Cape Town - Other Highlights

My original plan was to spend about 1 week to 10 days in Cape Town (CPT).  I ended up spending 2 weeks here.  There are so many things to do; I wasn't worried that I'd get bored.  The first few days I stayed at a hostel near Long Street.  The advantage here is that I was able to walk to most of the places of interest and museums in the city center.  I visited of the following museums:  Castle of Good Hope, Slave Lodge, District Six, and South Africa.  I did not go to the Bo-Kaap and Jewish Museums.   The museums are all very well done, focusing on their particular part of South Africa History.  The first one I went was the Castle of Good Hope Museum.  This castle is probably one of the oldest buildings built by the Dutch when they first came to South Africa.  It was used as a refreshment station for passing ships.

Cannon blast at 10 am and noon

Replica of a Khoisan Warrior

Entrance to Castle of Good Hope

Changing of the Guards

The next museum I visited was the District Six Museum.  In the 50s' and 60s', blacks in District Six were forced out of their homes and moved to townships so that the area can be used to build homes and business for whites.  Some of these blacks have been living in this area for years and it was a shocked for them to be force out of their homes and neighborhood.

Inside the District Six Museum

Imagine you can't sit where you want to sit

District Six Museum

Other museums that I visited are the Slave Lodge and the South African Museums.  The SA Museum has very good exhibits on wildlife, archaeology, evolution, and other aspects of things around South Africa.

Lobby of Slave Lodge

Slave Lodge

What is traveling without food?  Because of the very favorable exchange rate, you can have a very nice meal for less than US$20.  They have excellent steaks and seafood.  I found a restaurant that serve wild animal meat.  I ordered a platter that has ostrich, warthog, crocodile and kudu meat.  It was  very nicely prepared and they all tasted good.  I was told about a restaurant in the downtown area that serves Cape Malay food.  I went there and it was actually like a food court.  I'd say they are mostly Indian food, like tandoori chicken, nan, bryani, but they also have Chinese food and Middle-eastern food.  Many of the workers around the area eat there because not only it's good but cheap.  My favorite is the chicken bryani meal and it costs only 35 Rands, slightly more than US$3.

Chicken Bryani with yellow rice and bean soup

Even the Mormon missionaries know about this place

Different varieties of biltong (jerky)

Wild animal meat platter: ostrich, warthog, crocodile, kudu

During my last week at CPT, I stayed at another hostel called Ashanti Green Point.  It is about a 25 minute walk from the CPT city center but it's a nice walk.  Near the hostel is a promenade which borders the ocean and stretch many miles to another area called Sea Point.  This is a beachfront area that cries out "I have money!" It's a popular vacation spot for many from CPT and other parts of South Africa.

Ashanti Green Point

Promenade with beachfront apartments