Plush and half-empty, one of Emirates finest planes took us from Tokyo to Dubai in style before a five hour layover in a surprisingly drab Dubai airport gave us a sobering dose of sleepless reality. Dubai to Cape Town was somewhat less luxurious and twelve hours on a rickety old plane, packed to the rafters with seat-breaking fatties, felt like a lifetime of clock-watching! Over thirty hours after leaving Japan, we finally touched down next to Table Mountain, exhausted and relieved the marathon journey was over. Putting the backpacking temporarily to one side we checked into a nice hotel room for the night to catch up on some much needed sleep. The bed was so comfortable I was out like a light within minutes!
Somewhat refreshed, the next morning we reluctantly left the hotel and headed a short distance down the road to swap our huge luxury double for slightly less glamorous dormitory bunks. After checking in we took a walk into the town centre to have a look around and after a month in ultra-safe Japan the difference was striking. Pretty much every shop along the main drag of Long Street had a locked security door and required us to buzz in just to browse around the shop. South Africa's problem with crime is well publicised but that kind of beefed up security drilled home the need to be more vigilant than we were used to. That said it felt fine to walk around the town centre during the day and after picking up a few supplies we walked back to the hostel to plan the next few days. Unfortunately as soon as we got back the heavens opened and we were stuck inside for the rest of the day with nothing to do but watch movies and drink wine!
The miserable weather continued well into the next day (it was also freezing cold - another big shock after the heat of Japan!) but luckily we'd booked a wine tour so were up and out early. The tour took us to five wineries in Stellenbosch and Paarl, two of the most important vino producing towns in CT's famous winelands. There was plenty of wine - red, white, rose and sparkling - , lots of cheese, some chocolate matching and we even managed to learn a thing or two about the wine making process (though I doubt I'd be able to recall too much of it now!). There were 5 others on the tour group - an English girl, two Aussie girls, a Dutch girl and a Japanese guy - and everyone got on well and threw themselves into the spirit of things (some did chose to spit the wine out after tasting but I'll try not to hold that against them). The last winery we visited was a small operation owned by an ex-springbok "legend" called Hempies Du Toit. I'd never heard of him but Wiki tells me he only won 5 caps in the 80s so maybe he's a better winemaker than rugby player! Anyway, he was there entertaining some of his friends and cooked us all some rabbit sausages in the braai (BBQ), as well as happily autographing any bottle of wine people bought. It was a nice way to end the day and later in the evening, already several sheets to the wind, we headed out for dinner with the rest of the group. At that point it could have turned into a bit of a night but after drinking wine all day the big meal merely finished us off and we headed back to the hostel to crash out!
The next morning, after a late start, we ventured to a local food market a short cab ride away. Situated in a building barely the size of a small village hall it wasn't quite what we were expecting but it was very 'local' and there was some very tasty food on offer. After sampling everything on offer and promising every stall we'd come back, we picked up a few treats and headed back the hostel for an early lunch. Thoroughly stuffed we then took a cab to the Victoria & Albert Waterfront, a classy area by the docks featuring shopping centres, restaurants, wharfs and food markets. Inevitably the main attraction for us was the food market again and this time we settled on afternoon snacks of ostrich biltong and fruit smoothies. Later on, having spent the day dining out we cooked dinner in the hostel and spent a 'sophisticated' evening drinking wine, eating cheese and chatting with people we'd met the previous day on the wine tour.
That was our last night at the 'party' hostel (the partying must have passed us by!) before we moved 10 minutes down the road to Amber Tree Lodge hostel - a more chilled out, homely place. It was the first clear day since we'd arrived in CT so we took the opportunity to hike up Table Mountain. After stocking up with plenty of water and a packed lunch we took a cab to the bottom of Pletteklip Gorge (one of the shorter hikes) and began our ascent. It was fairly easy at first but the higher we went the steeper it got. Within sight of the summit and clambering over loose rocks it threatened to become a bit of a slog but the cooling air was a welcome source of refreshment. In less than two hours we reached the top where the sky was still clear and we were we were able to enjoy stunning 360 degree views of the city and the coastline. We stopped a while for a picnic in the sky, watching as clouds rolled in and back out again as we ate (at the same level as the flat mountain top the clouds are often referred to as the table cloth). Bellies filled and legs partially recovered we shunned the cable car down to begin the long walk back. Supposedly the easier part, the descent soon became tough as the temperature rose and our legs started to tire and buckle. A huge gospel choir raced passed us, wearing their Sunday best (full white suits) and singing as they climbed, reminding me just how unfit I was as I staggered down in shorts and tshirt drenched in sweat! An hour and a half later we finally reached the bottom. As we started to walk along the road, our legs suddenly found the idea of flat ground an oddly foreign concept, buckling and shaking with every step we took! At that point it was clear our spasming spastic legs would take us no further and we decided to phone a cab to get us home and avoid further embarrassment. After hot showers and a few hours rest we limped round the corner to gorge on mexican food at the Fat Cactus - a fitting reward for heroically conquering the mountain!
CT is a big place with no real public transport other than taxis so we hired a car for the next few days to explore the coast and surrounding areas. From the city we followed Chapmans Peak Drive, a great route that weaves around the coastline providing awesome views of the bays and mountains. Our first stop was Mariners Wharf in Hout Bay. It looked pleasant enough and there were seals to watch swimming around the moored boats but it didn't feel like an overly safe place so we didn't linger for long. From there we drove through Fishhoek and into Kalk Bay, where we stopped for a posh fish and chip lunch. Next we drove through Simons Town and onto Boulders Beach, home to a huge colony of penguins. We stopped for a while to walk around and watch the penguins before almost running one over as we left the car park - the little b***** had wandered under our car! After that we drove towards Cape Point. Situated in a national park, it is Africas most south-westerly point and a big tourist draw. It was getting late by the time we arrived though and we hadn't reckoned on another hike to the lighthouse at the top (our legs still stiff from the table mountain hike!) so we turned back and went to the nearby Cape Of Good Hope instead. After the obligatory photos we started the journey home, spotting wild ostrich, boks and baboons on the roadside as we cruised through the park. All advice on driving in Africa had warned us against driving after dark so we were keen to get home quickly, but as the sun began to set the sat nav decided to take us home a very random and unfamiliar way! As the darkness crept in we steered down unlit mountain roads and past poverty-stricken, crime-ridden townships. Packing so much into one day began to seem a bad idea but before mild panic could set in we found ourselves back on the main expressway and heading into the city. Reaching our hostel just after dark we pulled into the hostel before spending a quiet evening cooking dinner and watching a DVD in the common room.
The next day we took a drive to Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, wandering around there for an hour before heading to nearby Camps Bay for lunch. After probably the best calamari I've ever tasted, we drove around the coast past Sea Point and parked up at Mouille Point to watch the huge waves crash over the sea wall. By then we'd pretty much seen all we wanted and headed back to the hostel around 4pm. Later on we took a stroll down the road to Da Vincis for pizza. As we were waiting for our food we realised we hadn't brought enough cash to pay for it so I had to run back to the hostel to get more. It wasn't such a bad area but there were a few dodgy characters lingering around the street corners so I think Kate was more than a little relieved when I made it back in one piece!
On our final day in CT we were up early to drop off the hire car. That done we walked through town to The Castle Of Good Hope. After an hour of culture we crossed the road to a local flea market where we played a game of spot the white person before carrying on towards the V & A Waterfront. After a wrong turn we had to take the trademans entrance into the waterfront, successfully acquiring and losing the unwanted attentions of a mangy looking bloke who was trying to 'help' us find our way. At the wharf, we picked up some lunch before getting on a boat to Robben Island - the prison famous for holding Nelson Mandela. The sea was very choppy and as the boat rose and crashed high against the waves it was touch and go for a while as to whether we'd be seeing our lunch again! Half an hour later (and stomachs intact!) we arrived on the island and boarded a coach which took us round the island, stopping at various points - including the lime quarry Mandela laboured at during his incarceration - before dropping us off at the prison. From there we were guided through the complex by an ex-inmate who had been one of Mandelas fellow political prisoners. The tour was really informative - it was particularly interesting to hear insights from the ex-prisoner - and ended with a look into Mandelas old prison cell (the only room to have been kept in it's original condition). After a slightly less bumpy ride back to the mainland we headed home. Later on we ventured out to Long St for a few drinks, curious to check out the street famous for it's bars and nighttime party vibe. There were quite a few people about and the bars we went to were pretty decent but we struggled to see what the fuss was about and by midnight we were heading home. Must be getting old!