A year ago, I was lucky to travel to a new country and thus a whole new world. It was my very first entry into picture perfect sceneries. A dream come true, I spent most of my free time, and not so free time, clicking away on my camera. Cape Town, South Africa, was until now a word heard only on television shows and infrequently in news channels. In my short sojourn there, I tried to soak in the essence of the place. The picturesque old-world charm of the town, the quiet traffic, the languidly undulating sceneries and the apparent peacefulness was rumoured to hide the cruelest of crimes. Yet, apart from a tiny fear that constantly nagged at my heart and mind, I loved the place, perhaps due to experiencing first-hand a culture so different from ours. It was, in truth, a whole new world…

The quiet neighbourhoods with its corner shops and colorful signages…

The posh bungalows on the sea-front and the low-cost housing…

The cosmopolitan men and fashionable women going to work…

And the children going to school…

The biggest brands and the poorest folks…

The poshest shopping malls on the waterfront and very innovative hotel rooms in odd shapes… (people pay more to stay in such narrow constricted spaces just for the sense of adventure!!!)

It was cold when I was there… very cold… The stormy weather…

Yet the calm sea on a beautiful sunny day…

The world famous Table-Top Mountain…

And its myriad walkways and still birds (the crow was alive, not a toy) …

Last, but not the least, the popular waterfront…

And the celebrated penguins… my little darlings…

… Time has flown by quickly… Just over a year gone by… And suddenly someone mentioned the trip, vivid images flashed across my eyes. I felt nostalgic… it had been such a magical time. In spite of work pressures, I had loved every single day of my stay there…

Oh before I forget completely, I should make a special mention of the hotel we stayed in. From the outside, it was not imposing, in fact, in some sense the grey stone building was forbidding. But the warmth within was incredible. When we had first booked there online, I had doubted my boss’s recommendation. But the smiling staff, their cheery greetings and helpful hands, the large rooms and comfortable beds, good food and drinks (a word of caution, you won’t find Indian food there) had finally made us accept that it had been an excellent choice to stay in “The Grand Daddy”…

Cape Town is a curious mix of beauty and danger, one obvious to a visitor, the other an undercurrent sizzling down his spine. Living there, even for a fortnight, had been an exceptional experience, since I had never before visited a place which was famed for its lawlessness. And since I hadn’t been alone, so perhaps the fear had not clouded my curiosity to explore the place.

Hence, having captured a corner of my heart, Cape Town would always remain in my mind as one of the happiest memories of my life… Picture-Perfect!!!