Advertisement
Published: November 12th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Anyone like a glass of wine? We were not in South Africa too long before we were at a winery tasting the nectar of the Gods. Our second night was spent camping at a small vineyard (Highlanders) where we sampled some of the local wines - sensory sensational.
The last day of our 42 day overland trip saw us passing through beautiful wine growing regions before we saw our first glimpse of Table Mountain, signaling our arrival to the Mother City - Cape Town. Cape Town is an alluring city that although is very cosmopolitan still has a wild African flavor running through it. It also is a city that still has the scars of apartheid to try heal from. Located at the bottom of Africa, Cape Town is stunningly beautiful, especially when viewed from Table Mountain. From its beaches, to its waterfront and the eclectic shops and bars of Long St., Cape Town was a fun place to be.
Although still in Africa, our first few days were relatively cool and rainy and I felt as though I was back in Nova Scotia. Knowing it was forecasting bad weather for my second day there, I decided along with
two friends (Shae and Jon) to head to Stellenbosch for an afternoon of wine tasting. We caught a train in the morning and were there by noon. After arriving we found out that all the wine tours were full. However not to be deterred, the hostel that we checked into had bikes for hire so we pedaled off to the wineries. I had great fun, especially after a few wine tastings. However, while we were sampling fine wines the weather turned bad and it started to pour rain. The ride back was just as wet as the wine we had tasted for the last 4 hours.
My last two days were spent exploring the city and its markets, as well as spending the last bit of time with the friends I had made on the trip. We had great fun eating and drinking at night and saying "Sociable", a Halifax saying I introduced them to during the last week of our trip. It was a saying that everyone loved to say and I think represents the spirit and people of the trip.
On my last day the weather turned warm and sunny and it gave me a chance
along with some friends to go up Table Mountain. Vernon and I decided to hike up the mountain instead of taking the cable car. It was a long way up and steep, but after about an hour we made it to the top. The views were no less spectacular than atop Kilimanjaro. From Table Mountain you could see two oceans - Atlantic Ocean to the west and Indian Ocean to the east. Peering over the cliff's edge you got a magnificent panoramic view of the city and the coastline. As well you could see Robben Island, the place that houses the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years as a political prisoner.
Table mountain was the finish line for my 63 day adventure. Ironically my trip ended like it started - climbing a mountain. I left Cape Town and Africa after drinking a bottle of beer with friends and saying one last time - Sociable! A toast to Africa and all the friends I met along the way.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.116s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 7; qc: 52; dbt: 0.0731s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb