Lion's Head I walked up yesterday, so today I wanted to conquer Table Mountain. Whilst it looks like a giant table from a distance it's anything but flat. Despite Christo's home being in Brackenfell, more than 20 kilometres away, it's possible to see Table Mountain from his backyard on a clear day. Christo says he normally walks up Table Mountain and takes the cable car down, I decided to do it the other way. I'm walking Fish River Canyon in a few days and, since that's a 5-day walk, I'll need as much energy as possible. The trains don't run on Sunday, so I took a minibus taxi to Bellville and then got a bus the rest of the way into Cape Town. Stopping for a sausage with onions along the way, I was at the cable car before long.
Quite a few people can fit inside. Table Mountain's splendour beckoned, but the view wasn't as clear today as it was yesterday; it was a bit smoggy. Nelson Mandela said the view of Table Mountain from his cell on Robben Island is what kept him going. Busy it was today, but in a place like Cape Town (or anywhere in South Africa, for that matter) I prefer being in a place like this when there are other people around. Robberies have happened on some of the more isolated trails in Table Mountain National Park. There are a number of geocaches around as well, and one of the coolest is right as you get off the cable car.
South Africa has a surprisingly large number of geocaches. After signing the log it was time for my exploration of Table Mountain. What a beauty!
Snap! As I've done tens of thousands of times on my travels. Hiking, photography, geocaching, and drone flying filled my time on Table Mountain. Unlike yesterday, I had a very productive day with geocaching as I found every cache I searched for.
After more than three hours up there, it was time to start heading back as it was close to 3:30 PM. Some people were walking up even though the last cable car is at 5 PM. As I walked down Table Mountain I re-strained my hip. I originally injured it a few weeks ago whilst still in the US but it felt particularly painful today. Hobbling a bit I was at the base of the mountain and I stuck out my thumb, and got picked up by some medical students for my first hitchhiking experience in South Africa. Using my thumb in South Africa will be unlike most other countries I've hitchhiked in as I'll have to do a lot more homework before undertaking a big journey. Safety is the biggest issue. To celebrate my achievement and rest my hip, I got a pizza and a couple glasses of wine. A minibus taxi would get me to Bellville where Christo would pick me up. He admits he doesn't like being in Bellville at night, and I understood after a guy at the bus station told me to remain inside the gate. Christo would make bobotie this evening. Consisting of mince, spices, chutney, and an egg-based topping, it's a Capetonian classic. My hip was in so much pain this evening that I had to stand and eat. With an abundance of spice and flavour, Cape Town's cuisine is as diverse as its setting and people.
After just a few days here, and having to make more adjustments than usual, I really love it. Cape Town has the most spectacular setting of any city I've ever visited. Up high on Table Mountain and then a feast of bobotie makes me appreciate it even more, even with a sore hip.
