A brief history of what is rated as one of the world's most beautiful towns. Originally occupied by the local khoikhoi tribe until portugese mariners needed to find a place in the 1480's to re-stock their ships on their way east. They were responsible for naming the southern most point as the 'cape of good hope'. Unfortunately, they didn't succeed in taking over the area, but the Dutch East India company did in 1652, who built a small fort where what is now called the Grand Parade, and also set up areas to grow produce for their ships, mainly employing imported slave labour. After a war with the khoikhoi that failed and further invasion by the germans and french, britain colonised it in 1795 and abolished slavery. This triggered off a period of radical change and freedom of religion. The town grew to become one of the most cosmopolitan seaports in the world. The Victoria & Albert dock was built in 1860's using convict labour. The growth lead to increased segregation amongst the population and formation of unions. By this time the town was the capital of S.Arica. In 1966 the Group Areas Act separated large groups of people into separate areas, forming shanty towns where the coloured people lived. This lead to the formation of the United Democratic Front party who struggled to topple this apartheid. On feb 11th 1990 Nelson Mandela was released from prison and made his first public speech from the balcony of city hall in Grand Parade. Four years later, he became the first democratically elected black president in what was previously a whites only parliament. There is still division in the town but progress will slowly change that.
Sat 1st sep - The café life at the waterfront is terrific and a magnet to people watchers and a great place to grab a coffee and watch the world go by. The market square is home to street performers, with an amphitheatre in the centre. A contortionist girl was on stage when I arrived, followed soon after by a comedian, as the next 3 weeks is comedy festival. She could bend in every direction imaginable - could literally tie herself in knots I guess?
I had booked in advance for a trip to Robbin Island which got cancelled due to the weather, so went to the Nelson Mandela Gateway office to change it to tomoro. On the way, passed the old clock tower, which used to be the home of the harbour master. He has now been re-located into a rather gaunt looking beige building further down the quay. I bet he wasn't too happy. Into the Java Jive café for coffee and warm muffin with great latin music in the background. Their slogan is great 'Listen with your soul'. I am diving in the predator tank on monday at the 'two oceans aquarium' so went along to confirm arrangements. Sharks, sting rays etc!
Just outside the café is the Nobel square. This was opened on reconciliation day (december 16th) in 2005 to commemorate the four nobel peace prize winners - Albert Luthuli (1960), Desmond Tutu (1984), FW de Klerk (1993) and the one and only Nelson Mandela (also 1993).
Good timing - passed a boat offering half price end of day cruise, so went on it for 20 rand for half an hour of very informative cruise. Seals out on platforms and swimming around the boat. Flats that overlook the harbour fetch from 2.5 to 15 million rand. A couple are owned by Madonna and Elton John! Further out of the harbour, a very unusual sight - oil rigs surrounded by palm trees! Actually, in for repair as the rand is a better currency than other repairers at the moment. The V&A waterfront has recently been sold for 7 billion rand - 70% to Dubai and the rest to a London firm. The V&A is a shoppers paradise full of quality and variety in a superb setting. Some folk come here and never leave! In the evening, dinner at 'Quay Four' and the best Hake and chips I have had in years. All for the princely sum of 59 rand (4 quid). Decided to get a mini taxi back to the hotel. Total madman springs to mind. Chucking it down with rain, couldn't see where he was going cos his windscreen wipers didn't work (either that or he was saving battery power). Might walk from now on!
Sun 2nd Sep - On to the 'sea Princess' and away bang on time. Journey takes about half an hour to cover the 11Km across rolling seas. On arrival, transfer to a bus for a round the island tour with guide Tony. A very knowledgeable guy who was a bit of a character in his mannerisms.
Robben island was originally a leper colony until a cure was found by dr Hansen, after which it was closed down. Later became a high security prison, built by the convicts from local slate that they dug out of the quarry themselves. Part of the prison is on top of some of the old leper graves. The island has one town with 120 occupants, most of which work for the prison or are family. We stopped at a junction and 2 cute penguins appeared and walked down the middle of the road in front of the bus - Aaaahh. The island has a clinic which has an ambulance that has never been used. Apparently, the joke that goes around is that, if the ambulance gets called for you, it'll keep hold of you and drive around the island with you until you get better!
On arriving at the prison, Tony handed us over to
an ex-con Glen to take us around. The most famous in-mate of course was Nelson Mandela, who was incarcerated into B section. There are sections A to G, some of which were isolation cells. Nelson contracted TB whilst in prison due to the limestone dust he inhaled. Only 5 prisoners have ever escaped and they were in the 17th century. The prison became a world heritage site in 1999. Nelson's cell block is currently undergoing a refurb so no access to the public. Glen's description of his time spent fighting for African freedom with the oppression of the country they were subjected to, was astonishing. Nobody should have to be subjected to what they were, in the aid of freedom. As you can imagine, an emotive subject for him. Most inmates were in for life. The minimum term was 5yrs and virtually all were there for political crimes.
Back on the ferry at 2pm and back to the main land. Cape Town is a stunning city and the sunshine today showed it off to full advantage. Table mountain is truly an awesome sight. Too late do much else today and it's sunday so time to chill a bit. Lots of street performers in the amphitheatre in the main square - stilt walkers making balloon creatures for the kids, acrobats, dancers, singers. A brilliant place to be and just take it all in. Agreed to meet up with some people across town for a meal so headed off on walkabout to find the restaurant Mama Africas. What they hadn't planned for is, it's sunday and the place was closed. Chaos reined as we struggled to contact folk and arrange an alternative. Ended up eating mexican instead. Turned out ok and they also played my favourite salsa music, so I drifted off for a while missing my dancing again. Haven't danced in ages now and miss it terribly, along with so many other things. Left earlier than the others as I have to go back and pack ready to move in the morning. Cheap taxi back...it always amazes me how many taxi drivers have really interesting parallel lives to the driving. This guy got divorced 6 years ago and to get over the trauma, went travelling around the USA. Found out that people were really interested in their family history so did a bit of reading on the subject. He decided to set up stalls in towns he was travelling through offering to trace peoples family history for a hundred bucks. Got plenty of takers. 5 years later he started driving a taxi by night and writing a book about geneology by day, earning enough on the taxi to cover his living costs.
Mon 3rd Sep - As the weather is gorgeous today, decided to head off to table mountain. Shared a mini-taxi with some locals for 3 rand each to the train station and then another taxi from the train station to the 'cableway' up a really steep climb. Glad I decided not to walk it! 120 rand return for the cable car to the top. The unusual feature of this car is that is rotates as it moves between the lower to the upper stations. Gives everyone great views on the way. At the top, the view is breathtaking. The weather was great so visibility was terrific. The highest point of table mountain is 1,085m. The khoi tribe used to call it 'Hoerikwaggo', which means 'the mountain of the sea'. It is visible from over 150km away. London is 9,670km (6009 miles) away. A long way from home! There are a few routes you can walk around the top, so went exploring for a while. Cup of hot chocolate at the café at the end of it, with one of the world's most incredible views to look at as a backdrop.
moved across town for a couple of nights, to a backpacker hostel called very imaginatively 'The Backpacker'. Clever that innit!. Less than a third of the price of the Spring tide inn and not as good, but have to be concious of cost. The facilities are really good though and have the chance to mingle with a wider range of people. Soon after checking into my dorm, walked into town to the post office to send some stuff home then carried on to the V&A as I am booked into dive with the sharks in the predator tank at 1pm! Got there early so killed time walking around the shops. Got into the aquarium early so looked around the tanks for a while. This place is also a research and rehabilitation centre for the sealife, so watched some of the staff vaccinating some massive fish. Got kitted up and into the 2 million litre tank and away we go for about 3/4 hr. You actually get within 6 inches of the sharks but are not allowed to touch them. Didn't need pursuading to keep my distance! A realy nice experience and an unusual addition to me padi log book. Nice night's sleep in a proper comfy bed. Woke to beautiful sunshine and a relatively calm sea so decided to walk to the V&A along the sea front past the 'green point' sunday markets - a shoppers paradise for african memorabilia. There was a walkathon on, so plenty of energetic people on the move. Fealt guilty, so walked a bit faster to burn off some energy. Booked onto the Robben island ferry at 11am. Made it in plenty of time cos I also had to collect my dollars from the foreign exchanged that I orderd yesterday. The hassles! You cannot change rand into dollars, cannot use a direct debit card, has to be a credit card etc etc. Anyway, got the money eventually. Surprises me that, in a country such as this that some things have to be paid in dollars. Left Stellenbosch at 9am for a short drive down the coast to Cape town. Unfortunately, the weather today is naff so no view of table mountain other than big grey clouds covering it. The cablecars have been cancelled as well as the island cruises due to the weather. Am staying in a nice hotel for the next couple of days to recover, in an area called Seapoint. Room with balcony and sea view. Blowing a gale and massive waves, so not great to look at. Settled in then hit the streets for a very brisk walk along the sea front into town, past the Mouille lighthouse, a square red & white striped squat building. Ended up at the superb Victoria & Albert waterfront complex. This is a major highlight of Cape Town, not to be missed. The harbour was brimming with activity as there were a number of navy warships in dock that were open for the public to look around. Would have gone aboard if it wasn't for the throngs of bodies and kids swarming all over them. Amongst other vessels, Quay 6 is also the home to the c/s Charmel - a cable laying and repair ship that has laid 120,000 km of fibre - enough to go 3 times round the globe!
Tue 4th Sep - 8am Pick up by Bazbus for
Cape peninsular day tour. Guide on the bus was Roger, a very knowledgeable
retired engineer. A small group on the tour: a couple from Spain, two guys from
Sao Paolo in Brazil, an english girl and a french girl plus one of the office
girls from bazbus who as it happens, I had been corresponding with when I got
my bazbus pass. Turned out to be a really excellent day. Cape peninsular is a
superb area of national parks, posh towns, beautiful landscapes and sea views,
lots to do. Heading off from cape town, first town was Clifton in camps bay,
home to the local movie industry and house prices accordingly high! You could
be in part of LA here. The seas along the coast are harvested for kelp, used in
beauty products as well as plant fertilizers plus other products. The seas are
also very turbulent and there are about 650 shipwrecks to verify it. Hout bay
was another interesting stop. The occupants once believed they should have
independence from the rest of S.Africa. On the way in you pass a sign 'you are
entering the Republic of Houts bay'. They developed their own passport too.
Never recognised of course. Boarded the 'Drumbeat II' boat for a cruise to
Duiker island to see the Cape fur seal colony. It is illegal to land on this
island as they are protected, but you can get very close to them. The waters
are really dodgy so the boats have to be careful to not get too close as they
might get grounded. Off the boat and greeted by a minstrel band. They were just
like you would get in dixieland but with a more funky style. They are actually
typical of a style of music that forms part of an annual festival here. The surrounding
bay is beautiful and overlooked by Chapman's peak. The road upto the peak was
closed due to a rock fall but we could get a fair way up to see the rock
dassies and the leopard monument. The latter overlooks the bay. In Hout village
a shop caught my attention called 'Dolce and Banana'. Thought it was funny -
humour me!
You hear lots of local people of khoi-san background talking in
their native click language. It does seem out of place in this modern
environment, but glad to hear it as it will be a shame if it dies out, although
it is bound too one day. The pressures for english to be the standard language
are too great.
Along Boyes drive in False bay and we say southern right whales.
Awesome sight! These grand creatures are graceful to watch. Their travels seem
rather odd, in that they come from Antartctica to give birth. The calves need
200 litres of milk per day and the mothers struggle to find enough food to
supply it. The calves don't always get enough and the mothers end up leaving
before the calfs are fully reared to head off back to the Antarctic. Not all of
the calfs make it with them.
Passed Pollsmoor correctional services, where Mandela spent 2
years of his 27 years of imprisonment. Another town en-route called Simon's
town has been used for a long time as a naval base by the british. The naval
officers weren't too popular with the locals years ago and so got themselves a
dog for protection when they were out in the town. As they weren't allowed to
keep pets theoretically, they enrolled it in the navy so it had a full naval
record and an ID with a photo with hat on. There is a monument to it in the
town! Next stop 'Boulders beach penguin colony'. Home to what was originally
called the 'Jackass' penguin due to its raucous braying/donkey sound. It is now
called the African penguin. Preferred the original name, don't you?
Off into the cape of good hope National Park and onto mountain
bikes for 10km or so. Really nice ride as the flora is a beauty. The vegetation
has its own name of 'Fynbos', which means 'fine bush' or fine leaved plants.
There are many varieties of Protea which are beautiful at this time of year.
They come in many colours and the flowers burst open from a ball shape. The
main attraction of course is the Cape of good hope or Cape Point. This is the
most south westerly point in Africa. Not the most southerly though, as that
goes to Agulhas point to the east of here. Cape point is 9623km from London and
6248km from the south pole. So I am now nearer the south pole than home! Can
you see me waving? There is a lighthouse on the top which monitors and controls
all other lighthouses around the cape. Climbed to the top for an awesome view.
There is an optional furnicular railway up there, but it is more interesting to
walk it. Odd to see ostriches wondering around up there! Also present are
snakes, lizards and rock dassies.
In the past when the khoi-san people occupied the area, they
couldn't always get food, so would go for long periods without. To overcome the
hunger feelings, they used a local plant which stopped them feeling hungry! The
pharmaceutical industry is obviously interested in this plant but the khoi-san
decendents have managed to get a historical patent on the plant, so that they
get royalties on its use. Clever buggers these tribal people. Can you imagine
the weight watching world being able to take a pill to stop you feeling hungry!
Roll on the stick-thin human race!
Also saw lots of baboons around the cape. Cunning creatures.
Recent observations have seen them opening car doors to pinch food. They have
also showed decoying tactics to get at food.
Back in town at the end of the trip, and joined up with the two
guys from Brazil for the evening. Went to the city hall to see where Nelson
Mandela made his speech on release from prison. Coffee in a nice Kraal
restaurant on the busy Long street, then off to Mama Africa's restaurant for
african Bobotie. This place is brill. The bar is a long snake that winds its
way around and up over a wall. Superb atmosphere and great food. Thoroughly
excellent day, cramming loads in and knackered at the end of it. Ordered a
Rikki to get back to hostel for 2 rand. A Rikki is a shared taxi. Remember this
if you ever come here...a normal taxi might cost say 70 rand, a rikki can cost
2 to 20 depending on distance of course.
