Cape Town - Day 5

Today I was lucky enough to visit Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope at the tip of the peninsula. Contrary to belief, it's actually not precisely where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. The currents change and the meeting point varies as well.

We left here mid morning with Emma's friend Lauren and started the 90 min drive down. Half way there, we stopped in Kalk Bay and had brunch at a bustling little cafe called Olympia Cafe.

On the way down, Lauren said she last went to Cape Point as a kid and remembers seeing the waves from the two oceans crashing together and being "quite dramatic." What a liar! The only things that were crashing were the waves against the rocks. There wasn't even a line in the ocean ;) Despite the let down, it was amazingly picturesque and also provided a good workout.

On the way back, Emma was kind enough to choose a different route so we came back by way of Chapman's Peak. Portions of it is a toll road and hugs the shoreline of the western cape. Cape Town really is a blissful blend of mountain and sea. Emma said she used to drive a portion of it on her way to work, and I made sure to reiterate how lucky she is to live in a place of such beauty.

It was almost 5pm by the time we got back and we were all a bit worn out. I opted to stay in and catch up on some stuff online. Tomorrow (if everything works out) will be my last day in Cape Town. I'll go in the morning to buy my overnight bus ticket for Johannesburg and then pack up. So long Cape Town. Thanks for showing me a good time, and I look forward to our second date.

Cape Town - Day 2-3

Time for another update :)

I've thankfully managed to cram quite a bit in to these past two days, and also met some cool people.

Emma was kind enough to drop me off in the center of town yesterday morning on her way to work. The original plan was to take the shuttle to the waterfront and catch the ferry to Robben Island, but since I got there so early, I was able to explore a bit on foot. There are several notable streets and areas in the city center, also known as the "City Bowl." Long Street is perhaps the most well-known and touristy. It's basically a street lined with boutique shops and cafes and restaurants. Some are quite modern and others more boho/kitschy. So I walked up and down that street and popped in to a few shops (no purchases of course).

Nearby there is a neighborhood called Bo Kaap which has many flat row houses painted in brilliant colors. I figured those would be quite photogenic, but unfortunately my lack of photographic skills doesn't do them justice.

By now it's about 10am and the shuttle bus from the city center to the waterfront has started. I make my way to the bus stand and pay my R8 ($1). The V&A Waterfront is a relatively new development with several shopping malls, restaurants, and is most importantly, the launching place of the Nelson Mandela Robben Island Museum and ferry. I've heard mixed reviews about the entire Robben Island experience but figured I should suck it up and pay the $30 to see where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were contained.

The ferry ride was about 30 min each way and once we arrived on the island, we were basically bused around like...well...inmates. But the tour guide was quite charming and we heard from an ex-prisoner and also an ex-warden.

That evening, I went to a nearby bar with Emma and David and some of her friends, who are awesome by the way :) I'm pretty sure I was the oldest one there, but who cares. I'm not sure if this is true of most South Africans, but this group sure loved their foosball. We played 10+ games in various configurations, haha. Try 4 on 4 when you get a chance (and try not to be the goal keeper)!

Today I took the MetroRail out to Simon's Town, which is a little over an hour away on the eastern side of the peninsula. The water from the Indian Ocean forms that bay so it's substantially warmer than the western side with the Atlantic water. I tried both today and it's quite noticeable. I bought a "tourist pass" for R30 ($4) which allowed me to hop off at some of the other stops along the way so I saw a bit of Muizenberg, Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek - just little resort/fishing towns. Simon's Town was worth a visit for me because that's where you can see African Penguins. Boulder Beach is about a 30 min walk from the Simon's Town rail station and since it's technically part of Table Mountain National Park, there's a R45 ($6) charge. There's a boardwalk portion that brings you by the sand dunes where you can see the penguins below. Then there is also a beach area that I nearly missed where you can actually get in the water and swim with the penguins. I managed to climb up on some boulders and perch myself there and wait patiently. After a couple of minutes, several penguins would waddle by with a foot of you and dive into the water. One actually came ashore from the water and shook water droplets all over my camera.

Tonight, again, the three of us went to Clifton beach to meet up with some of David's friends that he had previously met through Couchsurfing. Remember I mentioned he has managed to stay in Cape Town for nearly 4 months with 10 hosts and without paying a single night? That racks up a lot of friends as well. We all brought some food and had a picnic on the beach and watched the sundown and lit candles. Thankfully for the warm weather, the evenings are comfortable and breezy and we stayed almost until 10pm.

Exhausted and ready to sleep.

At last!

I've finally arrived in Cape Town at my Couchsurfing host's house after a 2 day stop in NYC, 7 hour flight to Frankfurt, 10 hour layover in Frankfurt, 11 hour flight to Cape Town and a miserable two hour long walk with my pack.

At first impression, Cape Town is gorgeous, sweltering, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse.

I arrived at in CPT airport a little after 10am and caught a direct airport shuttle to the city center (53 Rand, approx. $7). It must have been quite a recent addition to their public transportation system because it was pristine and quite modern (and my host confirmed later). From that short 15-20 minute ride, I could really see the disparity among the population. The bus passed by townships where homes were constructed basically out of metal sheets or even cardboard. There also seemed to be nicer townships where homes were set up in similar ways but constructed out of concrete. Hopefully I'll get to visit a township in the coming days and see them up close.

After the bus dropped us off in the city center, I had to walk around town a little bit with my luggage since my host wasn't going to be home until 2pm. Central Cape Town or "City Bowl" as they call it is quite happening. Several pedestrian streets with cafes and shops and independent vendors. It actually really reminded me of Boulder's Pearl Street but about 30 degrees hotter...

By the time I arrived at my host family's house, I was soaked with sweat, caked with dirt, and I even couldn't stand my own stench. What a first impression right? I apologized profusely, chit chatted for 2 minutes, and headed straight for the shower. At least now I'm feeling myself again, except for my sleep deprivation headache and my face that's already 2 shades darker.

My host, Emma, is also currently hosting another surfer from Argentina by way of Italy and Spain. He (David) has been surfing since September '11 on various couches around the city because he loves it here so much and never left. Now he is looking to get a work visa and find a job in Cape Town. But with a country that's facing 25% unemployment rate (so I read on the plane), that's presented quite a challenge.

Anyway, Emma and I took a little drive out to her mother's place in Camps Bay (on the Atlantic ocean) to visit some of her relatives who are here on holiday from London. The drive was gorgeous! From everywhere in the city Table Mountain is visible and all of a sudden we hit a bend and we're at the seaside and cliffs on the Atlantic Ocean. Her family owns a rental property a little ways from the beach and we said hi to everyone and sat by the pool until it was time to leave. As I type, David the semi-Italian is making yellow pepper and onion pasta for us. Not bad for a first day in Cape Town!