The Mother City: Cape Town

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Once Durban had me nice and relaxed, it was time to move onto my final destination, Cape Town. Cape Town was the first city discovered by Europeans in search for a passage to India, and what a city it is. Immediately as I was picked up and taken to my hostel, I was captured by it's amazing landscape. I was introduced to Table Mountain and we continued into the city, the vibe had me feeling like I was in a dryer Vancouver with a more Afro-European twist. The cities Dutch and English heritage was definitely felt while driving down some of the streets. I checked into my hostel, The Backpack, and was impressed with the facilities. My mind was blown when I stepped out on the veranda out back and immediately slammed in the face with a spectacular view of Table Mountain. Seeing I have mentioned it twice now, Table Mountain is the iconic flat topped mountain that is seen in many postcards. Cape Tonians really identify with it's beauty and it was first on my list to climb it.

I set out in the morning not entirely sure what to expect. Table Mountain's demeanor is definitely intimidating and imagining climbing it seemed daunting. That, and the numerous warnings about not hiking it alone, and making sure you do it safely had me thinking twice. But I'm from the mountains right? I shouldn't have anything to worry about. So off I went, into the hottest part of the day and began my ascent. I can just hear my mother and sisters now, "Jay, be careful." And careful I was. It was actually an amazing hike and it was a challenge. Most people recommend allowing about 2.5 hours for the hike, and I managed to do it in about 1 hour and 40 minutes. The views were breathtaking. The higher I went the more of the city you could see, and the more level I became with the surrounding mountains. I couldn't help but be invigorated with each step. As I was nearing the top, a friendly local gave me hope and explained that I was almost there; he said with a smile, "You've conquered the beast." Now I'm sure there are much more challenging hikes in the area, but I felt a sense of accomplishment as I reached the top and really enjoyed the views of the entire city. I also managed to enjoy a nice backpack lunch consisting of two billtong bunwiches 1084m (3558ft) above sea level. Now some people hike down as well, but I decided to keep it real, do it the Grouse Grind way and took the gondola down. The first site of the city was completed, and off to my second must do.

The next morning had me up again incredibly early, but for good reason. It was time to dive with Great White Sharks. I had a bit of a restless sleep as I was just a little nervous for this experience, but incredibly excited. I hopped in the van and was joined by another girl from my hostel, which made it nice knowing I was going to have someone to hold my hand. Kidding aside, this is one experience I had to do when visiting South Africa. The 2 hour ride to Hermanus up the coast of South Africa was spent mostly dozing as it was still dark, but once the sun rose, it was nice to see some cool beach landscape. We arrived at the lodge and began our briefing. Not only was this company involved in showing people the beauty and power of these amazing animals, but are also actively involved in education and conservation. It was devastating to be reminded about how many millions of sharks are being murdered each year for their fins alone and tossed overboard still alive. All this slaughter for only one reason, the multibillion dollar shark fin soup industry. I'll avoid ranting too much, but after our briefing we got onto the boat and set off to Shark Alley. After we arrived we dawned our wetsuits, and it was definitely eerie looking into the water knowing that there were some of the most intimidating predators lurking below, out of site. The staff on board began chumming the water and the waiting game began. It wasn't long before the first person yelled, "Shark," and there it was. TV does absolutely no justice in portraying the size and beauty of these animals. It was breathtaking just seeing one off the boat, and now it was time to actually get into the water with them, inside a cage of course. My partner from the hostel hesitated when they began asking for volunteers, but without thinking I grabbed her arm and we were one of the first into the cage. The water was freezing (13 degrees) but that wasn't what had my heart going. We then heard the staff yell, "Shark front!" That was our cue to duck under the water and come face to face with the Great White shark. And face to face we came, with numerous passes, a few times I felt like the beast was looking me in the eyes directly into my soul. Another very humbling experience. However, as we continued to view these amazing animals, there was no fear, rather I was filled with wonder. I could have stayed in that freezing water all day, but sadly the experience had to come to an end and we went back to land. We were treated to some nice soup and it was time to head back to the hostel.

As I became more familiar with the hostel and the people staying there, the next few nights consisted of hanging out with travelers from all over the world, Australia, Belgium, Holland, Germany, and of course Canada and the US. Times were great and included some excellent food, drink and late nights. I was back to the great part about staying at a hostel, the social aspect being able to share stories with fellow travelers, and learn about other cultures as well. And there wasn't a better place to experience it than Cape Town, which is quite reknown for it's nightlife. There were tons of options, but most of our time was spent on the main entertainment portion of Long Street. We were able to go out for a few nice meals, and I got to sample some game, such as Hemsbok, Ostrich, Crocodile and Warthog. It was also nice to feel a bit more comfortable at night in a town, even though one still had to be careful.

My next major activity in the city was a nice tour of the entire peninsula, across the Cape of good Hope, which is the most South Westerly portion of Africa, as well as Cape Point, which is the tip of the peninsula and where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. The scenery of the drive was truly breathtaking, and I regret not renting a car and doing the tour myself. But, the tour was well run, and I got to experience the main stops along the way of Hout Bay and Simonstown, which is the home to the African Penguin. After the tour, I felt as if I had a fairly through experience of Cape Town, although I think I only scratched the surface and there was another experience that I couldn't leave without experiencing... South African wine country.

As I left Jo-berg, my friend Jan gave me the contact of his buddy, Olaf who lives near Stellenbosch, which is well known for it's great wineries. He picked me up at my hostel and it was off for some tasting! I couldn't have asked for a better guide as he knew the area fairly well, and is no stranger to wine tastings. It reminded me of meeting my other South African friends for the first time... extremely comfortable! We planned our course and off we were. We visited Tokara, Ernie Els' winery, Rust & Vrede, and Lourandseford. Each specific winery had it's highlights with Tokara owning my favorite red of the tour, Ernie hosting my favorite view, Rust & Vrede an amazing sirloin steak, and Louraseford my favorite white. All in all the experience was spectacular, and even though I would definitely not consider myself experienced with wine, I enjoyed every sip! The company was good too and Olaf was able to give me a bit of a tour of the surrounding area. Stellenbosch is an amazing town, with a really cool student vibe, with beautiful architecture, and stunning trees, which reminded me much of UBC. And I can’t resist but to mention the noticeable amount beautiful ladies that seem to be running ramped in this town. My friend Olaf explained that women actually outnumber men in this town, and it showed... attention bachelors. With lots of students comes a great nightlife, and after meeting with some of Olaf's friends, we toured the different pubs and clubs in the area. The night even finished off with a stop at a Hop Skoop (excuse my spelling you Safas), which is a dance that apparently every Afrikaner knows how to do, and seemed quite similar to the North American equivalent of two stepping. After many drinks, good times, and not enough sleep, I've awoken early this morning preparing for my 30 hour flight home.

Luckily I had one more stop before my journey came to an end. Olaf, who was off to another wine tour, which I couldn't join due to my departing flight, dropped me off at a typical Cape Tonian hang out, The Old Biscuit Mill. I felt it was kind of the Cape Town equivalent of Granville Island, on a smaller scale and without the harbour. However, it was a perfect cap off to an amazing trip. I enjoyed more amazing food, drink, and felt like I was amongst the locals. The vibe there gave me goose bumps and it was another thing that made me appreciate South African culture. What made it extra special was a coloured comedian who was exemplifying the diversity of South Africa through humour. Even though bits of it were in Afrikaans, I loved it.

So now it's off to home and another torturous journey of about 40 hours. Running on only 3 hours of sleep, I hope I'm able to get a bit of rest before touching down in North America and getting back to real life. I might do 1 more post when I'm home for some final thoughts on my miraculous experience of one of the best trips I've been on yet. But if I don't thanks to all who have read, and those who have kept in touch while I've been away.

-J

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Photos

Lion's Head and Gondola
Great view from the top of Table Mountain

Comments

[Rachael]

Zim/SA
I stumbled on your blog by browsing for blogs on work experience in Northern Canada for psych nurses and I found myself captivated by all your other blogs and travels. Your work with World Vision is amazing and you are so blessed to have the opportunity to meet your sponsored child. You write very well and Im glad you had great experiences in my home countries Zimbabwe/South Africa. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your globetrotting and thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences.

[Jaymerica]

Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words Rachael. If you ever have further questions about working up north, feel free to let me know! I hope to return to Africa some day soon and I'm really glad you enjoyed my writing. It helps motivate me to continue, despite the fact that I didn't do any blogging on my most recent trip to South America, aside from Rio de Janiero. All the best!