Cape Town Walk, Cape Town, South Africa

When I first landed in Cape Town I expected to stay a week, maybe two. Before I knew it, a month had passed, and I was still in love with it. The city is much larger than I at first realized. That size is compounded by the very different neighborhoods that can make you feel like you’re crossing through cities even though you’re in the same one. This will be the first of two blog posts on enjoying Cape Town because it’s simply too big and has too much to see to fit in one blog post!

Central Cape Town will find you at or near Greenmarket Square. This is a cluster of vendors who delight in having you “look for free” at their many different varieties of wood carvings, fabric bags, clothing and jewelry. Long Street is the main one and is one to pay attention on. Most shops have iron gates in front of their doors (apparently hold ups at gunpoint happen) and all sorts of people walk around. This is definitely a street where you should not openly display jewelry, cameras, or phones. To be blunt, if you are white, you’re already going to be asked for money. I noticed some people giving me a once-over as if estimating whether I had anything worth taking. I was glad I didn’t. That’s not to say it isn’t safe! During the day there are plenty of security guards on most corners. But, you should still pay attention. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).