Day 5. Table Mountain
Early start today, because the weather would decide whether we go to Robben Island or climb Table Mountain.
Looking out the hotel window we could see some clouds in the
distance, but they were scattered and the sun was already shining
brightly. So it's decided; we climb the mountain.
After breakfast we jumped in the car and drove towards the
mountain but it took us some time to find a road that actually goes
to the main access route. In the end we switched off the GPS
and used the good old method of asking the locals. Sometimes
technology just gets in the way.
Having found the access road, we drove closer, passed the cable
car (for the softies) and then asked for more directions.
We'd read that there is a relatively easy path which leads to the
top. It was called Platteklip Gorge and started some 800m
along the road east of the cable car.
We parked the car on the side and walked over to the starting
sign. It was silly, but given the weather these last few
days, we completely forgot to bring any water. This was going
to be tougher than expected.
The well manicured steps helped in avoiding any mishaps, but
they were still steep and high enough to pose even the longest
legged human trouble. One by one, gradually we made our way
towards the top, occasionally switching gears into 4x4 mode
:). We passed some streams on the way, of course I couldn't
resist taking a quick drink, but unfortunately we didn't have
anything to put the water into so we'd have to do without till the
top - it won't kill us.
As the path wound its way upward, it was hot when in the sun and
freezing when in the shade of the mountain. Our jumpers were
on again off again for the full ascent. We stopped a few
times to judge our ascent, exhausted and dehydrated, our progress
slowed towards the top despite the cooler weather.
The view even from here was quite magnificent and it became
evident why they call the area where Cape Town is located "The
Bowl"; the mountains on three sides slope towards the ocean
forming what looks like a bowl.
We passed a few people on the way up, some were even slower than
us it would appear - we even asked them to take photos of us while
we passed them :)
The track climbed higher, and now we were completely in the
shade surrounded by two high walls of stone. The end was so
close; we could smell that coffee at the cable car
restaurant. Finally we emerged at the top, the sun was out,
the wind was strong, but our spirits high. We both put on our
last layers of clothing and I pulled out two apples from my bag -
our reward. It had taken us around one and half hours to get
there.
Again, the view was stunning in all directions. With feet
planted right on the edge of Table Mountain and the city neatly
organized in the bowl below it dawned on us why people fall in love
with this city, it is very picturesque - reminds me of Perth in
Western Australia. After a coffee we boarded the cable car
and were dropped off not far from where we parked earlier.
We wanted to book the tickets for Robben Island (Seal in
Afrikaans and German) where Nelson Mandela was held for over 20
years. The ticket office was at the V&A waterfront so we
drove down and bought the tickets. The boat was due to leave
at 9am that next morning which meant we would not be having a
sleep-in again :(
It was only 2pm and we still wanted to see more of the
city. Just as we were walking, one of those double-decker
sightseeing buses drove past us, we followed it, bought the tickets
for the last tour of the day and enjoyed the scenery and sun from
the top floor.
After a good introduction to the city and some historical facts
and figures, we were again heading towards the mountain. Yes,
twice in one day - we really didn't want to waste time with
something we had already seen but our hands were tied for the
moment.
The bus stopped for 20 minutes and whilst most took photos of
the city below we got some coffee and relaxed in the sun.
The next stop was Camps Bay, about 5km south of Cape Town.
This beach-side town houses some of the most expensive villas in
the area. Some perched on top of unstable looking rocks,
others dug into the side of a mountain and accessible only with
external elevators. The wide white-sanded beach lined with
palm trees wrapped around the mountain and we followed it all the
way back to the V&A waterfront. The sun was setting and
the cool air once again heralded the coming of a chilly night.
We stopped by the hotel to grab some warm clothes. We
wanted to go for a walk to Long St, but after walking past the
reception, the lady, a local, said that not even she would walk the
few blocks after dark. Again, the tone was set for this part
of the world. Not ones to take unnecessary risks, we grabbed
the car. As we were parking along Long St, we happened to
stumble upon the filming of a commercial for the 2010 World
Cup.
Cameras were panning, traffic and people stopped from passing
the road block, thick cables rolled neatly into high stacks and
speaker systems blearing punchy music.
There was a bit of a drama right next to us, when some guy in a
black Maserati pulled up and parked his new car on top of camera
cables. When asked to move the car off the cables he said,
"make me" and walked away. Shortly afterwards some police
came by and instructed the guy to move the car or else they would
move it for him. Again, he said "go for it" and walked back
into the restaurant. This went on for another ten minutes,
but eventually he got into his car and drove off.
After that entertaining diversion we found a nice Cuban
restaurant and settled in for a meal.