Alrighty, in for the evening after a nice dinner at the Indian restaurant just down the block from our hotel. I have lots to tell folks.....
So, about yesterday. There is this Hop on Hop off bus system especially for tourists that visit certain points in the city (two different lines-red and blue, there is lots of overlap, but blue has longer route). We hopped on a red line bus for a ride to one of its prime stops: the Table Mountain cable car. We were told at the ticket booth to expect chilly temperatures at the top, but that wasn't going to stop us. We piled into the cable car (the system was built decades ago by a Swiss engineering firm) with a bunch of people and rode up into the clouds-literally. Heights really aren't my thing-so riding in the clear-glass cable car made my legs wobbly and I felt my stomach tighten a bit, but luckily it was a quick ride.
It was chilly, and windy, but man....the top of Table Mountain offers fantastic views over the city and surrounding areas-really some of the best views I have ever seen. We walked about the immediate area working our cameras overtime (easily going to break 1000 photos this trip) looking for some Facebook-profile photo material until it began to rain a bit. There was a cafe near the cable car station where we took shelter until the rain passed, and Joe grabbed something to eat. We sat at a picnic type table next to a white South African family from Johannesburg, who chatted us up while we sat. As soon as the weather cleared though, we said our goodbyes and got back to business.
And so began the trek. With the weather better, we decided to walk the mountain in its entirety. We were both fitted with shoes fit for hiking (some went up with flip-flops or designer shoes-genius) so we figured, why not? It was awesome. I was worried that it might be too time consuming, as we had other things we had planned for the day, but walking the loop from the cable car station and back took maybe two hours. There weren't that many people venturing out that far, but a German couple did end up following close behind us. We walked to one end of the mountain known as Maclear's Beacon-the highest point on the mountain. Keep in mind, nearly all 360-degrees of the mountain have a great view of something. Our starting point (after leaving the cafe) which was behind the cable car station, had maybe the best, giving way to a series of rock formations known as the 12 Apostles. Don't worry, photos are going to follow.
From Maclear's Beacon we began to head back, and this route (which was demarcated with little paintings of footprints) took us really close to the edge, on the side facing the city bowl. No railings. No warnings. Just don't be stupid. It wasn't anywhere near "slip and you are dead" but definitely close enough to make one a little more cautious. This spot had the best views of the city however, so it was well worth walking around. By this point it was approaching 3 o'clock, and we wanted to move on to our other targets. We picked up the pace a little and, upon arriving at our starting point, shook hands, having conquered Cape Town's most famous site. Chalk that one up as a victory.
After taking the cable car down we got back on the red line, heading towards Camps Bay. Camps Bay is a rich area fronting pristine beaches on the Atlantic Ocean on one side of Table Mountain. During the Apartheid era it was the heart of white privilege, and it kind of still is. The beach was packed with people from all races, but the homes facing the water, some of which were very nice, others a bit kitsch, all probably incredibly expensive, were likely all white-owned. Anybody hanging out on balconies were all white. The customers in sitting in the restaurants lining Victoria Road (the road running along the beach) were also all white. We just walked a ways up the road, enjoying the sun (high up on Table Mountain it got a bit hairy, but below in the city the weather was perfect all day) and snapping some photos of the homes and of the beach area. Heading back to pick up the bus we grabbed something to eat in a sandwich shop that seemed to specialize in low-fat, healthy foods, but was still inexpensive. "Rich people eat healthy" was how Joe summed it up.
We rode the red line to one more place, Sea Point, an area with large, open parks and a promenade running along the water. We walked the length of the promenade past the city's World Cup stadium, all the way to the V&A waterfront. By now we were sufficiently sun-burned, tired, and our leg-muscles were burning, and the sun was beginning to set. We caught the bus one last time to retire to our hotel and a good night's sleep.
Not enough for ya? I will make today's tale a quickie, it wasn't as jam-packed. Today we did Robben Island, the location of the former prison were Nelson Mandela served much of his prison term. Our tour wasn't until 2:00, so we slept in and took it slow in the morning. We were still out the door by 10:30, and first checked out South Africa's parliament building and the surrounding area, which had a large public park known as the Company Gardens. Company Gardens made for a nice stroll (weather=perfect, again). We even got to witness some real African wild-life, like squirrels (including a real fattie munching on peanuts someone gave him) and some ducks. Its real perilous, out here in the African wild.
Our ferry to Robben Island left from the V&A, so we strolled down and hung out there until our time came. The ferry was delayed a while, as the second leg of some international boating race was just departing this afternoon from Cape Town. I guess that explained the huge crowds down there.The ferry was filled with fellow travelers and the half-hour or so trip across Table Bay was a windy and cold one (sweatshirts recommended), but you get a great look at Table Mountain and the city. After arriving, we were immediately put on buses and whisked to the prison, where we all coalesced around our tour guide, the friendly Zozo (his real name was like a mile-long, so he had us call him this). Zozo, like all the guides on the island, was a former prisoner on Robben Island, so had intimate knowledge of the prison's operations. He was incredibly hard to understand, English wasn't his first language (he had a funny way of speaking, he would speak slowly, seemingly for the group's benefit, than would speed up at random spots: I..came...here...in nine..teen...seventy...seven....andthenstayeduntilnineteeneightyfivesofiveyears.) He was a very friendly, very funny guy though, we really enjoyed following him around. The tour wasn't all that much. He took us to the prison courtyard where prisoners were forced to break rocks, and then to a line of cells, where we were shown Mandela's cell of 18 years. We ended off in another cell block (where SA's current president, Jacob Zuma, was placed) where Zozo gave a rabble-rousing speech where he thanked everyone in the group (ostensibly representing the international community) for our part in bringing down the Apartheid regime. It won him a round of applause. As we left, I thanked him and shook his hand, and he had met Mandela at one point so....this is the hand that shook the hand.......
The tour offered a bus ride around the island with commentary from the driver (our's was a really cool dude wearing one of those Bob Marley hats and spoke like he was stoned). We were driven past some historical sites and some spots related to the prison, but the best part was the last part, where we stopped at a viewing point looking across the Table Bay to the city and Table Mountain, and had time to snap some photos.
Joe and I chatted on the ferry ride back, so it went by quick, and, after a short walk from the waterfront we are back in our room. There is no time to slow down though. Tomorrow is a big day, as we will be taking off on a tour to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. Be sure to come back and see how it went.
Cheers.
So, about yesterday. There is this Hop on Hop off bus system especially for tourists that visit certain points in the city (two different lines-red and blue, there is lots of overlap, but blue has longer route). We hopped on a red line bus for a ride to one of its prime stops: the Table Mountain cable car. We were told at the ticket booth to expect chilly temperatures at the top, but that wasn't going to stop us. We piled into the cable car (the system was built decades ago by a Swiss engineering firm) with a bunch of people and rode up into the clouds-literally. Heights really aren't my thing-so riding in the clear-glass cable car made my legs wobbly and I felt my stomach tighten a bit, but luckily it was a quick ride.
It was chilly, and windy, but man....the top of Table Mountain offers fantastic views over the city and surrounding areas-really some of the best views I have ever seen. We walked about the immediate area working our cameras overtime (easily going to break 1000 photos this trip) looking for some Facebook-profile photo material until it began to rain a bit. There was a cafe near the cable car station where we took shelter until the rain passed, and Joe grabbed something to eat. We sat at a picnic type table next to a white South African family from Johannesburg, who chatted us up while we sat. As soon as the weather cleared though, we said our goodbyes and got back to business.
And so began the trek. With the weather better, we decided to walk the mountain in its entirety. We were both fitted with shoes fit for hiking (some went up with flip-flops or designer shoes-genius) so we figured, why not? It was awesome. I was worried that it might be too time consuming, as we had other things we had planned for the day, but walking the loop from the cable car station and back took maybe two hours. There weren't that many people venturing out that far, but a German couple did end up following close behind us. We walked to one end of the mountain known as Maclear's Beacon-the highest point on the mountain. Keep in mind, nearly all 360-degrees of the mountain have a great view of something. Our starting point (after leaving the cafe) which was behind the cable car station, had maybe the best, giving way to a series of rock formations known as the 12 Apostles. Don't worry, photos are going to follow.
From Maclear's Beacon we began to head back, and this route (which was demarcated with little paintings of footprints) took us really close to the edge, on the side facing the city bowl. No railings. No warnings. Just don't be stupid. It wasn't anywhere near "slip and you are dead" but definitely close enough to make one a little more cautious. This spot had the best views of the city however, so it was well worth walking around. By this point it was approaching 3 o'clock, and we wanted to move on to our other targets. We picked up the pace a little and, upon arriving at our starting point, shook hands, having conquered Cape Town's most famous site. Chalk that one up as a victory.
After taking the cable car down we got back on the red line, heading towards Camps Bay. Camps Bay is a rich area fronting pristine beaches on the Atlantic Ocean on one side of Table Mountain. During the Apartheid era it was the heart of white privilege, and it kind of still is. The beach was packed with people from all races, but the homes facing the water, some of which were very nice, others a bit kitsch, all probably incredibly expensive, were likely all white-owned. Anybody hanging out on balconies were all white. The customers in sitting in the restaurants lining Victoria Road (the road running along the beach) were also all white. We just walked a ways up the road, enjoying the sun (high up on Table Mountain it got a bit hairy, but below in the city the weather was perfect all day) and snapping some photos of the homes and of the beach area. Heading back to pick up the bus we grabbed something to eat in a sandwich shop that seemed to specialize in low-fat, healthy foods, but was still inexpensive. "Rich people eat healthy" was how Joe summed it up.
We rode the red line to one more place, Sea Point, an area with large, open parks and a promenade running along the water. We walked the length of the promenade past the city's World Cup stadium, all the way to the V&A waterfront. By now we were sufficiently sun-burned, tired, and our leg-muscles were burning, and the sun was beginning to set. We caught the bus one last time to retire to our hotel and a good night's sleep.
Not enough for ya? I will make today's tale a quickie, it wasn't as jam-packed. Today we did Robben Island, the location of the former prison were Nelson Mandela served much of his prison term. Our tour wasn't until 2:00, so we slept in and took it slow in the morning. We were still out the door by 10:30, and first checked out South Africa's parliament building and the surrounding area, which had a large public park known as the Company Gardens. Company Gardens made for a nice stroll (weather=perfect, again). We even got to witness some real African wild-life, like squirrels (including a real fattie munching on peanuts someone gave him) and some ducks. Its real perilous, out here in the African wild.
Our ferry to Robben Island left from the V&A, so we strolled down and hung out there until our time came. The ferry was delayed a while, as the second leg of some international boating race was just departing this afternoon from Cape Town. I guess that explained the huge crowds down there.The ferry was filled with fellow travelers and the half-hour or so trip across Table Bay was a windy and cold one (sweatshirts recommended), but you get a great look at Table Mountain and the city. After arriving, we were immediately put on buses and whisked to the prison, where we all coalesced around our tour guide, the friendly Zozo (his real name was like a mile-long, so he had us call him this). Zozo, like all the guides on the island, was a former prisoner on Robben Island, so had intimate knowledge of the prison's operations. He was incredibly hard to understand, English wasn't his first language (he had a funny way of speaking, he would speak slowly, seemingly for the group's benefit, than would speed up at random spots: I..came...here...in nine..teen...seventy...seven....andthenstayeduntilnineteeneightyfivesofiveyears.) He was a very friendly, very funny guy though, we really enjoyed following him around. The tour wasn't all that much. He took us to the prison courtyard where prisoners were forced to break rocks, and then to a line of cells, where we were shown Mandela's cell of 18 years. We ended off in another cell block (where SA's current president, Jacob Zuma, was placed) where Zozo gave a rabble-rousing speech where he thanked everyone in the group (ostensibly representing the international community) for our part in bringing down the Apartheid regime. It won him a round of applause. As we left, I thanked him and shook his hand, and he had met Mandela at one point so....this is the hand that shook the hand.......
The tour offered a bus ride around the island with commentary from the driver (our's was a really cool dude wearing one of those Bob Marley hats and spoke like he was stoned). We were driven past some historical sites and some spots related to the prison, but the best part was the last part, where we stopped at a viewing point looking across the Table Bay to the city and Table Mountain, and had time to snap some photos.
Joe and I chatted on the ferry ride back, so it went by quick, and, after a short walk from the waterfront we are back in our room. There is no time to slow down though. Tomorrow is a big day, as we will be taking off on a tour to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. Be sure to come back and see how it went.
Cheers.
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