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Published: April 7th 2008
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Table Mountain
Here is the famed table cloth of Table Mountain Here is the first report on our recent trip to Africa. We left Vancouver on Feb 22 and returned on Mar 28th.
After a stopover in Amsterdam we flew into Cape Town arriving late Sunday evening. We were met at the airport by Allison who then drove us back to Gatehouse where we occupied the guest suite. Allison has lived at Gatehouse for two years and we can see why she loves it there. It is a large property in a lovely area called Constantia. Gatehouse has a number of housing units on it so there is always someone around to visit with and a swimming pool to cool off in.
Before going to bed Allison advised us of the planned activities for the next day. It was to be a relaxed day with a walk to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, a lunch in the gardens then return to Gatehouse for a rest in the afternoon. I guess we did not listen because the day did not follow that plan. We did walk up to Kirstenbosch Gardens but then took a detour up Skeleton Gorge trail which ended on top of Table Mountain. What a great view of Cape Town! The clouds
Sweetheart Tours
Allison and Charles that cover Table Mountain are called “the table cloth” and the day we visited Table Mountain the winds were whipping the clouds around us - very exciting! We then took the Nursery Ravine route back down into the gardens. On hearing of our day’s activities Allison immediately grounded us. We had not been authorized to hike up the mountain and besides it can be dangerous going up there with only two people. We were humbled and duly apologized and said it would not happen again.
The next few days were spent exploring Cape Town and vicinity. It is a beautiful city, easy to get around and lots to see. One day we took the train to Simon Town and walked out to Boulders Beach. This beach has the only resident population of penguins in Africa. As you can see from the picture they appear to be thriving there. Another day we visited Robben Island with Charles. Robben Island is the former political prison where Nelson Mandala and the other black African leaders were held for many years under the apartheid regime. The tour of the prison is conducted by former prisoners who tell their story of their time in this
prison. The boat trip to and from the island gives a great view of Cape Town and Table Mountain.
Later that week we went up to the Educo Africa Base Camp which is in a wilderness area north of Cape Town. Educo was hosting students from Regis University in Colorado who were studying management of nonprofit organizations. We took part in some of the activities with this group including a discussion of apartheid. The discussion was led by three members of the Educo staff who told of their experiences under this repressive regime. It was very moving to hear their stories and to understand what this meant to the people of South Africa. One evening around the camp fire the South Africans showed us their love of music. The sound of the drums and the singing was truly magical and MJ did lots of dancing.
Our next adventure in South Africa was organized by the firm known as Sweetheart Tours (aka Allison Brown and Charles Baxter). It was a four day tour of the Garden Route. This is the coastal area east of Cape Town which is truly magnificent. It includes some of the wine growing areas where the wine
Paradise pools
Can anyone spot the swimming trunks? is fabulous and, for someone from BC, really inexpensive. We visited the Robertson Winery (MJ’s mother was a Robertson) and purchased four bottles of very nice wine for $14.00. The picture of MJ and the elephant were taken at the Knysna Elephant sanctuary where we spent a few hours admiring these amazing animals. Our first overnight stop was in the town of Wilderness. We had a lovely dinner and stayed with Centen and Val Baxter, Charles’ parents. The next morning they took us down to the beach where you can walk for miles and miles and watch the surf roll in from Antarctica. Also included on this great tour was a canoe trip up the Keurbooms River, a visit to Storms River Mouth and a two night stay at Redford House with hosts Clive and Colleen Noble. During our stay at this guest house we had an excellent dinner which reminded us of dinners in our home with good friends. It was a wonderful evening with no lulls in the conversations and lots of laughs.
Our final day in South Africa was spent (much to Richard’s delight) at a bicycle expo. Every type of bike and bike gear was on
Wilderness Beach
Charles and his parents on the wonderful beach. display. Charles and Allison were signing up to ride in the Cape Argus bike race which is the largest bike race in the world with 33,000 participants. Unfortunately we were leaving Cape Town on the day of the race so did not get to see Charles and Allison perform. They both did very well over the 108 KM course and we only wished we had been there to cheer them on. Thanks to Sweetheart Tours for a great visit to Cape Town and the Garden Route.
Next blog - our visit to Tanzania.
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