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Published: September 29th 2011
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JNB - CPT
Flying through South Africa's mountains What's up bloggers?! I guess it's safe to say it's been a while since I last posted, considering this post is super late! Well anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that I'm pretty much inactive in the blogging world, due to real life work and lack of inspiration. But I will always try my best to put up blog posts about where I've been recently... which is Cape Town, one of the cities that I've always dreamed of visiting! Cape Town is actually no. 1 on my travel dream list, so you bet I was excited for this trip!
Due to time constraint, me & my mother were only able to stay in Cape Town for just one night, but it was all worth it. We flew to Cape Town via Johannesburg, and it was a 2 hour scenic flight through the country's majestic landscape. We flew from a busy city, and then into the countryside, and into the majestic mountains and canyons. Just comes to show how diverse South Africa really is.
Before we landed in Cape Town, I was already aware of the weather; it was rainy, cold, and very cloudy. The first thing that came
into my mind was "Will we be able to go up the Table Mountain?" I was so paranoid, I checked the Table Mountain Cable Car's website for weather patterns, and webcams as well. As we landed in CPT, the weather was really sunny with only a few clouds in sight. From there on I knew the weather was going to be perfect, and then we saw Cape Town from the distance. Standing from a sunny side of the Western Cape, we see the famous Table Mountain completely shrouded in clouds. I knew the weather wasn't going to be very good, so wer were just hoping the cable car would be open by the time we came there.
Our first day in Cape Town started with the usual sightseeing. We took the MyCiti shuttle bus from the airport to MyCiti's main station at Civic Centre, and it only costed R53 per person and the journey time took 30 minutes. As we arrived at Civic Centre, the weather became very cloudy, with no sign of sunlight at all, and the looming Table Mountain still covered in heavy clouds. We took another MyCiti bus from the same station which goes to Granger
Bay station, wherein we walked towards Two Oceans Aquarium to catch the Cape Town Sightseeing Bus, the best mode of transportation around Cape Town and to the Table Mountain Cable Car (for tourists, obviously). It was a rough 10 minute walk from the station to the aquarium, as the cold ocean winds blew on our faces, and slight drizzles pouring down on us. I knew at that condition, the cable car is already closed, but we still gave it a try. We didn't come to Cape Town just to see the Table Mountain anyway!
When we bought our tickets at the aquarium, the ticket seller informed us that the cable car might still be open, but there was low visibility at the top. We took the Red Tour Sightseeing Bus, which mainly goes to Cape Town's most popular destinations, i.e. museums, landmarks, and suburbs like Camps Bay. Our plan was to stop at Table Mountain and Camps Bay only since I'm not really the museum type of guy. Even if I only came to Cape Town to visit Table Mountain, choosing the sightseeing bus over a taxi is still a big deal since I got see some amazing places
along the way, including Bo-Kaap, the Castle of Good Hope, and Cape Town City Hall, where Nelson Mandela said his first speech after being released from prison. Along the way, I noticed how the weather can change so fast. As we were driving through the waterfront, the sun started to shine, and then it got darker once again.
When we arrived at the base of the Table Mountain, we were all disappointed to find out that the cable car was indeed closed, since the wind got very strong, and rain started to pour. In disappointment, we decided to skip the Table Mountain and onto the next stop since we can't bare the harsh conditions. But, even if it was closed, we still got a spectacular view of the Table Mountain from below, including the city of Cape Town, and Lion's Head, which is just on the right side of the Table Mountain.
We headed towards Camps Bay, which was the next stop after Table Mountain. Now here comes the good part - as we got off the bus, we were then greeted by souvenir sellers along the main beach. We rejected them since we weren't at all interested,
and we were only carrying backpacks - not much space to put huge souvenirs in obviously. One seller, however, started to question our rejection and straightly asked us "You don't like black people?" It really startled me alot since that wasn't my intention at all. When we started walking away from him, he began to threaten us, screaming "Don't come to Africa!" and "Go back to China!" At first, I got scared, and then we just took it as a joke after. I mean, how can racism be shown just from rejecting an offer from a person of a different skin? Seriously, how childish. And if I was racist, why would I even bother coming to a country full of black people in the first place?
*long sigh*
With that us behind, we finally returned to V&A Waterfront to eat lunch before heading to our hostel. The weather was still harshly cold as usual, since we were near the ocean, and strong winds kept blowing. The waterfront was nevertheless a really beautiful place, with nicely painted buildings filled with old charm designs and shops dotted along the area. You also get a perfect view of the Table Mountain
- too bad it's still shrouded in clouds.
After lunch, we decided to go back to Civic Centre, and then we walked towards our hostel. Instead of going back to Granger Bay (which is a 10 minute walk again), we convinced the Red City Sightseeing Bus driver if he can drop us off by the Civic Centre since we still have our tickets anyway. He gladly agreed, which is a huge relief for us so we don't have to put up with the ever-changing weather.
We stayed at African Train Lodge, tucked in a small corner by the train rails, since it was the most convenient & cheapest I can find in Cape Town, and it was only a 6 minute walk from the Civic Centre. The manager, Adolph, was very kind, and quickly recognized me since we emailed each other about inquiries regarding the lodge before we arrived. The lodge had a very quirky style - all of the rooms are in train carriages, and each had specific rooms. We booked the twin room for R400 (original price is R440) when we practically begged to Adolph since we were just staying there for the night. It just comes
Table Mountain
Completely shrouded in clouds to show that you can get any price lower if you convince people with the right attitude, eh?
Talking about the room, my first thought was "Is this prison?" The room was very, VERY small, the only space we had for our bags is on the bunkbeds above, and the only entertainment we have is the window, showing us a lovely view of a car store. Seriously. Those are the things we only had in our room; no TV, no table, no NOTHING. On the bright side, there were two working plugs in the room, the beds were very clean (not what I would expect from a hostel!), and the shower rooms outside had plenty of hot water. (more hot water than our hotel in Sandton actually)
It was only 7 in the evening and we decided to call in the night, as it was a SUPER LONG day for us. We find it hard sleeping through the night though, as winds blew very strong at that time & banged the window, causing us to wake up for a short moment of time.
(to be continued...)
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Cape Town holidays
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Cape Town in Spring
Whales are easily sighted in the spring off the shores of Cape Town. The whales migrate annualy from the Antarctic to mate in the warmer waters of South Africa in spring. False Bay, Cape Town, presents great opportunities for viewing whales from the road which follows the shore line through the quaint coastal villages. Spring is also the time to view the spectacular displays of wild flowers that may be seen up the west coast from Cape Town. This time of the year is known as the "secret season" of Cape Town because acccommodation rates are low and there are fewer tourists.