Filipino-Canadian model and TV host Jason Godfrey lets us in on what’s cool about Kuala Lumpur and Cape Town
Kuala Lumpur
What do you love most about this city?
Food, and the space. I’m coming from Hong Kong and it can feel claustrophobic. Whenever I get to KL it feels like there's space again. Plus the city has a million malls, and that makes me feel nostalgic for Canada.
Where would you take a first-timer to in this city?
Eat. I would take them to eat, eat, eat! I love the food in KL.
What is the one thing that the first-timer must do in this city?
Eat bak kut teh. Or paper thosai. Or go to that mamak shop and get some Indian food.
The best place to have dinner with:
a. family – my mom is pretty conservative, so I'd probably bring her to one of the malls and eat at one of the trendy contemporary restaurants you can find all over the city.
b. friends – I'd hit the street, and eat at a local place. Get some drinks, and keep the food coming.
The best thing about the locals.
They’re savvy and are ready to give you back any sass you give them. I talk a lot. I make a lot of jokes, and I like to think I'm pretty quick, but the locals in KL can give it back to me as quickly as I dish it out. I like that.
Name one souvenir to bring home.
A durian. Why not?
Five words that sum up this city.
Vibrant, delicious, multicultural, modern, and beautiful.
Where might we find you at 1 am in this city?
Probably at the hotel. I get tired early these days.
Cape Town
One thing about the locals.
I love the South African accent, of which there seems to be three. African, Afrikaans, and a British sort of South African accent. They're all awesome.
What do you find most refreshing about this city?
It's beautiful. The ocean gleams silver at the edge of the city, and Table Mountain rises up in the heart of it. The place is gorgeous.
The one experience or place that everyone must try/visit.
Climb Table Mountain! Or at least hike up. I climbed it but that's just me.
The one local dish everyone must try.
Sticky toffee pudding. I first had this there, and it's meant to be a pretty local dish and it's incredible. Also you can try eating ostrich. They have a lot of ostrich there and it's really, really good.
The best thing you can do here for free.
Climb Table Mountain! It costs nothing though if you don't want to hike down after going all the way up there, you may have to pay to ride on the cable car.
A lesson learnt from this city:
I used to come here for the season when I was a model, and I learned the sun shines too bright in South Africa. Seriously, we used to stop shooting between noon and 3 pm because the sun was just too much.
What was the best piece of souvenir you took home from here?
I bought some really cool native masks from here, and some great batiks, a sort of wax painting thing.
Name something they have here that you wished you had at home:
Lots of ostrich meat. Great wine for really cheap. Honestly, it's more the scenery of Cape Town that I wish I had. When I lived here, I had an ocean view and would see dolphins and whales. I wish I could take that view with me.
