braai meat and have drinks. I went with some Canadian, Dutch, and American friends for a good four hours of live music and a big meal of sausage, steak, and chops. The energy is high at Mzoli’s, it’s an excellent experience for anyone who’d like to get a little closer to a South African way of life.

         Cape Point stands out as a top three event over my trip so far. The hikes around the point are mild and breathtaking, filled with interesting wildlife and rugged beaches. Cape Point is where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet and mix, it’s known for torrential storms that kept European explorers from reaching India. Some of those ‘explorers’ ultimately settled in Cape Town as it became a strategic pit stop on the way to India. Thus began a long history I won’t attempt to explain as I’d likely do it injustice.

         I also managed to continue getting acquainted with Cape Town’s weekly and monthly events like First Thursday and the Old Biscuit Mill. It was my second time browsing First Thursday, and this time I gave myself more time with the art. There were a lot of really interesting pieces that I liked, Cape Town is an amazing hub for art and music. It was my third time at the Old Biscuit Mill and honestly it just doesn’t get old. There is so much amazing food to try and art to browse it’s easy to spend your whole morning just looking.

         To end my week, I attended a braai thrown by the Fly on the Wall Productions duo Bryan and Filipa. It was a duel celebration for Filipa and her twin brother’s birthday as well as a remembrance party for a favorite musician of theirs, William Onyeabor. Onyeabor was a pioneer of synthesized music in the Nigeria 70s scene, and the braai was thus themed after that classic style.

January 29

Highlights

  • Visiting Guguletu
  • Eating Mzoli’s meat
  • Chilling out at Mzoli’s bar
  • Dinner at Obz Cafe

January 31

Highlights

  • Blouberg Beach with Katie and Taylor
  • Watching kite surfers
  • Happy hour at Woodbridge Island

February 1

Highlights

  • Staying home, eating take out
Big Momma’s classic African food and Sherlock Holmes

February 2

Highlights

  • Dinner on Kloof at Chalk & Cork
  • First Thursday street party
  • First Thursday art

February 3

Highlights

  • VAC trip to Cape Point
  • Meeting new interns
  • Walking up to the lighthouse on the point
  • Meeting baboons
  • Standing on the Southwestern most tip of the African continent

February 4

Highlights

  • Old Biscuit Mill (again)
  • Bulgogi and Weiß beer
  • Driving to Nordhoek
  • Nigerian 70s themed braai with the Fly on the Wall staff and friends
  • William Onyeabor remembrance
  • Meeting Sarah, who works in the Western Cape Provincial Government implementing climate change adaptation