Cape Town - The Mother City

We were all feeling a little tender the day after our wine tasting extravaganza. By early afternoon, however, we had rallied ourselves enough to make the drive from Somerset West into Cape Town itself. I was giddy when I first saw Table Mountain, and watched in awe as the magnificent city unfolded around me.

We ate amazing burgers at the Royal Eatery for lunch and then checked into the Long St Backpackers, where we’d be staying for the next four nights. Long St is a hip, busy street filled with delicious eats, vintage shops, and tons of pubs and clubs. Our next few days were spent experiencing as much of the city as we could, followed by nights enjoying the Long St vibe.

On Saturday we joined hoards of tourists in a grueling hike up Table Mountain. I was so stoked to finally accomplish what I’d said back in September as I watched the stunning shots of the mountain in Invictus with Mum and Dad – “I’M GOING TO HIKE UP THAT!!” And I did. What I didn’t expect was to have to hike back DOWN, since the cable car wasn’t running. Hello, lactic acid buildup in the quads … none of us could walk down stairs without extreme pain for the next three days. FUN.

Table Mountain with its tablecloth - according to legend, these clouds are actually smoke from a smoking contest between the Devil and Jan van Hunks.

An amazing coincidence occurred on the hike though – worth mentioning. As I was taking a photo, I dropped my lens cap amongst a bunch of rocks. A few guys helped me try to find it, lifting up all sorts of boulders and looking in crevices, until one of them was able to reach it and pulled it out. BUT IT WASN’T MY LENS CAP – IT WAS ANOTHER ONE!!!!! I couldn’t believe it!! My lens cap was never found, and so as a souvenir I took the crusty, dirt-covered lens cap that my kindred tourist friend from the past also dropped in that mysterious place.

After our grueling descent of Table Mountain was finished, our day continued with delicious eats at the Old Biscuit Mill, a trendy market similar to the one I went to in Joburg. Afterwards we played rousing game of paint ball with friends, followed by a night out on Long St.

On Sunday we went to Camps Bay for the morning, an area known for its beautiful beaches and upscale living. Afterward we headed to the Two Oceans Aquarium and explored the V & A waterfront. That night we saw Goldfish perform live, which was a ton of fun (check them out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAdX_nwXlrY).

Camps Bay

Oh hey there Nemo!

On Monday we went to Robbin Island, a trip I’d been looking forward to ever since I’d read about Nelson Mandela’s experiences there in his book A Long Walk to Freedom. Unfortunately, the trip was extremely touristy and the experience left me feeling like I’d been stuck on a conveyer belt and spat out the other side. There was little opportunity for exploration on your own – on the ferry ride over we were stuck in the lower deck watching a film, then on the island we got loaded on to buses and barked at by a tour guide for 45 minutes, after which FINALLY there was a genuine part to the experience – we were shown around the prison cells by a former political prisoner. It was haunting to walk around the halls of cells and the prison grounds, knowing that tremendous leadership potential was wasted there for decades. Our guide had spent 7 years on Robbin Island for leaving South Africa to receive army training in the fight against apartheid. He was arrested upon re-entering the country. It amazed me that he could spend every day giving tours of a place where he'd been detained for so long. A lesson in forgiveness.

On the way back to Cape Town, we managed to snag seats on the top of the ferry, and enjoy the amazing views on the way back into town!