Tuesday 5 January 2016

Reflections on South Africa

This was our second trip to South Africa in three years – last time we visited the eastern side of the country.  This time we saw the contrasts of the west coast wildernesses of Namaqualand and the bustling city of Cape Town.  The scenery has been stunning everywhere we have visited but we still feel that we have barely scratched the surface and we look forward to returning to see the rest of this vast country.

Cape Town itself is definitely a beautiful city with views of Table Mountain everywhere and magnificent beaches within minutes of the heart of the city.  Visiting in peak holiday season did have a downside as the city is packed with visitors (over the last couple of days most seem to be English due to the cricket!) but the weather has been superb.

The impact of apartheid is still evident in many places, with ramshackle townships on the edges of Hout Bay.  Reading the news it is clear that there is still a lot of frustration that changes are not happening as quickly as would be liked.  However, the political situation has clearly come a long way from where it was twenty years ago.  Certainly, from the impression we got at the New Year celebrations, the Capetonian's are very proud of their Rainbow Nation.  

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