When looking at a postcard of the Cape Town skyline, the normal picture from left to right is that of Devil’s Peak, followed by Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, and then Signal Hill. On Saturday I climbed to the top of Devil’s Peak, the 1,000 meter mountain next to table mountain. In order to reach the…
Author: MacKenzie
Truth Coffee
June through August is winter in Cape Town, and winter is the wet season. For my first few weeks here, Cape Town was actually in the midst of a drought, which was bad, but also gave me a chance to experience a warm, sunny version of Cape Town when I arrived. Yesterday, Cape Town acted…
Cape of Good Hope
On Friday I visited Cape of Good Hope, also called Cape Point. Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope are what South Africans refer to as “same same, but different”. The two names are used interchangeably, but technically Cape Point refers to the top of a large hill where a historic light house sits, and…
Lion’s Head at Sunrise
I am not a morning person. Ever. But on Sunday I powered through and woke up before 6AM to hike up Lion’s Head, a mountain between Table Mountain and Signal Hill. Although waking up and starting a hike before dawn was rough, the view at the peak was definitely worth it. There were also two…
Exploring Cape Town’s Neighborhoods
Last Saturday I went on a cycling tour of the neighborhoods surrounding Cape Town. On our bikes we visited Woodstock, Salt River, Observatory, and District 6 to see the graffiti, art, and architecture around the city. We started out in Observatory, referred to as Obz by the locals. Obz is a trendy neighborhood with main…
Chapman’s Peak
Today I hiked Chapman’s Peak, a mountain about 10 miles South of Cape Town. The strenuous, rocky hike took about 3 hours, but it was beautiful in every direction throughout the entire climb and the peak was worth the sweat it took to see a gorgeous, panoramic view of Cape Town and Hout Bay.
Simon’s Town and Boulders Beach
Yesterday my roommate and I took a trip about 30 minutes outside of Cape Town to Simon’s Town, a small navy town in the Cape Peninsula. The town is quaint and the main road is lined with eclectic local shops and restaurants. The view of the mountains and False Bay is picturesque in every direction…
Wine Tasting in Constantia
Today I went wine-tasting in Constantia, a suburb of Cape Town about 25 minutes from where I’m staying. The Constantia Valley is known for its beautiful vineyards and world famous wineries. We started with a tour and tasting at Groot Constantia, the oldest wine-producing estate in South Africa. The estate was established in 1685 and…
Walking Tour of Cape Town
Today was amazing! We took a walking tour of Cape Town with our really cool guide (his name was Moses and he was from Uganda). We explored the city of Cape Town while we learned about South African history. We started out by taking a minibus from Rondebosch to the “taxi rank” at the train…
The First Few Days (and Table Mountain!)
Since my arrival in Cape Town I have had hardly any downtime to write about everything that has been happening. So here is a synopsis of my first few days: I am living in a 4-bedroom house in Newlands. Newlands is one of the wealthier neighborhoods surrounding Cape Town, so all of the houses are…