March 2016

Hello Cape Town!

Travelinds spent a sunny March week in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa.

Coming to the Mother City from up north as a child, one definitely does not appreciate the spectacular beauty of the Western Cape peninsula in all its fullness.

This was a visit to family rather than tourism, however, we still managed to see a good deal of the sights on offer.

The enormous group of German tourists that followed us out of the airport was a reminder of just how desirable Cape Town is as a tourist destination for international travellers. It wasn’t difficult to see why this is once we started looking around the city.

Muizenberg

Muizenberg was the home base, with its quaint beach village vibe, mixed with a little surf, turf and creativity.
The small colourful houses that line the streets of the village are interspersed with cafes and galleries and decorated with the individual flair of the ecclectic residents.

The iconic wooden changing rooms along the beach create a multicoloured background for fun family holidays; for South Africans and tourists alike.

The black shark spotting flag beckons swimmers and surfers into the False Bay waves, while the wary-eyed shark spotters sit high up on the side of the mountain watching the bay for shadows and fins that would change the flag status.

A late afternoon walk along the promenade towards St.James proved a wet choice as the high tide crashed over the rocks and soaked us through (a few times). The experienced railway maintenance team sat up on their elevated perch and laughed at us, again and again. So, technically, we dipped more than our toes in the waters of False Bay.

Simon’s Town and Boulders Beach

Since we were staying in the southern suburbs, we took an afternoon to go and explore the area around Simon’s Town (which is between Muizenberg and Cape Point).

Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay and St. James are a few places on the way worth a look, and maybe a beach or tidal pool swim.
The little fishing village of Simon’s Town is another perfect postcard destination – and the fish and chips were as amazing as promised by the guide books.

We grabbed the orders to go and headed out to find Boulder’s Beach a few kilometres down the road.

Lunch with the penguins seemed like a unique way to spend a day in Africa – even as a South African I forget that penguins are indeed one of the fascniating creatures on our wildlife list.

As soon as we caught a glimpse of the penguins waddling through the dense coastal shrubbery, we knew that this would be one for the memory bank.  The black-and-white suited African Penguin colony lives comfortably at Boulder’s Bay (which, incidentally, has enormous boulders that shelter the bay and create great nesting and resting sites).

It is a national park that you can enter if you want to swim, however, there is a wooden walkway (where you can go for free) if you just want to view the penguins from above.

This walkway also has a few nesting sites where you can see eggs, and penguins lazing in the shade of the bushes alongside dassies and birds.

Please be a responsible visitor and do not feed or disturb these cute little penguins (who do bite by the way!).

Chapman’s Peak and Constantia

Another fun day was spent on a road trip from Muizenberg, over the mountain past Noordhoek, up Chapman’s Peak drive, down to Hout Bay, around to Constantia and out to Rondebosch.

We saw panoramic views like no other – Noordhoek beach from Chapman’s drive is breathtaking! Truly!
Where else in the world can you see beautiful mountains, sapphire oceans, white beaches, vineyards, plantations, fynbos and forests all in one place?

Chapman’s Peak is a scenic but nerve-wracking drive along the sheer cliffs, especially as the huge tour busses wind their way around the tight corners on both sides, bringing the cars on the opposite side to a hasty pause.

Hout Bay

As you descend into Hout Bay from Chapman’s Drive, remember to look out on the left for the green Hout Bay leopard statue that looks out across the bay.

Hout Bay boasts a beautiful sandy beach and an interesting harbour, with delicious seafood and exciting cruises to Seal Island and around the bay.

Our Seal Island cruise was an hour of gentle waves (despite the wind), an entertaining seal colony and views of Chapman’s Peak from the bottom of the cliffs and across the blue bay.

The Hout Bay harbour has fishing boats, yachts, awesome seafood cafes and of course, sleek hungry seals!
Remember to try a gatsby from one of the cafes.

This classic local favourite comes in delicious varieties such as steak, egg, ham, chips or fish and chips (you might want to share or take a lunch box).

Saturdays are also a great day to visit Hout Bay as this is where the market opens for local creatives to showcase their wares.  Sinnful ice-cream store across the road from the market might just keep you there longer than planned, too!

Kirstenbosch

On our last day, we extended an invitation to family and friends to join us at the famous Kirstenbosch gardens for a Sunday afternoon picnic.

At the base of Table Mountain, the gardens beckon with colourful fynbos, ancient cycads and majestic towering trees.

Table Mountain is one of the natural world wonders that Travelinds has seen. The others are Jeju Island, Puerto Princesa Underground River and Halong Bay…

The Egyptian geese and the franklins spend leisurely days foraging for insects, drinking from the water fountain puddles and sleeping in the sunny grassbanks that lead up to the mountain (again, please don’t feed them).
That Sunday evening was one of the renowned summer concerts and the happy crowds started streaming in as the sun started to set.