Cape Town , The "other side of Normal"

[Mongoose]

I want to show people that there is another side to Cape Town , A side that even the locals go and participate and enjoy. A side that doesn’t cost masses of money and sometimes can be way more spectacular and fun .

Lions Head - Hike to top around 1 to 2 hours ( Record is 19 min ) FREE . Very well marked pathways to summit , has two Chain Ladder to go up vertical rocks. Spectacular views from the top. BRILLIANT on a full moon . - Can get crowed , but loads of fun . - Very Safe …

Table Mountain - Cableway - Can be expensive . If its your birthday ,and your from South Africa take your ID book and get a free ride up and down. Hike up takes around 6 - 8 hours , Can be tough , Make sure you have warm clothing / Can be freezing at the top of mountain - Spectacular views

If you look on directly towards table mountain , Newlands forest Is Behind Devils Peak ( The Pointy thing on your left ) , Free to enter the forest , Long Hikes , Loads of old mills and buildings , Forest Glades , Waterfalls , Very Popular with Joggers - FREE

On The First Thursday of every month , many art galleries and shops stay open until late . People come and walk around the streets in the central business area getting lost and finding new art galleries. Between the galleries are art performance pieces , Pop up galleries , and each gallery usually hosts a Opening of a New local artists. Very Viby event , Very un - Snobbish , and all free ( Not the art ). Well worth a look and wonder around . If you find an art gallery ask for a Map , and the map will help you find all the other participating Galleries. One can often spot some very famous artist , local and overseas. VERY Safe , there is security on every street and every bloc

August September just after the start of the rains ( 2 weeks ) sees the flowers start flowering all over the place . Take a drive up the West Coast and be amazed at the amounts of flowers on the side of the road on farmlands in gardens … Spectacular

…

Gay Pride - 2 March Is the parade with the week up to the parade a number of events. Its not as in your face as many of the bigger cities across the world. The After Party is loads of fun. - Entrance to After Party is R50 . And you don’t have to be gay , just go have fun.

[ErmesT]

Thank you for this post @Mongoose .

Yes, there is a “normal” life with "normal’ places where you can have a lot of fun, living like a local, discovering where the locals go.

I am simply amazed by your post.

I am trying to do the same with Venice. It seems so strange to think about a Normal Venice, that I had to call this “unconventional”

I love the idea of solitude of your first photo

[AlexaAC]

Hey @Mongoose ,

Thanks for sharing this with us! As always, I like your unique approach. It’s authentic and this will appeal to loads of travelers looking to visit. I try and take the same approach when I visit new cities.

I have to agree, the view from Table Mountain is breathtaking and it is different every time. I prefer to take the cable car, but getting out is quite scary. Maybe next time, I will attempt the hike.

[Mongoose]

I often go with small groups of photographers , or friends or my brother . We go to places we have never been and I am always pushing the boundaries. I used my Brothers hand held flash unit , It is Synchronized with the camera , So I set the camera up , about a second for the shutter , and did the whole fantasy Lord of the rings thing , It came out way better than I expected … This was taken in one of the glades in Newlands Forest . If you are looking at Table mountain directly on , On the Other side of the Peak ( Devils Peak) On the Left , is a very Thick and wet Forest. Due to the way the mountain catches certain winds , That area gets the most rainfall in most of the Cape. . Never forget Cape Town can have , rain in one area , sun in another , strong wind down there and icy cold fog , all at the same time , on the same day , in a Radius of 50 Km from the City Centre

[LeeBee-SA]

Hello @Mongoose

I’m from Johannesburg. Cool to meet another South African here on the forum.

Just read your profile and feel we share a lot of similar views and outlooks on life.

I’m also a photographer and keen to make a postive difference in communities and people’s lives in general, photo by photo.

I too produce various forms of media outside of photography and as such feel my working skills fall under numerous titles and roles often overlap.

This is important especially when telling a story with your art.

Would love to see more of your work and walk a similar path.

I’m still figuring out how to add my links I’d like to showcase to my Local Guides signature but if you want, for now we can follow each other on Instagram to start if you have an account there.

My professional handle is @wordsbeatspixels and my personal handle is @leebeemcgee