Sunday Extravaganza

For the past three weeks, I have tried to make it up (either hiking or cable car) to Table Mountain especially so I can see the whole view of Cape Town. Now I did hike to the top of Lion's Head but it was covered in a thick layer of fog so I wasn't able to see anything from it's view point and that was a bit disappointing. Last week, I woke up early and drove to Table Mountain to take the cable car up since the weather was gorgeous. Unfortunately all the other tourists thought the same thing and it was a three hour queue to get onto the cable car. That didn't sound appealing to me so I turned around and drove back down the hill. Our last weekend in Cape Town, we decided to venture up. Saturday was a beautiful and clear day which ended up being perfect for our safari. Sunday was also supposed to be a clear day but of course, it wasn't. We even drove to the cable cars to see if there might be any chance of it clearing it but of course not. I even thought that maybe I would wake up early on Monday to try and head up there. But now I'm sick and the weather still isn't great. I don't think that I was meant to make it up to Table Mountain on this trip.

So since our whole hiking adventure trip was canceled due to the poor weather, we had to improvise of how to spend our day in Cape Town thus we had a Sunday Extravaganza: cramming in as much stuff as possible and enjoying every moment of it.

• We had breakfast on Long Street, city centre at Lola's. A nice little place that was recommended by Lonely Planet. At 8am, there really isn't anyone out so having Long Street quiet was perfect. They are also all vegetarian (another score) and had the most incredible egg croissant filled with scrambled eggs, black mushrooms and basil leaves...I will need to make this combo at home.

• We drove over to Hout Bay and stumbled into their weekly craft market and was finally able to do the souvenir shopping that was needed.

• We drove over to Hout Bay's harbor and decided that we should take a boat over to Duiker Island to see some seals. It's a short boat drive (about 40 min) and they offer the glass bottom boat to see the seals from below. That's not really worth it since seeing them bask in the sun and swim from above is more entertaining. If you were in the area and needed some time to kill, than a trip to Duiker Island can be entertaining but wasn't exactly a "must do" destination.



• We drove up to Rhodes Memorial which is an impressive memorial located in the slope of Table Mountain and offers a nice view of the city but that's mostly it. There is a nice restaurant behind it but since it was so busy, we were unable to enjoy a refreshing beverage so our time spent there was short and sweet.


• We drove over to Century City's Canal Walk and determined that this place is not for us. It's a large shopping mall with over four hundred stores and surrounded by offices and apartments. If you like shopping, than this would be the perfect place but since we both hate shopping, we were in and out of there within an hour. I actually thought that there would be some nice canals that you could walk through with the shops around it (like Amsterdam) but nope, just a big, giant mall surrounded by a canal.

• heehee, can't help but post this picture •

• We drove back to our suburbs to Cool Runnings, the first downhill toboggan sled (about 1.25km long track) in Africa and this completely satisfied our inner children. It's incredibly cheap (about $14 for six rides), has an automatic pully that takes you to the top and let's us feel like kids again. If only they served beer here...


• And we finished our Sunday Extravaganza with a glowing smile from our improvised day...which ended up being the perfect way to end our last weekend in Cape Town.

Garden Route Safari

A four hour drive from Cape Town, this private game reserve (Garden Route Game Lodge outside of Albertinia) allowed us to be up and close to see most of the big five...sans the leopard. The drive from Cape Town is a little long - especially with all the construction that is being done on the N2 but it was a beautiful route that took us through South Africa. If there were only more hours in the day, we would have happily gone wine tasting since the drive has many hidden wineries sprinkled throughout the route.

• garden route game lodge •

Wine Tasting Deliciousness

Wine tasting is a pure delight in Cape Town. We are staying out in the Bellville area which is a mere five minutes drive from the Durbanville Wine Area. There are so many wineries to choose from: old, historical barns to new fancy and concrete structures. There are no tasting fees, they don't mind if you help yourself to having more wine, the wines are rich with flavors and the prices are amazing (2003 bottle of Pinotage: 23 rand = $3.60) and most of them have an incredible restaurant so you can sample delicious food along side the wine. I really wish that we had more time here so we can travel through the wine routes in Stellenbosch, Constantia and Helderberg (although we've been told by the locals that these areas are more upscale...think Napa Valley versus Santa Cruz Mountains. I will always choose Santa Cruz Mountains over the Napa Valley scenery any day).

white knuckled driving

We finally got ourselves a rental car which helps so I don't feel too isolated out in the suburbs or have to take an extremely expensive taxi out into the city. But I did have to learn how to drive on the opposite side of the road and car, yikes. I never thought that I would grip a steering wheel so hard that it gave me cramps and white knuckles. I have been getting used to it since it helps when there are other cars to follow. The roundabouts are still a pain in the arse and takes too much concentration, I have already encountered more than my fair share of them and am grateful for the drivers around me who dealt with me without giving me the bird. However, the worst part of driving in Cape Town is not the erratic drivers or extremely narrow roads where it looks like you're driving head on but it's the people dodgers and bicyclists! On the freeway, there are people who constantly dodge across traffic or ride their bicycle especially when they do this at night, you can't see them. They are my least favorite about driving here.

Botanical Garden - Kirstenbosch

truly a photographers/gardener/hiking/nature enthusiast wonderland...

• looking up towards table mountain •

• looking down into cape town •

• lushness •

• regal: king protea - south africa's national flower •

• up close and personal: pin cushion protea •

Spending time in Cape Town

We're staying in Tyger Falls (aka Bellville in the northern suburb of Cape Town) and it is actually quite nice but the main attraction of this area are the two large shopping malls that are right next to each other. I am still a little flabbergasted that these are considered highlights/attractions. We do have an incredible Cuban restaurant, Buena Vista Social Club, that is downstairs from us. They have amazing mojitos (up to par with La Bodeguita in Palo Alto), delicious food and Cuban cigars for about twenty bucks. We are waiting for a weekend evening where we can have tons of mojitos with Cuban cigars and then just stumble home. We also have a gorgeous view from our balcony of the lake and a waterfall that they turn on for the weekdays and off for the weekends. It's a little odd waking up in the morning to see our waterfall turned off!

• hey, where did our waterfall go? •

We ventured off to Boulders Beach on Saturday so we can see penguins. Instead of paying the entrance fee to enter Boulders Beach (and be surrounded by tourists) you can easily take the side pathway that takes you towards the beach rather than pay the entrance fee to the park. There are lots of penguins on the walk to the beach with not too many tourists which we of course, found out after we had left the main park.

• that one penguin looks depressed •

Cape Point was also incredible with great hiking trails. One of my favorite highlights is people watching where some tourists actually hiked up the trail in high heels and complain the whole way - silly tourists! The lighthouse was a little too populated for our liking so we ventured over to Diaz Point which is a nice trail that goes beyond the lighthouse. It’s less populated and offers more incredible views of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

• the point •

And of course, what’s a trip without spending time in a local's joint? The husband’s colleague had been gracious enough to take us through some hidden gems. They took us into Noordhoek for a stroll on a quiet beach and then off to the Red Herring for sunset, drinks, dinner (delicious pizzas) and live music from a retired guy who plays covers songs. We would have never known about this little local place if it wasn’t for our guide and I think that we are actually going to have to venture back there again since it was an excellent place.

• sunset from red herring in noordhoek •

Cape Town, South Africa Journey

I'm sitting at Heathrow Airport waiting for a long distance flight to Cape Town, South Africa. If anyone was to track my carbon emission for the past three weeks, it would be quite high since my travels have included flights from LA to London, Amsterdam, back to London, South Africa, London and then finally back to the States. This doesn't include any relocation flights needed to either South Africa or London. I don't think that I'm looking forward to the SA flight since it's about a thirteen hour flight from London... a sleeping pill will actually be needed for this flight. Although I'm a seasoned traveler, I still can't help but get nervous every time I get on an airplane. The anxiety seems to grow as I get older and I'm not sure where it stems from, silly anxiety. Anyway, I am really looking forward to Cape Town and I have a long list of things that need to be done while there: wine tasting, climbing Table Mountain, visiting the penguins, maybe some scuba diving and definitely, lots of walking and traveling. I am really looking forward to being outdoors for the next three weeks adventuring it (especially since the husband is going to be working, I'll need to keep busy). I'm also looking forward to being active again. I broke my toe a few months ago and since I am a neglectful person, the healing has been quite stubborn. It's now finally getting back to normal where I can walk long distances with only minor discomfort so I'm hoping that I can now start running and being active again...apparently lots of booze and no diet restrictions with limited activity due to the foot has yielded an unhealthy kime.