Colorful Houses in the Bo-Kaap Quarter: Cape Town, South Africa

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How would you like to live in that house? I know what you’re thinking, maybe pink just isn’t your color. If that doesn’t interest you, there are plenty of other houses you can choose from in the Bo-Kaap Quarter in Cape Town, South Africa. Perhaps you are interested in something more warm and muted…

I first heard of the Bo-Kaap Quarter from a photo I saw in a travel book. The pictures of the houses painted in bright paint was something that I had to see in person to believe. I had the opportunity to visit this area in 2007 and was glad I did. Wandering the streets of the Bo-Kaap is like stepping into a coloring book. House after house after house is painted in these bright colors. Take a look in this quick YouTube clip:

The Bo-Kaap Museum shares the story behind this historic district of Cape Town. Sadly, I didn’t have enough time to visit, I was too enchanted by the buildings. I have to admit though, walking through the neighborhood, taking photographs felt a bit odd. This isn’t a tourist area, it’s a local neighborhood. Imagine if some stranger walked through your streets taking photos of your house. How would you feel?

Yet I wonder… do the locals think they live in a “funny-colored” house? They must, right? Or is their house painted in just another color available from the paint store and strangers like me are an oddity and perhaps, an interruption to their privacy. Not wanting to be too intrusive, I only took a few shots and left the residents of the Bo-Kaap Quarter to continue with their daily routine.

If you find yourself in Cape Town with 30-minutes to spare, consider a brief stroll through this delightfully colorful and intriguing district of Cape Town. As an added bonus, if you take a few photos and show them to your Homeowner’s Association, maybe they won’t be so hard on you next time you want to enhance your property!

The adventure continues on facebook. For more photos on the Bo-Kaap district, check out my photo album for this eye-opening neighborhood on Facebook.

I’ll see you out there…!

Note: This post was originally published on August 4, 2009. After making a second trip to the Bo-Kaap, I updated this post with new photos and videos. Enjoy this new and improved post.

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