We are back travelling again, this year deciding to explore Southern Africa. We were up at 4am to catch a flight to Sydney, where we transited for a long 14.5 hours to Johannesburg and the a short flight to Capetown. Including the layovers it was about 28 hours end-to-end. The long flight was largely in Australian day time hours, so sleep didn’t come easy. I watched a few movies to pass the time. I started with an interesting biographical piece on Jeff Buckley and it drew out his flawed character well that ultimately cost him his life at 30. I watched documentary on AI that was well done, but quite ‘talky’ and then in my delerium, watched the Michael Jackson movie which was a bit of a puff piece to educate audiences was incredibly talented and that his father was a complete bastard. None of that put me to sleep, but we eventually made it to Capetown and our accomodation for the next week. It was a Qantas operated flight, so the food and service was good, but I’d love them to resume proving the hot face towels before each meal, a first world problem, I know. Our flight path took us quite close to Antarctica and we both commented that this was as close as either us will ever get.
Today was our ‘jetlag’ day, so we bought a ticket for the ‘Hop-on Hop-off bus, which experience tells us is a great way to get to know the dimensions of a city. As we walked to the V&A waterfornt precinct we saw lots of people in All Black merchandise and plenty of locals in their Springbok gear. The whole town is buzzing with expectation around the 2nd Test, which I had judiciously bought tickets for back in February. With the All Black’s one-up in the series there are plenty of theories being shared. One ‘Einstein’ suggesting that if the Springboks aren’t in front in the second half then the All Blacks would win in the last 20 minutes, the same as most games the All Blacks have played in the last 100 years. It will none-the-less be a great occassion.
The bus took us through the different districts and then we had an extended stop at the cable car station at the bottom of Table Mountain. Having seen Capetown on the television for years, I’ve always had a fascination about the landscapes around the city and I realised today that the city is really dominated by the mountain with views of it all around the city, giving the city a unique feel.
After we completed the bus trip we were back at the waterfront and decided lunch would be a goo plan. On our way we walked a large space that houses a craft market called the Watershed. The handicrafts displayed at the shops felt genuine, as opposed to the chinese ‘knock-offs’ we often see in Australian craft equivalent. The Watershed is a genuine hub where designers are brought to the market. After the our visit we went next door the Time Out market which houses a collection of internationally flavoured food outlets and bars. We had some tacos, a bao bun and a nice glass of pinotage, a uniquely South African blend of Pinot Noir and Hermitage grapes.
After lunch we’d intended to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, however it was closed because the All Black and Springbok rugby players were filming promotions for the rugby tests, so we went back to the bus and completed the itinerary which took a longer route to Hout Bay, before coming back through the Atlantic beaches. Hout Bay is home to the fish markets and there is a quite large ‘Informal Settlement’ on its outskirts. These settlements are where people come to hopefully find work in the cities. On the way to Hout Bay, we passed Cecil Rhodes estate, who gives his name to the global Rhodes scholarship. Bob Hawke, Tony Abbott, Angus Taylor and Malcolm Turnbull are notable Australian winners, with David Kirk and Chris Laidlaw being awarded in New Zealand.
We left the bus at Camps Bay, a well-known atlantic beach. While other parts of Capetown echo a Wellington vibe, Camps Bay had more of a Noosa feel to me, but with more compelling landscapes.
We found a restaurant with a view over the bay and enjoyed a leisurely few wines and shared some food. We ate some lamb flatbreads followed by a Tuna dish all finished off with a date pudding. The ambient music was pleasant without being overpowering. A group of children and their teacher came and sang and danced on the footpath opposite us, which really added to the vibe, making our first sunset in Africa pretty memorable.
Overall, a great first day in Capetown.
Until Tomorrow
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