Five Days in Cape Town...and Farewell Southern Africa!

The first thing we were told whenever we mentioned to anyone that we were heading to Cape Town was how beautiful it is – and we can certainly see why!  To mark the end of our travels around Southern Africa, we booked an apartment in an area called Tamberskloof (a locality that came recommended by Tess’ sister Jo and brother-in-law Neil).  It was a really sweet little place underneath a gorgeous old house which had been converted into a little self-contained space by it’s owners, Renier and Alec.  From the front of the house we had views right over table mountain and it was in a safe area which meant it was really easy to walk around at night.   So nice to have a space of our own spread out in for a full five days and night and we even had the first proper sleep in we’ve managed to get since leaving Tanzania.

We were unashamedly tourists during our time in Cape Town – sampling some of the many nice bars and restaurants along the Long Street strip (which was only a ten minute walk from our apartment), climbing Table Mountain (which is actually quite a hike up!), hiring a car and driving down to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point (where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet), and visiting some of the city’s famous museums – in particular the Cape Town Holocaust Centre.  All of these were fascinating experiences which we thoroughly enjoyed (or, in the case of the Holocaust Centre, were very moved by).

We were also incredibly spoilt in Cape Town with two very different, though unforgettable experiences given to us by Tess’ sister Maddy and brother-in-law Greg, and Jo and Neil. 

One of our goals for this trip was to set ourselves some personal challenges – and Maddy and Greg decided to take that to the extreme by sending us swimming with sharks off the coast of Gansbaai.  It was terrifying though we’re both very glad we did it (and especially glad that we still have arms and limbs attached).  We have both come away from the experience with newfound respect of the power of these magnificent creatures.   We think the pictures speak for themselves on this one….

A little nervous as we get in the water! 

As those close to us will know, good food and wine is a pretty big part of our lives and Jo and Neil made it possible for us to experience an incredible culinary experience in the stunning Delaire Graff winery in Stellenbosch.  It was so special and we were able to make a day of it by also attaching visits to a number of neighbouring wineries along the way.  The pictures from Delaire Graff go some way to highlighting the beauty of the area but even they don’t really do it justice.

Lunch at Delaire Graff

In Cape Town we also had a truly unique experience of doing a township and gospel tour with a company called Camissa tours – who were just fantastic.  Unfortunately, we got the strong sense that the value of their work is at risk of  being undermined by some less responsible tour operators, and so thought we’d share a little more detail of this as an example of the importance of careful selection of tour operators and doing a bit of background research. 

Our first full day in Cape Town was a Sunday so we booked ourselves into a tour of a local township of named Langa (population approx. 50,000) that included attending a gospel church service. Camissa is run by a husband and wife team – Khonaye and Samantha – who both grew up in the Langa township, and maintain a strong connection with the Langa community.  Their tours are structured in such a way as to support the local community, and Camissa are passionate about showing off the vibrance and positivity of daily life in Langa, rather than offering ‘poverty tours’.  Ours was a group of five, lead by Samantha, who provided us with fascinating insight into the history of the forced displacement of previous inhabitants of the Cape Town area of District Six into the townships.  Within Langa itself, one of the local guides, Ziggy, showed us around and talked through his experiences in Langa (he has lived there for 22-years, having moved from his rural home over 1,000km away looking for work as a teenager); we were so moved by Ziggy’s sense of pride in his community, and his honest, raw yet refreshingly un-politicised account of his life experiences. 

The experience of visiting the Langa Baptist Church was one which we won’t forget, and the voices sent goosebumps up our spines.  It was such an absolute privilege to be there!  Samantha explained that the Langa Baptist Church has always been one of the more progressive congregations, whose deliberate efforts to support and involve a diverse range of people is reflected in it’s membership of some 3,000 people.  Samantha explained that, having been involved in the church for many years, she and Khonaye approached the church 6 years ago to see if they would be open to Camissa bringing in some tourists to the gospel service (in exchange for a contribution from tour fees).  Despite some initial hesitation that the church services would turn into purely tourist entertainment, church leaders eventually agreed on the basis of the support provided through Camissa and increased awareness of their work – hence the tour that we were on. 

Sadly, the popularity of the tours at the Langa Baptist Church has now become known and there are a number of other tour operators who have started bringing in tourists by the truckload – without seeking permission from or giving any support to the Langa community.  Samantha expressed to us that a number of regular church go-ers are starting to become very concerned that their services are becoming a ‘zoo’.  For this reason, while we can’t speak highly enough of the experience of going to a gospel service, we strongly recommend that anyone thinking of doing so select a tour operator that supports and gives back to the local townships (such as Camissa in Langa Township). 

All in all, our experience in Cape Town was a fantastic combination of relaxation, sight-seeing, fear (in relation to the shark cage diving) and being incredibly spoilt.  It has felt rather sad to farewell the Southern African leg of our journey though we are also very excited about the next step.  We write this post from a transit stop in Doha airport where we are about to board our flight to Jordan.  Will update you about our time there at the next opportunity.

Love Tess and Alick xx