We both slept well. We were down at breakfast at 7.30am, it was delicious. Greg changed some money. 10 Rand = $1 AUD so the conversion is easy. At 8.30am we met our guide Stephen in the lobby. We had a great morning with him, he is very knowledgeable. A Zooologist who has worked in the game parks of Africa and more currently as a guide in Cape Town.
I have wanted to visit Cape Town for a long time, it appeared to be a beautiful city and it is. First we drove up to Cable Mountain. We are lucky with the weather (which is similar to Adelaide) low 20’s for the next few days. Many people who visit don’t get to see the mountain or the views from it, due to cloud cover or the wind which shuts down the cable car. The cable car, holds about 50 people and its floor rotates 360 degrees over the journey, so everyone gets a good view. It takes about 3 hours to walk up, it is very steep, glad we were in the cable car. ? It was a bit hazy from the fires, there are shanty towns nearby and the people who live in them burn wood to cook and keep warm, this causes a mild bushfire smell and haze, other than that the views were stunning. When you see views of Table Mountain it is from the waterfront. We didn’t realise the mountain goes down the peninsula too. We both enjoyed the views down the peninsula more than those over the city. We expected it to be stunning up there, but it was so much more than that. There are lots of Hyrax (oversized guinea pigs) up the mountain, their closest relative is the African elephant as their teeth are similar, bizarre! Lots of photos were taken, I was in my element.
Hyrax (Rock rabbits) I couldn’t have positioned them any better, at Table Mountain
Afterwards we headed to Bo-Kaap, a Muslim neighbourhood with cobbled laneways and coloured houses. The houses are repainted a different colour every year in celebration of the end of Ramadan. We really enjoyed wandering around the neighbourhood. Earlier we had asked Stephen for a recommendation for a local dish, he recommended we try bobotie, at Blesmiellah, it is in this neighbourhood, so hopefully we will go tomorrow night.
Afterwards we headed into Town for a look around. Cape Town is South Africa’s legislative Centre (Pretoria is the Administration centre) It is architecturally interesting with lots of British and Dutch influences. We went inside St George’s Cathedral where Desmond Tutu preached, a magnificent cathedral, felt very peaceful inside. We both lit a candle for our family and friends.
A lot of the land around the waterfront is reclaimed land, they couldn’t build north because of Table Mountain, so they reclaimed from the sea.
We stopped at the High Court, where during the apartheid years people were classified into one of 7 racial categories. White people had all the rights through to black people who had none.
Across the road from the High Court are the Company Gardens, named after the Dutch East India Company. We saw the oldest tree in Cape Town, a Saphron pear tree over 200 years old. Out the back of the Company Garden a garden shed was built, not like any shed you have seen before, it has been repurposed and is now where the president stays when he is in town!
We got back to our hotel around 12pm, Greg went out and got a SIM card for our phones while we are in Cape Town. Yes, you’ve got it. We can play Ingress now ?
About 1.30pm we went down to the library in our hotel and had high tea, it was lovely. The staff here are all delightful. We haven’t even been here for a day and they know who we are! The service is impressive.
About 3.30pm we headed out to get an uber to take us to Newlands stadium to watch a Super Rugby game, the Stormers and the Sharks. We picked up the pre ordered tickets at the stadium. On the way to our seats we bought a boerswors roll, a delicious sausage and onion roll. Greg should be writing about this, (but is sleeping ?) I have been to about 10 games of rugby in my life, 5 as a 16 year old and the others with Greg. I bought the tickets online before we left home, only $30 for us both. (It was $3.oo if you were happy to stand!) I really enjoyed the game, it was very fast at times and kept me engaged. We were barracking for the home team, the Stormers, who we found out at the game are on the bottom of the ladder. They won 27 to 16 was a fun couple of hours. We caught another Uber back to the hotel, it was quick and easy. All of the locals we have spoken to suggested using Ubers rather than taxis.
You will be pleased to know mum that it feels as safe here as it does in Adelaide ?
It is 9pm now, 4.30am at home and I feel rather weary too, hopefully we will have another good sleep tonight.
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Hyrax – how odd! ???