August 14- 21, 2023

(Cape Town, SA)

Stopped in NYC for literally 27 hours to repack my bags and then got on the plane for Cape Town. Having the most amazing time here. Such a beautiful city on the water, with a real energy and history. We’ve been so busy exploring so strap in for a long post with extra pics.

The vibe:

Ocean, walking shoes, and penguins.

Doing:

We squished so much into our first few days. Took the cable car up to Table Mountain, which was not the best for me since I have a mild fear of heights (it’s 3,563 feet above sea level). Walked around Bo-Kaap neighborhood with all the cute colorful houses (reminded me of Burano in italy). A bunch of adorable little artist shops/galleries. We went to Boulders Beach and saw the penguins (this is like a bucket list thing for me, i’ve always wanted to see them). Fed some ostriches, drove up the coast, stopped in Kalk Bay and Scarborough. This is truly such a beautiful place, huge cliffs/mountains with turquoise water beaches. Like untouched nature right next to a super developed, modern city.

Wearing:

It’s been unexpectedly cold here and the fits are not giving so here’s: the jewelry edit.

I always wear the exact same jewelry every single day everywhere I go until something breaks. Always been a silver and pearl girl, i like necklace stacks and lots of rings.

Left to right: The big one is from my dad from Egypt, it has my name in hieroglyphics. Then the little diamond ones are from my mom and the last one I’m pretty sure I stole from my sister (it’s some irish symbol thing). Horse ring was a gift from Jenna and Kian im literally obsessed (from kendra scott). Last one I got on a high school trip to Peru like 10 years ago. It has a tiny little llama on it, so cute.

The little 3 pearl necklace is also from my mom. We have matching ones with my sister. The huge pearl is my recent addition from the rave lol. The little plane is jet set candy (old gift from a lover I should probably stop wearing but I seriously get so many compliments from strangers on it alllll the time). And then the big lock is from a store in the East Village I worked at for a bit last year, Spark Pretty.

Ooof that was a long one. Okay keep reading for more Cape Town.

Watching:

Whenever we go somewhere, my family always watches a movie about the place – this is perfect for the night when you are too tired from sightseeing and need to stay in bed. Here’s a few South Africa ones. “Cry, The Beloved Country” (pre-apartheid), “Cry Freedom” (during apartheid), and “Invictus” (post apartheid). Cry Freedom was so good, 100% recommend, watching it was great context for being here (you should still watch it even if you're not here). There’s so much history in this country and it’s so recent. Walking through the townships and even the touristy areas you can definitely see how the country is still healing and integrating.

Eating:

Spent an afternoon in Camp’s Bay on the west side of Cape Town (100% california vibes, like Aptos x Malibu) and had a beautiful sunset dinner at Zen Zero right across the street from the beach.

Another fav so far, went to PIER for lunch. You know I love to eat, this tasting menu was such a treat. Def recommend. Did the 9 courses, dessert was so good, chefs kiss.

Reading:

My sister picked up a Harlan Coben book at the airport, “Fool Me Once”. I literally finished it in one night, another page turner. My mom and I love watching the TV series they do based off his books. Start with “Safe” and “The Stranger” (both on netflix). They're like these super intense, twisted murder mystery-esque mini shows.

Listening:

Going to admit an embarrassing thing here. Old taylor swift (like fifteen, love story, back to december era). I just had the weirdest urge to listen to her and now i can NOT stop. (if you see me on airbuds just keep scrolling, i seriously am okay).

Also one of my fav podcasts I always listen to on the plane. I've been listening to "The Moth" for years, it's basically just people standing on stage telling short stories about all kinds of things. Some of them are sad or funny or happy or depressing, it's like the biggest mix. They do in person events, if they have one in your city you should def check it out. (https://themoth.org/events)

Still here for another week so stay tuned for the next post (safari time). Check my insta for more pics.

Hope you all have a great day <3

Read last week's post here