Today we’re sitting up top and enjoying the wind in our hair. The Blue Mini Peninsula Tour is headed for Hout Bay.  My little adventurer peers over the railings to the scenes around us. She squeals with delight and waves to some people on the street below. Hello!  Another beautiful day in the Mother City, perfect for sightseeing, this may be the best part of our outing and we’ve only just begun…

As we hit the open road and head out of town, Baby calms and rests her head on my shoulder. The bus winds through the different stops, the host checking each time if anyone wants to hop off or on. I let him know that we’ll be getting off at Imizamo Yethu. It’s a Township that was established as recently as 1991.  The name means “Our Struggle”. At the stop, we are met by an Imizamo Yethu community guide, who greets us with a smile. Some of these tour guides are certified by Tourism South Africa and have either a diploma or degree in tourism. Tours cost R75 per person and are approximately 45 minutes long.  Longer tours can be arranged at no extra charge, but be prepared to spend some cash in order to support the community.

Baby merrily swings her legs as we are led up the main road. The most commonly spoken language here is Xhosa, but there are many cultures living in this place. Some are refugees from their own countries. Our first stop is at a small house – a room really.  Inside Mma Dlamini sells handmade beaded jewellery, tailors clothes and braids hair.  A little further up the road, a Zimbabwean woman sells beaded jewellery, wooden curios and handmade banana leaf artwork. Next we stop at the Imizamo Yethu Museum. It is actually a home and is in fact one of the first houses that was built by an Irish group of volunteers – a project that was initiated when Irish pub tycoon Niall Mellon donated R10m toward housing. Our guide helps me carry the pram over the pathway onto the next road – “we need a 4×4” I say to Baby.  The roads have deteriorated to sand and stone and pushing the pram up the hill gets tricky. Only the main road is still tarred – and there you have to be careful of the taxis or “cockroaches” as they are called. The township has many entrepreneurial businesses including Shebeens. A welcome stop on a hot summers day! Here you can purchase a quart of your favourite lager, enjoy local music from the jukebox, play a game of pool or simply hangout with friends. Baby loves the music and shakes her little head.

At the top of the hill, we reach our last stop, the Iziko Lobomi (Centre of Life) Community Church. They have a computer room sponsored by Gartner, a soup kitchen, a sewing room and an artist workshop. Here you will meet Uledi, a portrayer of African life. There’s something for everyone in his workshop. Pictures are priced from R50. Baby finds the colourful paintbrushes fascinating. I quickly hand them back to him, before she leaves a toothy mark. The church also runs a community home for people who are too ill to take care of themselves, such as those with HIV/AIDS or TB.

The township tour is timed perfectly so that we get back to the stop in time to catch the next bus. We hop back on and take a few moments to rest our feet. Phew! Before long, we arrive at Mariner’s Wharf.  The wind has picked up a little, but that doesn’t curb us from our new mission… LUNCH! What to eat? Anything seafood obviously, and prepared the way you like it.  Choose from freshly prepared sushi, grilled lobster, smoked snoek or traditional fish & chips. Delicious! There are various food stalls and restaurants to buy from. Land Lubbers can enjoy a more beefy meal at the restaurants, but this is a Sea Farers world! We choose the popular fast food outlet, the Bistro. Dad sits at a table with Baby while I stand in the queue. As I get back to the table with the food, Baby starts grabbing at the boxes – someone is hungry!  We share the deep fried meal using our hands, even though disposable cutlery is freely available. What a mess! After lunch we pop upstairs to use the facilities where an attendant dressed in an old-fashioned sailor suit helps me. Now Baby looks like my little princess again!

With lunch done, we set off to see the sights the iconic fisherman’s village. We walk past two identically dressed blonde ladies who speak in unison, “Aah, what a cute baby!” They speak in an American accent, but I’m told they know 66 accents in total. They are the Soap Girls. Using their chorus style speech to attract your attention, they sell handcrafted soaps to raise money for various charities. Further down there are stalls selling curios and a shop that sells all things Fisherman.  We decide to head over to the moorings and look at the boats.  Baby is starting to get restless at being cooped up so we make our way back to the beach. As soon as her feet are on the sand, she heads straight for the water. It’s a little chilly at first, but soon enough she’s slapping the water happily. Oh dear! A small wave is headed our way, I quickly grab her  – that was fun! Again! The time slips by quickly and it is almost time to head back home. Once again we head upstairs, this time to change into dry clothes. Then we make our way back to the bus stop and wait for the last bus back to Cape Town. What a wonderful day we’ve had – something of everything – a tribute to the rainbow nation.

Baby-In-Tow is a mom who enjoys outings with her little one. We would like to let you know about the fun places we have recently visited so that you can enjoy them too. In particular, we visit places that have access for prams and cater for small children. Good service is good, but great service gets rave reviews!

Experience Cape Town and Imizamo Yethu. City Sightseeing Cape Town’s blog tells you the stories behind the best attractions and events in Cape Town, South Africa.
Get your tickets at www.citysightseeing.co.za/imizamo-yethu-township