December 2018 was magical! See I have great friends. Sitting at a meeting in the summer of 2018 and I overhear a conversation between friends about a trip to South Africa. Me being me, I asked if the trip was open to anyone. This dear friend said of course you are welcome to come, it’s my birthday trip. It was her birthday, but I got the best gift of all. Walking through the airport in Cape Town, a gentleman said, “Welcome home.”

I never could have imagined that I would get to visit a place that would mean so much to me. And I have traveled a lot. But this place. This place of Mandela, that was so recent to its birth, reminds you of its youth constantly. The people of Cape Town display a gratitude and exuberance for life that I have never seen. To be clear, it’s not just on Robben island where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing apartheid. From the hotel staff to the artists at the local markets, the people are proud and grateful. Black South Africans fixed a broken system that looked to destroy them and ignore their existence. And now all of the people of South Africa are seeing their way through. They will tell you that it is not always easy, but they are steadfast in working towards a united South Africa.

Oh yeah and I biked.

I stayed at the luxurious One and Only Cape Town one&onlyresorts which is a perfect location to experience the waterfront shops at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront. I took a city cultural bike tour with AWOL Tours located at the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre. Bikes were in good condition and the staff does a good job of fitting you to the bike. The tour itself is easy, except for that hill that comes up quick at the start. The tour takes you to the cultural district where the buildings are painted in bright colors. My guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the neighborhoods. Like many other South African people he spoke about the changes happening in the country as new nation. He spoke of the disconnect that black South Africans continue to feel, given years of apartheid rule restricting travel of black South Africans. Again, despite the growth in South Africa the vestiges of apartheid affect daily life, including the lack of travel both within and outside of South Africa by residents. If all of this sounds like South Africa might not be such a fun place, it is an incredible place with an incredibly warm people.

The tour then takes you to the Cape Town Stadium, home of the 2010 FIFA world Cup. The ride past the Stadium next takes you to the waterfront. The waterfront area at the Victoria & Albert shopping center is such a great location. Table Mountain in the background is always a beautiful sight.

While I did not get to cycle in the South African wine country, I had to include this picture. The wine country is a beautiful area.

There are a lot of cycling options in South Africa so do not feel limited. More often we are capable of more than we accept so do not be shy about biking in South Africa. While not all of us are ready for the Cape Town Cycle Tour, the biggest timed bicycle race in the world, which takes you down a mountain, there are a lot of leisure pace tours to give you a good feel of South Africa.