Our fourth and final leg of our great South African adventure would bring us to the country's crown jewel, Cape Town. This is one of those destinations that when brought up in conversation leads to expressions of great enthusiasm, lots of superlatives and always ends with a few "you will love it"s. So I gotta say I was pretty intrigued beyond normal traveler curiosity to find out just what this place was all about, to see if it was worthy of all its accolades. Expectations locked in their upright position we flew into Cape Town for a 5-day cape finale to our grand South African journey. While sad to bid farewell to our friends in KZN, we were equally looking forward to spending this leg with other friends generously hosting us in their home in Cape Town. Did Cape Town live up to its legacy? One hundred percent yes! One of the most stunning places I have ever visited. Easily one of the most breathtaking places on planet earth. While the vistas are staggeringly beautiful, nothing compares to the warm hospitality of our lovely friends there. The stunning scenes remain in our minds, but the generosity and friendship of our host friends forever remain in our hearts. Cape Town, you were so good to us!
First on the agenda, a jaw-dropping cable car ride up to Table Mountain. Driving around Cape Town I was beginning to get what this place was all about. All the incredible mountain formations, coupled with gorgeous coastline. And then you come up here and it all comes together in one big beautiful masterpiece. With gorgeous 360 views from the top, Cape Town becomes otherworldly beautiful. There simply isn't another place on earth like it. It's indescribable, if only through pictures.
Back down on terra firma we begin to explore the labyrinth of central Cape Town. As we drive through different neighbourhoods I'm catching glimpses of similarities between this place and my hometown. In many ways it has a very similar feel. The vegetation, the topography, the city vibe, the pretty coastline, so many things in common that make me feel a little at home. First we wander the markets at Greenmarket Square.
I first learned about Bo Kaap in a guide book. It's a very colourful section of Cape Town. On the slopes of Signal Hill it's a very multicultural neighbourhood with a Muslim core.
I loved driving around Cape Town and watching how the mountains changed shapes as you drove. The numerous surrounding mountains was disorienting at times, but just gorgeous to behold from anywhere in Cape Town.
Beautiful views back towards Cape Town from the boat to Robben Island.
Our tour to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held for many of his 27 years in prison, was a much anticipated highlight for me. Before we left for South Africa I did a fair amount of reading in preparation for this trip. I didn't want to go and just scratch the surface. (Well frankly, I think that's all one can do on a two-week trip to this vast country.) I wanted to dig a little deeper. Among others, I also read Mandela's autobiography the Long Walk to Freedom. While long and at times tiresome reading, it was worth all the effort. I learned so much about the great struggle that has plagued this country, more about this country's history at large and also cultural references and even jargon that really help me get a handle on this land. I arrived with a much greater understanding, respect and appreciation for all that this place is. And a visit to Robben Island was visiting a piece of history, and having read the Long Walk to Freedom so recently the places of this prison island came alive off the pages of that book. Guided tours are compulsory to the visit, and tours are led by ex-prisoners, which adds a significant layer of depth to the tour experience. I loved every minute.
The quarry where Mandela and the inmates would perform slave labour collecting limestone.
The courtyard where Mandela tarried many, many days.
Mandela stayed in many different cells during his nearly 18 years here, but this was the final cell in which he lived.
Back to the V&A waterfront for an enjoyable evening of waterfront dining.
It wouldn't be a proper trip to Cape Town without a trip down the cape! With a day you can explore the whole of the cape peninsula, down to Cape of Good Hope and back. One of the most stunningly beautiful days of my life. We had a fun start with some play at the beach at Hout Bay.
Chapman's Bay
Long Beach
This place is the stuff of legends. I can remember reading about the Cape of Good Hope in history texts as a grade school student. The ancient traders and explorers having to round the Cape to navigate between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Always seemed like a mythical place, something like Never Never Land. To visit this end of the earth was ticking a huge bucket list item for me and as a traveler at heart made my heart soar. Loved the signage in both English and Afrikaans that perfectly suited our group.
Amazing to be at this place!
About a kilometer from Cape of Good Hope lies Cape Point. Visually, Cape Point is much more staggering. Rising above the rough waters the rocky cape rewards those who ascend with majestic views all around. I was truly overcome with the greatness of the beauty here as we stood atop the Cape.
After a memorable visit to the Capes we hooked back up the cape peninsula to begin the trek back into Cape Town. We made one final stop for the day to visit Boulders Beach, where you can visit a penguin colony. It was amazing to see these beautiful creatures in the wild, just right there on the beach on the tip of Africa!
Driving back into Cape Town we were greeted with a magical scene of colour. With low-lying clouds sitting in the bay, it created a misty, dreamy scene. And for a moment these naval loading cranes looked a bit like wandering giraffe.
The "table cloth" as it were had already slid off Table Mountain, but we still enjoyed some amazing city views from Signal Hill.
I heart you, Cape Town!
The prettiest sunset I have ever seen.
Cape Town is a world class destination, but what really made it special was the wonderful hospitality and memories we made with our friends who hosted us there. What an unforgettable time we had. I don't think they will ever know just how special that was to us.
Tea and koeksisters for a night cap after a proper South African braai.
So many thoughts reeling through my mind as I wrap up the post on our travels to South Africa. The above image perfectly captures what I want to say next. Africa has grabbed at my soul the way no other place I have traveled to ever has. But here's the thing, it's got a lot of problems. So far most of the images I have posted have showed its good side. And it definitely has a good side, lots of them! But it also has a bad side, which didn't make most of my photographs. Lest you think all my experiences were one-sided during our time there I got a taste of the grim realities of a society really struggling to get it right. In many ways it's in a really bad place right now. As a newcomer there were a lot of glaring harsh realities that were difficult to digest. I didn't photograph the scores of security detail littering neighbourhoods, the electric fences that encircle homes, panic buttons next to light switches, the townships where running water and electricity is the stuff of dreams, the masses of deliriously uneducated people trapped in poverty unable to see they are being fooled, load shedding in a country unable to sustain its own power, racism that still exists despite the absence of the framework of the apartheid, some of the country's brightest being forced out unable to find employment . . . and the list goes on. South Africa is a beautiful mess. A country of such great dichotomy in every form. It's wretched and spectacular all at once. Never have I been to a place with such immense contrast of beauty and tragedy. But this is perhaps what grabs at your soul. I am utterly smitten with this place. I think its problems will get worse before they get better, but I have to believe that in another generation South Africa will rise up.
Here are a few images I captured of the roadside settlements you pass on the road into Cape Town. Just a tiny glimpse of the hardships we saw.
Hours before our overnight flight back to London we were able to spend one final glorious day in this beautiful nation with wonderful friends playing in the warm South African sunshine at the beach.
Farewell, lovely friends! Farewell, South Africa. We will be back!
2 comments:
Capetown was just added to my bucket list! You have a such a way of capturing the beauty of an area!
Amazing. I can't get enough of your pictorial travel logs. I really liked that you got a few shots of the villages. So fascinating and most of us know so little about that continent.
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