On Top of Table Mountain

We climbed to the top of Table Mountain the other day. We did it last time we were here, too. It's just too spectacular to miss. Many times, the top of the mountain is covered with a shroud of clouds. Locals call it the tablecloth. We've watched clouds move in swiftly, flowing and swirling over the top like “billowing fabric” as the visitor's brochure proclaims. For some visitors, it's hard to tell if it's going to be clear on the mountain or not. For us, we just stick our heads out of the cockpit. And, yes, the wind has finally calmed down … for the moment anyway.

Getting to Table Mountain via car is a trial. There's limited parking and so visitors park along the side of the narrow, winding Tafelberg Road. Even the views from our parking spot were grand.

Though we arrived fairly early in the morning, it was still a 30 minute hike up the steep road from our parking place to the ticket queue. There were two lines … the “already had your ticket purchased on-line” line and the “buy your ticket today, you stupid people, you!” line. We were in the stupid people line, but it seemed to be moving pretty much as quickly as the other line … until two buses arrived with smart people. There were sun awnings and cool, overhead misters along the way, so the 45 minute wait wasn't as traumatic or hot as it could have been.

We finally made it to the ticket office and then entered another queue.  I say “climbed”, but I really mean “ascended” Table Mountain via an aerial cable car. It is possible to actually climb the mountain via a long trail, and last time we were here, we used this trail to descend from the top. This time, however, we opted to do a round trip on the cable car. It takes 65 passengers at a time up the vertical face of the mountain and deposits them on Table Mountain's flat top. The cars are round, designed to be aerodynamic and the floor rotates which provides a 360º view for every passenger (unless you're scrunched in the middle and short). The 5-minute ride to the 3,539' (1089m) summit is pretty dramatic.

Table Mountain, a result of volcanic and glacial activity 520 million years ago, is comprised of granite and sandstone and they claim it might be one of the oldest mountains in the world. Hmm.  The top is a fairly level plateau about 2 miles (3km) wide with outstanding views of the city, Table Bay, local geographic features like Lions Head and Robben Island and the coastline for miles and miles.

The first recorded ascent of Table Mountain was by the Portuguese explorer, Antonio de Saldanha in 1503, who named the mountain Taboa da caba ("table of the cape").  Of course, the native Khoi inhabitants had been familiar with the mountain for millennia. Today, the two cable cars can transport 800 people an hour. Over 23 million people have explored the top since the cable cars first opened in 1929. In 2011, Table Mountain was named one of the new Seven Wonders of Nature.

There are three easy walks on the mountaintop and we walked all three.

The top is boulder-strewn with impressive cliffs along the edge.

It's autumn here and not the best season for flora. There were only a few wildflowers in bloom. Unfortunately, the national flower, the protea, was just beginning to bloom, but we took what we got. We did, however, see lots of lizards sunning themselves on rocks, some butterflies and lots of dassies (rock hyrax).

By afternoon, the morning haze had cleared and it was such a clear day, we could even see Nine of Cups in her berth at the Royal Cape Yacht Club which reminded us that it was time to get some chores done.

Tomorrow morning, we plan to visit Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden at the base of Table Mountain. Want to join us for a stroll?

Colorful, Spicy Bo Kaap

When we visited Cape Town in 2007, we saw lots of sights in the city, but we never made it to Bo-Kaap. What is Bo-Kaap? Well, literally translated, it means Upper Cape Town. It's a multicultural neighborhood at the foot of Signal Hill, also known as the Malay Quarter. Originally, the early Dutch settlers brought prisoners from Malaya, India and Arabia to the Cape colony as slaves. Sought after for their skills as tradesmen (carpenters, shoemakers, tailors, builders, etc.), the area became a Muslim enclave close to city center. When the British abolished slavery in the 1830s, many of the newly freed slaves settled in the Bo-Kaap area, close to their Mosque. Today's Cape Muslim community draws much of its heritage and roots from the slaves brought here during that period. Bo-Kaap is a unique, vibrant, historically-rich community and interesting to visit. Many of the old cobblestone streets remain, narrow and steep and lined with brightly colored, well-kept row houses from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The oldest house, built in 1658, stands as a local museum. The house colors knock your socks off … turquoise, purple, hot pink, mustard yellow, lime green. Eye candy for us wanderers.

We meandered through the neighborhood, up and down the streets, through little alleys, taking it all in. The minarets of beautiful Mosques stretched towards heaven above the old buildings. In fact, the first established Muslim Mosque in South Africa, Auwal Mosque, was built here in 1804 and is still used today. We heard the muezzin call out the adhan (call to prayer) at midday.

The Rose Corner Cafe, on the corner of Rose and Wales streets, looked like it was a local institution. They offered koeksisters and “warm worsies daily” and zaatar spice and sumac spice and things we'd never heard of. They were doing a thriving business for a mid-week day.

Our noses led us next door to the Atlas Trading Company. Rich, pungent, spicy smells wafted in the air and into the street. We couldn't resist a peek inside. Oh, my!

Spices! Anise, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, ginger. The mix of smells was delicious and nearly overwhelming. The shop was crammed floor to ceiling with every herb, spice and condiment imaginable. Prayer rugs hung from the ceiling. The back wall was lined with incenses and candles.

Huge wooden bins were heaped full of paprika and cumin and fennel and masala and curry blends. Bright, colorful mountains of herbs and spices beckoned us to sniff and smell … and buy.  Cubby holes were brimming with small packets of aromatic spice blends.

We watched a man empty a huge sack of turmeric into a bin midst a cloud of yellow dust. We spent nearly an hour inhaling and buying … a little Chinese Five Spice, some oregano, a small package of anise, some pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds and garam marsala. It was the highlight of the day.

After all the spice purchases, we needed sustenance. There were lots of coffee shops around and we chose the royal blue Batavia simply for its bright color appeal. It was an interesting little cafe with an eclectic decor. We sat in comfy easy chairs with a little table between us. I tried a koeksister … like a spicy donut covered in coconut. It went well with my flat white coffee, but I brushed coconut flakes off my black jeans and jacket for the rest of the day.

We spent the better part of four hours wandering the streets of Bo-kaap, peeking in shops and enjoying the spirit and the flavor of the place. There's so much more to see in Cape Town. Stay tuned. I can assure you,  it won't be all boat chores here!

Rounding the Cape of Good Hope

Dias named it the Cape of Storms when he rounded it in 1488. Portugal's King John II changed the name to the Cape of Good Hope, in anticipation of finding a trade route to India.  In 1580, Sir Francis Drake called it the "The Fairest Cape in all the World".  It's the legendary home of The Flying Dutchman, whose ghostly crew is forever doomed to beat its way around the cape without ever successfully rounding the headland. It's the domain of the castigated Portuguese mythical Titan, Adamastor, who sunk ships trying to enter his domain in the Indian Ocean.

We slipped from our berth in Simonstown into the calm, flat waters of False Bay just before sunrise.

Seals raised their flippers and jumped in the air. Dolphins swam at the bow. Birds dipped their wings. All Neptune's creatures seemed to be celebrating with us as we prepared to round the Cape of Good Hope.

The 60 nautical mile daytrip began as benignly as a passage can be. The sun was soon swallowed up by grey skies as we motor-sailed to Cape Point with light, variable winds and a little current behind us.

The last time we were at the Cape of Good Hope, it was on land at South Africa's Cape Point National Park in 2007.

At that time, we had gazed out on the Atlantic from the top of Cape Point, looking down on the lighthouse below.

This time, we had a different view of the lighthouse ...

and a whole different view of the Cape of Good Hope.

David hauled out our best Mauritian rum and offered Neptune a good tot, thanking him as always for his continued protection of Cups and crew as we rounded the fifth and last of the great southern capes and headed to Cape Town … at last.