Day 6 Cape Town- A long hot night, it was 94 degrees F yesterday. We opted for the lesser of two evils and left the windows open to the street noise in order to get a breeze. There is no mandated closing time for bars here, so the party goes on until about 4 am when things get quiet.

High 80’s today, we decided to walk up to the Bo-Kaap, Muslim community whose residents are descended from the original Cape slaves. The original natives (Khoikhoi) refused to serve the white settlers. Unlike the rest of Africa the Cape administration was forbidden by the Dutch East India Company from enslaving the indigenous people, so slaves were imported to work from East Africa, Madagascar, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. The residents of Bo-Kaap are known as “Cape Malays” even though fewer than 1% of slaves were from Malaysia. The Muslim neighborhood has had a very harmonious relationship with Christian and other religions on the Cape.

The Muslim community is celebrating 300 years in Cape Town.

We enjoyed a Tapas lunch that was delicious. Lunch was $20 for two. With the 16/1 exchange rate it has been a very economical stay so far.