The Rest of Capt Town...

The rest of my time in Cape Town went so quick I can’t believe it’s already over.  On Thursday we hiked Table Mountain, which is the mountain that overlooks the city.  It was like climbing a giant Stairmaster. If you can, Google “Table Mountain” and you’ll see what I mean.  It’s literally a straight climb up to the top.  At various points, I felt like I couldn’t go any further. We stopped a bunch of times to get our breath back.  We made it to the top in about two and a half hours.  It was an awesome feeling getting to the top after such a rigorous climb.  Looking over the city was a great reward as the views of Cape Town from the top were unreal.    The ocean, also, seemed to stretch forever from the top and it looked like you could see Antarctica, but I doubt it.  I got some awesome pictures.  We had a much-needed lunch at the top at the restaurant that’s up there and then took a cable car down (thank God). 

That evening we hit the nightlife of Cape Town.  The main street that all the clubs and bars are on is called Long Street.  We went to an Irish pub for a few drinks and then went to another club in a different area of the city.  The club we tried to get into was called “Tiger, Tiger.”  We were denied entry because of our shoes.   I had on polo, jeans, and sneakers.   The dress code is based off of your footwear, which is very odd.  We ended up going to another club, and we met some South Africans there.  It was a fun night out on the town.

The following day, Friday, I had a trip scheduled to the famous wine lands of South Africa.  We drove through them and stopped in the town of Stellenbosch.  It had dozens of little shops, cafes, and restaurants along the main road.  It was also set perfectly behind mountains, which really added to the atmosphere of the town.   We walked around for a bit, but a lot was closed because it was Good Friday.   We then got to cycle through the town and wine country.   It was a great twelve-mile bike ride through the town and the wine lands.  They were absolutely gorgeous!   It was so scenic and probably the best bike ride I’ve ever taken.  My usual route through Wissahickon Valley Park in Philadelphia has nothing on it.   We ended up at the Solms Delta Estate, a local winery.  We had a nice lunch and wine tasting.  I’m not really a big wine fan, but these were really good.

As soon as we got back to the ship we went to Lion’s Head Mountain, another mountain overlooking Cape Town.  We didn’t hike all the way up it, but just high enough to see the sunset.  It was an amazing sunset, and again the views of Cape Town and the ocean were unreal. 

That evening we went out for dinner with my friend’s friend who lives in South Africa and is studying here.  I got the chance to have an interesting conversation with her boyfriend (I couldn’t spell his name if my life depended on it), who is a native of South Africa.   He had some really interesting things to say about life in South Africa as a black now that apartheid is over.   He said he still feels a lot of racism towards him and that it still is very much present throughout the country.  He was eleven when it formally ended and during his youth he never would have been allowed in a restaurant such as the one we were eating in.  He did say that he thinks the country is on the right track to fully accepting and tolerating everyone, but like anything, it will just take time.    It was really cool to spend as much time as we did with them because they really were able to give us a neat look into what life in Cape Town is like. 

The next day we took a drive out to Cape Point, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.  The drive was long but we had a really nice taxi driver named Adiel.  I’m butchering the spelling.    He was a really chatty guy and he had some really fascinating things to say about religion, life in South Africa, and the economic downturn.  I gave him my e-mail address so hopefully we’ll stay in contact.  Before we stopped at Cape Point, we stopped at Boulder Beach, it’s called Boulder Beach because the entire beach is basically a series of boulders right on the water.  It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to swim here but we saw penguins!  There were hundreds of them roaming the beach.    I was able to get inches away from them, but I didn’t think petting them would be the best idea.  When you got this close, they just stared at you and twisted their heads in a funny way.  They didn’t run or seem to mind that we were invading their homes.   They were so cute and I really wanted to take one back to the ship with me. 

After the beach we headed to Cape Point.  It was an amazing drive up the coast towards the point.  It was a thirty-minute walk (up hill) up to the actual point.  The view was amazing.  You could literally tell you were looking at two oceans at once.    The Indian Ocean was to my left, calm and peaceful, and to the right was the wavy, and rough looking ATLANTIC OCEAN!!!  It was truly a shocking sight.  I couldn’t believe I was looking at the only ocean in the world I was familiar with before January 17.   Home isn’t too far off.  Actually, New York City, was about 12,500 kilometers away from Cape Point.  (There was a sign at the top.)  So Philadelphia’s even closer.   Cape Point was amazing and reading all of the history inside of it was also fun.  Supposedly, the Flying Dutchman haunts the waters off of Cape Point, hundreds of sailors have claimed to see this ghost ship.  Maybe I’ll see it.   There was also a lot of interesting WWII history surrounding Cape Point.   Watchtowers were at different points on the bluffs overlooking the ocean; used to keep and eye out for German ships.  

After Cape Point, we went to the Cape of Good Hope.  The Cape of Good Hope is the southwestern most point on the continent of Africa.   It was pretty cool and there were baboons everywhere.  They roam around the Cape Point National Park (where all of this stuff is) and there were “Danger! Wild Baboons!” signs everywhere.    We parked to take pictures of them and a baboon actually ran right next to another parked car, reached in the open door, and stole a bag of chips.   We watched the entire thing happen, from the safety of our car, and the looks on people’s faces when the baboon reached inside were priceless.  The baboon (it was a female with a baby on the back) then went up the hill and enjoyed the bag of chips.  Truly priceless.  We also saw ostriches wandering around everywhere. 

We then headed to Simon’s Town, a few miles away from Cape Point.  We had a delicious seafood lunch here and then walked around the little town.  This town was awesome.  It reminded me of Sea Isle City, New Jersey.  Walking up and down the main street was just like walking up and down Sea Isle’s Promenade.

We then headed back to the ship to relax for a bit before heading out again.  We went out to Cape Town’s casino, where I won over $500 playing poker.  Okay, just kidding about that.  I did win 100 Rand playing poker, which is roughly about  $15.  Pretty good if you ask me.   The casino was awesome and was just like ones in Atlantic City.  I realized while I was there it’s going to be weird being back home (in a month!) and not being able to legally go to places like casinos and bars. 

The next morning, Easter Sunday, we went to church.  We accidently went to an Anglican church (it’s Easter, and I say you get credit for just trying, especially when you’re in Cape Town), which is kind of funny if you ask me.  I thought we were going to Cape Town’s Catholic Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Flight into Egypt (as I discovered later in the day), but we ended up at the Cathedral of St. George the Martyr, the Anglican one.  I was a little mad it wasn’t a Catholic Church (I really want to get to a mass abroad), but the mass was so similar to a Catholic Mass that if I really couldn’t tell the difference.  The cathedral and the service as well, were both beautiful.  I am going to make a serious effort to get to a Catholic Mass in either Ghana or Brazil.   I spent my last few hours in Cape Town shopping for more much-needed souvenirs at the waterfront right by the ship. 

I LOVED Cape Town.  It’s a little gem at the bottom of Africa.  I had no idea what to expect from this city, and I genuinely fell in love with the city.  The temperature, at the moment, was perfect.  It was like late September, early October weather (in Philadelphia) and was a great break from the constant summer we’ve been in.  There’s also so much to do here.  We were only here for five days, and I didn’t do everything the city had to offer.  I think we could have been her for two weeks and still not have done it all.  

So now we only have two more ports of call and my trip around the world is rapidly coming to an end.  Professors are talking about finals and I’m e-mailing my parents about May 5.  Nuts.   We did get a little extra time to look at Cape Town though.  The ship was supposed to set out at 8 PM on Sunday, but because of high winds the port was closed.  Hopefully by morning we will be back at sea and headed to Ghana. 

Happy Easter to my family!  It was strange not being home to celebrate it with you!  Love you and see you in a month!