It felt like we had reached the end of the world.

It's not hard to feel that way at the Cape of Good Hope, an hour south of Cape Town and the southwesternmost point of the African continent. With the wind pounding my face, I let my legs dangle off the edge of a 100-foot cliff.

Nothing but the vast ocean lay before me.

Months ago, I had envisioned this moment while planning my trip to Africa. A long overland journey from Rwanda to Cape Town would end at this exact spot.

Now, there was nowhere else to go.

A strange combination of emotions overwhelmed me. Feelings of finality.

Gratitude.

Relief.

Awe.

Satisfaction.

If there has ever been a goal tied to physically reaching a certain place, this was it.

I left the US almost 16 months ago. Now, it was time to come home.

Return to Civilization

After months of traveling through desolate and undeveloped countries, it was strange being in Cape Town. Apart from my impending flight out, life felt oddly...familiar.

I could walk down the street and order international cuisine. I could call an Uber to arrive at my doorstep within minutes. I had cell service everywhere–something I forgot I used to take for granted.

No one was staring at me just because I was white.

Cape Town was still very much Africa. The culture, the people, and the random Africanisms left no mistake about what continent I was on. The currency exchange guy still tried to give me a horrible exchange rate. A guy at the bus station wearing an official-looking vest told me my bus had already left and I needed to follow him.

But at this point in my trip, I felt immune to these small frictions of Africa, and I'd forgotten what it was like to have these big city comforts again.

Like paying with a credit card. I had forgotten that was even an option.

It was a gentle easing back into life in a developed country–a small shift from backpacking to preparing for the weeks and months ahead.

The Best City in Africa

Apart from bringing forth a tangle of feelings at the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town provided many moments to reflect and appreciate my yearlong journey.

There were the quintessential city views and sunset spots everywhere you looked. In the middle of the city stood Table Mountain–which I climbed twice–and Lion's Head–the most rewarding sunset hike in Africa.

I didn't have to climb a mountain to enjoy the sunset either. A joyride down Chapmans Peak Drive revealed jagged cliffs majestically reflecting the sun. Clifton Beach had an unobstructed view of the sea, sun, and stars within the city limits.

Cape Town was paradise for someone who traveled the world to see day turn to night in different settings.

It was also perfect for an outdoors aficionado. Notwithstanding the endless hikes that were a quick drive away, I went for daily runs along the waterfront and running trails.

Did I mention that the city is also bikable? I didn't know such a concept existed outside of Europe but I was here for it.

Reconciling Past and Present

All that isn't to say that Cape Town doesn't have problems.

It's hard to ignore the lingering effects of Apartheid on South Africa–namely how much of the black population was driven out of their homes in the city decades ago.

It's also hard to ignore how insulated I was from that aspect of South Africa as a tourist.

Unless I went looking for it, I was unlikely to notice any problems. South Africans were nothing but positive, friendly, and welcoming to me.

While I can't fully understand the extent of racial oppression, I felt more harmony between black people and white people than anywhere else in my life. I never felt an underlying "I'm white" or "they're black" accompanying a single conversation the way it did in the rest of Africa (and much of the US).

We were all just people. Everything else was secondary.

This sentiment wasn't unanimous when I described it to people in Cape Town. It also underscores years of government-led systemic racism.

But it's how I felt.

Considering it's a good thing and demonstrates the decades of progress that Cape Town has made, it's not a feeling I plan to shy away from. However, it does ignore South Africa’s ongoing job of mending race relations.

Regardless, on a continent full of problems, Cape Town is the best city in Africa.

End of an Era

Looking out at the Cape of Good Hope, I continued to try to make sense of my emotions.

This place wasn't just the realization of a vision or the culmination of a journey. It was the start of something new.

The end of one chapter means the beginning of another.

Throughout my trip, I was a bit afraid of what awaited me on the other side of the Cape of Good Hope.

Whatever it was would be more uncertain than anything I was doing at that moment.

But I realized that there wasn't a single day that brought any degree of certainty on the road either. In travel, and especially in Africa, I'd come to expect–and embrace–the unexpected.

So, as I boarded my flight out of South Africa and back across the pond, I took solace in the fact that I'd be ready for the highs, lows, twists, and turns that the next chapter would bring.

I had reached the final destination of this chapter.

I'm ready to do it again in the next one.