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Published: September 29th 2011
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It was our last day in Cape Town, so before we headed back to Johannesburg, we did the Half Day Cape Peninsula tour, which is probably the best thing we ever did in South Africa. After a rough night of sleeping & a good breakfast, we said goodbye to Adolph, which definitely made our stay at the hostel somewhat uplifting. The lodge might've been prison for us, but everything else was A-OK.
Our tour guide, Bazel (who was of white descent), introduced himself a bit as he picked up other people from different hotels around Cape Town. As the tour started, we had a short stop at a viewpoint of Camps Bay, where we saw a perfect view of the Twelve Apostles. We drove towards Hout Bay afterwards, and saw a spectacular amount of houses surrounded by mountains that tower all the townships. When we were driving through Chapman's Peak, Bazel told us abit about the settlers in Cape Town, explaining how the whites were never allowed to marry black people during the Apartheid era, and also the different settlers there which had their own townships.
We then drove by Simon's Town and made a stop at Boulders Beach,
famous for the African Penguins living on the beach. It was quite an amusing place which brought the inner child in me, and it was a very scenic area as we can see the other side of False Bay. The weather continued to change abnormally - from cloudy to sunny, although the cold breeze never changed. But compared to what we felt at the city, the atmosphere at Boulders Beach was somewhat relaxing, and it also reminded me a bit of Fisherman's Horizon (in FFVIII, in an artistic kind of way).
We then made our way to Cape of Good Hope, and along the way, Bazel informed us that we were now driving through a special place in the Western Cape called the 'Cape floral kingdom'. He explained that in spring, flowers will start to bloom, and every field will be filled with many flowers. The rain from yesterday and today might have brought us down, but Bazel told us that before spring, rain generally comes, and then it stops for the rest of the year. (Well, there goes our luck again!) Even though we realized we came to Cape Town on "not really" the best time, I'm glad
we were able to see the beginning of this spectacular event. The blooming plants and flowers were also evident as we drove along an empty road.
On our way to Cape of Good Hope, we saw ostriches and bonteboks (related to springboks), which was really amazing. I didn't have time to visit a real safari in South Africa, so seeing these animals in the wild was really worth it. We finally made it to the Cape of Good Hope, which was the southwestern tip of Africa. My first thought was "I can't believe it! I finally made it!!", since never in my life have I been to an extreme point, let alone of a continent. It was a very mindblowing experience, and I have to say that this is one of my best travel moments yet.
We headed towards Cape Point, which was the last stop of the tour before heading back to Cape Town. Cape Point just lies east of Cape of Good Hope, and offers a great view of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. We decided to walk up instead of taking a funicular, and it was a real challenge since the breeze became stronger &
colder as we got higher. Once at the top, we had a great view of Cape of Good Hope, and the beach tucked between the two points. At the top was the lighthouse, a massive rock filled with people's signatures, and a breathtaking view of Cape Point's tip, the other side of False Bay, and the two oceans merging together. These experiences & sights altogether truly made my Cape Town adventure worthwhile, and I never regretted any second of it, despite the weather and the cost of the tour. (hah!)
As we made our way back to Cape Town, Bazel drove us by Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay, and Muizenberg, which had one of the biggest beaches I've ever seen. Muizenberg also had a suburb called Marina Da Gama, wherein the only way to get around the suburb is by boat. (that was a bit interesting, I thought) We said goodbye to Bazel in Muizenberg as we changed to a different van, since he was doing a full day tour with the other tourists in the van. Bazel truly is one of the best tour guides I've ever met. I love how not only did he explain every sight we
went to in detail, but he also shared his insights about his country - from its history to its people. I've truly learned alot from him - another person in South Africa I will dearly remember.
Before we went here, Cape Town was at the #1 of my travel dream list, so I am really, REALLY happy to have finally crossed this off my list. Cape Town obviously has its ups and downs. It was a city that I never really expected to be, as I was too focused on going to the Table Mountain only. Bazel told us that Cape Town might not be as rich and economically powerful as Johannesburg, but the best thing about Cape Town is that life here is carefree & there are fascinating landscapes all around which cannot be seen elsewhere, and I can definitely see that. Cape Town truly is one of the best cities in the world, and you really have to visit it to find out why.
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