45 day safari, we made it!
Trip Start
Aug 26, 2009
1
24
51
Trip End
Ongoing
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Our first day in Cape Town was mainly an arrival day; we ran some errands and got acquainted with the city. The next morning started off wonderfully, after a month and a half of being away, I finally got to talk to my parents. It was defiantly good to get some news from home! Then it was tour time, we headed out to the Cape of Good Hope with a tour guide that was recommended to us, Steve Bolnick. Steve was an amazing guide, originally from Zimbabwe; he has been in S. Africa for a few years now and really knows his way around. He took us out to the Cape and we stopped many times along the way for him to point out various plants and animals in the Fynbos. Fynbos is the type of plant life that covers much of the cape. It consists of low lying plants and bushes, including protea. Steve knew so much about the area that even our ecologists, Bridget and Troy, were impressed with his knowledge of local plant life. On the way to the Cape of Good Hope (the most South-Western point on the African continent) we saw a Southern Right Whale just out in the ocean. It was neat that the whales come in so close to such a large city.
We then arrived at the Cape and climbed up to visit the lighthouse. Unfortunately for us, the weather was not great that day (rainy and cloudy) so we could not see much. Occasionally we would get a clear spot allowing us to get a glimpse of the point where the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans meet. I am sure that on a beautiful day, the view from there would be gorgeous!
From the Cape of Good Hope we went to visit Simon's Town. Simon’s town was named after one of the governors of South Africa. Simon van der Stel was the first governor to occupy the post for an extended period of time. He actually cared about the country and its success (partially because he was married to the daughter of the man who ran the East India Trading Company at the time). All of the previous governors looked at the posting South Africa as a career advancement rather than a final job. Simon actually cared about the country and its people and did his best to encourage development. Simon’s town was named in his honour.
Just outside Simon’s Town is a small beach, called Boulders Beach. It was named because of the large rocks on the seashore but it is famous because it is the home to a very large colony of African penguins. A couple of penguins came ashore there about 20 years ago (much to the dismay of many residents because they lost their rights to use the beach). Now the colony is in the hundreds and they line the beaches. The town has set up a nice boardwalk for the tourists to walk on in order to preserve the penguin habitat and keep people from disturbing them. I think by now the penguins are so used to human contact that they are not afraid in the least. Which was great for us, we really got a chance to explore these amazing creatures up close.
That night we stayed in a really interesting hotel, called Daddy Long Legs. It is a small boutique hotel that’s focus is art. If you are ever in Cape Town it is worth a stay. Each room has been decorated by a different artist (painters, photographers, musicians). We stayed in the photo booth room. The walls were lined with hundreds of tiles each with a portrait of a person. All of these tiles together also formed a portrait on the wall. It was very well done and the portraiture was amazing. The bathroom also had a really neat red door, that when the light was on in the bathroom, it looked like a dark room. Really cool place to stay. Next time, Diana + Brittany + Ajai +Robert +Stephanie + Mike + Jon you guys should come and we should reserve the Karaoke room (it even has a microphone in the shower!). I totally thought of you guys when I heard that! Imagine what fun we could have!
The thirteenth we just had a light supper with some of our group and went to the Irish pub for some dancing and to say goodbye to a few of those who were leaving the next day. We were also accompanied by our new friend Amma, who we met at our hostel.
The 14th brought a whole new adventure. We started out right with a great REAL breakfast out. (To all my Montreal breakfast buddies, I sure miss our relaxing mornings!) The morning we then spent touring the waterfront area, visiting some shops and really just enjoying the atmosphere and the view. The afternoon brought us to a world of sea life with a visit to the Cape Town aquarium. We were lucky to arrive there when we did because we made it just in time for the ray and turtle feedings. Two divers entered the large aquarium with buckets of fish and hand fed the rays and the turtles. It was also narrated by an expert so we learned about the types of rays as well. The aquarium was very bright and colourful and we enjoyed our visit there. That evening we went out to try the famous African game meat. We went to a restaurant called Khaya Nyama which is famous for its large skewers. It was a large group so we really ordered it all. We tried Eland, Kudu, Springbok, Oryx, Impala, Zebra and Warthog. Chris’ favourite was the kudu with the impala coming in a close second. My favourite was the warthog; surprisingly warthog ribs are really good. (Although I did feel a bit bad about eating pumbah (but don’t worry that did not last long =)))
The 15th we decided to sample what has become a huge part of South African culture and did some wine tasting. We laughed a lot at some of the descriptions of the flavour of the wines but really enjoyed the experience. We got a tour of the production area of one of the estates and learned a bit about harvesting the grapes, the aging process, and the types of barrels. Wow, there sure is a lot that goes into making wine. We also sampled some of the best pinotage ever. I must admit I was reluctant to try is as the one that we sampled at the Highlander estates was atrocious. Longridge wineries however renewed my interest in this distinctly South African wine!
Along with the wine we got to sample some great chocolates. We visited a chocolate factory run by two brothers who learned to make chocolate in Belgium. We picked up some great chocolate as well. I must say nothing goes better with red wine than some good, dark chocolate. I tell you, I was in heaven.
The 16th we decided it was about time we got up Table Mountain. (You know, no visit to Cape Town is complete without that one). Since we were all hankering for a bit of exercise (after sitting on the truck for so long), we decided to walk up instead of taking the gondola. The walk was intense! Straight up in parts, it took us just over 2 hours. We had heard that it would take about an hour so we figured we were really out of shape until we found out that we had taken the long road up. Apparently there is a much shorter path where you only have to climb the gorge. Man, I wish someone had told us that before we started our ascent. But hey, we made it. I can now say, I climbed Table Mountain; the hard way! We made it to the top just as the clouds (known by locals as the table cloth) rolled in. So unfortunately we did not have too many amazing vistas to look at but it was defiantly a good experience. The hot tea at the top was so relaxing and warmed me right up. One of the best teas I have ever had.
The 17th and 18th were down time. Yes, we did have a chance to relax a bit on the trip. We ran some errands and did some emailing, I tell you, it is exhausting sometimes this travelling thing! We also went to a restaurant called the "Africa Cafe". There we got to sample many dishes from all over the continent. It was kind of neat because it is a set menu so you can try it all, then you get to order more of whichever dishes you liked. Make sure if you go there, you go hungry because there is so much food to try!
The 19th we were off again. This time to Robben Island. Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela and many of the other people who were arrested for their opposition to the Apartheid government were kept. We saw Mandela’s cell and the limestone quarries where they were all forced to work. The tour is run by a coalition of former prisoners who were held there. It was ok, but we were a bit disappointed. We felt like we were really rushed through and that the guides inside the prison were not as passionate and informative as they could have been. We were really hoping to get a better sense of the changes in South Africa and how the history has impacted the present situation there. It was an alright tour, I just think that it could have been presented much more poignantly.
