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  • Day 165

    Cape Town

    February 27, 2020 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    With a bad hangover, we wake up in Franschhoek. Today, we're heading to Cape Town, which fortunately is not so far of a drive and takes us along the amazing coast line.

    On the way, we stop into a brewery, and stock up on some tasty beers to balance out the wine.

    In Cape Town, we stay with our friend Marion, who very kindly offered to put us up. It's amazing to stay at an actual house rather than a hostel or in a tent, especially with as generous a host. We're met with the offer of beer, and sit around chatting and catching up.

    The next day, we head down to the Cape of Good Hope. We drive over Chapman's Peak, admiring the jaw-dropping views of the Atlantic ocean, and the vast round bays that make up the Cape.

    Entrance to the Cape of Good Hope is eye-wateringly expensive for what is just a bit of cliff that we've attached a cultural significance to, but we cough up. As much as anything, making it to the Cape will feel like a milestone- Nairobi to the Cape (mostly) overland.

    This used to be called the Cape of Storms, before the name was changed in a shrewd PR move to the Cape of Good Hope by the then King of Portugal. It marks the point where ships start to round the continent. It's quite obvious where the original name comes from- the winds here are violently fierce. People are actually falling over due to the force of the gales. As we queue to get a picture of the sign, a German boy is swept off his feet directly onto Chris, who just about manages to keep his balance.

    A bit further along, a woman is bowled over, but keeps a tight grip on her phone, and starts scrolling as if she hadn't just been blown onto the ground. It's a bizarre vignette that you could say attests to society's addiction to our telephones, but I won't say it.
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