Wednesday 6 April – Cape Town, S.
Africa
We
were due to pass the Cape of Good Hope around 6.30am so I was up and ready by
6.15 and went up on deck to watch. It was a stunning morning with a new
crescent moon and bright shining star. My friend joined me and we stayed to see
Table Mountain come into sight before a quick breakfast.
We then got ready to go
out as soon as the ship was cleared, buying a 2-day HoHo bus ticket at
reception. It was becoming a beautiful hot and sunny day.
Then we waited and waited and
waited... Watching from deck 10, we saw passengers walking off the ship and
into the immigration hall and then coming back onto ship. Raised voices were
heard then the Deputy Captain made an announcement that there was a missing
piece of paperwork and the ship was not cleared for passengers to go ashore.
Everyone settled down for a long wait. At least the weather was perfect again
and I sat sunbathing and photographing the Crested Terns that had a nursery on the roof
of the cruise terminal.
It was a very long wait, involving (according to the
Captain) the British High Commission, Carnival UK, Carnival US and three South
African government departments! Eventually we got off about 4pm and got the
free shuttle to the V&A Waterfront.
This was shopping heaven but although
the ship was now here for three days, we had a deadline. We were leaving her
tomorrow and needed to pack and get our cases out by 8pm.
Thursday – 7 April – Cape Town, S.
Africa
We
disembarked about 8.35 after our usual breakfast. It was odd getting off when
most people seemed to be staying on board! Our car was waiting for us and took
us to the Cape Heritage Hotel, a boutique hotel in 18th century
buildings right in the centre of old Cape Town. We were invited to sit in the
lounge and brought coffee while they completed the formalities.
Our room was not ready
so we left our luggage and set off for the HoHo bus (having
got a refund for the ticket bought on board yesterday). It was another beautiful
day and we grabbed the opportunity to get off the bus and get the cable car up
to the top of Table Mountain while the weather held as it can so often be covered in cloud - the Tablecloth as it is known. The views were amazing. Whilst waiting for the
cable car I saw Red-Winged Starlings with their bright orange-tipped wings and a
long-tailed bird flew over – Widow bird? Drongo?
On the top we saw Dassies or
Rock Hyrax – a rodent-like mammal related to elephants, a Black Eagle circling,
lizards, lots more tame starlings and butterflies.
There was much more
vegetation than I expected – scrub, heathers and fynbos as well as colourful
lichens. Back down again we caught the HoHo bus back to the hotel to complete the
route.
Finally in our room we realised it was probably not the best one for
friends to share since the bath and basin were in the bedroom. Fortunately the
shower and toilet had a little more privacy but not that much since a glass
screen with partial frosting was all that was between us. We changed and had a
short rest then planned to go back and do the HoHo bus route sitting on the
other side of the bus as we had missed some good views.
This time we got off at
the V&A Waterfront and browsed the craft market in the Watershed before
meeting our friends at one of the restaurants. I had ostrich lasagne
with a lovely bottle of local red wine. We then got a taxi back and fell into
bed.
Friday 8 April – Cape Town, S.
Africa
I
woke from a good night sleep. We were being picked up early for an all-day tour round the Cape Peninsular so got up at 7am and
had breakfast in the courtyard. We hadn’t confirmed exactly when we were being
collected so the hotel staff offered to phone Illios Travel for us. This was
just as well as they had us down at the wrong hotel for pick up but it was soon
sorted. The driver arrived about 10 mins later and we then drove to Camps Bay to
pick up one other couple. Our first stop was at the picturesque Hout Bay, where seals were begging for fish in the harbour.
Next was a longer drive round the beautiful corniche road towards the Cape
itself with photo stops where appropriate!
On the way we passed old and new Townships and saw llama, ostrich, baboons and many birds. Once at the peninsular itself, we took the
funicular up to the old lighthouse and walked around it admiring the scenery.
From one point you could just glimpse the new lighthouse halfway down the steep
cliff. Once again we hit the jackpot with the weather which was hot and sunny
with a cloudless sky.
We then drove round to the actual Cape of Good Hope for a
photo stop before driving back towards Boulder’s Beach and the penguin colony. Even better than Chile since this time they had eggs and chicks!
Magic!
We stopped for lunch in the attractive Dutch Colonial Simonstown where most of us had Kingklip which was
catch of the day and unique to South Africa. We ate on the verandah with a view
of the harbour and a South African choir singing below us.
Our last stop was
the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. This was vast and hilly so I left the
others to do their thing and pottered quietly on my own. This gave me the
advantage of spotting birds that may have been frightened off my a noisy group.
Following the sounds of twittering I spotted two Southern Double-Collared
Sunbirds and their nest.
Also Guinea Fowl, Egyptian Geese and butterflies.
We browsed the huge gift shop but my luggage already feels overweight! We then
drove back when, just on the outskirts of the city I spotted two zebras
grazing! I wasn't expecting to see wild animals that close to the city but was told they can be sighted sometimes. We got back to the hotel at 5 pm. Dinner was at
7.30pm (kindly booked by the hotel) in the courtyard bistro, not that we needed much after such a substantial lunch!
Saturday 9 April – Cape Town, S.
Africa
It was lovely not to have to get up
too early as this was our final day in South Africa. We sorted out the luggage to hopefully get within our 23kgs allowance! Then it
was down to breakfast of fresh fruit and home-made bread etc. The coffee was
delicious and it was good to savour it after having to rush off on our tour the
day before. After breakfast we set off for one last look around, heading for
the street market we saw a couple of days ago in passing.
It was a Saturday and the area
was very busy with children dancing to drums for money. A man accosted us
begging for money but was very soon seen off by one of the security men around.
The stalls were colourful and brimming with tempting souvenirs and local crafts
– township art, beaded jewellery, malachite, soapstone and wooden carvings,
bright cotton printed fabrics and clothing, pretty scarves, carved and painted ostrich eggs and musical
instruments (drums and thumb pianos). After I had completed my purchases of a township
art panel and a Zulu beaded necklace, and looked round a little more, we headed
back to the hotel to complete our packing and change for the flight home.
I
knew I should have put my flight socks on that morning before my feet swelled
and got hot and sticky! Our transfer car arrived a little early than the 3pm
collection time and we said goodbye to our hosts at the Cape Heritage Hotel.
The journey took about 30 mins, passing the spot where I had seen the zebras
the day before, but no sightings now. After going through
security – yes, I set the alarms off again – we browsed the airport shops for a while, before we settled down to
use the 30mins of free Wi-Fi, with a view of our plane (a Boeing 747) being
prepared for us. The flight was called about 6.30pm and we found our seats –
both aisle ones with me in front of my friend. Unfortunately the plane was full so
no chance to spread over more than one seat! We landed early at 6am but luggage took an age to
arrive, sending Andy’s car parking over to the next price band! We were back in Southampton
by 9am and after an hour’s doze, I set off for home arriving at 2pm.
It was a wonderful holiday and so different from anywhere I have ever been before, although the Seychelles in particular looked like the Caribbean to me. I did find the heat and humidity challenging but thankfully had only taken cotton or linen clothing so managed. It was also very useful to get a taste of how our world cruise will be next year, and in particular the cabin arrangements. I have since bought a few items that I hope will make our living in a confined space easier - hanging pockets and the like.
So only two weeks now till my next ship fix - the largest ship in the world (for a time anyway) - Harmony of the Seas - and a three night trip to Cherbourg.
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