Cape Town twenty years on

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Well we are probably a good sleep away from being totally on top of our game still. Those flights had seemed fine on paper. No appointments on the Monday morning when we get back please Penny, I'd hate to fall asleep mid-meeting.

But its great to be here. Jeff (brother) and Cornel have got a great set up. They live on the northern edge of the city out near all the wineries. Bugger. They are both engineers and Jeff has been busy sorting out roundabouts next to the new soccer stadium here. So when you are watching World Cup games from Cape Town look out for Jeff's roundabout - just outside the stadium.

Anyway we decided to do something that I couldn't have done when I was here twenty years ago playing cricket. We decided to go to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent eighteen of his twenty seven years behind bars. When I was here all those years ago he was actually still resident there and de Klerk was president. Apartheid was still in. Not any more. More often than not the flash cars that whistled past us on the motorway today were driven by smart looking black people. Not surprising when you consider that whites only make up about ten percent of the population, but probably unheard of twenty years ago.

Mandela's cell was about the same dimensions as a double bed. I would've suffered from claustrophobia. Its amazing that he came out of that saying that reconciliation was critical for the future of South Africa. We also had a guided tour of the prison with a former political prisoner about my age and I couldn't detect any hint of bitterness even though he spent eight years inside. He is still passionate about his country.

So it was hugely interesting.

Back at the waterfront things are really bustling - bars, restaurants, magicians, you name it. They just can't wait for the World Cup. Its a really nice place to sit and just people-watch for a while.

The net day, feeling a little bit sharper again, and we planned to go up Table Mountain but the cloud drifted over - the table cloth they call it. So we checked out the Aquarium (very good) and then took a drive around the peninsula. Didn't see any baboons but did see lots of penguins at close range at Simonstown, then took ages getting back, stuck in rush two hours traffic. Spending an extra two minutes at the Stanley St roundabout in Queenstown isn't too bad afterall.

There is debate about exactly where the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean merge here. Cape Agulhas claim it to be there. Wherever it is, the water in the Atlantic is bloody freezing. And around here the sharks are big (and scary). Have booked a trip to go down in a cage to say hello to the great whites at close range. They tell me they meet 5-6 great whites every trip up to 5 metres long. They also tell me its perfectly safe but the steel the cage is made of doesn't look that strong to me. So we are not looking too seriously at the operators who compete on price. What we are after is the strongest steel and the best cage maintenance programmes. And what happens if the thing holding the cage breaks and the bloody thing sinks - after all you only have a snorkel. Susan thinks she'd take her chances and swim back up to the top but I'd probably just settle for drowning rather than becoming a juicy (and fat, according to Susan) breakfast for the big boys.

The next day the weather was perfect (again) so this time we did go up Table Mountain. The cable car was pretty steep and it revolved so you can see in every direction. And you can, for miles. We easily spent the whole day up there. Its like being on the moon. We walked right along to the far end and back. The boys found every lizard and rock dassie up there. I absolutely recommend it if you are in Cape Town.

Tomorrow we are heading along the Garden Route so that should be good. We'll get away before the traffic really kicks in. Allegedly. They talk about 'TIA' - 'this is Africa'. So we will go with the flow a bit timewise. We'll have a few braai's there - so far we have had one but they are a way of life here. All blokes have to be able to do a good braai.

Hope all is well at home anyway and have a good Easter.

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Photos

Atop Table Mountain
Spotting lizards no doubt

Nelson Mandela's Cell
Robben Island

Family Portrait
On top of Table Mountain with city and coastline backdrop

Comments

[Tam Nolan]

Hello from Down under
Hi , Thanks for the news - looks like a terrific time being had by all. You must be getting old Russ -we did our best work without any sleep!!! Trust you have a great time for the rest of your trip- remember that look when you see the great white - same as when the Kiwi's see the Aussies!!! Cheers, Tam and family

[lindsay]

lindsay calling
Sounds amazing, Mandella is one of my few heros. I think the shark cage test will be, 'can Seth fit thru the gaps in the bars' It is getting cold here, enjoy that sun and heat. Lindsay

[Ted]

Garden Route
Russ The garden route should be fantastic! I'm jealous.

[Tim Bradford]

we've already read this one
Gidday Russ, dissapointing.......i've already read this one. really enjoy reading your blog, sounds like you're all having a interesting trip. cheers, Tim