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A few months ago we experienced life in Gilbert, Arizona with Danielle from Danielle Ruppert & it was nothing short of magical. The huge cacti & never ending summer are right up my Bohemian street. Today we’ll be drifting off to another hemisphere, all the way to Cape Town, South Africa. Our tour guide will be a beautiful talented lady called Cynthia, who lives there with her family and together with her husband she runs a food & travel blog called Foodie Food Mood. Cynthia shares her favourite recipes (all delicious and super affordable, no rocket science cookery where you need to throw in mice tails & a thorn from the Little Prince’s rose) accompanies by the most gorgeous photographs. Just have a look at this Sweet Burrito recipe, I mean – whaaa?! Today isn’t about me dribbling all over my screen though, is it. Let’s see why Cape Town is the place to live!
WHY SHOULD YOU MOVE TO CAPE TOWN?
🇿🇦 It’s a multicultural city
Since I came to South Africa for the first time back in 2010 I felt at home. People are welcoming and very accepting of other’s people culture. You can find people from all walks of life living and working in Cape Town: from Europeans and Americans to people from other African countries, which makes it a perfect place to expand your horizons by meeting people from all over the world.
🇿🇦 It has its own Natural Wonder, Table Mountain
Table Mountain was declared one of the New Natural Wonders of the World in 2012. It is visible from almost every corner of the city, and it has so many legends around it, which makes it a true African icon.
🇿🇦 Watching the Big 5 is affordable for everybody
Once you are here, you will notice how cheap it is almost everything. You will notice people are always out and about, and watching the Big 5 (Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo and Leopard) it is quite easy and affordable. There are many game reserves around the West Coast Road that offer safari tours for as little as $60.
🇿🇦 Flower season is the best thing ever
You can experience a bit of the 4 seasons in Cape Town, mind you, the seasons are not as noticeable as in the Northern Hemisphere, but during winter (which is only very cold in the city) there are places in the mountains where it snows. The transition from one season to the other is barely noticeable, except for the magical flower season: by the end of winter and beginning of spring (August-September), the West Coast is filled with wildflowers. It is amazing to see them popping out everywhere you go. You can visit special flower reserves, open only during this time of the year, and admire fields and fields of wildflowers. It is a remarkable show!
🇿🇦 There are no zoos: only animal sanctuaries
This was very interesting to me: I love animals, and I was used to going to see them at the zoo. Here in this part of the world, there are no such things as zoos, only animal sanctuaries, where they care and protect rescued animals from circus, illegal trading, etc. I volunteered for a while with Sancoob, which is a foundation dedicated to looking after the African Penguin, sadly, on the verge of extinction. Conservation and animal rights are a big priority for Capetonians.
🇿🇦 Ethnic food is delicious
Only in South Africa I got to try food from all over the world, be it Greek food, curry and Indian food; but what really stands out is the traditional cooking of the Cape Malay, from what I hear it is a mix of cooking traditions from Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of Africa, brought over to South Africa by the Dutch settler’s slaves back in the 1600’s. Not only it is delicious and savoury but also very creative.
🇿🇦 You will get to see the Fynbos, which only grows in this part of the world
Fynbos is the name of a belt with a type of shrub that grows in the Western Cape in South Africa, and nowhere else in the world! It’s almost alien looking and it makes 80% of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Most of them are threatened species, and it is a Unesco World Heritage Site. It includes the Protea, South Africa’s National Flower, and it represents change and hope.
🇿🇦 Wine is a way of life in Cape Town
Wineries and wine are a major hobby for Capetonians. There are lots and lots wine farms around the Paarl Wine Valley, some of them offering unique kinds of wine. Some of the wine farms also have other kinds of attractions, like cheese or chocolate tasting, restaurants; and Fairview has its own goat tower, which makes it an unmissable landmark in the area.
Cynthia is a designer and photographer living in Cape Town with her husband and her cat.
She keeps a food blog at foodiefoodmood.com, where she shares recipes inspired mostly by pop culture.
