Flying into Cape Town is quite a sight: green farmland, mountains cutting through a city, and wild ocean.
We said goodbye to the other seven travelers, plus Clyde, our fearless guide, and boarded the plane to Cape Town from Victoria Falls this afternoon. The ladies from the Carolinas are taking an overnight flight tonight back home, and the other family is coming here via Johannesburg, but I don’t expect to see them.
We were met at the airport by Stanton (Stan) our new guide for just several days. He took us on a walk around the neighborhood after we checked in to the hotel, and I just kept gawking at the dramatic landscape. The mountains tower over two sides of the city, and clouds were swiftly rolling out to reveal large patches of blue.
Colonial-era churches sit stoicly on block corners as club music pumps from bars and restaurants. The Dutch and British colonized South Africa at various points from the late 1600’s through the mid-1960’s, so their influence on architecture is everywhere.
Stan filled us in on when and where not to go at night, as well as how utterly corrupt the ruling party is and how much of the country’s infrastructure has fallen apart since Nelson Mandela. They rely heavily on tourism as their fourth largest industry.
Time to get some shut eye in order to be fresh for an early morning start.
My Corner of the Village 