Revisiting Cape Town, South Africa

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There are a lot of places to visit on this planet, and I've thought that revisiting a site is of lower priority than exploring new ones. However, sometimes opportunities arise for traveling to a location for a second time. In this case, it was for a wedding in the Western Cape.



My first visit was after a month of safaris in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana. After a month in bush camps, the civilization of South Africa's second largest city was refreshing.  That first visit, we stayed in a hotel. This time it was Airbnbs, and no safari. The daily power outages were problematic, especially if you had bought ice cream for your freezer. On the other hand, Uber was easy to use and convenient, and food was a great price. The rand (SA currency) is 18 rand to the dollar, and paying 40 rand for a latte ($2) or 100-150 rand for lunch (about $5-7) is a bargain for the traveler.  One place I frequented regularly (Bootleggers) had happy hour draft beer (Jack Black) for $1.50, and a veggie burger and chips (fries) for $3.


Bootleggers at Green Point with Caroline, Wesley, and Mignon.




Gelato always cooled things down!

Any place you visit, you win some, and lose some. The weather might affect your ability to participate in some activity (for example, a bike tour) or close an attraction. A building might be under renovation. You just can't visit every cafe, or park, or whatever in a city over a couple of days.And although we revisited some older haunts during this trip, I was with different people, and group dynamics can change everything.









Views from Table Mountain (above and below)










Two Oceans Aquarium 


Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden


Unisex WCs were much more common than in the US.


The cell adjoining Nelson Mandela's cell, Robben Island prison.


Pre-wedding lunch!











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