FOR TIPS AND MUST DOS GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.
Six minutes on the clock and I was strangely calm. I looked out the window to see clear blue skies and Table Mountain in the background, not processing that I was about to “jump” out of a plane at 9,000 feet. I say “jump” because it was more of an “I’m attached to someone who’s going to jump so I have to go with him” sort of thing. First one to go 
and suddenly, I’m gone. Spinning in a 180, I see the plane, see the ground, and popped my head up only to look upon the most astonishing view. I was floating through the sky gazing at creation so breathtaking I couldn’t blink — a jaw-dropping sight. My first day in South Africa and I was on top of the world, literally. That afternoon we explored the pier taking in parts of California, Nantucket, and Colorado. With trendy restaurants, different cultures, and live music, I was thriving.
4 a.m. wake up call the next day, and we hit the road. Two hours later we show up to a boat with a cage and fish blood, voluntarily hopping into cold waters as sharks circle around us. The funny thing is, we waited three to four hours and only saw one great
white multiple times. If you go shark cage diving, never be the last one to go. You’ll end up like me, in an oversized wet suit, trapped in the freezing ocean for 30 mins with no shark in sight. Just my luck! After our two-hour bus ride back resting in our fishy stench, we grabbed our bags and headed to our Airbnb in Camps Bay. Walking into this house was like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Beautiful white home with an infinity pool facing the ocean, L.A. decor looking out to a romantic view. Our plans that night were shot as we couldn’t dare to leave our new home from its exquisiteness.
The next morning we hiked our way up Table Mountain. After sitting on a boat for three months, our stamina was not up to par. One woman passed us going up and back down. This was her casual morning work out. As paths weaved and became steeper, I began to wonder what route the other hikers had taken when they told us “it levels out from 
here.” False. But we made it up in great timing with a view so worth the hike. After our work out, we hit the trendy restaurants, explored the town, and dabbled in shopping. As someone who attempts the gluten and dairy free life (who knew you could develop a gluten intolerance this late in the game), South Africa was the place to be. We took a ride down to Muizenberg Beach later that evening to stroll along the multicolored changing homes lining the coast and watched the surfers ride into the shore. Not exactly beach weather to me, but whatever floats their boat. We headed back into town for dinner to end yet another glorious day.
On our next day, we were in for a ride for what was to come. We planned to have a nice leisurely bike ride through the vineyards of Stellenbosch to taste different wines. We dressed for the occasion, wearing shoes “somewhat appropriate” for leisure biking.
Things took a slight turn as soon as we saw the old rickety mountain bikes and found out we were biking miles up and downhill. Yeah, not expecting that. Our tour guide told us we made a “big mistake” coming on this tour *Queue Julia Roberts*. I just felt terrible for the couple who had to deal with ten girls, when they had dressed appropriately. So there we were, ten girls all dressed up struggling through the roads of Stellenbosch. Just imagine the looks we had for three hours. There was a need for wine after that. For dinner, we took a trip down to another vineyard more beautiful than the last and indulged in a traditional South African meal.
Our trip began to turn into a multitude of unfortunate hilarious events. On day five we were an hour late to our safari with our Uber driver blasting African music at 6 am. He also thought it was funny to hop on board and take the safari with us! Free safari? No problem. We saw beautiful wildlife like lions, zebras, rhinos, giraffes, and more. All of these animals were rescued and are now kept safe in their new habitat.
Cape Town, you are a gem. A city that ranges with natural beauty and diversity, its culture brings the city to life. After multiple culture shocks from previous ports, Cape Town made me feel right at home. I’ll be back Cape Town, so so so soon!
xo,
Cat
TIPS AND MUST DOS:
Things to do:
- Skydiving
- Shark cage diving
- Hike Table Mountain
- Wine tasting tours in Stellenbosch or Franshenok
- Safari – for a shorter safari we did Aquila Private Game Reserve that is two hours from Cape Town
- Boulder beach to see the penguins
- Muizenberg beach for the colorful changing homes
- Waterfront Mall
- V&A Waterfront – full of restaurants, shops, and other fun activities along with their food market
Eating out:
- Anything on the V&A Waterfront and V&A Food court
- The Test Kitchen (Make reservation WAY in advance)
- The Potluck club
- Kloof Street House
- Clarke’s Bar and Dining Room
- JARRYDS
- Grand Africa Cafe and Beach
Places to stay:
- Taj Cape Town
- I recommend staying in an Airbnb especially in Camps Bay – they’re affordable, beautiful, and have incredible views of the beach
TIPS BEFORE GOING:
- If you want to go out the bars in Camps Bay are really fun but beware of pick pocketers (even if you’re not going out) – wear a money necklace or a fanny pack underneath your clothes, a lot of people had their money and wallets stolen
- Wear appropriate shoes when biking
- There is Uber!
- Due to their water crisis, please be mindful when showering and take shorter showers to conserve water
Cat Across the Map 