Cape Town

I spent a week in Cape Town. Initially I thought that this would be too long to spend in a city before starting my next tour however the more I researched activities in Cape Town the more things there was to do.

The first morning I woke up early and climbed Lions Head. My tour guide was Tony from Atlantic Outlook Adventure and we hiked with Huda who grew up in Cape Town. This was my first time seeing the city and it was amazing seeing the size of Table Mountain and it's closeness to the city. The Lions Head hike involved climbing up rocks and using ladders to get to the top. While walking Tony explained local stories about the mountain and the city. He was very interested in nature and explained how many of plants are used for medical purposes. By the time we got to the top a cloud had covered the mountain so unfortunately we didn't get to see the sunrising. Nevertheless it was a nice hike and a good way to start the morning.

When we returned back to the bottom of the mountain Huda asked if I wanted to go for a coffee to celebrate our early morning exercise. We went to Against the Grain in Bo Kaap area which is a pretty area with very colourful houses. Huda is a muslim, coloured South African woman and she is a chef who cooks lunches for IT companies. We had a wonderful conversation about both our lives. She explained how her life growing up was affected by the Apartheid system but she lives and works to show her children the possibilities in life. As we walked back towards my hotel Huda invited me into her house and how she showed me the industrial kitchen in her basement where she cooks all the meals for the companies. Her three sons were at home and one of them gave me a chocolate muffin he had baked that morning. It was lovely to meet a random stranger and have a great conversation where we both felt connected us.

In the afternoon I meet Cardi, Linde and Michaela to go to the URC quarter final. The Stormers were playing the Bulls. It took place in DHL stadium which was built for the 2010 soccer world cup. The atmosphere was electric and the Stormers who were the home team won 33:21.

The following morning I did a free walking tour of Cape Town. It was interesting learning about the different settlers in Cape Town. The Dutch, Portuguese and English all pushed the indigenous people out of the city and brought slaves in to build the city. There is still a lot of conflict regarding ownership of different lands in Cape Town. After the walking tour I used the hop on hop off bus to get around the city. I stopped at Camps Bay for a walk along the beach. I met Michaela, Linde and Michelle from the tour for dinner that evening at V & A Waterfront. There were singers from the local township busking on the street and we ended up staying there for an hour listening to them as they were really good.

The next day I used the hop on hop off bus to go to Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. It was a beautiful botanical gardens with a great view of Table Mountain. I walked around the peaceful gardens and then found a bench to sit and observe the nature and people around me for a while. On the way back into the city I stopped again in Camps Bay to have an ice cream and say a final goodbye to Michaela.

The following morning I climbed Table Mountain with Fatima from Atlantic Outlook Adventure. We used the Plattekip Gorge route to the top. It was steep at times but only took about two hours to get to the top. Fatima explained some stories about the mountain and Cape town itself. I said goodbye to Fatima at the top of the mountain and took time myself to walk around the top seeing the different viewpoints. I then took the rotating cable car back down the mountain before using the hop on hop off bus back to my hotel in Seapoint.

One of the main things to do while in Cape Town is driving to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. I used a day tour with the Red Bus and we drove out of Cape Town along the coast to Boulders beach. Boulders beach has a colony of penguins living there. In comparison to Stony Beach, Boulders beach was very busy with tourists who tried to get as close as possible to the penguins to take a photo. Unfortunately this meant that the penguins was chased out to sea and swimming away. I didn't feel comfortable seeing silly tourists bothering the penguins in order to get their photo so I ended up walking away and walking along the sandy beach instead. Our next stop was Cape Point where we walked up the lighthouse for a view of the coast around us. From the lighthouse we walked along the scenic boardwalk to Cape of Good Hope which is the most South Western Point in Africa. It was a nice scenic walk and nice to say I have been there but if I am honest Cape Agulhas, which is the most southern point of Africa, was more scenic.

I noticed before coming to Cape Town that the musical We Will Rock You was touring while I was in Cape Town. The tickets were a lot cheaper than at home so I decided to buy one. I had a seat ten rows from the front and it cost €12. The storyline of the musical was a little bit far fetched however the singing and comedy side of the show was very good.

On my final day in Cape Town I decided that I would treat myself to a massage as I knew that the next trip will entail more camping instead of lodges or hotels. I had a lovely treatment in the Mount Nelson Hotel which again had a wonderful view of Table Mountain. It was very relaxing and a great way to finish my time in Cape Town.Read more