cape town: it’s… complicated

okay, so i’m back. mostly. i’m still unpacking, and honestly, i think a bit of cape town is still clinging to my suitcase. it’s a weird place, you know? like, beautiful, undeniably beautiful, but also… heavy. i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the weather’s doing its thing - a typical cape town day, which basically means a strong wind whipping off the atlantic and a slightly anxious feeling that it might rain at any second. it’s 22.51 feels like, and 1009 pressure.

seriously, look at that map. it’s insane. the city itself is basically crammed between table mountain and the ocean. it’s like someone just… stacked everything. and it’s not a gentle stack, either. it’s all jagged edges and dramatic cliffs. someone told me that the topography is called ‘armchair’ - i don’t even know what that means, but it fits. it just feels like you’re sitting in a really uncomfortable armchair, watching the waves crash.

i spent a ridiculous amount of time staring at table mountain. it’s massive. 1113 meters high. it dominates everything. you can’t escape it. and the twelve apostles? they’re just… there. a bunch of pointy rocks sticking out of the sea. it’s strangely captivating. i went up via cable car - which was terrifying, let me tell you - and the views were… well, they were breathtaking. but also, a little overwhelming.

the cape peninsula is a whole other thing. cape point, cape of good hope… it’s all a bit touristy, if i’m honest. but it’s also… wild. and windy. and you can actually feel the history there, you know? it’s where ships used to stop, and it’s where, like, a lot of important stuff happened.

i wandered around the city bowl and the v&a waterfront. it’s a mix of old and new, which is kind of cool. there are these massive, modern buildings right next to really old, crumbling ones. it’s a bit jarring, but also… interesting. the waterfront is actually pretty lively, with restaurants and shops and all that.

i did a bit of exploring in the cape flats. and honestly? it was… sobering. it’s a really different part of the city, and it’s a reminder of the city’s complicated past. it’s not a place you just breeze through. it’s a place that demands your attention. someone told me that the area is still grappling with the legacy of apartheid, and it’s hard to ignore that.

let’s talk about the weather. it’s consistently unpredictable. the ‘cape doctor’ - that southeast wind - is a constant presence. it’s cold, it’s wet, and it’s… persistent. i’m pretty sure i’m permanently damp.

if you get bored, stellenbosch is just a short drive away. and tygerberg. and helderberg, hottentots holland… it’s a lot of small towns clustered around cape town. it’s a weird, sprawling kind of place.

and the food? well, i didn’t really dig deep into that. i just grabbed some takeaway. i’m not sure what the local delicacies are, but i’m happy with a sandwich.

seriously, it’s a lot to take in. cape town is a beautiful, complicated, and slightly unsettling place. it’s not a place you just ‘enjoy’. it’s a place you… experience. and maybe, just maybe, you come away with a little bit of it stuck to you. i think i have.

You might also be interested in:

• https://topiclo.com/post/almere-honestly-itssomething
• https://topiclo.com/post/meerut-rode-a-packed-train-got-historical-grime-and-ate-something-fried
• https://topiclo.com/post/seattle-is-whatever-but-here-we-are
• https://topiclo.com/post/delhi-crowded-contradictory-and-kinda-overwhelming
• https://topiclo.com/post/suwon-the-walled-city-that-almost-broke-my-phone