Day 6: Cape Town

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OK, first up I know this is 2 months late, but WiFi isn't fantastic in Africa, so whenever I had it, it was a luxury so I used it just to contact home.

So today was my final day in Cape Town and wouldn't you believe it, it was finally sunny! I took the opportunity to head up to Table Mountaoin and tick one thing off my adrenalin list; abseiling. Unfortunately, with the bad weather in the days leading up to today, everyone else seemed to have the same idea, so the line to get to the top of Table Mountain was huge! After about a 45 min wait I finally got to the top of the mountain, and I wasted no time in heading over to the abseil. After a brief safety demonstration it was over the edge and a short climb down to the starting platform. The first step back off the mountain was terrifying. It goes agains all your instinct to step backward off a mountain. Once I was off though the rest of the abseil was pretty easy going. After about 50m the wall drops away so you just have to lower yourself down using the rope and nothing else. It was nice though as it gives you time to turn around and admire the view, which in my opinion is a much better view than what you get from the very top of the mountain. Once I was at the bottom of the abseil, it was time to walk back to the top. It is described as a short walk, but let me tell you, it is a long walk, and it is tough in stages. You end up on the India Venster Trail, a popular but tough trail up Table Mountain. I bumped into two hikers who were surprised that I was walking alone on the trail. After explaining that I had just done the abseil and didn't realise the hike was going to be tough, they got me to follow them so I was safe, and offered me water and chocolate. If it wasn't for these guys I definitely would have been double guessing whether or not I was heading in the right direction.

Once I reached the top again, I took some time to grab a bite to eat and take some photos from the top of the mountain. Some of the fiews were spectacular, but to be honest, I think the views along the India Venster Trail and from Lion's head were nicer.

Once I was done I headed back to the Amber Tree Lodge to collect by belongings and move to the hotel where my G Adventures tour would begin that evening. Once I was there I was introduced to my room mate Riccardo. We chatted for a bit before our pre-departure meeting. At the meeting I was surprised to see the age range and the range of nationalities of my fellow travellers. I guess coming from a Contiki background I am used to being with a young group of Aussies. At the meeting I also met Anna, who I had been in contact with before the tour. It was nice to put a face to a name. After the meeting I went out to dinner with Riccardo, Anna, Anita and Brendon. The restaurant we went to was a steak house that had a special of steak with a side of steak (a different cut). It really was a meat lover's paradise.

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