Total Pageviews

Nov 9, 2007

Cape Town - a weekend with the folks

Eventually got down and dirty, and decided to treat the folks to a weekend in Cape Town - the southern most tip of the greatest continent on Earth. Cape Town's generally the 'red pill' of any visit to South Africa. No trip is complete without taking into the beaches, food, wine, weather and sights of the quaint, yet charming town based under the valley of the beautiful Table Mountain.

A list of activities we indulged in:

  • The V&A Waterfront - an impressive waterfront based on the busiest part of Cape Town. We decided to explore this area first. There were some great views of the ocean and the mountain, as well as various little shops and flea markets displaying different items of souvenirs.
A view of Table mountain from the waterfront

  • Table Mountain - What strikes the discerning traveler the most has to be the flatness of the mountain, and the views that the top of the mountain offers of the Cape Town harbours and the various beaches lining the coast. The cable car ride was a great experience. Come with student cards and/or pensioners cards and you will save big. :)
King of the world... On top of smoky Table mountain

  • Camps Bay - This beachfront offers the some of the tastiest seafood I've eaten (then again, any seafood in SA is good - the quality of fish available on the inner regions in SA tend to be a little unappetizing. There's also an excellent 360 degree view of the beach and ocean on one side, and the mighty Table mountain on the opposite side.

The Table mountain side of Camps bay... Pity the clouds, it would have been a splendid view otherwise.

  • The Aquarium - Went, saw a lot of fish, came out. Nothin' too special to mention.
  • Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens - a well-developed valley that has a wide range of flora. Learnt quite a bit about the various herbal plants... Interesting and informative, its a must for any botanist. My parents loved this one.
An orchid from the Kirstenbosch gardens

  • The Vineyards - no trip to Cape Town is complete without a visit to some of the vineyards in the Cape Town and Stellenbosch area. We hit the Spier winery, and did some wine-tasting. It helps put one in a silly mood throughout the rest of the trip... :)

  • Cape Point & the Cape of Good Hope - Two ecological points on the southernmost tip of Africa. These points offer tourists the opportunity to convince themselves that they are as far south as they could possibly get. Great touristy spots. Saw a lot of water, and the joining point of the 2 mighty oceans of the world.
The family - on the Cape of Good Hope

  • The Gatsby - got a recommendation to try out this typical Cape malay traditional food. Its basically a very large hotdog shaped roll with all kinds of meat, veggies and sauces. It was definitely unhealthy...but very tasty!

Cape Town... Try it... Wish I had more time to explore more of this place. I'll definitely do CT again. Perhaps, with a different itinerary.

Lekker bly.

1 comment:

Rowman said...

hey so you finally had a taste of the "great" gatsby. ok so I think you told me this already. but good for you man. I'm sure you a better person now that you had this prestigious Cape Town traditional (coloured) meal.

you should join the facebook group