Believe it or not, my time in Cape Town is nearly done. Tomorrow morning I'm heading to the airport to fly to Jo'burg for the next part of my trip. I can't believe that my week in the Mother City is over...I've grown pretty attached. I hate to pick favourites, but Cape Town is definitely up there, and it's going to be hard to leave.Yesterday, the weather was still a little chilly, but it had stopped pouring, so I signed up for a trip to the Cape Point, which is the absolute south-westerly point of the African continent. The tour started at 8:30 in the morning, and continued on right until almost 6:00. The Peninsula is a big place!
Our first stop on the tour was going to be Hout Bay, whose main claim to fame is the seal colony. On the way out, we drove past the Twelve Apostles of Table Mountain, and past the Atlantic Ocean, where the wind was creating the biggest swells I've ever seen. I still can't believe how stunning the scenery all around Cape Town is. Every way you turn your head, there's a beautiful landscape, just waiting to be ooh-ed and aah-ed over.
Just before Hout Bay, the first stop, we drove by Camps Bay, which is one of the most expensive communities in South Africa. Shortly down the road, we passed a township. I'm not sure I'll ever completely get used to seeing massive wedding-cake houses next to tin shacks. It's a bizarre and upsetting contrast.
At Hout Bay, t was an extra R50 to take a 45-minute ferry tour to Duiker Island, but I decided to give it a go. Unfortunately, out of the harbour, the waves were putting on a Titanic-esque show, and we had to turn around. I'll be honest, I'm getting a little sick of boats. I was a little disappointed that we didn't see the seals on the island, but on the way into the harbour, there were a bunch of them lazing around on the docks, and two of them were halfheartedly fighting. This made up for it. At one point, a man on the dock was trying to shoo the seals away from his boat. I was really hoping one of them would chase him down. No dice.
After Hout Bay, we drove past Chapman's Peak, where we stopped a few times for photo-ops. Chapman's Peak looks down over the ocean and the Cape of Storms. I learned that over 1, 000 shipwrecks had occurred on this coast (hence the name).
The next stop was definitely a highlight: Simon's Town, a cute little Navy base-turned seaside village. It had a lovely, relaxed atmosphere, frequent whale sightings...and it's also five minutes away from Boulders Beach, home of the infamous Jackass Penguins!
The penguins were definitely one of the high points of the tour. There were tons of them just hanging out on the beach, lying in the bushes, and a few of them running down the shore! The water washing over the boulders was stunning, and I couldn't help thinking that they had scoped out one of the best places to live. They're quite small, and very tempting to pet, although the signs warning of being bitten made me reconsider.
After the penguins, we drove into the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, and were given the option of riding seven kilometres to the visitors' centre for a picnic lunch. Everyone took advantage of the biking option. Although the ride was mostly flat, the strong, freezing headwind and spitting rain made the few uphills quite hard, and the visibility wasn't great. I rode into the visitors' centre rather stiff, but soon forgot at the sight of the lunch. There was awesome bread, vegetables, pasta salad, juice...should I go on?
Then, it was the moment I had been waiting for: another seven kilometre ride to the Cape of Good Hope itself! It had stopped raining, and this ride didn't seem so intense. On the way in, we rode right by a family of baboons and two ostriches right on the beach! I arrived at the Cape of Good Hope by bicycle! I didn't see that one coming.
The Cape of Good Hope is easily one of the most beautiful locations I've seen on my trip. The waves were gigantic, and the ocean looked like a giant washing machine. This is the point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. There were boulders, and the sites of past shipwrecks all over, and of course, the famous "Cape of Good Hope" sign. I, of course, did the typical tourist thing and got my picture taken...holding a Canadian flag no less!
The next destination was the Cape Point, with the old and new lighthouses. We took a twenty minute walk up to the lookout - which took the cake for best view of the Peninsula - and then loaded back in the van to head back to Cape Town. It was definitely a long trip, but I feel like I learned quite a bit about the area, and saw some of the most famous and incredible sights in the world. Props to our guide Neil, who was like a walking, joking textbook on Cape Town! If you're ever in Cape Town and want to see the Peninsula, go through Daytrippers. I definitely got my money's worth!
Today, the weather had turned right around, and once again, there were clear skies. This meant only one thing: I was going to hike Table Mountain! For the past few days, the weather has been rather unforgiving, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to hike the mountain. If there's major cloud cover, there's no point in going to the top, because there are no views. I also had yet to meet a single other person who was interested in the hike. Since I had heard stories about muggings at the base of the mountain, and - worse - people getting lost or dying due to treacherous conditions, I didn't think going alone would be the world's best idea.
I made an enquiry about a hike through Abseil Africa on Monday. Unfortunately, they needed at least two people to confirm the hike. It wasn't looking good. Luckily for me, Lenore, who works in the office there, had my back. She referred me to another guide, who was willing to take me up the mountain! She really went out of her way to make this happen for me, and I am so grateful!
This morning, at 8:30 (I'm sensing a theme), I was picked up, and we were off! I learned that the Cable Car was closed today, due to winds over 30 km/h. This meant that whether I liked it or not, we were hiking up and down. Fine by me!
The route we took was via Platteklip Gorge. I was fully expecting this hike to be Grouse Grind-esque, with lots of high-stepping and holding onto ropes and whatnot. It was definitely not a walk in the park by any means. The whole way up, you have to maneuver your way over big sandstone rocks, like a naturally-placed staircase. However, despite the careful-footing and extremely steep route, it didn't actually seem too terrible. The worst part for me was the wind; there were a few moments where I was sure I was going to be blown off the mountain, all the way to Robben Island. My hands were absolutely frozen, but after a good hour and a half of climbing, we made it!
The "Tablecloth" (cloud cover that often sits on top of the mountain) didn't appear today because of the wind, and the views from the top were spectacular. I had a perfect bird's-eye view of the City Bowl, Camps Bay, Clifton Beach, Hout Bay, and even a fair ways down the Peninsula! Although the wind was brutal, and therefore I didn't spend too long on the top, I was blown away (har har) by the views. I'm so, so glad Binny was willing to do the hike, because it really made my trip! Considering the obstacles in the weather and finding willing participants to hike, I consider myself very lucky that I got to do this on my last day in this amazing city.
Surprisingly, I found going back down the mountain harder than hiking up. Because of the gale-force winds and all the rocks, you had to pay very close attention to each footfall, and each stone step is far enough apart that it's quite a step down, and this was not a place I wanted to take a fall! My knees and hips were a little sore at the end, and my hands were pretty much petrified. Would I ever do it again? Absolutely.
I was very proud of myself for hiking up and back again. From now on, whenever I think of Table Mountain, I'll remember that I was on the top of the table! I also learned that the wind is the main reason the city isn't covered in pollution. They call it the "Cape Doctor".
I'd recommend this hike to anyone! There's a huge sense of fulfillment when you reach the top, and apparently it's not always so windy. Also, I saw a man hiking in bare feet, a bunch of teenagers in Keds, and a woman in a skirt and dress shoes hoofing it to the top. So if they can do it...
For the record, as excited as I am for the rest of my trip, I'm now feeling very bummed out about leaving this city. Cape Town, I love you!
Questions? Comments? Criticisms? I'd love to hear them all!
the-wanderingjew@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment