(Left) The "front door" at Zebra Crossing, after you've come through the electronically secure front gate at the street.
Looking for a "jolt"?
Just one more example.Security where I'm staying and all around Cape Town is taken seriously. Electronic locks requiring a numeric pass code only allow guests to the lodge in & out. Signs remind us that no "outside" guests are allowed inside & not to let someone in that you don't know or recognize. Elsewhere around town are private security guards (all I've seen are men) who make sure cars, homes & businesses are left alone. There is also an ample & visible police force around but especially in the tourist areas. I've heard more police sirens blaring in the days I've been here than in all the other cities visited thus far. Staff reminders are plentiful: do not go out walking alone after dark unless in a very touristy area where there are lots of people; take a taxi back to the lodge.
So, I was more than a little bit on edge the first few days as I was getting my bearings. A few of the tourist areas provided some "situations" where I was more than a little bit "creeped-out." And being bothered by street people is fairly common as they seek "spare change" or in one case a guy was trying to sell me some "weed." In that case I had to yell at him to stop pestering me.
The separation between the wealthy and the rest is very apparent here. The wealthy live behind high walls with ample barbed wire atop them or else electric fencing. Gates open to allow their vehicles to enter or else there are private security guards. There are many gated communities throughout Cape Town in the outlying suburbs. The thought crossed my mind: is this where America could be headed in the years to come? Granted, we don't have the history that South Africa has but clearly the white minority here is "mindful" (as one person stated to me) that "precautions are always in order."
It is interesting to experience this "feeling" at the beginning of my visit here because it certainly isn't the way things are portrayed by the tourism department. It'll get better, I'm sure.
While I'm reminded of the fact that I have an alarm system at home I should add that if barbed-wire or similar appears on top of the picket fence, you'll know there's a problem.
