Cape Town Capers - Day 5 Cape Town (Table Mountain)

[BONZO]

Day 5 – Monday 14th January 2019

Cape Town Capers
January 2019

Cast (it’s the usual one!)
Me: Shaun, 50’s, loves travelling, eating and drinking (not necessarily in that order!)
Alison: 50’s, ditto to the above!


Trip Report Index

We were awake at about 7am again today and Table Mountain looked clear outside our room this morning so we decided that today was going to be the day to go and pay a visit. Breakfast was lovely as usual and we arranged for the hotel chauffeur service to take us to the Table Mountain visitor point.

As we drove up to the ticket office we noticed so many cars that had parked up on the way as there’s so little parking anywhere near the top. For some they must’ve had at least a mile or so walk uphill unless they were planning to walk the entire way up to the top. It’s something I would have contemplated but I knew that Alison wouldn’t have been remotely interested in – that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

We had a short wait before our tickets were checked and we were then loaded into the cable cars. The nice thing with these is that the base rotates as you rise up to the peak, giving everyone a nice clear 360 view without having to dash from one side to the other in the car.

Once at the top we took a casual look around to get our bearings and took a quick look around. There are three easy walks on the plateau – the Dassie Walk, the Agama Walk, and the Klipspringer Walk as well as free guided walks that depart on the hour from the Twelve Apostles Terrace.

We waited around and took advantage of one of the free walks to get our bearings. The guide was knowledgeable and informative, pointing out the various plants and animals that lived on the top. After the walk we consulted the map and headed off on our own on the Agama Walk which was good as not many people strayed too far away from the visitor entrance. As we approached the edge a small group of people let out a cheer. We looked a bit more closely and saw a man down on one knee in front of a girl. The cheer was because she said yes! Awwww! My cries of “don’t do it!” were drowned out by much shouting and cheering from the onlookers

If you feeling the need for a bit more excitement in your life you can opt for an Abseil experience – 112 meters down a sheer cliff – takes about 45 minutes in total and includes a demonstration, the abseil, and a short hike back up to the top. We did toy with the idea but it wasn’t cheap so thought we’d give it a miss this time round – maybe next visit!

The views were patchy in places with the cloud coming and going but eventually clearing to give a solid clear view of the area. We sat in the café for a couple of pink lemonades and a chat about plans for the rest of the day. Alison received an e-mail to say that the upcoming seal trip for the following was still off as the swell had reached high levels and that the trip wasn’t safe to do. So our final chance to book was the day we were flying home in the evening. Last chance!

We wandered around for a bit and eventually saw a couple of Dassies, cute looking rabbit/guinea pig type creatures that scuttled about on precarious ledges down below.

We wandered through the gift shop and picked up our obligatory fridge magnet and Christmas tree decoration before heading back down to pick up the tour bus back to Camps Bay where we bought sandwiches and drinks to keep us going, eating them overlooking the crashing waves. After a short walk along the beach we hopped on the bus back to Cape Town again.

We considered what to do next and thought about travelling South to Cape Point but it was going to be a bit of a slog to stay within daylight hours so we decided against it at this time – we knew we’d have time another day. We went back to the hotel and had a sauna and a refreshing swim in the indoor pool.

We then took the short stroll back to the bus office to do the free walking tour that was included, a choice of Bo-Kaap or city walk and we chose the latter as we hadn’t really explored the city on foot properly. Our guide was an out of work actor who explained that so many films and production teams come here as the exchange rate is so competitive and resource is cheap and plentiful.

We looked around a number of sites including The Company Gardens, the garden was originally created in the 1650s by the region's first European settlers and provided fertile ground to grow fresh produce to replenish ships rounding the Cape. This place looked very English with its manicured lawns and shrubs, I felt very much at home here.

Within the grounds was the Government House or Tuynhuis where Queen Elizabeth was delivered the news that her father had died and she was about to take over the crown. Also in history here, De Klerk announced from its steps, on 18 March 1992, that South Africa had ‘closed the book on apartheid’.

We walked past some impressive government buildings

a few statues including Smuts and Queen Victoria and the Slave lodge before standing outside the Town hall where Nelson Mandela gave his speech on release from prison.

His last words from the speech still hold resonance today:

In conclusion I wish to quote my own words during my trial in 1964. They are true today as they were then:
'I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.'

As we walked round we saw a pair of benches – one marked whites only. It’s shocking seeing this in person.

Well, from the sublime to the ridiculous, I carried on my search for a suitable floppy sun hat without any luck. We made our way back to our hotel and stopped by the Twankey Bar next door for a couple of drinks before looking at dinner options for tonight.

I spotted Addis in Cape, an Ethiopian restaurant located within walking distance of our hotel so that was that. We stepped out and after getting slightly hassled by some street beggar we found the unassuming entrance to the restaurant. It didn’t look that inviting and a bit ramshackle but we soon realised that this was part of its charm. We were seated at a low table and ordered some drinks whilst mulling over the menu.

We picked a set menu for two and weren’t disappointed with the food selections that came up, there’s something almost primeval about just eating with fingers rather than cutlery. The food was served in a large bowl lined with bread, and you tear off the bread to eat the meat and vegetables!

We rounded off the meal with mini coffee ceremony. The Ethiopian coffee is brought to you in a traditional coffee pot called a Jabena. They also brought along burning Frankincense and a small serving of popcorn to complete the experience.

We left the restaurant and made our way back to the room, chatting all the way about the food and wonderful experience that we’d just had before calling it a night.

[Melbatb]

Another fabulous day! The trip up Table mountain looks brilliant - what views!

[anji]

Wonderful day! Glad you got some good views

[disney owl]

another great day