Walk Solo: Go outside with the inside story

20 May 2015 - 02:13 By Adél Groenewald

Muizenberg, to me, is a beach, a parking lot and a string of cafés to while away a Sunday morning while my boyfriend surfs. I've never thought of it as a place where people live or do anything other than eat breakfast and stand beside cars, wetsuiting up or drying off.Thankfully, an audio walking tour of the village not only changed the way I see Muizenberg but also the way I will explore any area from now on.VoiceMap was created with the simple goal of connecting a story with a location. Now you can walk through the neighbourhood you think you know, or perhaps a street in a foreign country, and listen to a local tell stories that bring it to life.Recorded by journalists, storytellers or in-the-know locals, the tours all have something interesting to share.The app uses your GPS to trigger the audio clips as you follow the route. Since you download the tour beforehand using Wi-Fi, no precious data is wasted.The starting point for "Muizenberg Like a Local" is False Bay railway station.Headphones in, app launched, and the friendly voice of Muizenberg local and Cape Town Tourism writer Coleen van Staden starts chatting about the station and the Masque Theatre that shares the parking lot. I never knew that David Kramer's Kat and the Kings debuted here in the 1990s.Next is a neighbourhood where I'm told to take in the pretty semi-detached houses. Nearing a corner, Van Staden tells me to turn right to locate a tiny bakery. I smell it before I see it.There's no chance of getting lost, but a map on the screen serves as back-up. The idea is to put your phone in your pocket and allow yourself to be enlightened.It's entertaining to listen to a voice speak about an area's first inn just as you pass its doors or to notice the mosaic fish along a street in a residential area when they're pointed out to you.The tour ends at Surfers' Corner and Muizenberg station,a perfect spot for a cup of coffee while watching the surfers.There are 19 Cape Town tours, but it's spread far beyond South Africa. Visit London and explore the alleyways in the footsteps of Charles Dickens or get to know Berlin's historic centre.The app is free.https://voicemap.me..

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