Perched up above the city center on the slopes of Signal Hill is one of the oldest, and certainly most colorful areas Cape Town; the historic neighborhood of Bo-Kaap.
In the early days of Cape Town most houses were painted white, but after the end of apartheid in the 1990’s some people in Bo-Kaap began painting their houses in bright colors as a way of celebrating, and the idea caught on and developed into a new tradition throughout the neighborhood. Most residents of Bo-Kaap are descendants of slaves brought to South Africa by the Dutch in the 16th and 17th centuries. And in spite of coming from many different regions such as Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and various African countries, the slaves were all known as Cape Malays. Then in 1795 the British seized control of Cape Town from the Dutch, and a few decades later came the end of slavery. The emancipated slaves started their new community in Bo-Kaap, which is still commonly called the Malay Quarter.
In this new era however things may be changing for Bo-Kaap. As it has gained notoriety, its new found popularity may be its own undoing as long-time residents are being priced out. Many wealthy outsiders have been buying up properties, and if this continues, Bo-Kaap’s unique identity could be lost forever. So If you have the chance don’t miss Bo-Kaap while it’s still a sight to see.
I collected all of the dirty, painted, or discolored coins that I found over many years and made this photo. TD Bank used it for display signage advertising their coin counting service in some of their Manhattan locations (licensed from my stock agency at the time, Corbis Images). So I dropped all of the coins in the machine at my local TD Bank and got clean money in return… I’m starting a new collection now. 
