Dawns Early Light

Cape Town is cool. Or in the words of a more skillful writer:

Cape Town lingers at the edge of the world, exuding an atmosphere of an unfolding, merry apocalypse. The landscape is both stunning and isolating, as the presence of the titanic Table Mountain and the myriad gorgeous beaches conspire to psychologically separate the metropolis from the rest of South Africa and the world at large. Whatever.

Cape Town is cool.

Few cities enjoy such an appealing mixture of urban kick and peripheral charm. This entire corner of South Africa - which lingers at the edge of the world - is truly delicious.

How to make a Western Cape cocktail: use 3 parts San Francisco for an intoxicating cosmopolitan base; spike it with a healthy shot of Yosemite; pour in some vintage Provence; splash the rim with Waikiki; and stir it up with 11 national languages. Yum. If you question my palate, consider the refined taste of British aristocrat and MP Lord Randolph Churchill who wrote:

To the traveler in search of health, distraction, amusement, sport, beauty of scenery, excellence of climate, I can recommend it as being the region of the world most favored by nature, either for the residence, or the wanderings of man.

I could wander here indefinitely. Harper's Travel Magazine rates Cape Town as the world's third best tourist destination after San Francisco and Vancouver. Did they consider ... it has half the rainfall, is only half as expensive, and boasts beaches where girls only wear half a bikini? I think not. Final score: Double the pleasure, double the fun / By my measure, the Cape's number one. While we're at it ... double the oceans. The Cape of Good Hope is flanked by the Indian Ocean to the east and the Atlantic to the west. One is balmy, the other brutal; one suitable for swimming, the other for cryogenics. The water of the Atlantic seaboard is amazingly cold due to the effect of the Benguela current which comes straight from Antarctica. Chilling shrinkage but b-r-r-r iskly refreshing.

Fun things to do on the Cape .... Take the train down the coast of False Bay to Simon's Town (roundtrip ticket about $2). The views are sensational as the rails hug the ocean. At the end of the line walk to Boulder's Beach to check out the indigenous penguin colony. Weird birds. Spend a night in Muizenberg. The hostel ($5) offers free surfboards and the 2 - 3 foot waves are clean, consistent, and virtually deserted. Glide in the cable car to the top of Table Mountain and hike around for stunning vistas. Browse for used books downtown on the bohemian-vibed Long Street. Stroll along the promenade in the upscale suburb of Seapoint at sunset. Sip a coffee at the V&A Waterfront while watching the clouds creep over Table Mountain. Referred to as the Tablecloth, the descending clouds resemble an eerie slow motion waterfall.

Get a tattoo. Visit idyllic Stellenbosch. Surrounded by stony massifs and vineyards, the city is loaded with cafes, energetic students, classic Cape Dutch architecture, and a ridiculous amount of oak trees. A phenomenal place. Hit the beach. The beatiful people flock to Clifton while we gargoyles are banished to Camps Bay. The first is a feast of flesh while the latter lies nestled beneath a breathtaking mountain range dubbed the Twelve Apostles. Join me tomorrow at Saul's Saloon and Grill, home of the Best Burgers East of the Atlantic. Eat a 1.2 kilo (nearly 3 pound) burger and plate of fries within 15 minutes to earn a free dinner, tee shirt, and coveted place in their Hall of Fame. And finally, inhale the wind and follow your bliss.

In 1488, Barthlomeus Dias set foot on the Cape and became the first European known to have landed on the southern extremity of Africa. The date was February third ... 513 years ago today. He originally named this area the Cape of Storms; it was later changed to the Cape of Good Hope. Storms and hope are names fittingly reflective of the country's past and future. Its history is dark and turbulent. Its future welcome but uncertain. Freshly awaken from the nightmare of apartheid, South Africa prepares for the dawn of a new day.

... but such is the character of that morrow which mere lapse of time can never make to dawn. The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.

- the ending to Walden by Henry David Thoreau

- paraphrasing Limp Bizkit: To rockers, hip-hoppers, and everyone around the world ... keep rollin' rollin' rollin' ... Kevin

P.S. Gertrude Stein, born on this date in 1874, once said: The continuous present is a continuous present. Agreed.