Santos, Jarrod Victor Ezekiel A.

Plan 20199 November 23, 2016 Formatted: Font: Arial

2008-05466 Homework #3

A Day in Cape Town Formatted: Centered

The way to experience a place is to immerse ones self in it fully. The most striking features Formatted: Font: Arial
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of a place will be its sights and sounds, but one must also aware of the nuances of its tactile,
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olfactory, and gastronomic features. There is really more than meets the eye everywhere, one

must just commit him/herself to experiencing the place.

Ive been fortunate enough to have been chosen as a delegate of the organization I work

in for a 2-week seminar in Cape Town, South Africa. Having just discussed the experience of

places in class, I took this as an opportunity to apply what I have learned. I committed myself to

a full day of just experiencing the city and walking around. I navigated through its roads and

alleyways, along the sidewalks. I passed through its Central Business District and passed by

people going about their daily tasks. The people were mostly kind, readily giving a smile and a

How is it? to passers-by. There was a diverse range of people walking along the streets: from

office workers, street sweepers, tourists, hawkers, beggars, to people like me walking seemingly

aimlessly. As with any city, the diversity of people comprise the rich tapestry that defines the citys

identity.

The most striking visual feature of the city is that of Table Mountain. It is a mountain along

the borders of the CBD that is seemingly omnipresent. Whats striking about Table Mountain is

that its top is almost completely flat, and on certain days there is a thin layer of clouds on top of

the mountain making it look as if someone has laid a tablecloth over it. The sun shines bright like

in a tropical country and it illuminates the whole city with a luminous golden glow that highlights

the citys visual features. There was a lot of greys, blacks, and beige from the buildings and paved

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streets, but there was also a lot of greens, brown, red, and yellows from the nature that surrounds

the city. The city was visually dynamic, the people are continuously moving and the sights are

always changing.

The winds that blow Northeasterly are winds that originate from the south of Africa, thus it

had frigid tinge as it grazed my skin. On particularly sunny days, the sunshine nipped at my skin

a little bit. But the most memorable for me was the feel of the ground as you walked upon it. The

streets had a mixture of different textures; a mix of the smoothness of the paved roads, and the

roughness of the cobblestone portions in some areas. I also had a memorable day at the beach.

The water was frigid, like ice water. But I couldnt resist jumping in for a swim. The cold was so

bad that I couldnt last for more than 5 minutes.

Aside from the visual and tactile feel of the city, I also experienced it through my other

senses: auditory, olfactory, and gastronomic. One of the most fascinating experiences I had was

listening to the native African language of Xhosa. It was particularly interesting because was

unique in that the language incorporated various clicking sounds when spoken. Some of the

friends I made even tried teaching me how to say a few words in Xhosa. Aside from being a tactile

feature, the wind lent a specific auditory element that I experienced there. The wind blows strongly

at night, while lying in bed I heard the rustling of leaves and the howling of the wind almost

constantly. I was also impressed by how generously nature is interspersed in the urban areas of

the city and it made the surroundings smell of flowers. The air was fresh because it blew from the

south where no industrial areas existed. The food was a mix of African and European flavors, the

city being a previous colony of several European countries. Their cuisine was a mix of different

cultures being the city is a melting pot of different cultures brought in by different people from

different countries.

One of the problems I had in navigating the city is that I could not consider it a Place of

legibility. The layout of the streets did not have a particular pattern to it. The hilly nature of the

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citys topography most probably necessitates such layout. But the bigger problem I had with the

city is in its townships. Apartheid has been abolished but the effects of geographically isolating

people is very much alive and present in everyday living. The geographical separation still

perpetuates racism and discrimination.

Colonialization has molded Cape Town to what it is now. It has helped make the city a

visually stunning place and a multi-sensory experience that is distinctly Cape Town, but it has

also left deep scars that still haunt and affect the collective psyche of the city. For as long as racial

and cultural isolation and discrimination exists, the beauty of the city will remain marred by the

blunders of its past.