Dear Shipboard Community

We were asked to craft a letter to the shipboard community docking in Cape Town in just over a week. And here is what we came up with!

Dear Shipboard Community, 

It is with love in our hearts and gratitude in our souls that we have come forth to you, the Fall 2013 Voyage, to extend a hand in understanding the city that we have come to call home; Cape Town. As Semester at Sea Alumni from Fall 2010, we have spent the last 3 years grappling with the immense impact our voyage had on us, as we suspect you have begun to feel the long term and life changing influences that your voyage is having on you. We wanted to offer some advice, tips, tricks, and personal experience to anyone who wants to hear it, from one SASer to another. 

We are offering our full support to anyone who has questions, concerns, or wants to hear a different way to experience life in Cape Town for the short time you have to experience it in this port. We both have very different experiences and reasons for being here, Caroline working with infectious diseases at a clinic and Mandy training to be a midwife, yet share the same drive and love for the Mother City. 

Here are some of our travel tips for Cape Town; 

- Safety: while crime is a huge problem in the city and can be very daunting we have a few tips that we hope will help. 

- Travel light! Don’t carry an over abundance of cash or baggage! You don’t need to be loaded with hundreds of Rand to have a nice time out. Carrying around backpacks, fanny packs, and exposed money belts can automatically pin you as a tourist and easy pickings. If you do have to carry around a lot of money it helps to split it up in different places. Shoes, bras, multiple pockets, and hidden money belts can all be nice places to stash money, cards, or phones. If you place your money in different places and you are targeted by petty theft, the thieves can leave you with some amount of trophy money while not robbing you blind. If you dress and carry like you have nothing worth taking, then you should hopefully avoid any trouble. 

- Numbers game. While there are safety in numbers and we don’t recommend going anywhere alone after dark, it is equally unadvisable to travel in huge hordes. The point of traveling is to make connections with locals and create meaningful cross-cultural experiences. This goal can be incredibly impeded if you get lost in an amorphous blob of SAS students. 2-5 students is a manageable amount of foreign students for any situation. Anymore than that and you can alienate yourself from locals by sheer numbers. When out, take a look around. How many faces do you recognize? A lot? Then maybe you should move along and search for a new adventure off the beaten path. 

- Nice shoes. Long street is the happening place to be for bars, clubs, and all things trendy. This overpriced-tourist-trap strip of shops and bars is a hot spot for travelers and backpackers which also creates a situation ripe for crime. A common distraction for male travelers involving “Oh I love your shoes!” while someone bumps you from behind and you’re none the wiser for your missing wallet. Like we said above, strategically placed cash and keen attention can really be a life saver. 

- Etiquette: Do every traveler a favor and brush up on common courtesy and manners. Remember that you are a guest in someone’s home and every gesture counts towards a picture you are painting of foreign travelers in someone’s mind. 

- Internet. I know, the precious and beautiful commodity that is wifi calls to you. It wants you to check facebook and update loved ones with pictures and envious statuses. I understand, trust me. But you didn’t pay an arm, a leg, and your first born to sail the world so you could sit in an internet cafe in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. I get it, you might have logistics to plan and loved ones that you miss, but the locals use these cafes as well for their everyday needs and when they have to share their resources with 600+ internet deprived students they can get a little cranky, and rightfully so! Also, if you head to a bar or restaurant with free wifi, we beg of you, order more than fries or tip HUGE. If you take up a table for 3 hours and only order a basket of chips and tip based off that price alone, that waiter who works largely for tips isn’t making any money especially when the establishment is overrun by SASers all doing the same thing. Be considerate, please. 

- Volume. Americans have a reputation for being loud and obnoxious, even when we’re trying our hardest to be courteous. Mind your volume level and the amount of attention you’re drawing to yourself. It might not always be positive attention. 

- Township Manners. The outlying Cape Town townships are vibrant, colorful, and full of life. And while they can prove to be a great learning experience, there are key points to take into account. The poverty and standard of living is unlike anything most people in the west have seen, but that doesn’t make it okay to bombard them with photographs to post on facebook. We understand the desire to capture every pivotal travel moment in a photo, but it’s important to remember that these are still places where people actually live their lives. As travelers and outsiders you don’t want to create a spectacle out of someone’s living conditions by ostracizing them in their own neighborhood. It can be seen as very rude if 30+ SAS students tour in a large group start all photographing the homes and sensitive situations of township inhabitants with expressed permission. A 10 minute conversation with a resident will be far more impactful than a photograph of someone you didn’t speak to. So put the camera down and make a connection.

Here is our comprehensive list of some of our favourite places. 

- Table Mountain. Whether you brave the cableway or take a day to hike the trails, the view from the top is absolutely breathtaking. Pictures will never do it justice and words could never describe the feeling of being on top of the world. 

- Signal Hill. What a wonderful place to spend a sunset and picnic. Watch out for the guinea fowl, they have no fear. 

- Lion’s Head Hike. For the avid athlete, this trail is promising for a spectacular view and excellent work out. 

- Llandudno Beach. Small and secluded, this pristine beach with amazing surf is just what you need for a dose of awe inspiring natural beauty. This completely residential area has no where close by for food or gifts. 

- Camps Bay Beach. Easily accessible and just on the other side of Lion’s head, this beach is large and bustling with locals and tourists alike. Surrounded by shops and restaurants its a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon. 

- Rafiki’s. Get the authentic Cape Town vibe at this fun rasta bar in the residential neighborhood of KloofNek. Amazing pizza, very friendly staff, and crazy insane artwork. Haven for graffiti lovers. 13 Kloof Nek Rd Cape Town 8001

- Cafe Mozart. Located on Long Street, this is a GREAT cafe for an inexpensive breakfast. Sexy water included. 37 Church St Cape Town 8000 

- Lola’s. Also located on Long Street, this small trendy cafe has the best mushroom risotto in the world. 228 Long St Cape Town 8001

- The Kitchen. A neighborhood obsession, this sandwich/salad bar is a healthy way to eat yourself into a coma. 111 Sir Lowry Road - Cape Town, 8001 Woodstock

- Mozzarella bar. A South African spin on all things Mozzarella and Italian the gentleman who owns this establishment is a creative genius. 51 Kloof Street, Cape Town

- Golden Dish. If you want a good township meal, you go here. Order a gatsby. Or a chip sandwich, extra sauce. This halaal shop with bare minimum furnishings and amazing food will leave you stuffed and happy. Shop 1 Block 1 Gatesville Shopping Centre c/o 1 Klipfontein and Hazel Road, Gatesville 7764, Cape Town

We hope these tips and places are useful! Anyone who needs any information or who wants to ask us anything Cape Town related we are fully available at our email addresses and have plenty of stories and anecdotes from our expat blog runfromthemundane.blogspot.com. 

Much love!!