Advertisement
Published: November 1st 2012
This Saturday Katie and I signed up to do a full day tour of the Cape Peninsula. It is probably the most popular tour to do when visiting Cape Town, for it is marked as a "can't miss" activity. It was a day filled with gorgeous views of the ocean and the more scenic points of Cape Town. In full honesty, I did get a tad bored of looking at rocks and the ocean, but I was able to cross a lot of points of interest off of my to-do list. We started the day with a quick stop to the neighborhood of BoKaap, which is a small area that is completely made up of extremely colorful houses. I'm talking vibrant versions of all colors! It looked very much like something I would expect from a Dr. Seuss book. I loved walking through and taking pictures.
After BoKaap, we drove to Camps Bay, which is as I said, a great view of the ocean and rocks. I've heard that Camps Bay is a quite nice place to spend a day, but we did not venture into the town. We stopped at another picturesque spot, Houts Bay. I actually really enjoyed that view, it was gorgeous. Then we made the half-hour drive out to the Cape of Good Hope National Park. It is a fairly rocky terrain and by no means lush. We got to the shore and took pictures of the famous Cape of Good Hope sign and of the rocky bluffs. We were fortunate to see a whole clan of baboons traveling alongside the van. We then drove to the site of Cape Point, where we made the trek up the hill to the lighthouse. It looked like an easy enough stroll, but about halfway up I remembered why I don't physically exert myself. BUT, I'm happy to say that I made it up first, due to my sheer will power. My competitive side kicked in, I suppose. Cape Point was pretty, but for the most part it was just a lot of work for a five minute look at the view.
I made my second trip to Boulder's Beach during the Peninsula tour, which I'm sure is no surprise to anyone, seeing as that is the site of the penguin beach. I successfully annoyed all the other tourists by sitting down on the boardwalk to spend some quality time next to one of the penguins that was off to the side. I wasn't bothered though, they need to understand my obsession trumps their desire to also experience the penguins. On this matter, I will be selfish. We finally got to eat lunch after that. We went to a grungy and delicious fish and chips place called Kalkies in Kalk Bay. Then we departed for a township tour, which didn't strike me as a township really. It was obviously a lower income neighborhood and was unfortunately located right next to the notorious Pollsmoor Prison, but compared to other townships, this one had nice conditions. I did see something that shocked and appalled me though. As I mentioned, the township had the ever lovely, Pollsmoor Prison as a neighbor and to make matters worse, it was decided that it would be a good idea to place a primary school directly next to it. Oh and did I mention what is on the other side of the primary school? A shooting range. Apparently sandwiching the children between the world's most dangerous criminals and gangs and gun practice seemed like a good idea. We ended the day with a wine tour.
The next Saturday I went with friends to a food market called Biscuit Mill in the morning. It is an old mill that is now turned into little shops and restaurants and every Saturday they have a huge, fancy marketplace filled with the best food! It was delicious indeed, but I doubt that I'll make another appearance there, for it strikes me as a little too fancy. I don't want to spend too much of my time doing high-end things when I'm here in Africa to see the aspects that are different than the States and European countries. So the general consensus is: tasty food, but not a moving experience. I evened out the day by going on a tour of Robben Island. We took the train to downtown Cape Town and then a ferry to get to the island. The tour consisted of a bus ride around the island and I was very surprised at just how large it is. I was interested to learn that it had once been used as a place to hold those suffering from leprosy, mental illnesses and terminal illnesses. We drove past a leper graveyard, which was strange to see. I've never seen a cemetary that is specific to the cause of death.
The second part of the tour was a walk-through of the prison area, which was guided by an ex-political prisoner. That was extremely interesting! It was fascinating to listen to his perspective on the prison and his tales of his time spent there. I deeply admired his ability to face what he had to suffer in such a strong manner. I was happy to see the exact cell where Nelson Mandela spent his 17 years at Robben Island. We also walked through the dormatory cells. After the tour of the island, we returned to the main land and had a nice dinner at the V&A Waterfront. It was a bit chilly to sit outside, but the view was very pleasant. The next day we decided to be lazy and spend the day laying on the beach. I was very excited when we got there and a white shark flag was flying. The white flag means that noone should be swimming or surfing because a shark has been spotted very close by. Unfortunately the flag changed later and I made the ill-witted decision to take a dip. I'm not sure whether the silly part was getting in the water in the first place or being accompanied by my friend Cle, who pushed me underneath the surface. The water here is FREEZING and the last thing I wanted was to have my hair soaking wet. But oh well, you live and you learn.
Monday after work we took part in one of the program social outings which was deemed the "Full Moon Hike of Lion's Head". Lion's Head is a mountain on the outskirts of downtown. We packed up snacks and a few bottles of wine and joined the large group to set out on the hike. Immediately I was faced with how strongly the wind was blowing, but I didn't give it much thought. Though after a few minutes, we stopped and the tour guide announced that this was the strongest wind he had ever felt on this mountain, but said we would still hike part of the way up. My goodness. It was terrifying! I'm not scared of heights by any means, but when the wind is blowing at an incredible speed and strength, the fear begins to set in. Many times did I have to grip onto large boulders or be held down by stronger people, in order to not plummet downward. It was a sandstorm up there to top it off. I had my hood down over my eyes for a large portion of the time. I hope you all understand why it took a nice amount of wine to calm my nerves afterwards. But coming down that mountain and seeing those views was incredibly worth it. Now I'm a tough critic, I'm aware of that, but I was stunned by how gorgeous the full moon hanging over the sea of lights that makes up Cape Town was. It was all set to the background of a saphire colored sky. It was beautiful.
Okay I believe I have now said my fair share! I apologize for letting so many events build up before a wrote. I'm sure this won't be the last time that it happens though. Today is my dear Katie's birthday! She's nineteen and much more mature and poised than she was a day earlier. I'm so happy to spend her special day with her in South Africa!
I miss and love you all! Best wishes to everyone. xoxo
Advertisement
Tot: 0.076s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 9; qc: 47; dbt: 0.0501s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Charles Scott
non-member comment
Hello from Lafayette Drive
Hello Hannah, I just now finished reading your latest blog, which I enjoyed immensely. (But you were "lying on the beach", not "laying on the beach", OK?). I'm so glad you did not get blown off the cliff. We wouldn't want to lose you! Say Happy Birthday to Katie from us. Grandma and I are going to fly to Florida (St. Augustine) on Wednesday, come back on the 12th. This is reunion time with my brother and two sisters and spouses. I am still in my big black boot and will have to wear it while traveling. Weather here is beautiful right now--perfect Madison fall days. We are fortunate that Hurricane Sandy did not come this far from the east coast. You and Katie are in our prayers all the time. Hope you continue to enjoy your experience and learn from it. Love you. Grandpa and Grandma