Have passport, will travel
You know, not everything about Cape Town is so spick and span. The city crawls with the undergrowth which every developing city acquires, from homelessness to crime, litter to the daily offerings on Long Street of any drug under the sun.
Scared yet? You shouldn’t be. As far as cities go, Cape Town is actually one of the best in the world in terms of safety, cleanliness and a transportation networks top in its class in the country. Yes, there may be down sides to this seaside town, especially if you are used to cities where the grime of the underclass is hidden from view. If you happen to stay in Cape Town accommodation, from Rondebosch to Roodebloom, Woodstock to the Winchester Mansions, you will inevitably come across someone who is off their rocker on drugs or using a trolley to ferry his or her belongings about town. Should you run and hide? No. You should take it all in. This is Cape Town; this is the Mother City; this is natural life. Although you may not agree with it and want to help out, life is not always so orderly. Your passport entitles you to see the countries of the world in anyway you wish to see them. However, it also entitles those cities to impose their way of living on you – even for just a little bit. If you have a passport and you wish to travel on it, make sure you realise that cities around the world rock to their own metronome, some adhere to the rules you are used to, some do not.
For your next Cape Town holiday, why not take a trip into the ghettos of Khayelitsha or Gugletu. You might find yourself surprised at the welcome you get.
