Three continents, two hemispheres and several new-to-us countries! We couldn’t wait to explore places we have not been before during the world cruise we are on. This includes South Africa - a country we have heard so much about but never visited before.
We arrive in Capetown - a large metropolis complete with high rises under a bright blue sky. Finally it’s warm! The view is dominated, not by the chrome and glass buildings, but by the impressive Table Mountain. Things are always slightly different from what you expect… From the many photos I had seen, I expected the fabled Table Mountain to be much further from the city. But it’s right there, basically part of the city which climbs its lower sides. Table Mountain is a huge stone ridge, it almost looks like a half volcano surrounding Capetown - similar to Diamond Head in Honolulu but much closer to the city core.
The “Table Cloth” on the mountain looks quite dramatic.
It’s a beautiful location, the rugged mountains meet the whitecap waves of the southern Atlantic as well as the Indian Ocean. The climate of Capetown guarantees lots of greenery - palm trees, cascading bushes with pink and white flowers. There are botanical gardens galore.
We walk along the pleasant waterfront to where we find the first stop for Capetown’s Hop On, Hop Off bus. This is always a fun way to learn about a city and to get a good sense of the lay of the land and what the city has to offer. We select the Blue Route, which will take us through the city, up along the lower side of Table Mountain and all the way around its base until we had circle it completely.
This turns out to be a great choice. We sit back with our headphones on and listen to the story of the area’s turbulent history - from the original inhabitants to the arrival of seafaring European explorers from Holland, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain - who all influenced South Africa’s history and changed it forever.
The 2 hour bus ride skirts Table Mountain, stops at Kierkenbosch Botanical Gardens, winds through different neighborhoods with great views of Capetown, along many wineries until we reach the backside of Table Mountain.
Hout Bay
We get out at Hout Bay, a relaxed fishermen’s village with a long beach and a marina full of small boats and seals.
Here, we stroll along the local market stalls and have lunch in a lovely place right on the water before hopping back on a bus, which takes us the rest of the route to the Atlantic coast again.
We drive past local townships, past a crazy castle built on the slopes of the mountain, we come to outlying communities like Bakoven, with multi million dollar apartment buildings and long, white sand beaches.
The serene view from the shore, over the calm blue of the ocean, now reveals Robben Island. And of course, we know about its turbulent, violent past. It’s hard to imagine the hardships that went on here, as black leaders like Nelson Mandela were held captive on the island. It’s nice to see statues commemorating the former president and roads named after him.
That night there was a Zulu dancing and drumming show on the ship. The next day we walked for hours - into downtown, across squares with historic buildings, along busy streets to the public library which, to my surprise, had 5 of my books!
From Capetown we sailed a day and night - around Cape Good Hope! During that day we sailed right through a huge pod of dolphins. It was so much fun to see hundreds of shining silver bodies gracefully slicing through the water, arching above it and speeding along on their way north.
Walking among giraffes
We reached Port Elizabeth, South Africa situated along the Indian Ocean. In contrast to the gleaming buildings of Capetown, this seemed like a run down town, especially in the port area. But we had, for a special treat, booked an excursion that turned out to be wonderful: a walking safari with giraffes. If you remember my adventure with lions during our camping safari in Zambia last year, you might be surprised that I braved a walking safari… :-) But I knew there were no lions in this small wildlife reserve.
We drove about 1.5 hours outside Port Elizabeth and enjoyed seeing the eastern cape landscape. Bellevue Forest Reserve was a nice lodge where we were served a cold drink before getting into a safari vehicle and setting off with a guide. We spotted groups of gazelles, gemsboks and Cape Buffalo in paddocks. There was a handful of zebras grazing on the sloping hills. An emu came to check us out.
Then we spotted some giraffes - the reserve’s speciality. Once we located a second group with a large male, two females and a two week old baby, we got out of the safari vehicle and slowly walked among them. They were busy browsing on prickly pear cacti. The adults didn’t pay us much attention but the baby was curious and came closer. Its mother stayed very close to keep an eye on her inquisitive child.
I was busy taking photos of the baby giraffe when, suddenly, I looked up and was very close to the large male. He was huge… towering above me. I carefully stepped back to put some distance between us. But it was cool to be so close to these magnificent animals.
From Port Elizabeth we sailed another day and night up the Eastern Cape of South Africa until we reached Durban. This city has a bad reputation and high crime rate but came across as beautiful and modern. Our ship was docked in an area with fun shops and restaurants and a beautiful beach not far away.
It was exciting to meet friends here - friends we had not met before! For one of my upcoming Around The World books, I interviewed a girl from South Africa. She and her parents were able to drive out and spend the afternoon with us. A special treat and a nice way to end our time in South Africa.
RESOURCES:
BOOKS:
•Frankie & Stankie, Barbera Trapido
•The Covenant, James Michener
•Long Walk To Freedom, Nelson Mandela