After all the fun and excitement of Livingstone I was riding high and very much looking forward to visiting Cape Town, especially as it had been recommended by so many people back home. I caught a flight (via JoBurg) with OneTime airline which was pretty good despite some comments that it was called OneTime because passengers only fly with them on one occasion. I was fortunate to be flying with Sophie, whom I'd met at the hostel in Livingstone.

My digs in Cape Town were at the Cape Town Backpackers, a friendly, well-organised, conveniently situated place. I slept in a ten-person dorm so again, quiet nights were out of the question, however there was so much to do in Cape Town that this really didn't matter. As I planned my 5 days in the city it seemed like a woefully inadequate period of time.

First day I visit the museums to learn more about apartheid and its impact; the castle (to learn that us Brits will fight just about anyone, Dutch and natives this time); and the art gallery which was surprisingly good.

Day two and I go down to the Victoria and Albert docks to take a harbour cruise (there are dolphins following the boat) look at the state of the art shopping complex then take a walk down historic Long Street which hosts the main night life with a large number of pubs, clubs, restaurants.

It's an early start the next day as there is a long drive to Gansbaai to go shark diving. I was rather excited at the prospect of diving with sharks and the potential danger of being within inches of great white sharks in their natural environment. We had a nice group for the trip including a couple of English guys and 4 Brazilians. The boat journey to the dive site is incredibly rough with the boat regularly leaping out of the water and crashing back into the sea with terrific force. During the briefing session the skipper had said that someone was always sick at some point during these trips and I am beginning to understand why. At the site we suit up and within minutes of the commencement of baiting (tuna fish heads on a rope) the first shark arrives. I hired an underwater camera for this trip, however I don't think I'll be challenging for too many National Geographic photography awards as most of my photos were of the bars of the cage, the boat, the sky and my feet. I'm not making excuses for my lack of skill, but photography was a difficult business. The water temperature was a chilly 16c, which in an ill-fitting wetsuit, stuck in a cage unable to move was shiver-inducing. Furthermore when a shark swam close by one had to take a large gulp of air, hold the cage, duck under the water to kneel down without sticking any of your limbs outside of the cage in front of the hungry shark. In addition, the sea was rough which meant that often when you were about to take a perfect picture you would be bashed around inside the cage. We saw 6 different sharks during or 3 hours and I must say that the entire experience was exhilarating, exciting, informative and a fantastic way to see sharks. For the record, of the 20 people on the boat 6 were sick!

To top off a great day, we went whale watching along the coast on the way back to Cape Town and saw 5 or 6 whales frolicking in the sea!

The fourth day already, time has flown. I am off to Cape Point and to Stellenbosch to do some wine tasting. The journey to Cape Point is spectacular as is Cape Point itself. I catch a glimpse of some of the beaches around Cape Town which unfortunately I won't get a chance to visit on this trip. Still, there is always next time. Stellenbosh is a lovely town centred around what could almost be an old English common, all that was missing was a game of cricket in the middle. The vineyard tour was ok, the wine tasting was much better and to my surprise, my favourite wine was a dessert wine. The wine was a bargain, the cheapest being less than 2GBP for a bottle.

The last day and I still haven't visited two of Cape Town's signature attractions, Table Mountain and Robben Island. The hostel is close to Table Mountain so I decide to walk to the cable station. My sense of direction lets me down and I find myself half way up the mountain and 300 metres above the cable station. There is nothing for it but to retrace my steps and go back down the mountain. Table Mountain is well-worth visiting as it affords some splendid views over the city, although you do have to avoid the (numerous) days when the mountain is covered in mist. Of my 5 days in Cape Town the mountain was misty on 3 of them. The afternoon visit to Robben Island is a big disappointment. Whilst on the ferry I coincidentally bump into a couple of the Brazilians from the shark diving and do the tour with them. Small World! The 2 hours on the island is woeful, shepherded around in tour buses and guided tours conducted by ex-inmates. Their individual stories are interesting, but there is no overview of the history. There are no signs on the island, no written information and no time for individual exploration of the facility. The guidebook was shifty on its description of Robben Island and now I know why.

My evenings in Cape Town were mainly spent in the very sociable hostel bar talking to other travellers all of whom very friendly.

After 7 weeks of travelling around some very rudimentary African towns and cities it was an enormous pleasure to spend some time in Cape Town which rivals many European cities in the wealth and breadth of things to do and see. I was very sad to leave.