Cape Town
April 22, 2006
Cape Town is a beautiful city. It appears to be surrounded by mountains that look as if they are giant wrinkles of land. The north side is bordered by Table Bay.
We arrived the day before Easter. We had already decided that we needed a bigger car than the one we had in Durban, but Budget was all out of bigger cars. Instead the clerk (Claire) decided that we should be upgraded to a Mercedes free of charge. It’s not really bigger then the Nissan, but I quickly agreed that it would work much better.
Our “hotel” turned out to be in the basement of a mansion on a hill to the south of the city. It had a huge living space with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a tremendous view of Cape Town. We picked up some pizzas and settled in for the night.
I promised my mother I would attend Easter services the next day. This I did, if maybe just a little grudgingly. Sunday afternoon we drove around Table Mountain and up the western side of the peninsula. The views were astounding, the road was beautiful. We found our way into Cape Town and enjoyed dinner at an honest to God steak house. It was heaven.
Monday we got an early start and headed down the peninsula towards the Cape of Good Hope. We meandered through several little towns, stopping to window shop, drink coffee, and enjoy the penguins. The African penguin is indigenous to the area and can be found on several beaches. We stopped at the Boulders where there are boardwalks over the beach that provide excellent viewpoints for observing the birds. They were originally called jackass penguins because their call sounds just like the bray of a jackass. Once we had been thoroughly whipped by the wind we moved on.
We encountered baboons and ostriches on our way to the point. There are actually two points of land; one is called Cape Point and the other is the Cape of Good Hope. We rode a funicular to the top of the hill where we could overlook both points and the crashing of the sea beyond. The hikes were long and fairly arduous so we opted for lunch. After eating we drove around to the Cape of Good Hope.
Pictures: Top; Cape of Good Hope, Bottom; Cape point
We had been warned about the baboons. They tell you never to leave your car open or food accessible. On the way to the point we encountered a fellow who had done both. His little white car had been invaded by two different primates. A large male came in through the open driver’s door and a smaller female entered through the rear hatchback. The female had removed pillows and blankets and was busily examining them when the driver slammed the hatch shut. The male inside the vehicle went ape shit (pardon the pun) and ran out of the door after the man. Once the man was away, the baboon climbed back in to investigate further. He apparently found something he liked as he climbed out and perched on the ground next to the car. The man, trying to be sneaky, reached across the hood and pushed the door in an attempt to close it. The baboon reacted swiftly. He leapt over the door and onto the hood. I believe the man may have soiled himself in his hasty retreat. Solid entertainment.
After watching zebra grazing by the side of the road, we continued on our way. We traveled along a spectacular road that rivals California’s State Route 1 for its beauty. A narrow, meandering road with a steep cliff dropping to the sea on the left and a cliff face on the right. Up and over a pass and down the other side. Incredible! The speed limit was about thirty miles an hour and that was too fast. We wandered about, ogling the scenery until dinner time.
Tuesday we packed our bags, loaded the car, and headed for the Garden Route with a detour to Robben Island.
MJR
Cape Town is a beautiful city. It appears to be surrounded by mountains that look as if they are giant wrinkles of land. The north side is bordered by Table Bay.
We arrived the day before Easter. We had already decided that we needed a bigger car than the one we had in Durban, but Budget was all out of bigger cars. Instead the clerk (Claire) decided that we should be upgraded to a Mercedes free of charge. It’s not really bigger then the Nissan, but I quickly agreed that it would work much better.
Our “hotel” turned out to be in the basement of a mansion on a hill to the south of the city. It had a huge living space with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a tremendous view of Cape Town. We picked up some pizzas and settled in for the night.
I promised my mother I would attend Easter services the next day. This I did, if maybe just a little grudgingly. Sunday afternoon we drove around Table Mountain and up the western side of the peninsula. The views were astounding, the road was beautiful. We found our way into Cape Town and enjoyed dinner at an honest to God steak house. It was heaven.
Monday we got an early start and headed down the peninsula towards the Cape of Good Hope. We meandered through several little towns, stopping to window shop, drink coffee, and enjoy the penguins. The African penguin is indigenous to the area and can be found on several beaches. We stopped at the Boulders where there are boardwalks over the beach that provide excellent viewpoints for observing the birds. They were originally called jackass penguins because their call sounds just like the bray of a jackass. Once we had been thoroughly whipped by the wind we moved on.
We encountered baboons and ostriches on our way to the point. There are actually two points of land; one is called Cape Point and the other is the Cape of Good Hope. We rode a funicular to the top of the hill where we could overlook both points and the crashing of the sea beyond. The hikes were long and fairly arduous so we opted for lunch. After eating we drove around to the Cape of Good Hope.
Pictures: Top; Cape of Good Hope, Bottom; Cape point
We had been warned about the baboons. They tell you never to leave your car open or food accessible. On the way to the point we encountered a fellow who had done both. His little white car had been invaded by two different primates. A large male came in through the open driver’s door and a smaller female entered through the rear hatchback. The female had removed pillows and blankets and was busily examining them when the driver slammed the hatch shut. The male inside the vehicle went ape shit (pardon the pun) and ran out of the door after the man. Once the man was away, the baboon climbed back in to investigate further. He apparently found something he liked as he climbed out and perched on the ground next to the car. The man, trying to be sneaky, reached across the hood and pushed the door in an attempt to close it. The baboon reacted swiftly. He leapt over the door and onto the hood. I believe the man may have soiled himself in his hasty retreat. Solid entertainment.
After watching zebra grazing by the side of the road, we continued on our way. We traveled along a spectacular road that rivals California’s State Route 1 for its beauty. A narrow, meandering road with a steep cliff dropping to the sea on the left and a cliff face on the right. Up and over a pass and down the other side. Incredible! The speed limit was about thirty miles an hour and that was too fast. We wandered about, ogling the scenery until dinner time.
Tuesday we packed our bags, loaded the car, and headed for the Garden Route with a detour to Robben Island.
MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 7:37 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home