Sitting on the top deck of Ashanti’s Kumasi bar with a fresh iced cooled Windhoek and a Table mountain view in front of me and I was wondering how I ended up in this seemingly piece of heaven. A friend once asked me; why on the earth would you go to Cape Town. At the time I couldn’t really give an answer, further then; Well it seems nice, good weather, some beaches, the mountain seems quite unique so shouldn’t be that bad right?

How naive…
You might wonder the same, why would I go all the way down to the most South Western place of the African continent? Would it be worth the effort? How knows it might be an investment not worth it…

Ask me now, 6 months later into the adventure. Ask my honest genuine unexaggerated opinion.

Well… Where to even start? How does ‘’Best city in the world’’ sound? (Telegraph Travel Awards 2013) Or ‘’Number one place to visit’’ in 2014 (New York Times 2014)? Surely must have something special that it deserves those titles.
Just close your eyes and start imagining the Cape Town recipe: Start off with stunning scenery, the easy pace of life, the melting pot of cultures, the never ending wine lands and white beaches. Add some surfing, driving through Chapman’s Peak, an ‘Old Biscuit Mill’ Sandwich and a Cape Point wind through the hair and there you have it, the Cape Town recipe. Trust me; I don’t need to say more, just feast on this piece of awesomeness.

I mean seriously, it is ridiculous the amount of activities, the abundance of nature and the overflow of good vibes you can find in the Mother City. Only thing you really need to do is to go online and book your ticket, come to Ashanti lodge Backpackers and let everything surrounding you take care of it. Guaranteed within one week you’ve met a bunch of locals and travellers, you would start saying things like ‘’now now’’ and ‘’awe’’! And your average cup of tea would be a Lions head sunrise and an afternoon Muizenberg surf before heading back to just sit back, and enjoy along with fellow lucky few on the braai cooking up with some mean meat!

I dare you, no I double dare you! You never know how it is unless you actually try it.

Mike Scheijvens