You can find my “short and sweet” trip updates by clicking the purple “Listen Now” button above, accompanied by a few recent photos and captions of my trip below 😊
In case you missed any previous posts, you can find them here:
https://noahbelkin.substack.com/archive
Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement, endless support, and for following me along this journey. It means the world to me to be able to share my adventures with all of you!
Big Hugs from Africa! ❤️ Noah
From our neighborhood in Sea Point, you can walk in either direction along the waterfront and see spectacular ocean views. I found Cape Town to be a very unique geographical mix between the Californian coastline (near Monterey and Santa Cruz), Rio de Janeiro, and Bondi Beach in Sydney
One of the many memorials to Nelson Mandela across the city is the above massive pair of glasses along the waterfront. Entitled, “Perceiving Freedom”, the glasses stare out at Robben Island, home to the prison where Mandela was incarcerated for nearly three decades.
Views from the top of Lions Head where you can see pretty much the whole city. A few pictures of our ascent up are located below 🦁
Ben and Tony leading the charge! Ben ( a ginger son of a dermatologist) is always fully prepared to fend off any sun rays that might possibly attack ☀️ 💪
Views from the top of Lions Head
Boulder’s Beach located about 45 mins south of Cape Town and is home to hundreds of African Penguins. I thought I might have to wait for a trip to the Arctic or Alaska to see my first wild penguins but it turns out Africa is the spot! These are allegedly the only penguins on the whole continent of Africa. It was all of our first time seeing penguins in the wild and they are indeed as cute as advertised 😊 (If you want to put a smile on your face, I invite you all to rewatch the classic March of The Penguins)
We started our ascent of Table Mountain in the Kirstenbosch gardens via the Skeleton Gorge route, which included many steep paths with lots of rocks and ladders to climb up. It was definitely one of the more challenging hikes we did on our trip, clocking in at 4.5 hrs, but was well worth it
We encountered many microclimates during our 4.5 hr journey up and down Table Mountain. From being shirtless to needing a jacket, the weather can change rapidly at these altitudes. We even witnessed a group of firefighters, managing a controlled fire, as seen below 🔥
A long from home! 🌉
At over 1000M high, Table Mountian provides incredible views of the entire city and surrounding areas (including Lions Head below)
On Robben Island, all leaders were kept separate from other prisoners in an attempt to prevent them from coordinating an uprising. Little did they know, their plans backfired, as it only accelerated the exchanging of ideas among the brightest minds in the country, allowing them ample time to prepare for their freedom when the time came
Our guide on Robben Island was a political prisoner for 7 years. Hearing his story was incredibly moving. A quote that stuck with me from one of the inmates - “The impressor can never succeed. Like water, the human spirit will always find a way to persevere”
In the right corner of the garden is where Mandela buried his seminal book“A long walk to freedom.” When it was found, he was punished severely but luckily he had made a copy and a friend had snuck it out where it became an international best-seller. I have yet to read it but in the interim, I watched the film, which I highly recommend (you can see the preview here ). Another movie that captures Madelas legacy is Invictus (you can see a sneak peek here as well) - which highlights Mandela’s creative genius to use sports to unite the apartheid-torn South Africa, sending the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup
Our guide at the District 6 Museum recounted her own personal story of growing up here. The above briefcase she is pointing to above is her own family’s (which was the only item many were allowed to leave with)
Our guide who had grown up as a child in District 6 - described it as a magical and vibrant place. Beautiful, safe, and highly diverse neighborhood, where no one would lock their doors at night, and everybody treated each other as family. District 6 was just 1 of 42 neighborhoods like this across the city, that were declared white-only areas- forcing tens of thousands of “non-white families” out of their neighborhoods and into the outskirts of the city ( the Cape Flats). The pain and suffering from the destruction of these communities still loom heavily over the city with reparation efforts having largely failed. Like many parts of the world, huge levels of wealth inequality amongst whites and non-whites are sadly still very evident today
A family grabbing only what they could carry as they are forced out of District 6. Their neighborhood bulldozed right before their eyes 😔
Located about an hr outside the city is wine country. Once there, you can hop on and off a wine tram (an old-school train) that takes you around the various vineyards with a conductor who explains a bit about the history of each vineyard. There are dozens of vineyards along the train routes that you can stop at - we only had time for 2. Both were beautiful as you can see below
The Cape of South Africa is one of only 5 Mediterranean climates in the world -(mild wet winters and warm and dry summers - in addition to California; Central Chile; the Mediterranean Basin; Southwestern Australia - making it a great place for growing wines 🍷
I spent a day wandering around Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, nestled at the foot of table mountain. It’s a wonderful place to get lost, with a full array of plants native to the Cape region and incredible views to boot
A beautiful sky bridge., above the canopy, located in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens
Walking along the coastline, you come across a number of beaches including Clifton beach(s) (labeled 1-4). Although the water is absolutely freezing, the beach is still a great spot to relax with friends and play in the sand
My time at Clifton beach was spent in an idle mode 😎
We were lucky to enjoy a number of incredible sunsets from our buildings rooftop deck with views of Lions’s Head and the ocean
Big Tony and I used are limited creative abilities to make some funny shadows during the crepuscular twilight hours (a word I only know because of my mom). She had a love of words, (especially ones that were outdated and not commonly used) and recalled fondly reading the dictionary for fun as a child growing up in LA. I can’t say I’ve read the dictionary for fun, but I do think of her anytime I hear a new word 😇
Capetown is a big dog city, with lots of good boys and girls enjoying their daily stroll along the waterfront walkway. The water is way too cold for most (including yours truly) but this seems not to be an issue for doggies and young children alike, who are seen frolicking in the foam all times of the year
The town of Muizenberg, 45min away from Capetown, located on the Indian Ocean, has become a new hot spot for surfers. One of the great things they’ve done is set up free surf schools for underprivileged children in the area. It was awesome to see these kids in action and how much fun they were having in the water! While far from toasty, the water here is at least 10 degrees warmer than in Capetown
The stretch of colorful beach huts on Muizenberg beach originally used as changing stations starting in the 1800’s are now an iconic piece of Muizwnbergs history
Capetown is considered a top place to paraglide given its scenic backdrop. A huge lawn right along the waterfront provides a great landing spot for these thrill seekers. I was enjoying one of my afternoon strolls when one landed right next to me!
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