Post South Africa Thoughts
I returned from South Africa a week ago (after traveling to Paris afterwards) and I've had time to reflect about my 5 weeks in Cape Town and the things I learned and was able to witness there. It has been hard to come back and explain to people that South Africa is a huge country with very diverse provinces. While many areas might seem like what they show on TV, Cape Town was very modern and some areas reflected La Jolla and the nicer parts of San Diego. While there were so many things I could talk about, I will mention 5 things that are good to know if you will travel to Cape Town in the future.
1. Housing is still very much separated by social class. What I mean by this is that you will see that people are grouped based on what they can afford, and you will have to travel miles in order to see the different types of homes. This can be related to what we learn as redlining. We stayed near the University of Cape Town and many times during my walks I would see nothing but luxury and huge houses. This is because Rondebosch is one of nicer upper-middle class areas. There were more luxurious houses by the beaches, in which they said that celebrities tend to live in or where people tend to vacation in. During our excursions we were able to see that most people live in the Cape Flats (lower middle class) and poorer people would live in temporary homes in the townships. It was overwhelming to see how much poverty there is in Cape Town.
2. You have to look hard for authentic African food. Usually when you travel it is very easy to find authentic dishes/meals everywhere, but Cape Town has a lot of chain restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC and Dominos. When we tried to find authentic African food there were only two options and they were pricy, we ended up going to Marco's Place ($$). At Marco's place we did get amazing food and an variety of music. I feel like in places such as Cape Town, the only way to try their food is by having someone cook for you (braai), or by asking someone to recommend a place. Two big things is that they eat pap which looks like mashed potatoes and much of their diet consists of meat.
3. There are different forms of transportation and you should avoid Taxis. For the most part we were taken everywhere by a company hired by International Studies Abroad, but when we were on our own we would use Uber. Staying in South Africa is fairly cheap and it would cost about 4 (USD) to go somewhere that was 20-25 min away. It was even cheaper when we split it between 6 people. Another form of transportation were the cabs such as the one I took from the airport to my guesthouse or the ones that you call to pick you up. These are used less because they tend to be pricier. Finally, the last option were taxis (which locals use). These are vans that are meant to carry 7-10 people but usually carry double the amount. It cost about 50 cents to ride them, but they are known to be less safe because of the competition there is between owners. If I were to travel again I would use Uber again, since driving would be very confusing.
4. Do your shopping at Greenmarket Square. While there are shopping malls with famous and fancy brands, such as the V& A waterfront mall or Cavendish Square you will be able to bargain at Greenmarket Square. There are many people with their stands selling handmade stuff, t-shirts and other souvenirs for very cheap. A tip given to us was to put your money in different places in small amounts, because if they see that you have money they will not bargain as much with you. Sometimes I was able to cut the price in half (keep in mind that we are tourists and they often overcharge for their things). Also, you are able to see so much culture in this place, there are people dancing, singing and there are also cafes/ places to eat here.
5. You won't find a "great" safari in Cape Town or anywhere close. While people think that every place in South Africa is filled with wild animals, it is very hard to find a real safari. Anything you find will be reserves or sanctuaries. If you want to find a real safari you would have to fly 2 hrs away to Kruger National Park (Northeast South Africa), and everyone recommends it. We went to the Aquila Reserve 2 hrs away (in car) from Cape Town, and while the food was amazing, the Safari itself is not the best. We were able to see some of the big 5, but there were only 3 giraffes, the lions were in the mountains and hard to see, and most of the animals were very far away. The whole time I felt I was in the Wild Animal Park in San Diego. While my experience was average, those are the Safaris that are close to Cape Town. Moreover, we were able to see tigers and lions in a winery and that was an incredible experience because they fed them in front of us and they were very close.
Overall, my time in South Africa was amazing and I can't wait to go back to see everyone I met and do everything once again. I loved everything that ISA planned for us, and everything that they didn't we were able to do it on our own. One of the most amazing things that Cape Town has to offer are the mountains (to take pictures of and to hike). While many people say that Cape Town is one of the most unsafest places to world, it is also one of the most beautiful cities. I was able to learn so much about their history of apartheid and I was able to absorb so much of their culture. I will never forget this study abroad opportunity given to us by UCSD and by Professor Evans.
1. Housing is still very much separated by social class. What I mean by this is that you will see that people are grouped based on what they can afford, and you will have to travel miles in order to see the different types of homes. This can be related to what we learn as redlining. We stayed near the University of Cape Town and many times during my walks I would see nothing but luxury and huge houses. This is because Rondebosch is one of nicer upper-middle class areas. There were more luxurious houses by the beaches, in which they said that celebrities tend to live in or where people tend to vacation in. During our excursions we were able to see that most people live in the Cape Flats (lower middle class) and poorer people would live in temporary homes in the townships. It was overwhelming to see how much poverty there is in Cape Town.
2. You have to look hard for authentic African food. Usually when you travel it is very easy to find authentic dishes/meals everywhere, but Cape Town has a lot of chain restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC and Dominos. When we tried to find authentic African food there were only two options and they were pricy, we ended up going to Marco's Place ($$). At Marco's place we did get amazing food and an variety of music. I feel like in places such as Cape Town, the only way to try their food is by having someone cook for you (braai), or by asking someone to recommend a place. Two big things is that they eat pap which looks like mashed potatoes and much of their diet consists of meat.
3. There are different forms of transportation and you should avoid Taxis. For the most part we were taken everywhere by a company hired by International Studies Abroad, but when we were on our own we would use Uber. Staying in South Africa is fairly cheap and it would cost about 4 (USD) to go somewhere that was 20-25 min away. It was even cheaper when we split it between 6 people. Another form of transportation were the cabs such as the one I took from the airport to my guesthouse or the ones that you call to pick you up. These are used less because they tend to be pricier. Finally, the last option were taxis (which locals use). These are vans that are meant to carry 7-10 people but usually carry double the amount. It cost about 50 cents to ride them, but they are known to be less safe because of the competition there is between owners. If I were to travel again I would use Uber again, since driving would be very confusing.
4. Do your shopping at Greenmarket Square. While there are shopping malls with famous and fancy brands, such as the V& A waterfront mall or Cavendish Square you will be able to bargain at Greenmarket Square. There are many people with their stands selling handmade stuff, t-shirts and other souvenirs for very cheap. A tip given to us was to put your money in different places in small amounts, because if they see that you have money they will not bargain as much with you. Sometimes I was able to cut the price in half (keep in mind that we are tourists and they often overcharge for their things). Also, you are able to see so much culture in this place, there are people dancing, singing and there are also cafes/ places to eat here.
5. You won't find a "great" safari in Cape Town or anywhere close. While people think that every place in South Africa is filled with wild animals, it is very hard to find a real safari. Anything you find will be reserves or sanctuaries. If you want to find a real safari you would have to fly 2 hrs away to Kruger National Park (Northeast South Africa), and everyone recommends it. We went to the Aquila Reserve 2 hrs away (in car) from Cape Town, and while the food was amazing, the Safari itself is not the best. We were able to see some of the big 5, but there were only 3 giraffes, the lions were in the mountains and hard to see, and most of the animals were very far away. The whole time I felt I was in the Wild Animal Park in San Diego. While my experience was average, those are the Safaris that are close to Cape Town. Moreover, we were able to see tigers and lions in a winery and that was an incredible experience because they fed them in front of us and they were very close.
Overall, my time in South Africa was amazing and I can't wait to go back to see everyone I met and do everything once again. I loved everything that ISA planned for us, and everything that they didn't we were able to do it on our own. One of the most amazing things that Cape Town has to offer are the mountains (to take pictures of and to hike). While many people say that Cape Town is one of the most unsafest places to world, it is also one of the most beautiful cities. I was able to learn so much about their history of apartheid and I was able to absorb so much of their culture. I will never forget this study abroad opportunity given to us by UCSD and by Professor Evans.
Thanks for the information! I am looking to travel to Cape Town. I was initially scared because I wondered whether Cape Town is safe, but resources like this have helped me make up my mind to go.
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