Africa Week 1 - Cape Town

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Africa Week 1- Cape Town, South Africa

Getting there and day one, February 21st-23rd, we arrived in Cape Town, South Africa after a long and tiring 30 hours of travel. The travel itself was pretty easy but just exhausting: a 10 hour flight to London, 7 hour layover and 12 hour flight to Cape Town. It did help we had a wonderful sendoff dinner with our family at delicious Italian restaurant and left with full tummies in good spirits. Then we took advantage of the 7-hour layover as a time to see something of London since neither of us had visited. We arrived on time in a foggy dreary day in London (but from what I know that is typical). It was a chilly 38 degrees but there was no wind so it was manageable in our sporty travel clothes (luckily since our luggage was checked through). I would have loved a to have a lovely wool coat and hat but I had to settle for a makeshift scarf and gloves fashioned from the only other clothes in my bag: a pair of lightweight black “puffy” pants I picked up in Bali and black cashmere socks I had in case it was really cold on the plane. Surprisingly they worked out quite well. We decided we would visit Windsor since going into downtown London would take too long. Our plane arrived at 2pm and by 2:45 we were on the 71 bus (4.10 pounds/each) to Windsor. We were able to see some of the neighborhoods on the outskirts of London that were charming brick buildings and tiny houses with family surname signs in the entryways. John said it reminded him a little of Indianapolis. We arrived at Windsor, a bustling shopping and restaurant district surrounding Windsor Castle about 3:30. We walked to the castle to check out a tour but found out last admission is at 3pm (oh well). Probably better since we would have been rushed needing to get back to LHR by 6:30, 2 hours before our flight. We walked explored the town and checked out the river walk before finding an authentic pub, the Royal Oak, to enjoy a pint and fish and chips near the cozy fireplace. The pub was warm and quiet except for a few locals enjoying the end of a Cricket match (interesting game). I found an old fashioned scale in the bathroom with weight in stones (not telling how many stones I weigh until I do the conversion). When I returned to our table I found John sitting with an older man across from him. I sat down in my seat next to him closest to the fire. Nigel, the 74-year-old regular, tells me I need to put more coal on the fire so it doesn’t go out since I am sitting it that seat. Not sure if he is serious, I decide to check the bucket by the fire to see if there was coal. Looking back at Nigel he told me “don’t get your hands dirty”, so I proceeded to dump coal on the fire. When I returned to the table, Nigel seemed satisfied and impressed with my clean hands. Our fish and chips came and Nigel decided to steal the vinegar since he said it gets in the sinuses and messes up the taste of the beer. Finally the bartender and another local managed to talk him into giving it back. Nigel continued to entertain us with quirky stories and jokes that were sometimes a little difficult to understand with his heavy accent. After a charming afternoon we headed back to the airport and jumped on our flight to Cape Town. Arriving in Cape Town was impressive from the start. The dramatic mountains meet the extensive white sand beaches and crystal blue water. It was a sunny gorgeous day in the 80’s. We picked up our rental car and headed to the Cliffside apartment in Hout’s Bay our friend set up for us. As we started driving we were even more taken in by the beauty of this place. The roads wound around the majestic mountains and coastline. There were dry sandy areas contrasted by clusters of unusual green trees. Our route took us by the botanical gardens and nature preserves that were lush before arriving at the dramatic Hout Bay coast. We checked into our place Witehouse at Flora Bay. The location is truly stunning. Our place is perched on a waterside cliff overlooking the mountains and bay. The entire front room is windows and there is a great deck with a bar-b-que overlooking the small private beach below. Also we are walking distance from great restaurants and a short drive to the fishing harbor. The only downside is the place is in need of renovation and upgrades. It is an excellent value for high season in this very desirable area at $1100 Rand ($159/night). I enjoyed a glass of wine and magazine on the terrace before joining John for some much-needed rest.

Day two, February 24th, we woke up to the sounds of crashing waves We ventured down the coast toward Cape Point. We drove by many little fishing villages and beautiful beaches along the way. We entered the Table Top National Park, which covers the southern half of the peninsula. Upon entering the park we came across a troop of wild baboons. They were crossing the road and many were sitting in the fynboss (wild bushy vegetation that covers most of the landscape). We continued on to Cape Point where we hiked to the top of the fog-covered mountain. The combination of the stone guard walls and the cascading fog made it fell as through we were at the top of a castle. Then we explored the Cape of Good Hope and the other distant areas of the park. We saw ostriches, eland and a beautiful …….. We were so interested to find all the creatures’ natural habitat is so close to the sea. After the park we continued up the other side of the peninsula and stopped at Boulder Beach home to a large colony of Jackass penguins. It was such a cool place with huge boulders and hundreds of penguins everywhere. You can get right up next to them and even swim with them. When we went through a crowded area a few pecked at us. We even saw mating and protecting eggs. After the penguin encounter we returned back to our beach house and made a nice dinner.

Day three, February 25th, we went to check out Table Top Mountain. Table Top is …..ft and you can take a 5 minute cable car ride or a two and a half hour hike to get to the top. We decided to hike up and take the cable car down. It was a windy warm and sunny day. The hike was pretty challenging since it was a pretty direct vertical route with natural rock stairs. I was feeling jet lagged and fighting off a cold so it was a bit of a challenge for me. Once we arrived at the top it was all worth it. We enjoyed the most breathtaking 360 degree view of Cape Town and the surrounding mountain ranges called the 12 apostles. We realized shortly after it was too windy so the cable car was not running. We enjoyed a picnic lunch before making the hike back down. It was another great day.

Day four, February 26th, we went to Llundudno Beach for the day. Llundudno is an expansive white sand beach nestled in between mountains and boulders. The amazing scenery and beautiful beach make it a desirable place to live so there are huge mansions sprinkled across the hills. It is a busy surfing spot so it was the perfect place to spend the day.
Day five, Sunday, February 27th, we spent the day in Kommetjie, a tranquil little beach town. Our friend Adrian invited us to spend some time at his beach house and had an afternoon bri (African Bar-b-que). We went early to catch up since I had only met him briefly in Bali and it was John’s first time to meet him. He prepared a feast of Cape crayfish (that he catches right in front of his house), chickens and lots of beautiful sides. All the friends arrived and they were so much fun. We had a great time talking with them and getting recommendations on places to visit while we ate delicious food and sipped champagne. We took so time at the beach and just enjoyed the beautiful sunny day.

Day six, Monday, February 28h, we spent the morning in Houts Bay before heading to explore downtown Cape Town. We drove through the city and checked out the V & A wharf, which reminded us of the touristy fisherman’s wharf in San Francisco. We decided to have lunch in the less touristy Waterfront district at a place called Newport Deli. The food was fantastic, as has been all the food we have had in Cape Town. Also the wine is great here too. Guess it should be since there are hundreds of wineries within the region. Cape Town continues to remind us a lot of San Francisco, which makes it even easier to love it here.

Day seven, Tuesday, March 1st, we moved to stay at Llundudno beach. A very nice couple, Helen and Paul, have three guest cottages on their beautiful property on the hill so we moved into the top unit. It had a beautiful view of the beach and surrounding mountains especially from the deck. We enjoyed the beautiful Cliffside pool and garden in between trips down to the beach. The best part is they are so friendly and welcoming. They invited us right into their home on the property. It is a large dark red brick house built around large boulders from the hillside giving it great character. They have been in the home for 31 years and have seen the once sleeping hillside community grow to become one of the most desired addresses in Cape Town. It was so great talking with them and seeing old photos as they are kind of the historians of the area. They also had a charming boxer named Zig Zag, whom reminded us a little of Cocoa. We took him for a long beach walk one day. Once we settled in we went for a long drive on the coast of False Bay. We stopped at the Strand beach for a picnic lunch and some sun before continuing down the coast to the holiday town of Betty’s Bay. We didn’t find much surf but we did visit a rocky beach that was home to more penguins. We took a quicker route back in time to meet up with Adrian and some new friends Gaylen and Tess for dinner and a night out downtown. We went to a really great restaurant called Il…….. and I tried a local fish which was delicious. After dinner we went to a trendy lounge and met some other friends of Adrian’s to listen to music. We had such a great time we arrived back in the early hours of the morning.

Day eight, Wednesday, March 2nd, was our last full day in Capetown and we spent it relaxing and surfing in Llundudno. We had to pick up a new rental car at the airport since we got a better deal. Avis gave us a very inconspicuous cherry red Hyundai so much for being low profile. Once we got back to the beach the surf was good so we spent the rest of the day at the beach.

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Photos

Bontebok
National park