Lekker: Wonderful, Enjoyable, Tasty, Fun!
The Jenman African Safaris marketing team recently had the privilege of experiencing a day out in Cape Town hosted by the transformative travel company, Escape & Explore. Otherwise known as ‘the mother city’, Cape Town boasts a variety of landscapes, cultures, activities and gastronomical delights to indulge in. One certainly needs at least a week to explore the variety of travel tinctures it has to offer, from city to sea to wine lands and beyond.
Cape Town is a city filled with pride, its people patriotic and eager to share the cultural, artistic, cosmopolitan and natural wonders on offer. One can source a different energy on any given day – whether it be the surfing life, art classes, high tea, cocktails or drumming circles – all with the backdrop of the stunning table mountain range.
Local is key when exploring a destination, finding the secret spots and off-the-beaten-track locations, unveiling the soul of a city. Travelers these days seem to seek local connection, meeting the faces behind a brand, meeting the passionate people who make their living off the land and its resources. It is important for us at Jenman African Safaris to support locally run businesses, ensuring time and awareness is spread among those on the ground.
The residents of Cape Town are extremely conscious, intentional and active in their lifestyle. This mindful perspective is reflected in the workplace, creating and maintaining businesses that benefit the environment or its people. Community and conservation tourism is highly valued, with most companies supporting either one or the other, or both. Jenman sources such operators and properties, highlighting the efforts of innovative and purposeful local business.
Our day out included meeting and interviewing the hearts and minds behind a variety of brands, from coffee shops such as the Harvest Cafe serving organic and gluten-free meals, to Wawa Surfboards made from wood and cork, to the Aegir independent craft brewery, named after the god of the sea. A picnic on the beach, a lunch at Sopra in Scarborough and a penguin viewing completed the outdoor section of the day, hosted by private guide James of Escape & Explore.
A visit to Masiphumele township to meet entrepreneur and wonder woman, Mama Yandi, gave us insight and understanding to community-run initiatives. Mama Yandi has come to the rescue time and again for the Masi community by securing funding to open a creative hub with education resources and food from donors. One result of many is a feeding scheme that nourishes over 1000 children and 100 senior citizen homes throughout Masi – every day!
The finale of our outing was a wine tasting event at family-owned Furny’s Fine Wine & Taste Room, serenaded by the lead singer of Hot Water, Donovan Copley. Leading us on a sensory sound safari with our eyes closed, enveloped by the various rhythms of homemade instruments, Donovan had us captivated – and then up dancing the night away!
All ventures and stories seem to connect back to the land or people of Cape Town. Such pride and enthusiasm is contagious, and one can only leave feeling touched and inspired by the local zeal of the city and its surrounds.
