Residents of Cape Town’s Kalk Bay say they are excited but not surprised that their fishing village has been voted one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods.
Forbes Magazine has ranked Kalk Bay among the 12 coolest suburbs in the world, beating out well known places like Manhattan in New York and London’s fashionable Soho district.
Residents of Kalk Bay say besides the scenery of mountains and the sea, it’s the people who make the place.
Kalk Bay resident, David Lendoor says: “The first time I heard about it I was kind of surprised because Kalk Bay is such a small place and there are a lot of other places in our country that people would like to go to and so forth. I actually love that our place is like one of the most popular places in the whole world. So it’s actually a good thing for us and for our country also.”
A meander through its main road leads to unexpected places and mysterious little alleys, and the iconic surf of Kalk Bay reef is another big draw card.
Railway House’s Geoff Ross says “Look I will confess it’s predominantly the good surf spots still, I’m 57 and I can still pull of the odd good wave out here and I hate to say it but there’s an element of nostalgia and I think that embodies the reasons why I’m still here.”
Kalk Bay resident, Graham van Minnen talks about the ambiance. “There’s this ambience that’s here because very often you have this wind that comes over the Cape and it just goes straight over Kalk Bay so it’s quiet as far as the wind is concerned….and there’s a bit of magic in air here as well… can you feel it…I can…laughs..”
Being cool could also have financial benefits. Cape Town Tourism’s Kimala Ross explains: “When people come to Kalk Bay they’ll explore the rest of the city as well and you know tourism is such a big driver for our economy and it contributes so significantly to job creation to people opening their own businesses.”
Even below its railway line there is magic to be found… and no denying the cool that Kalk Bay is.
