The cape of good hope through foggy wine goggles

I flew directly from Zambia back to South Africa so I could spend 5 days in Cape Town and the nearby winelands. After a week of roughing it, staying at An African Villa was a complete relief. The villa was so charming with really hospitable owners and best of all, the best hot showers and full English breakfasts (!!).

Cape Town is a really fantastic city. The complete opposite of Jo’Burg, it reminded me a lot of San Francisco with its laid back feel. Best of all, a friend of mine from NY also happened to be there on vacation so we met up. The world really is so small that I can catch up with friends on the opposite end of the world.

The 4 Nobel Peace Prize winners from South Africa with Table Mountain in the background and an old apartheid sign. I went to all the requisite tour sites (Table Mountain, District 6 Museum, V&A Waterfront, etc) but really just took it easy and soaked it all in.

The best part of Cape Town by far was the drive down to Cape Point on my way to the winelands. The drive was also great because you get a better sense of the land and people. Being in cities and on tours, you can easily forget the problems South Africa faces with racism and poverty. As I left Cape Town I passed endless townships with destitute tin shacks and appalling crime/unemployment/poverty rates.

The coastal views were even better than Hwy 1 at home with turquoise water, white sand beaches and amazing coastal cliff views.

Welcome to the end of the world.

Got this recommendation from a friend and it was amazing. The best seafood pasta I’ve ever had!

Me and my ride! The thing was easily the smallest car I have ever been in. Also, they drive on the wrong side of the road, which took some serious getting used to.

I ended my time in South Africa with a couple of nights in Franschhoek. Its the culinary capital of the winelands so you can imagine the incredible food I had. Every time I thought it couldn’t get any better, the next meal would just blow me away. And of course, the wine! Being the responsible lush that I am, I decided to join a tour to go wine-tasting and it was so fun to learn about the wines from our guide while getting totally sloshed. Loved it!

It’s a beautiful little town in the valley surrounded by these incredible mountains. And then include rolling fields of vines and you have Franschhoek.

Yum, wine. South Africa is really known for its sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and pinotage.