A Side of Sweet

Cape Town Township Tour

During out Cape Town adventure, we spent an afternoon taking a township tour of Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay. South African townships are large informal settlements that were put up illegally during Apartheid when black people were evicted from “white only” neighborhoods. The displaced built makeshift houses anywhere they could find space.

Over the years, people have tried to get rid of the townships, but just when one is cleaned up, another springs up in its place. Now, many of these townships in the country have become permanent ‘mini cities’. The townships continue to grow in density and size as refugees from other countries move in seeking a better life for themselves and their families…. Read More »

Cape Point & Cape of Good Hope

Cape Point in South Africa has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Most people think it’s the point where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet, but this spot actually fluctuates between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas about 100 miles away. Because of the mix of warm and cold currents, it’s home to one of the most diverse marine biomes in the world.

The vegetation on the coast is called fynbos. Even though fynbos only covers 6% of Southern Africa, it is home to 20% of all species discovered on the entire continent. Apparently there are still a few zebra that live on the peninsula, but all we saw were seabirds. And baboons…. Read More »

Muizenberg Beach Travel Guide, Cape Town

We spent our first week in Cape Town in an AirBnB in Muizenberg. Muizenberg is a super charming beachy neighborhood, right on a beautiful white sand beach. It was the perfect start to our trip – relaxation central. In addition, it’s a surfer’s paradise with a great beach break that’s great for learners.

Even if you’ve never heard of Muizenberg, you may recognize the colorful beach huts you see in these photos. The Victoria changing houses date back to the 19th century. The line the coast and represent the whimsy of this part of Cape Town perfectly…. Read More »

Hiking Black Sands Beach

Black Sands Beach in the Marin Headlands is a short drive from San Francisco. It’s easily accessible with a short hike. It’s also a great place for a picnic!

Our recent trip to South Africa re-lit the adventure bug in Pat and I. Jet lag be darned, we decided to take advantage of a day off and the gorgeous San Francisco ‘winter’ weather and spend a day hiking outside of Marin.

Marin is about a 15 minute drive from San Francisco, just across the Golden Gate Bridge. Things that make the area awesome – epic coastal trails, Golden Gate Bridge views and a stunning black sand beach that is easily-accessible with a short hike. Despite its proximity to San Francisco, Black Sands Beach is very secluded and usually isn’t too busy…. Read More »

Healthy Chopped Salad + Dijon Vinaigrette

Gluten Free Vegetarian

A healthy chopped salad recipe with beets, avocado, veggies, and a dijon vinaigrette. Colorful and easy to make, gluten free and optional vegetarian.

One of the best meals we had in Cape Town was at Azure restaurant, which is part of the Twelve Apostles Hotel in Camps Bay. It was one of those lunches worth lingering over, with dish after amazing dish. Not to mention the view, perched on the side of their namesake Twelve Apostles, a string of peaks that extend from Table Mountain.

One of my favorite things about it was the mix of dishes with serious ‘wow factor’ like ostrich tartare, and comfort foods like chicken noodle soup. There’s truly something for any mood. It’s also pretty special to eat a Catch of the Day that was caught fresh right from the waters that the restaurant overlooks. … Read More »

Robben Island Cape Town

During our trip to South Africa, we took a boat ride to Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town. This was no luxury cruise though, our goal was to tour the now-defunct prison on the island and learn more about its history.

Robben Island is perhaps most famous for being the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 out of his 27 years behind bars after being arrested for conspiracy to overthrow the South African government…. Read More »