Welcome to Capetown: One of the most magnificent cities in the world

When I came back from Rio de Janerio (trivia note: that name means ‘River of January’ – pretty ordinary, huh?) many people commented to me that Rio was one of the beautiful cities in the world (something which I completely agree with). When I asked these people what they thought the other beautiful cities in the world were, the answers were very similar: almost everyone added Sydney (yay!), San Francisco, and Capetown.

Now I’ll be in San Fran in September and Sydney next week, so, given that I had to go through Johannesburg anyway, taking a $50-$100 flight (ah … discount airfares) to visit Capetown on my way through was an absolute no-brainer.

I have been here for 24 hours and I am not disappointed. Geographically, Capetown is EXTRADORDINARY – a beautiful, flat city with colourful houses surrounded by glorious mountains. I was sitting on the window on the flight in and the sheer visual appeal of Capetown I can only compare to flying over Sao Paulo. Wow.

So, a few quick visuals of the place …

Mountains surround the built-up city of 3 million. Which is amazing, particularly around dusk …



There are houses built at the foot of the city (in fact, the backpacker lodge I am at is right at the base of Table Mountains). What makes Capetown special is how CLOSE the mountains are to the city … kind of like how in Rio, the beaches are right next to the city ….



Capetown from the air is magnificent – a combination of being wonderfully organized, so flat, and such colourful houses …



Many of the houses in the richer areas are brightly coloured (Such that they clash!). Apparently they repaint them every few years upon special occasions …



… though the colour of these houses on the beach is a bit ridiculous … =)



Blessings
John