Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Cape Town
April 9th 2008

Published: April 30th 2008

Cape town is an incredibly infectious city. Basically I love it here and am v. glad about the news that it looks like I'll have a pretty good reason to come back!😉

Carlyn took me over to Knysna and I started the real 'traveling' part of my trip - a hostel bed with 9 other people in the room, Gahhhhhh! I have been too spoilt! Highfields hostel is actually quite nice but I was pretty freaked out at the thought of having to strike up conversation with strangers; especially considering I have become so accustommed to the company of my family. Basically, I was bricking it worse than on the Bloukrants Bridge! It reminded me of my first day in halls of res at uni when I phoned my sister and asked what the hell I was meant to do and how I was meant to talk to people. She told me leaving my room was probably a good start! BAck in Knysna I went outside and just by sitting in the courtyard i got talking to a girl from london and she gave me advice about where to stay in CT etc (turned out to be crappy advice but

Table View at Sunset

......and what a view!

that isn't the point of this story!) It's just so easy to talk to people and I've come to realise that particularly in backpackers (hostels) you are actually MEANT to talk to other people and it's more than acceptable to talk to whoever you please. You'll also find out she was just the first of many, many brits i've met - We're bloody every-sodding-where! grumble grumble ...

Knysna was a bit of a let down after Plettenberg Bay; the town is around an area of stagnant water and wet lands which is a poor comparasion to the crashing waves of Plett. Carlyn took me for a quick drive to The Heads, which was actually my favorite part, because the area were the two mountainous heads part the ocean from the lagoon is quite breathtaking. (and if I could have one of the huge houses that look out over the ocean, i'd be pretty happy .. understatment!) Luckily I also got to meet up with B.P and Ron so we had a lovely braai and I got a free floor for the night and a lift down to CT in the morning (thanks guys!)

Long Street in CT is

I successfully climbed another mountain

and celebrated with an arty shot of myself (the vino came later)

one of those places that you automatically fall in love with. I had originally been put off the area because, from what I had read, I thought it might be a completely touristy, dirty party place that is dead during the day. Needless to say, it's not, and is actually an incredibly vibrant area with shops, cafes, markets and plenty of South Africans, as well as boozy bars. When I first walked the street (not in that way, the money might be desparate now but wasn't so much then!) I loved it but nothing made me feel so lonely as not being able to go into those places and have a drink because I was on my own. Cat and Moose backpackers was not made so much for the solo traveller because there isn't really anywhere to meet up with the others in the hostel and my room mates weren't all to friendly! Ended up having an ok night coz I met a cool canadian guy but it wasn't the easiest start to my traveling career. (spesh when the old european guy in the TV room switched over the comedy we were watching to the God Channel; Praise the Lord!)

Our rock had yet another stunning view!

Met up with B.P and Ron again for Ron's birthday which was lovely after my night in the backpackers. Was so good to spend some time with them and made to transition from England a little easier! I plumped for Long Street backpackers for my second night in Long Street and am so glad I did, even after the slightly rough start of walking up the stairs to be confronted with Simon, always ever so slightly out of it, a dirtier room than before and Laura saying quietly as she left "have fun with the stoners!". Long Street backpackers actually turned otu to be a good move, they had a bar to meet other backpackers, excellent, although slightly odd staff and I meet some truely awesome people to go and test the delights of Long Street with!

Cape Town Highlights

Just off Long Street is Green Maket Sq which has a market full of the usual paintings, clothes, and nicknacks but a great place to spend some time and have a coffee (or cup of tea!). Excellent for presents etc (but unfortunately my family will have to wait until I get to New York for

Knysna Heads

pressies coz I'm not taking stuff from SA all around the world in my tiny backpack!) This is one things that I loved most about the area is the ability to walk around and wander; something that is not really possible in Joburg. It took me a while to get used to it again, but soon I was window shopping and drinking tea like no ones business. Still couldn't brave a bar on my own but guess that takes more time!

Obviously while in CT I had to visit the winelands and partake in the famous south african wines. Met a guy called Daniel at the backpackers and we headed out in a hire car with very little idea about where we were going. We figured after trying to find a particular winery, and ending up in a bad part of town, we would head into Franschoek where there are wine farms around every corner so we couldn't really go wrong. Franschoek is a very beautiful little town and we visited a couple of wine farms (still don't understand why they aren't vineyards over here!) and every one was in a beautiful setting with a lovely area for tasing

Lost

View from Chapmans Peak

and all very well thought out. Even though i'm not really a red drinker, we had a fantasic time and topped the day off with a drive into Table View (yes apparently it's an actually suburb not the specific view point that we were looking for, "They've turned Table View into a shopping mall!" you heard us cry ... Doh!) We were just intime for the most beautiful sunset, which goes down over the ocean and Robben Island and sets off the view across to Table Mountain perfectly.

The next day I had stupidly made an agreement with Dan and Hugo (crazy Brazilian guy!) to hike Table mountain. It was something that I really wanted to do and conviently forgot about the fact that I hate anything that involves me getting active and that I would have to keep up with two boys in the midday heat! Yes I was already grumbling before I even got there. It was however one of the best things i ever did. After the first step I thought i was going to pass out, we were hiking Platterklip Gorge which is basically a huge vertical staircase up the side of a mountain where

On top of Chapmans Peak

B.P, Ron and I

you have to clamber up huge boulders and rocks on the side of the mountain that faces the full extent of the sun. Grrrr. We were not the only freeaks to decide to do it though, after about 5 mins we heard a girl coming up fast behind us and as we moved over to let her by she asked if she could just walk behind us coz she was on her own. (she had only arrived in CT a couple of hours earlier, had been flying al night and then decides to climb a mountain on her own - this girl has balls of steel!) we obviously invited her to join us and Kiana turned out to be one of my favorite people I met in CT. We eventally got all the way up - even with my regular rest breaks and outbreaks of moaning! It is definitely the most satisfying ways to see table mountain, i wouldn't do it again and I'm glad I didn't know how hard it was going to be before hand, but still glad I did it!

When Kiana said she was heading out to the winelands again with a few girls who

Laura and Steve

with a cheeky little interloper

lived in CT I was definitely up for a few more tots (me and my rubber arm!) So I again found myself in Franschoek where we went out for lunch at the most perfect place and had a very civilised day. We only went to one wine farm in the morning but Le Petit Ferme more then made up for it. You have to book up in advance but we walked out onto the lawn at the back, with the view across the mountains and vines, sat down with some french friends of the girls, drank wine, ordered our food and waited there until it was ready. Like i said, very civilised! We then spent the rest of the day eating, chatting and drinking and generally having a very unbackpackery time. Actually one thing I have also loved is the amount of time I have spent with South African's on this trip, going to normal places and really getting to know the place without feeling too much like a tourist. Spent a day with my cousin Tanya and her boyfriend Tom, yummy food festival and then for drinks at the infamous Cafe Caprice in Camps Bays, full of wannabe models

Maude partook in a little vino herself

Maude in the winelands (rupert and Rothschild) and Dan of course.

and the guys who deem themselves good enough to date them! Another place I would've never figured to go if I hadn't been with natives.

On to what I think I can say is one of my best days ever. Kiana and I had already expressed our desire to skydive up on that godforsaken mountain and when our shark cage diving was cancelled the day before we decided to take the plunge - literally! It was the work of a moment to convince Kiana's friend Sebastian, who was joining her in CT, to join us in the plane. We went out and had the most incredible experiance so far. I was worried after the bungy that I wouldn't get the adrenaline rush with a skydive because i hadn't with the bungy. It was really cool being with people that were doing it too and getting ourselves pumped up, spesh since Kiana was crapping herself! We were in the tiniest plane imaginable, room for the pilot, one film guy and the two of us with our guys on our backs, sitting on the floor of the plane. Now Skydiving - that is an adrenaline rush! just sitting on the edge

Through the window

The stunningly decorated tasting room making the most of the view

and then suddenly falling to the ground, I felt perfectly safe and even had time to take in the view! Wow what a view! I always thought I would jump in Lake Taupo, NZ but here was just amazing; the jump site in just north of CT and Table View so as you come down you see the whole of Table Mountain, Robben Island and the ocean stretching out beneth you. After the parachute had deployed G (the guy on my back) gave me the reins so to speak. I was actaully flying the parachute and got to do spins and everything - Completely Incredible! I will be going again, no doubt. After our exhilirating morning we met up with Sebastians friends Romaney and Richard who thought climbing Lions Head for sundowners would be a good idea - more exercise for me! the hike was a little easier until we got to the top bit. Also know as The Chains, this is where we use huge metal chains to pull ourselves up shear flat rock face,only to scramble up more rocks with only thin areas to place feet and a long steep drop to each side - Hmmm Fun! Well

Where wine comes from

actually it was and there was another sense of achievement when I got up to the top and we found a perfect rock jutting out from the mountain top, over looking the ocean and camps bay beneath. We had wine and cheese and crackers and saw yet another beautiful sunset! .... walking down in the dark with a couple of glasses of wine inside us was another kind of fun!

After losing most of the people that I had become friends with to homes or further travels I made to snap decision to take the Baz Bus up the coast to see more of the country and meet up with Stefania in Jbay for her birthday. So to Jeffery's Bay and all her hot surfer men I was to go.

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