Cape of Good Hope, Funicular and Cape Point

(Retrospective Post)

It was quite cold and very windy at the Cape of Good Hope and nearby Cape Point. Both locations were photo opportunities for the hundreds of visitors scrambling for best locations.

Cape of Good Hope

The photo above gives no indication of the numbers present. The signage just visible mid-right read

Cape of Good Hope

The most South-Western point of the African Continent

34' 21' 25" South

18' 28' 26" East

It was almost impossible to secure a photograph alongside the signage without being photobombed by hordes of strangers.

Just around the corner from the Cape of Good Hope is Cape Point which I think is the southern most spot and also, I think, the metaphorical place where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. I'd read numerous times that there is quite a visible difference between the two oceans at that spot but if there is truth in that notion it wasn't evident to me on this day. Perhaps it was just too stormy. I would imagine though that such stormy days and worse would be very common.

Above Cape Point

Looking back at Cape of Good Hope from Cape Point

Travel to and from the top of Cape Point can be effected by foot for the fit and/or foolhardy but I joined the masses in taking the Funicular up and down. The Funicular journey is about three minutes each way.

I had hoped to take some good photos of and from the Funicular, particularly for Andrew's benefit, but the photography circumstances were just as difficult as getting a clear go at the Cape of Good Hope sign. This is the best I could manage.

Heading up

The passing section

Coming down

The passing section

Entering the bottom station

Baboons

(Retrospective post)

Our first encounter with Baboons in South Africa. They are protected and we saw them all around the Western Cape and elsewhere. This sighting was just down the road from Boulders Penguin Colony.

Boulders Penguin Colony

(Retrospective post)

Boulders, the African Penguin Colony at Simon's Town, Western Cape, South Africa.

Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens

(Retrospective post)

I'm not greatly into flora and fauna but I did enjoy the visit to the Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens on a cold and wet day. I was especially taken with the statuary mostly made up of black rock from Zimbabwe.

Robben Island

(Retrospective posting)

Prior to my visit my awareness of Robben Island was as the place of imprisonment of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners. From my visit there I learnt that it was facility for holding all manner of prisoners over a long period of years and also for isolating other 'undesirables' including leprosy sufferers from the general community. The Island is now a Museum maintaining a memory of its former uses and misuses. A small community of workers and their families still live on the island. They have to travel the 11kms across the water for shopping and educational services.

Travel to the Island is via ferry from the Gateway located on the Cape Town waterfront

Arriving on Robben Island

The entry gate

Entering the high security section

Waiting for a presentation by a former high security inmate

Everyone straining to see Mandela's cell

Cape Town (11kms away) viewed from Robben Island

Returning to Cape Town (ironically) on one of the ferries which used to transport prisoners to the Island

Table Mountain, Cape Town

(Retrospective Posting)

The first day of our escorted tour began with a trip to Table Mountain. The day was very hot eventually topping at about 35ºc. Although we started early aiming to be on the first cable car of the day at 8.30am we found a huge queue already in line. Turns out it was the first day of local school holidays and to add to the numbers a local newspaper had offered Cape Residents a voucher allowing two entrants for the price of one. It seemed that half the city's population had taken advantage of the offer.

We spent nearly an hour in the queue before reaching the Cable Car for the trip to the top of the mountain. It was worth the wait even if one of our group later fainted from the heat and dehydration.

Cape Town below with Robben Island off shore

Cape Town arrival

(Retrospective posting)

We have arrived at Cape Town ahead of our two weeks visit to Southern Africa. Our trip was not without mishaps.

At the Sydney departure gate Qantas staff told passengers to board our plane via Doors 1 & 2 as applicable so there was confusion when we found those doors labeled A & B not 1 & 2.

Once underway I discovered that my touch screen television would not react to touch and in any event something jamming the sound socket meant no sound could be received.

Later the flight attendant spilt water all over me and all over my meal tray (one positive, I discovered for the first  that the pants I was wearing are water resistant).

We had to collect our luggage at Johannesburg airport prior to recheck-in for the ensuing domestic flight to Cape Town. H’s luggage did not appear. When eventually only one luggage was left on the carousel (same brand, model and colour as H’s but with different stickers) we assumed someone had probably taken hers off the carousel in error. Security looked into it and discovered that the owner of that other luggage was also scheduled to go to Cape Town. A call to their mobile phone was unanswered. We hoped that H’s bag would appear on the carousel in Cape Town but it didn't. The airline is following up and says it will deliver the luggage to our hotel when recovered.

Reporting the ‘lost’ luggage used up the transit time we had at Johannesburg leaving us under three minutes to navigate an enormous distance in a strange airport to reach our domestic connection. One man who appeared to be airport staff offered to help us find our way as we raced along endless promenades and up and down escalators. At the same time he scolded us for only leaving 3 minutes to get the connection as if the predicament was our fault. It was only when he said ‘I will help you and you will help me’ that I realised he had no status at the airport and he baldly admitted he expected a big tip. The moment I said I wasn’t going to tip him anything he dropped us.

The driver who collected us at Cape Town airport delivered us to the hotel. He told us en route that he'd been having a bad day too and he decided to accompany us to the hotel Reception just to make certain they were expecting us. Turns out they weren’t! He had delivered us to the wrong hotel!

Finally we are ensconced in the correct hotel. It seems pretty flash.

Table Bay Hotel, V&A Waterfront

Table Mountain visible through main Lobby window