weberwithoneb

Remainder of Our Cape Town Holiday

Continuing from where my last post left off, we had a quick lunch and drove to the lower cable car entrance at Table Mountain, the large 1000 meter plateau that is Cape Town’s most recognizable natural icon. Confirming news that we heard earlier in the week, the cable car was closed for maintenance. Being the second to last fully sunny day of our trip, we made the impulse decision to hike up the Platteklip Gorge trail to the top of Table Mountain. The hour and a half long hike was brutal but rewarding. The views from the top are spectacular, and we really felt good about ourselves. The walk down was just a painful race to the bottom to beat the clouds that were rolling in.

The next day we drove down the west coast of False Bay to see the penguins at Boulders Beach. It was definitely worth it, especially since we saw an entire penguin mating ritual from start to finish. We walked around Kalk Bay and visited the locally owned shops. Afterward, we ate at the Brass Bell restaurant and watched a whale swim by while we ate hake and chips, and calamari.

It was around 2 PM and the water in Kalk Bay was rough from onshore winds. As we drove back around the bay towards Muizenberg, the wind slowly became more and more favorable for surfing. After spotting the main surf spot, I made another last minute decision to turn off the M4 and rent a wetsuit and board. We went to Gary’s Surf School in Muizenberg and I picked up a bright yellow and blue wetsuit and a thick 5’10″ NSP board. I paddled out and caught as many waves as possible in an hour. They were mostly mellow chest high waves with groomed offshore conditions. I couldn’t really ask for anything better given the time of day.

The next few days were stormy. Driving in the VW CitiSport (a South African Rabbit built in 2009 but designed in the 70s), was challenging, but despite a broken wind shield wiper from fierce winds and heavy rain, we had fun. We saw Bruno which was hilarious, shopped at the V&A waterfront, and had tea and scones at a coffee shop.

I also read a lot, finishing both Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons.” I had to see what the hype was all about. The verdict: entertaining, but incredibly cheeseball. As an English and Journalism graduate, Hayley recommended Wuthering Heights as my next read to curb my normal, academic selection of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Thriller novels. I’m enjoying it the story, although the book itself is so old that the spine has completely fallen apart. Luckily, I haven’t found any missing pages- yet.

We drove all over Cape Town. We saw Hout Bay, home to Dungeons the big wave surf spot, which we didn’t actually see. We visited Kirstenbosch, the largest and most diverse botanical garden that I’ve ever seen. We also saw the Rhodes Memorial, a large Romanesque monument in the hills overlooking the University. It was a great trip and I can’t wait to go back to Cape Town in the future.

We’re now back in Johannesburg for a few days. Yesterday, we both went to Warwic and Robyn’s Bachelor and Bachelorette parties and had a great time celebrating with their friends and family. Next weekend is the wedding in Kyalami. We’ll be traveling around the Joburg area until then, and afterward we only have two days before flying to Sydney.

I’ll probably write again at the end of our trip, or after we arrive in Sydney. Thanks for reading!

Camp's Bay, Cape Town, South Africa

We walked a few miles around Sea Point this morning. The boardwalk area is very nice and it was crowded with runners and walkers, many with dogs. The waves are approaching fifteen feet today, so it was necessary to keep an eye out for water splashing over the breakwall. The temperature is in the upper sixties with clear skies. We’re trying to make the most of the good weather because the forecasters are calling for stormy conditions over the next few days. If the giant waves are any indication, the storm arriving tomorrow night should be pretty nasty.

Yesterday we drove out to Stellenbosch, the heart of Cape Town’s wine country. We first ate at the Spier winery and visited their cheetah rescue exhibit, which was definitely worth the five Rand admission. We saw six or so cheetahs, including a playful pair that were rolling around and chirping at each other (yes, cheetah’s make a really cool chirping sound!). We walked around the Spier grounds, checked out the hotel and then we drove off to central Stellenbosch.

Stellenbosch is a beautiful, small town situated in the middle of large mountains and acres of vineyards. Maps show numerous wine tasting rooms, which are wasted on Hayley and I, since we know nothing about wine. We chose the Acara winery for dessert wine tasting. We purchased a bottle, took a few photos and drove back to our accommodation in Cape Town.

The place that we are staying at is fantastic. We’re staying in a self catering unit at the Guest House Michelitsch, a bed and breakfast up in the hills overlooking Camp’s Bay, one of the more affluent beach towns in Cape Town. The owners are very nice and like any hotel there is daily maid service. The full brick patio with an almost 360 degree view of the surroundings is amazing to wake up to. Every morning, Hayley and I relax in bed with the blinds open and look out at the ocean. If you own a house like this, you know you have made it in life!

While it took some getting used to, driving around here has proven to be a lot of fun. The roads are extemely narrow and windy and the drivers are insane, but the roads are so beautiful that its easy to forget about those things. On the land side, houses and steps are carved into the hills and have a very European style. On the ocean side of the road, black rock cliffs overlook a spectacular coast line. I’ve also grown very fond of our VW Citi coupe, despite its tiny turning radius and stiff steering wheel. It feels very classic.

So we’re having a blast. We’re here for a little under a week before flying back to Joburg next friday.