Then I did a bit of work before I headed off to the pickup point at Ashanti Green Point Backpackers, which was only a 2 minute cab ride from Never@Home. Frankly it was totally walkable, but since I was carrying my cash payment for my tour in USD, I decided not to risk walking with my huge pack, two carry-ons, and everything else, and just get in a car and ensure I arrived safely.

It worked out great and I walked into Ashanti at 8:10, and we needed to arrive between 8 and 8:30. Perfection. We all loaded up the safari bus, which was totally badass and all my junk fit in my locker with room to spare. Then our local van picked us up for our “Cape Town City Tour.”

I almost opted to skip this tour because I’d already been in Cape Town for two weeks, and when we were told that our first stop was District 6, one of the places I’d already been on my Cycle City tour, I immediately regretted going… but obviously I was stuck so I tried to make the best of it.

After District 6, we actually headed into one of the “townships” – which are essentially the slums of Cape Town. There’s a lot of debate about whether going on “tours” to these areas is an acceptable activity or not, because you’re essentially going into people’s homes and starting at, well, them and their belongings. I felt incredibly awkward when we arrived because I hadn’t really decided how I felt about it, and to be honest, I’m still really not sure how I feel. A local guy who lived in the township joined our tour guide for everything and we went into his home and he encouraged us to take photos and ask questions… but it was still very strange to me. I did snap a few pictures, which you’ll see, because one thing he said stuck with me… He said that people need to know about these conditions, to see how they’re living and open their eyes. So everything I share with you photo-wise in this blog from the township is shared with this sentiment in mind…

While in the township we walked through a bunch of different areas, and we saw everything from what you’d call a ranch house in the states, to people literally who have created homes out of shipping containers. It was a bizarre mix of wealth and lack thereof… Our guide explained to us that the people living in the shacks and shipping containers are waiting for housing that the government has promised to provide for them, but they haven’t been given yet. South Africa really has one predominant political party, and their president is currently getting heat for building himself and his family (something like) a 345 million dollar vacation home. And yet people are living in absolute poverty and the unemployment rate is insanely high.

In a way I’m glad I was able to see the township and hear about everything they’re going through, but it was still an emotionally tearing experience. Additionally, the kids of the township bum-rushed us to hang out and basically tail us through the entire tour, just hopping around and giggling until we played with them. The whole thing was just mind-boggling.

After we left the township, we got quietly bussed over to an outdoor restaurant in another township and were able to have a braai (basically a South African meat bbq) and then the tour was over.

DEFINITELY not what I expected from a “Cape Town City Tour” but I’m glad I went.

Our van then popped us over to the V&A Waterfront so we could meet back up with our tour guides and get on our safari bus and start on our way out of the city.

We loaded on and we were off! Our first campsite was actually ON a winery, which was amazing, so of course how could we not all enjoy our first optional activity of $10 USD wine tasting? That’s right, we couldn’t not… so all 10 of the tour participants (myself included) tried five wines and a platter of assorted cheeses and DEFINITELY made an impression on the winery owner. Sex, bathroom talk, and a LOT of giggles later, we’d definitely bonded as a group, if nothing else.

Before that though…. We had unloaded the safari truck and I PITCHED MY FIRST TENT ALL BY MYSELF! AND I OPENED MY SLEEPING BAG AND I FELT LIKE SUCH A BADASS. So yeah. Here’s a picture commemorating that because how could I not?

After the wine tasting, we made our way back to the campsite and Maja, our tour guide, had prepared dinner for us, because she’s amazing, and we chowed down. Then we did the appropriate camping thing and shot the shit around the campfire for a while before we all went back to our tents to sleep. I read my book for a while and messed around on the internet because I still had service and data on my South African SIM card, and then I finally passed out.

Day 1, complete.