Advertisement
Published: March 17th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Table Mountain
view from Company Gardens From Dubai on the Persian Gulf to Cape Town, close to the southern tip of Africa, nominally a 10-hour flight. Taking off at 10am, ‘losing’ the two hours time zone difference means we should arrive at 6pm. With the help of a tail wind we arrive early. These long flights are becoming routine, eat, sleep (doze more likely), listen to the MP3 gadget, read, solve a Sudoku, watch TV (especially the real time route map), we fly down the coast crossing into continental Africa just after crossing the equator, south of Dar es Salaam so time literally flies! It is advisable to get some regular exercise to avoid the dreaded DVT, either in seat ‘dynamic tensions’ or toilet breaks! Remember to use the toilet well before the descent since that’s when everybody decides to go and if not careful the toilets will be closed (seat belt sign on, and no more toilets)!
Leaving the airport, dusk is falling as we transfer to Cape Town, approaching from the west we get our first view of Table Mountain from the rear, not the familiar image we recall from our schoolbooks. Passing some shantytowns, an overhang from recent past we enter the city
going up
hold on tight itself. It looks very modern, the whole city nestling on the edge of Table Bay, sheltered by the rising ground of Signal Hill, the ‘lions head’ and the ‘Table’ itself. Everyone is keen to take the cable to the top planned for tomorrow but our guide tells us the weather forecast is of concern. If the wind (local nickname - the ‘Cape Doctor’) is strong the cable car is stopped. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!
Completing formalities of registration and welcome drinks, unpack, wash and brush up, ready for food! Becoming a real routine by now for us experienced world travellers! Hotel food is plentiful, high standard and reasonable. Time for postcards and texts and inspection of the native African items in the souvenir shops. We have collected packs of playing cards, fridge magnets, key rings from every destination but now we must seriously consider items for the g’kids and family back home, time is running out, this is our penultimate destination.
Sunday 18th March, bright and sunny indeed hot, no wind so first stop, the cable station to the top of Table Mountain. A popular destination so group tickets can help reduce the wait. The cable car carries 25 persons
top Table
rin-bob on top of the Table and rotates during its journey! So stand clear of the inner rail! Approaching the top we seem to be about to collide with the vertical rock face but these engineers have done a superb job and we tuck into the top winding house with inches spare. The view has been outstanding, the weather kind and today the top of the Table is not covered with a layer of cloud as shown on many postcards. When present, this cloud is referred to as the Table Cloth, (reason? Obvious?) After an hour at the top, we leave for the descent (with 100+ photos!) during which we see walkers making the ascent by foot and the occasional wildebeest in the distance, grazing on the slopes. Something to be remembered for years to come.
Next a tour of the city. A beautiful Sunday morning, the city is quiet, we see the public square where Nelson Mandela first spoke about his vision, prior to his long prison term. (Robin Island can be seen from Table Mountain and is now a ‘tourist attraction’ being an important part of South Africa’s’ recent history from which the country is making a good recovery).
Followed by a leisurely walk
Table bay
Cape Town, from table top through the ‘Company Gardens’, so called from the time of the early merchant settlers. It is here that I had a life changing moment!
In front of an imposing statue of Cecil Rhodes, (a key figure in the history of Southern Africa), our guide explains the significance of the inscription; “Here lies your Future”. Rhodes is facing due North with arms open wide indicating to the settlers that they must migrate and settle the country to the north. Now every British schoolboy-cub-scout knows that at midday (GMT) the sun lies due South, but here, Rhodes is facing the Sun and pointing due North! For three seconds I believe our guide had made a fundamental error but then the penny drops, so heavily it hurts! We are in the Southern Hemisphere and it is all reversed!!! Midday and the sun lay due North. Now I see it all. Obvious really, but only the experience first hand makes it so!
Back to hotel for lunch to be followed by free time for the afternoon. We visit the V&A Waterfront (Victoria and Albert… they get everywhere, shades of empire!). This is a new development, a ‘secure area’ so, very ‘safe’, popular, busy, good
table-cable
breathtaking! shopping, very relaxed and great entertainment. We buy great African styled tablecloths, place mats, sun-safari hats…, the plastic gets hammered!
All too soon we must return to pack for tomorrow we reach our final destination (Cairo) before the return to Manchester. Goodbye to Cape Town and to South Africa, the future looks good and we wish you well.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.042s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0207s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb