Cape Town - Bo-Kaap and Long Street

When the Dutch was running the country in the 1600s' and 1700s', they brought a lot of slaves from East Africa as well as slaves from India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Malaya (now Malaysia) and Indonesia.  The ones from Malaya and Indonesia were brown-skinned and during the apartheid days, they fell into the "colored" category as a race.  Most of them were Muslims and continue their faith to this day.  Some were political prisoners who were against Dutch rule in their home country.  They settled in an area above the city center called Bo-Kaap.  Here you find they live in brightly colored houses.  There are several mosques in the area, which are also brightly colored.
Because of their faith, you don't find any businesses selling alcohol in the area.  One of the best known restaurants in this area is called Biesmallah.  I went there for dinner one evening hoping for a true Malay dinner.  But I think what they called Cape Malay cuisine is really a mix of Malay and Indian cuisine.  The two are very close but in Malaysia/Singapore/Indonesia, Malay food is generally not as strong flavored as Indian food.  Yes, they both use a lot of curry and other spices.  But Malay food usually adds coconut milk to the curry to give it a more aromatic and softer flavor.

Lime Green?

Not a boring neighborhood

More than 1 shade of green

Great color combination

A mosque

Curry Fish dinner at Bismellah

Even some businesses in the area have brightly color buildings

As I mentioned before, Long Street is the center of the tourist area.  It is about 2 blocks away from Bo-Kaap.  Here you find the cheap backpackers' hostels and restaurants.  It is not a very nice area and it's definitely not a representation of what Cape Town is.  St. George's Mall, a nice pedestrian mall that kind of continues from The Company's Garden, is also a popular tourist area with a lot of vendors selling all kinds of stuff:  food, African souvenirs (like in Green Market), coffee shops, books, etc.  You can also sit on one of the benches here and watch people go by.

St. George's Mall

Vendors on St George's Mall

Flower Market, about 3 blocks from Long Street

Hostel on Long Street

African Restaurant on Long Street

Long Street