Clifton and Camps Bay, a SA beach day

Clifton and Camps Bay--a beach day

For sure one of  the best days i've had in this amazing country. Cape Town is one of the top three "best tourism cities" in the world, at least that's what they say. after today i am a true believer, especially if you can afford to party and live in high society. only about fifteen minutes outside the city center, the opposite side as langa and the cape flats, there are several extremely high end/posh beach towns that just roll in the wealth of international business and fashion. ferraris and lambarginis can be spotted amongst the villas and beach-side town houses. pictures i've seen of the Mediterranean coast or the hamptons come into mind at first, but  the backdrop here is much more spectacular (on this side of the peninsula the enormous cliffs of table mountain go right into the sea and small developments of fancy homes and stylish cafes are perched between hillside and ocean. The ocean is a bright vivid blue and the sand is white. beautiful people bring their children, their skimpy bathing suits and champagne to the beach and lounge near the surf. (note: i actually saw several different parties with coolers filled with bottles of champagne and glass flutes to go and even one of those stands to hold ice you see at classy restaurants) At camps bay (one of the bigger small beach communities), snazzy cafes turn into snazzy bars and night clubs as the happy hour beigins. designer sunglasses, designer shoes, designer hand bags with matching designer bathing suits, designer fucking everyhting. everyone looks like a model or at least looks like they spend enough to be famous person. i guess these types of  places exist in other parts of the world, but i've never seen anything quite like this.  oh, almost, almost everyone is White. 

after two seven rand (about 8 rand to one US dollar) mini bus rides i am back home with my host mother in Langa. These  two worlds are separated by less than two american dollars in transportation costs. By the time we got home, around 6, it was getting darkish and I felt for the first time that day insecure--worried about where my wallet was or the wealth my clothes and color of my skin represented. not once while at camps bay, or walking through the shops at any of the overwhelmingly  SA white and european dominated beach communities did i feel at all nervous. 

This week is pretty exciting. On thursday we are going to Robben Island, the infamous prison island where Mandela, Mbeki, and many others were kept for decades. I am excited about going out on the ferry and getting out into the ocean. Then on friday we spend the morning in a local school.  we are all split up, some go to former white-only private schools, others to townships. i think it is going to be very interesting. then friday evening we are taking the train to Simonstown, on the cape peninsula and to spend the weekend exploring the Cape of Good Hope. I am excited.