I landed on April 21st and hit the ground running.

So far, I met up with my group of travelers. We mostly went out to eat and did a city tour yesterday.

So far, I really like this city. It’s such a colorful place to be, so vibrant in culture. South Africa has had its own share of turbulent history, which might explain the pleasantness of interactions with the locals. They have lived through the effects of Apartheid, and now they’re living in brighter times in a general sense. It doesn’t mean everything is all sunshine and roses now. The socioeconomic divide between blacks and whites is still obvious even after Apartheid. 



The architecture of this town is of Dutch, French, German, Victorian, and neoclassical influences. Stroll down Long Street and you’ll find many buildings that look like the French Quarter of New Orleans. There are also Art Nouveau influences, which is personally my favorite.

Running is how I get to know a new city. Here in Cape Town, the direction of traffic goes on the left much like the U.K., the steering wheels on the right hand side of vehicles. This means that I have to be extra alert since I’m not used to the orientation of the traffic. So, no headphones for me while running.

Cape Town also has a thriving vegan community. I had pizza at The Hungry Herbivore. I also took home a slice of raw chocolate cheesecake. It was so good, and I let the kind folks there know how delicious it all was. It truly hit the spot.

I proceeded to walk through the Company’s Gardens yesterday. There are these enormous handmade wicker baskets you can sit and chill out in. Looks like I found a new meditation spot.
There are also lots of grey squirrels scampering about. Watching tourists take photos of them was amusing, to say the least. Or maybe it’s because we also have grey squirrels in the U.S., so I barely noticed them.

And finally, here is what I came to South Africa for: AfrikaBurn. I made these little necklace pouches. Each contains a small glass vial of dust collected from the Black Rock Desert where Burning Man is held every year in the US.  

I have a couple more, though they’re not as elaborate as the ones shown. Every day I will wear one and give it to someone. It’s a gift straight from the source.

I’ve been to Burning Man four times already and understand the culture very well. This will be my first AfrikaBurn. As always, it’s best to not have expectations, because every Burn will be different. Take what you will out of it and learn from it. I promise you, having expectations can dampen the experience when they’re not met. (The same could be said about many things in life, really.) The best thing to do is to keep your mind open, stay prepared, and welcome the immediacy.

We won’t have any reception or signal, so this is the last update until we come back. Then I will need to gather my thoughts before sharing them with you. Cheers.