Cape town to the garden route

We had quite the random few days in Cape town! New years day was a bit of a write off because we slept in and then had the most random experiences all day - some will just make the 6 of us look silly so they aren't even worth mentioning!  We seem to have spent a majority of our time at the beautiful V & A waterfront, which is likely one of the nicest waterfronts I've seen even when compared with Sydney, Australia! It's lively with lots of restaurants and shops! We went to the Two oceans aquarium and went on the Robben Island tour which is where the prison that Nelson Mandela was kept for 27 years. It was interesting to see but the whole tour could have been done a bit better. On Jan 1 or 2 every year there is a parade that is often compared to Mardis Gras or Carnival in Rio. We caught a few glimpses of the parade with colorful costumes and performers of all ages! Historically it was the few day(s) that the slaves were free and it evolved from being a big party to a colorful spectacle on the streets of Cape town! Cape town boasts to be the best city in Africa! Although I've only been to Tanzania and Adam has been to both Tanzania and Egypt, so far we would have to agree! South Africa is so different from East Africa so far - much more modern and efficient! Although you remember you're in Africa when people are trying to sell stuff while you're stopped at a light or seeing people walking along the sides of the highways.

So far we have felt safe but are taking precautions. Alia and Hussein's trip started off on a sour note when their camera and camcorder were stolen from their carry-on bag that they were forced to check in because it was overweight on Mango airlines. Luckily we are only taking Star alliance flights this trip and minimal internal flights.

We are off to the Garden route today for a few nights and then back to cape town for a few more nights!