On Top of Table Mountain and a beautiful sunset

Finally made it up to Table Mountain.  Due to the changing weather I wasn't able to climb up but instead took the cable car.  The ride on the cable car was interesting, the floor of the car rotates so you can't hold on to the rail.  The ride is only maybe 5 minutes and extremely smoothe.  

Views going up:

When we got off the cable car there is a sign that says, "if you hear the hoot immediately return to this location."  

The weather difference was quite dramatic between the bottom, where it was fairly warm and not too windy, to the top where it was very windy and much colder.  

What I learned the sign mean was, if it becomes too windy you must return to the entrance and then they decide if you can ride the cable car or need to walk down (the walk down would be 2 1/2 to 3 hours).  According to a tour guide I met at the top, Table Mountain has more deaths than Everest because of human error.  The weather change from bottom to top is extreme and people are not prepared both in clothing and water or food.  He said it could get so windy that your ears hurt, and said today was not too bad.  

We arrived at the cable car around 5 and after buying the tickets realized that they offered a "ride for 1/2 price if you went up at 6.  We laughed and thought how silly we were for not going later and saving $20.  However, as fate would have it, when we got to the bottom, after our hour visit, the wind had become too much and they closed the cable car. So in the end we were lucky to have gone when we did.  

Some views from the top:

The cars are where we parked

This is Robben Island

Looking down on Camps Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

It's pretty amazing to be at 2100 feet looking down on the city

Since we couldn't watch the sunset from above we decided to drive to Camps Bay and watch from the ocean.  Camps Bay, Sea Point and Green Point are upscale neighborhoods on the Atlantic side.  Camps Bay Main Street is filled with restaurants and shops across from the beach.  It is quite the scene.  We enjoyed a beautiful sunset.  The light on the mountains was incredible.  I'm increasingly amazed with what nature provides.

Walking back to the car Emily noticed this sign behind a fence.  She said, "that's the same sign in Malibu."  We walked a security guard standing behind the fence what was going on and he said they were filming "Rescue 3."  We figured they came to Cape Town to film due to the different seasons and also the cost was probably less than 1/2 than any where else in the world.  Everything is quite reasonable for Americans (10 to 1 on the dollar).

The end to another wonderful day.

Emily took me back to where I was staying so I could pack my things and she went to have her last night with her host family.  I know she is sad to leave them as she has had a wonderful experience and they have been incredible to her.  I as a parent am extremely greateful for their hospitality and care of her.

  

I'm so lucky

After lots of fun shopping and buying a new wardrobe, I followed Balu to her house where she allowed me to stay in her guest apartment.  I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity not only to stay here but to be with a local family.  It's my own home stay.  Balu has 4 children, only 3 of whom are living at home, (her son, who is the oldest, is living in Israel).  They also have 2 dogs (Diesel the big one and can't ever remember the name of the little one) who come to visit me.

The location of the house is in an area called Claremont a bit like Montecito.  Large homes and tree lined streets.  Here is a view from the back yard.

You can see why I'm feeling lucky to stay here.

We've become fast friends and feel so comfortable. Balu's husband is Ian and he runs her business, oldest daughter, Georgina is 22 studying fashion design, the youngest daughter Rachel is 14 and the young son David is 13 who go to the fancy private school Reddam.  

Thursday morning I went with Balu to her gym and worked out for an hour.  What a great gym and the views were incredible.

They have a nice cafe so I was able to have breakfast after my workout.  

the view from the gym.

We got back to Balu's house and Emily came to pick me up.  It was a rainy day so I didn't take many photos today.  The weather has been good and bad but that comes with the territory.

We had a nice lunch with Emily's homestay sister, Talia at Hudson's. The restaurant is known for it's burgers but also has great vegie choices.  Yummy meal.  Overall I would say all the food I've eaten is great, fresh and healthy, quite similar to California.  Their climate is like that of Santa Barbara so they are able to have local fruits and vegetables.

Thursday night Emily went with her friends to celebrate Rose's birthday and I met my cousin Esme and her boyfriend Frank for dinner at A'Tavola, an Italian restaurant in Claremont.  She picked this place because it was close to where I was staying but it wasn't a good choice.  The place was very noisy which made it difficult to sit and talk.  It was nice to visit with her though and she brought photos of my dad from the 1980's.  He was so young and happy.    

My days are so filled and I'm not keeping up with the blog like I thought I would.

Friday morning I woke early, as I have been.  The sun comes up at 5:40.  Also there is a bird that knocks on the window as soon as the sun comes up.  I decided I would go to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens since it opened at 8:00 a.m. and spend some time taking photos.  The gardens are close to where I'm staying and it was easy to get there.  What a beautiful place,  although I will say that the wild fields along the road at Cape Point were far more dramatic.

I'm lucky to be here during Protea season with so much in bloom.

One of the first plants I came to was a special golden birds of paradise named for Nelson Mandela.  

It looks so lovely set against the mountains

Walking along the path I saw, what I thought was a statue of a duck but then realized it was real.

The beauty of nature fills me with wonder.  The colors and textures of this duck were amazing.

I wandered though the gardens for a few hours enjoying the beauty of the plants, flowers and trees.

The Gardens also have a fantastic nursery where you can buy plants, seeds and other garden gifts.  I bought some protea seeds so I can try to have some of these lovely flowers at my house.  The woman in the shop said that protea's are incredibly difficult to grow outside of South Africa in that they need certain soil, blah blah blah.  It's worth a try.  I also bought this bouquet for Balu's shabbat dinner table.

This bouquet was $4.00.

When I'd had my fill of the garden I drove to where Emily was at Rose's house.  Emily was helping Rose pack because she was leaving this evening to go back to America.  Rose (Koper) is also from Santa Barbara and she and Emily were really lucky to have each other here in South Africa.  Funny how one can travel thousands of miles from home only to meet someone from your own backyard.  

We decided to take a drive to Hout Bay for lunch at a very chic restaurant at the Chapman Peak hotel. The hotel is at the bottom of the mountain road I had driven the other day.  Emily said they were known to have the best fish in Cape Town.  YOLO.  It was a gorgeous day so we enjoyed a 20 minute drive there and did indeed eat a fabulous fish lunch.  (Sorry, I was so relaxed I didn't take any photos.)  

The sun was shining and we sat outside overlooking the harbor of Hout Bay.  We laughed at the very posh locals, sitting at the table next to us, because it was like watching a movie.  They drank lots of wine, smoked lots of cigarettes and ate a little.  I guess You had to be there.  

We needed to get Rose back to her house and then get to Balu's because we were going to Shabbat services.  

At Rose's house, we all hugged goodbye and wished her a safe flight.  Then we drove to Emily's house, which is in the same neighborhood as Rose's, where she packed her bag for our Garden Route journey.  Both girls are sad to leave but happy to be going home.

Shabbat services were at a reform temple in an area called Wynberg.  Emily had been there several times before and knew many of the people who were at services.  Small world.  On this Friday night it was a special "all music" service. One of the players and leaders of the temple is Peter, who is the nephew of my friend Zoey.   Unfortunately the room had just been painted and we had trouble breathing so went outside to play with the children.  One of the children was Emily's favorite, Aliya, who is quite precocious.  She is beautiful, adorable, funny, and only 11 but two grades ahead in school because she is so smart.  I can tell you this child will make her mark in the world.

With services over we went back to Balu's house for an incredible Shabbat meal attended by 25 others.  This is only one of the 3 tables that were set for the meal.

   

I was so happy to be here and felt so comfortable.  An end to another full day.

Wednesday--rain--Chapmans Peak and lots of shopping

After my journey to Cape Point I went back to Kalk Bay to have a coffee and wait to hear from my friend Zoey's cousin Cathy.  We had quite the rendevous.  She was running late and suggested we meet on the road to her son's school (who she needed to pick up), so I could follow her there.  Thank goodness for cell phones otherwise this couldn't have transpired.  She told me where on the road she would be and to look for her grey fiat with the red roof.  I love this kind of adventure.  We connected 

  

She collected her son from this most amazing school, Reddam, and we then continued to her home in Noordhoek.  The drive through the mountains was incredible.  

Driving and taking pictures is a bit difficult and slightly dangerous especially on a mountain road I've never been on, but how else was I going to document this.  All of Cape Town is surrounded by the mountains making it one of the most geographically beautiful places I've ever been.  The politics and way of life are another matter all together.  

I arrived at Cathy's home and met three of her four children.  She is an artist and took me to her studio, on the property of her home and showed me some of her work.  She inherited a wine collection and uses the wine as one of her mediums to paint with.  The results are quite good.  I was sorry that I missed her exhibit at the Jewish Museum here, that was taken down just before I arrived. 

When Cathy's husband Steve came home we had a nice home cooked meal.  I appreciate joining in family life while traveling and not just seeing sights and eating out all the time.  

I was a bit nervous to drive back to my hotel in the dark on a mountain road but Cathy made a map for me and it was easy enough.  In only 15 minutes I was safe and sound back in Simon's Town.

My plan was to get up at sunrise and go back to Cape Point but as all well made plans unfold this didn't happen.  I got myself up, packed my stuff, had a coffee and loaded the car.  I studied the map to see what road I would take back to Cape Town.  I was to meet Cathy's sister Balu in the afternoon so I could do some shopping in her store and then check into her guest house.

I choose the mountain route back through Noordhoek and over Chapman's Peak.  The roads are clearly marked and I found you can't really get lost.  My first stop was at Noordhoek beach.  The weather has not been what I thought it would be but the clouds make for interesting texture in the sky.

The wind was howling so driving over the mountain around Chapman's Peak was quite unnerving.  

This scenic road is similar to highway 1 in the Big Sur area where you drive along the cliffs.  However, I've never seen the mountain come over the road like this.  I must say I was glad when I got to the bottom and was on a straighter path.  There was a toll of nearly $4.00 that I needed to pay when I got to the end.  It was worth it.  I just wish the weather had been better. 

The town at the bottom is Hout Bay.  It was raining so hard that I decided I would just go to Emily's house.  I was quite proud of myself for getting myself to Emily's without having to call her.    

With so much rain it was a good day to go shopping. We spent the next few hours at Balu's store.  

Tuesday--Penguins and the southern most point of South Africa

How many of you bet we wouldn't make the 8:30 a.m. breakfast.  Most of you are right.  I did get there around 8:45 and Emily stolled in around 9:30 a.m.  Guess what there were people much later and yes they stayed until close to 10:00.  Oh well.   It was quite lovely this morning and we were able to sit on the balcony with a fabulous view.  

The plan of the morning was to go see the penquins.  Emily had wanted a "chill" beach day but the weather wasn't really in her favor.  It wasn't raining but it wasn't beach weather and a previous engagement meant Emily was going back into town after lunch.  

On our walk to the penguin beach we came across a new way to travel

Emily was surprised at the size of the penguins saying that she thought they would be bigger.  From my point of view the Penguin beach was a bust.  There were more tourists than Penguins.  Of course I am spoiled after being in South America but it's definitely more enjoyable to see animals in the wild and not caged.  

Our visit with the Penguins was not too long and that was about all there was to do in Simon's Town.  Emily suggested we drive to Kalk Bay and walk around the shops and then she would take the train back to town from there. 

Kalk Bay has more character than Simon's Town with shops of local goods, clothing and art galleries.  We found a nice little restaurant across the street from the sea, Tri Bakery, where we shared a lovely lunch.

  

Quite convienently located across the street from the station, we walked across the road so Emily could catch the 12:25 back to Plumstead.

I said goodbye, got back in the car and headed to Cape Point National Park.  A peaceful drive, maybe 20 minutes along the coast to arrive at the entrance to the park.  http://www.capepoint.co.za 

The entrance fee was less than $10.00.  

 

What I was so amazed with was the vast amounts of protea fields.  Unfortunately it wasn't the best time to be taking photos but I did the best I could given the situation.  This is the season for proteas to bloom.  There were also fields of white flowers, not sure what they are, and other wild flowers as well.  So gorgeous.  I stopped many times along the road.

I drove for maybe half an hour before I arrived at the turn for Cape of Good Hope.  There seems to be a backup with the cars in the road when I discovered it was because of the baboons.  I had seen the signs on the road to be aware of baboons in the road but didn't really take much heed.  Then I was laughing when I saw them.  They apparently are quite a nuisence.  They jump on your car, which I found quite entertaining.

I thought this was such a sweet moment.

When I arrived at the "cape of good hope" official sign I was swept into the sea of tourists.  They were lining up to take their photos behind the sign.  I said to myself, "this is why I don't take bus tours."

Nature is amazing and I was in awe of what I was viewing.  Now I have been to both Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope, bucket list, check.  I did learn though that this is not where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.  There is another place several hours away Cape Agulhas where they actually meet.  I won't be going there this trip.

 From Cape of Good Hope it was a short drive to Cape Point.  I was unable to walk to the light house as it would have taken 1 1/2 hours and I didn't have the time.  I was happy to be there and take in the view.

On my return trip I found more Baboons on the road.