This is Kiteboarding from Scribblevision on Vimeo.

This weekend I will kiteboard.  I’ve been putsying around on the beach learning how to fly the humongous kite.  Now it’s time to strap on a board and hit the water.  I am the most uncoordinated person I know.  But sometimes you have to dare to fail.  In traveling.  At work.  In life.  So here goes nothing…

Go travel to small towns.

Global travelers tend to go to the extremes when they encounter small towns.  They over glorify them for their humble quaintness or resent their slowness.   Either way, travelers move through small towns quickly.  We see small towns as convenient stopovers on the way to the main attractions; the half way mark between bright city lights and outback adventure.  But small towns are worth more than their cliché charm.  Traveling to small towns is an integral part of the cultural cross section we so desperately search for.  Forget Thomas Kinkade paintings of romanticized country lanes, and forget the backwards ignorance of To Kill a Mockingbird.  Small towns are not about extremes.   They’re about real life.

Small towns are worth more than their charm.

Most travelers don’t have enough time to get to know cities.  According to the Beyond Disney Travel Tips official study done right now in my head, it takes an average of 18 to 22 months to really understand a city.  On the other hand a small town is, well, smaller.  That means you can learn it quicker and know it better in the short time you have to spend.  Sure, you’re still a tourist, but at least you can appreciate the nuances of at least one small section of a new country or place.

Here are a few places that will give you inspiration to start you small town traveling.

Lexington, Michigan

Explore small towns.

Lexington has the classic Main Street and stone library to give it the obligatory small town charm.  It also has neighborhoods of tiny but amazingly functional real life beach houses.  Most of them have been passed down through families and manage to fit 16 grandchildren comfortably into 900 square feet.    Lexington is the Midwest in miniature.  With just over 1,000 residents, Lexington still manages to have an award winning theatre, a few really cool bars and a stunning harbor overlooking one of the largest lakes in the world, Lake Huron.

Philadelphia, South Africa

Not the Philadelphia you normally think of.  This Philadelphia is located just up the West Coast of South Africa from Cape Town.  It consists of two roads, an enormous church, an old graveyard that is equal parts cool and creepy, and artists.  Philadelphia is easy to underestimate as a nothing town trying to lure in tourists.  The ridiculous amounts of art galleries seem a bit insincere at first.  But spend a bit of time there and you’ll begin to realize that this town is run by the locals for the locals.  People who live here work here, growing hot peppers, running small restaurants, and making art.  There’s even an aspiring fashion designer; a high school student who’s made some of the coolest dresses I’ve ever seen.   The town’s appreciation for art is evident.   It’s in the strange tea cup tree decorations seen throughout the neighborhood, the wavy tiled roof of the largest house in town, the old mill-turned-art-gallery and in the sheer number of local artists offering their creations at a fraction of what they’d cost anywhere else.

Cabuya, Costa Rica

Low tide means nap time in Cabuya.

Cabuya is the shy sister town to the brighter, louder, Montezuma.  Both share incredible coast line in the Nicoya Region of Costa Rica.  Both are a paradise for surfers, beach walkers and adventurers.  But while Montezuma entertains the tourists with a zip line course and internet cafes, Cabuya focuses more on its small bakery and namesake island.  You can get by with English in Montezuma, but just one kilometer away in Cabuya, Spanish is mandatory.  This is a town where families still rely on the fish they catch and where Sunday naps are observed religiously.

Wicklow, Ireland

Wicklow is fast becoming a known tourist destination for those traveling to Ireland to drink beer in Dublin…and then remember that they should also see the countryside.    Wicklow embraces many of the clichés of Ireland but refuses to dance around in a leprechaun outfit.  Just a train ride outside of Dublin, it’s a small seaside town that still closes everything but the church and coffee shop on Sundays, regardless of the tourism they could bring in otherwise.  Instead Sundays seem to be the day where fathers take the children out fishing on the pier while mothers all meet together at the one closet-sized restaurant that’s open.

Onekama, Michigan

Maybe it’s poor taste to include two Michigan towns in one post.  What can I say?  I love my home state.  Onekama, like Lexington, defines itself by a Great Lake.  Only Onekama’s lake of choice is Lake Michigan.  Onekama has one grocery shop, one pizza joint, one fancy restaurant for the summer visitors and one small toy store that sells t-shirts, candy and overpriced puzzles.  Onekama has the remnants of Dirty Dancing style family vacations at the Portage Point Inn.  It also has shoreline on both Portage Point Lake (gorgeous) and Lake Michigan (even better).  While other Great Lake towns are overwhelmed with tourists during the summer, in Onekama a busy day on the beach means seeing four other people.  It’s some of the most beautiful coast line in the world and it’s virtually empty year round.

So now’s the time to go travel to the places you once overlooked.  What are some other small towns worth visiting?

Mondays are downers.  After the high of the weekend it’s easy to slump into a coffee cup depression as you hit your desk to start off a new week.  But it doesn’t have to be like that.  All around you are incredible sights, incredible experiences and incredible places to travel.  All around you are moments of awe.

A moment of awe is anything that takes your breath away and sticks with you after it’s over.  Travel inspires plenty of moments of awe.  They’re not always flashy.  Often they’re just as easily overlooked as they are inspiring.

Another Moment of Awe inspired by my balcony

To help start your week off on the right note Beyond Disney Travel Tips is bringing you Your Monday Moment of Awe.  This is a chance to share fantastic moments from my own travels, your travels and, hopefully, help us all be a little more aware of the wonderful around us.  Maybe that’s a bit corny, but who cares?

Today’s moment of awe comes courtesy of my balcony.  Guess what it is.

Can you guess what you're seeing?

Give up?  In front is a full sized man on a stand up board.  These are big in my side of Cape Town.  What’s even bigger is the whale just behind him.  The whale in the middle of rolling over.  The whale whose fin, flipper, arm…whatever it’s called is bigger than an entire human.

There are no granite countertops in my little apartment or marble in the bathrooms.  I don’t give a what.   My balcony is a showstopper that catches me off guard with moments of awe time and time again.  Sure sometimes I take it for granted.   After two years of living and travelling in Cape Town even whale watching becomes the norm after a while.  But then the view it gives me wakes me from blasé and forces me to appreciate where I am.

What is your Monday Moment of Awe?

Take a moment to be awed.

Time for me to eat my own words.  After espousing the grandeur of the middle of nowhere and bashing the foolishness of spending Valentine’s Day at a  fancy pants restaurant in the city, I went on to spend Valentine’s Day at a fancy pants restaurant in the city.

Turns out the surprise my boyfriend planned for us was dinner in the middle of the Cape Town Waterfront – which explains why he cringed when he read my last blog post.  Oops.  I realized that taking such a strong stance on how to spend Valentine’s Day might have been a mistake as our car headed further and further into town.

The view from our fancy pants city restaurant

So the same rose petal cliché that I scoffed at only hours before turned out to be…awesome.  While I maintain that the middle of nowhere is romantic, I admit that the city is, too.  Awesomely romantic, in fact.  What can I say?  When you’re wrong, you’re wrong.

I must apologize to cities across the globe for my earlier snub.  In order to help repair our relationship here are a few ideas for a romantic time in the middle of somewhere.

Be a Tourist

Go to all the tourist attractions.

If you can’t travel to a new city, be a tourist at home.  Visit the sites that you normally roll your eyes at – the city castle, the Ferris wheel, the waterfront and the botanical gardens.  There’s a reason foreigners enjoy these things.

Food Hop

So many things to eat!

Pub crawls and bar hopping are the celebrity brothers of the food hop.  Like its name suggests, a food hop involves food.  Lots of food.  It’s a sophisticated (?) game that involves going to cool looking delis, cafes and street vendors and sampling just one thing off their menu.  It’s more of a Food Roll than a Hop by the time you and your boyfriend or girlfriend are done.

People Watch

Watch the weirdos go by

Cliché as it may be, people watching is fun.  Find a city bench for you and your honey to sit and while away the afternoon making up stories about where everyone’s headed and where they’re from.  Making up fake voices for them is always a hit with me and my boyfriend.  We’re weird.

Walk

See the city by foot.

The most romantic way to a see a city is to walk it.  Avoid the crowded subways and buses and strap on some sneakers.  Sharing a walk around the city with your partner is a chance to chat, exercise and marvel at the architecture, parks and strange hobos you encounter.

The romance of the city is captivating and just plain lovely.  Next year spend Valentine’s Day wherever and however you want – and don’t listen to any travel bloggers who don’t always know what they’re talking about.

The middle of nowhere is the most romantic place to be.  Whether it’s wide open plains, a rugged mountain side or a deserted beach, the middle of nowhere dares you to be deliciously isolated.  Inviting someone to share in this wind whipped or sun baked setting is inviting them to be the focus of your attention for however long you’re there.    Forget the city scene of overpriced rose petal clichés, the middle of nowhere is the spot to travel to this Valentine’s Day.

middle of nowhere beach bar

This weekend I witnessed romance in the middle of nowhere.  I went up the west coast of South Africa to camp in Langebaan.  In December Langebaan hops with tourists.  But for the other eleven months it settles down to a fairly non-descript beach town whose main attractions are fishing and kite surfing.  I was there to do both, and managed to do both poorly.  As I walked along the beach during the daytime downtime I stumbled onto a beach bar, complete with broken ships and a million seagulls hunting for scraps.  Sandwiched between the splintery picnic tables and old buoys was a wedding.  At first it seemed like a strange place to get married, but when I turned to look out at their view I understood.  The backdrop to the couple’s special day was beach and waves, interrupted only by giant granite boulders.  There were no ornate flower arrangements or mile high wedding cakes to distract from what the day was all about.  The beauty and simplicity of the surroundings were the only decorations needed to set the mood.  It was the nicest wedding I’ve ever crashed.

romantic spot for a wedding

Today might not be your wedding day, but it’s a day dedicated to love in all its corny, sappy wonderful.  Just like the Langebaan wedding, you can make the middle of nowhere the backdrop to a romantic evening.  Here are some ideas to make your Valentine’s Day special.

Drive in the Wrong Direction 

You know the intersection where you always turn left?  Turn right.  Pack a few snacks, an extra can of gas and hit the road with your honey for your own Bonnie and Clyde adventure (bad example).  Drive for however long you feel like and see what’s out there.  Stop at whatever pretty, intriguing or weird spots you find.  Leave plans, busy schedules and bedtimes at home and see where Valentine’s Day takes you.

Make Your Own Fancy Restaurant

better than some fancy pants restaurant

You know what’s romantic?  Food.  A nice dinner sets the tone for a nice Valentine’s Day.  Bring all the luxury of a fancy pants restaurant into the middle of nowhere with you by packing a picnic.  No, not a peanut butter sandwich picnic; a cheese and wine and smoked salmon and lemon and seasoned green beans and fresh rolls and chocolate cake picnic.  Make it yourself, hit the fancy section of the grocery store (it still costs less than a restaurant) or even order take away.  Who cares how you get the food, just get it.  Then spread out a picnic basket in the middle of nowhere and enjoy!

Camp the Night Away

perfect for a romantic night in the middle of nowhere

If you can’t take tomorrow off work, then plan this one for the weekend.  Experience the middle of nowhere at night with your Valentine –in the dark it’s twice as spooky and romantic as during the day.  Pack extra warm blankets for the nighttime chill (especially if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere!), and fall asleep to the sound of nothingness –or lots of frogs.

Rooftop Viewing

If you can't go to the middle of nowhere, bring the middle of nowhere to you!

Sometimes the middle of nowhere is just too far away.  Maybe driving an hour out of the city won’t be possible tonight.  But no worries.  You can have the next best thing by creating what feels like the middle of nowhere.  Take that picnic basket up to the top of your apartment building and Valentine the night away from your rooftop.  Or surprise your Valentine with a “night away” by putting the tent up in the backyard.  As an extra bonus you won’t even have to pee outside.

Why spend your Valentine’s Day inside a generic restaurant when you could be out in the romance of the middle of nowhere?  What are your Valentine’s plans?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Travel

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and whether you realize it or not, you do have a Special Someone – or, rather, a Special Something – to share it with. 

You are in a long-distance relationship.  You always said you’d never get into one.  They never work.  They drive you crazy.  And yet here you are, one of the suckers who couldn’t bear to end it at the airport.  So what if this particular relationship isn’t with another human?  Your relationship with Travel needs love, too.  As an expert in long-distance relationships (my boyfriend is shaking his head at me) I feel it is my duty to help you make this relationship work.

Don’t Be Jealous

You and Travel aren’t together right now and might not be for a while.  That’s hard enough.  What’s even harder is knowing that Travel is out having fun at night with other girls and guys.  You see them laughing together on Facebook and read about their fabulous adventures on Twitter.  OMG!  I’m LOVING my trip around Europe!  Even your friends become suspect as they jet off to meet Travel for three weeks in Vietnam.  But before you become That girlfriend or boyfriend – the one who nags over the phone – take a breath and remember that soon you’ll be the lucky one sharing laughs with Travel.

Show Travel You Care

Travel is in this relationship, too.  And that means Travel has all the same doubts and insecurities that you do.  Make sure Travel is confident about your long-distance relationship and show it that you care.  Spend a bit of time with Travel on websites about the places you’d like to go together.  Put some effort into this relationship.  Research the cheapest flights and the best accommodation for the two of you.  Splurge on Travel with nice Lonely Planet guidebooks and Osprey backpacks.  Give Travel some love and it will return the favour.

Keep Travel Interested (and Interesting)

Break out of your boring routine to let Travel know you’re still crushing on it.  Spruce things up with a spontaneous weekend to a place you’ve never been.  Make it exotic; somewhere hot and romantic.  Be adventurous.  Sky dive instead of just lying in the sun all day.  Scuba dive instead of just taking pictures of the water.  Take Travel out for a nice dinner when you’re together; don’t make Travel feel cheap by always being cheap.

Make Your Expectations Clear

Are you and Travel in this for the long haul or is this just a summer fling?  Be fair to both of you by letting Travel know what you think of it.  Will this become just a weekend affair or are you life partners?  You don’t want Travel crying as you walk down the aisle later on with Office Job, do you?  So, come on, have The Talk and commit to how many days, weeks, or months you can give to Travel.

Be Loyal to Travel

If you’re still both on board after The Talk be faithful to Travel.  This goes back to the whole don’t-be-jealous thing.  Make sure Travel can trust you, just like you trust it.  Save up to see Travel again.  Don’t cheat with Night Club or Shopping Sprees.  Those hussies are just using you.  You expect Travel to always be there, waiting for you with open arms and gorgeous places.  Do the same for it.  Make the effort to be together as often as possible.  Read travel articles and follow travel blogs (hint, hint) to let Travel know you’re thinking about it.

Have Faith in Travel

You’ve proven yourself loyal, now believe Travel will do the same.  This isn’t about jealousy.  This is about you believing your relationship can work.  Will work.  If there’s love, there’s a way.  Excuse me while I puke over that.  But really, you’re in this relationship for a reason.  Now have faith in that reason.  You’re not together just so you can brag about it later at the bar.  It’s more than that.  Travel is the love of your life.  With all its dirt, grime and flaws you love it still.  Have faith that next you see it, Travel will still be as wonderful and incredible as when you two first fell in love.

What are some relationship tips that have worked for you and Travel?

Wow.  What else can I say?  Well maybe Thank You.  No that’s not enough.  A Big Thank You.  Still not enough.  A Big Ol’ Fat Honkin’ THANK YOU (that’s more like it) to the amazing readers, friends and supporters of Beyond Disney Travel Tips for making yesterday our BIGGEST day ever.

We more than doubled the number of daily views from our last biggest day, bringing us up to an unbelievable 178 views in one day.  Yowzahs!

This blog is one part hobby, one part addiction, three parts fun to write and, I hope, one part fun to read.  The fact that anyone is reading is incredible.  The fact that all of you went on to view it yesterday is just plain awesome.

Thanks for the time you take to read the musings and blabbering of a fellow Traveller!

Yesss!

Some days are really great.  Things go your way.  You meet unexpected adventures that are surprising and fun, not euphemisms for an extra deadline from your boss.  You appreciate where you are and enjoy the people you’re with.

I had one of those days yesterday.  It was a combination of hiking, full moonlight and an impromptu party on the mountain – all on a Tuesday evening.  And in the middle of hiking up Lion’s Head I realized what makes a really great day.

the first hint of the full moon

You do.

Your mindset, the people you surround yourself with, your willingness to push yourself allow great days to happen.  Sure there are things above and beyond your control.  The day you break your leg in a car accident is probably not a really great day, no matter how hard you try and put on a smile.  And there’s the other extreme; those days you are mad at the world before you even open your eyes, but the stars align to force you back into happiness.  It turns out you have a surprise party waiting for you at night, or you get that promotion (and its big fat pay check).

But most times the difference between a really great day and one that will soon be forgotten is You.  Take yesterday, for example.

It was supposed to be an average day.  I planned to go home after work, have some dinner and fall asleep on the couch drooling on myself.  The usual.  Then came a text from some pals across town inviting me to join them for a hike up Lion’s Head, the baby mountain to Cape Town’s big mama Table Mountain.  As I battled traffic to make my way there I wondered if it was worth it.  Why not just go home and relax?  After all I was tired and hungry.  But my excuses were vetoed when I remembered that this is why I live here; to take advantage of the fun things to do in Cape Town.

big mama Table Mountain on the left, baby Lion's Head on the right

Normally Lion’s Head is an hour hike.  Ok, maybe one and a half hours if you’re out of shape like me.  Last night it took us three hours.  And it was awesome!  Turns out it was a full moon, which brought the tourists out like wolves. The whole mountain moved with a million human ants as we hiked alongside travellers from all over the world.  Some of the ants around us grumbled about the congested paths and obnoxious tourists.  But my pals and I laughed at the mountain’s transformation.  What is normally a peaceful walk had become South Africa’s own Moon Party.  At the top where there should have been one or two other weekday hikers, was a mob of smiling foreigners.  It wasn’t the communion with nature we’d expected, but it was…really fun.

Just a regular Tuesday evening on Lion's Head

The hike down was just as slow and cumbersome as the way up.  Around us our fellow ants pushed and moaned.  But it didn’t matter.  I had driven across town to do something uniquely Cape Town, and this was certainly unique to Cape Town.  I was with great friends, I loved being where I was and doing what I was doing.

Sure it never hurts to have a gorgeous view and some astronomical wonders around.  But a really great day starts with your decision to have one.

What are some of your really great days?

the sunset before the full moon

It’s about the journey, not the destination.

This is one of the lines uttered famously by eyelash fluttering ladies and old men with lined faces and weathered hats.  It sounds nice.  It takes on a fabulously philosophical meaning when applied to life.   But when taken literally it is absolutely wrong.

The reality of travelling is that it’s all about the destination.  Because the journey sucks.

Take off those rose colored glasses for a moment and tell me, do you honestly enjoy travelling?  I mean the “ing” part of travelling – the hot buses, delayed flights and cramped train compartments that smell like the bathroom on the other side of the wall.

Why can't all travelling be this fun?

It’s ok, though, because the destination outweighs the journey. That means you choose the cheapest means of getting to a great travel spot.  The allure of climbing new mountains, eating new foods and struggling to communicate in new languages pushes you into and onto tiny boats, rickety carts and planes piloted by what may be epileptic children.  You red eye it in without (too much) complaint in order to stretch your bucks further while you’re in Belize.  You sleep in gray bus stations with your backpack for a pillow (that inevitably has your toothbrush positioned to poke you in the head all night).  You share seats with oversize bags, oversize people and the occasional chicken all in the name of “getting there.”  “There” is the operative word.  “Getting” is in its way.

Maybe getting there is half the fun for you.  Maybe you are one of those lucky few who nap peacefully in your business class world of wonder.  Maybe you are part of the smiling family that graces the covers of trans-American train brochures.  Maybe the buses you ride are temperature controlled and let you choose your own movie.  If so, well done.  You are in the travelling elite.  You are among the lucky few that associate plane rides with champagne instead of screaming babies.  We would all love to join your ranks when our bank accounts allow.

This looks like more fun than it is.

But for now many of us are stranded in the purgatory of budget airlines and windy bus routes that take five hours to cover ten miles.  Still we count ourselves lucky to be travellers.

The journey may be an obstacle, but the destination makes it worthwhile.

What is your craziest journey story?

Why is Cape Town the top travel destination in the world?  According to Tripadvisor it’s more beloved by travelers than the serene beaches of Indo, the mountains of Switzerland or the frenzy of New York.   So what makes it so great?  After two years in the Mother City, I have a hunch.

The Cape Town Argus Bike Tour, largest of its kind in the world

Variety of Activities Available

It’s human nature to categorize things.  You want to know if you’re headed off to a party spot, a beach vacation or going on a cultural trip.  It helps prepare you for where you’re going; what to expect, what to budget, what to wear.  The bad news is that Cape Town is a difficult one to nail down.   The good is that Cape Town is a difficult one to nail down.  Cape Town offers enough variety to fit into many categories.  Ok, you can count it out for ski holidays, but otherwise you’ve got the beaches, the hiking, the biking, the bright architecture, the vibrant night life, the sobering history, the jumping sharks and the world class wine farms.  Oh, and within each category is more variety.  What type of beach shall it be today – long and sandy, private and surrounded by rock formations, windy and moody?  What type of wine shall we taste – merlot, chardonnay or cab sav?  Let’s hope you don’t mind choosing between everything Cape Town has to offer.

Beautiful Scenery

Sure it’s cliché, but Cape Town is a stunner.  Normally you have to choose whether to visit a place with beaches, rocky mountains, rolling wine farms or colorful wildlife.  In Cape Town you get it all.  The backdrop to the city just happens to be a new natural wonder of the world.

Not a bad place to be.

The waters in front host some of the most epic kite surfing championships and shark cage diving tours in the world.  Sunsets aim to impress and you can watch from any number of sandy inlets, boulders or rooftops.  Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is listed as a top picnic spot worldwide.  And the people are beautiful, too.  Like really pretty.  Guys and Girls, get ready for some fun people watching at the beach.

Lots of Night Life

Have some fun in Cape Town

What are you in the mood for?  Ready to teeter around in your mile high stilettos, or do you feel more like listening to live music in your old t-shirt?  Cape Town has clubs, pubs and wonderful dive bars galore.  Head to Blouberg for a few chilled drinks at the local surf bar, Yo Mojo, or go to Caprice in Camps Bay for your weekly intake of pretention.  Park the car for the night while you stroll down Long Street,  gay it up in the Cape Quarter, or (pretend to) be sophisticated at wine bars in Constantia.  And chow down on fresh sea food just about anywhere.

History

Drink in the History

Fair enough, you don’t want to spend your vacation inside dark museums.  In Cape Town the history is outside all around you.  Take a walking tour around District Six to learn about a community’s forced relocation.  Celebrate color in the Bo-Kaap or Cape Malay Quarter.  Wander the old castle that has stood guard under about a million different flags.  Gain a new respect for the ocean’s fury at Cape Point, or find another reason to love dogs at Simon’s Town.    Drink up your history at some of the oldest wine farms in Africa.  And of course, remember to take a moment to reflect while visiting Nelson Mandela’s cell on Robben Island.

Clear Weather

South Africa has the world’s fourth bluest sky.  No big thing.  The fact that 80 percent of days are sunny and bright is just

How's that for blue sky?

the norm for you Brits and Midwesterners, right?  Ok, ok Cape Town winters can be a little grey.  But, for all the moaning I heard about them before I moved here, they’re really not that bad.  Hey, you babies up in Jo’burg who whine about Cape Town winter, get over yourselves.  A little rain, a little wind for about two months a year (mostly June and July) and then it’s back to blue sky paradise.

Easy to get Around

Cape Town is an anomaly: an African city that actually seems to work.  That’s right, there is such a thing as public transportation.  I mean buses, not the near-death experience of an African taxi that I romanticized just a few weeks ago.  The infrastructure makes it easy to get around, find a place to stay and explore.  A friend recently asked if she should rent a 4×4 when she comes to visit.  No, this isn’t Mozambique.  Roads in town are actual roads.  With pavement and everything.  Get used to driving on the left, but no need to break out the quad.

Welcoming and Progressive

Sure things here haven’t always been so rosy.  But today South Africa has one of the most liberal constitutions in the world and Cape Town is the nation’s hub of progress.  Cape Town is the San Francisco of Africa; the continent’s gay capitol.  Gay marriage isn’t a point of discussion – it’s legal everywhere in the country and has been for years (get with it, USA).  Unmarried couples aren’t chased around by One Million Moms with pitchforks.  We’re given special visas to make living here a little easier.  Medical breakthroughs, like the world’s first open heart surgery, happen here.  World Cup games are played here, even if no one back home watches soccer or knows what rugby is.   Cape Town is where creative media and architecture are awarded at the Loerie Awards.  In fact, Cape Town is so into her design she has been awarded the World Design Capital for 2014 (take that, Dublin).  As a visitor this means there’s a lot to experience and that everyone is welcome.

Black, White, Purple and Green come together for the Jazz Fest in Cape Town

It all adds up to one great vacation destination.

Why do you love Cape Town?