south africa: capetown

I knew as soon as I booked my flights to South Africa that I would spend some time in Capetown. Every person I know who has ever been to South Africa said Capetown was a highlight, a must see city/place. Though Johannesburg is the capital and has more people, Capetown gets a lot more visitors. I think it could be easily argued that Capetown has more culture, and has/d a larger effect on who/what the country of South Africa is today.

My bus was supposed to arrive a bit after six in the morning, but of course it was late. We arrived closer to eight in the morning. I'd made a booking through airbnb, and kept my host aware of where the bus was.

When I arrived, he picked me up at the bus station and took me to his house. I'm sure I could've walked it, but since I had my pack, the ride was nice.

I got the tour of the house, then my host went to work. While we were in the truck he told me about the neighborhood, as well as a bit about the city as a whole. When we parked in front of the house I looked up the street and realized there was a great view of Table Mountain.

I took advantage of decent wifi, and got caught up on everything as well as charged my phone. Hours later I walked out of the house, armed with a plan.

I used one of my apps to create a map of where I wanted to go that day, what I wanted to see. Needless to say, it did not go as planned. It was going to be a long walk no matter what, but that's always fine with me. I crossed over a set of train tracks, and found out that the exit I thought would be there wasn't available to me. It turned out I didn't work in that particular area, so I didn't have a badge to go through.

This block meant I had to walk quite a ways back, to find a way I could walk. I was annoyed, but there was nothing I could do. When I tried to explain that I just wanted to walk through everyone thought I was crazy for walking in the first place.

I turned around and figured out another way to go. Since I'd had to walk more than my already long plan, I didn't get to everything I'd hoped to see that day. Oh well. I figured I would fit everything in over the next few days. On this new route I walked by a building that had a giant picture of Nelson Mandela on the windows.

Further along I found a cenotaph, though I don't remember exactly what it was memorializing. I like this sort of thing, even though they tend to be similar around a country. Capetown already looked and felt different to me as opposed to Johannesburg and Durban. Close to the cenotaph were a couple rows of green trees. Yes, I know that trees are typically green, but even the trunks of these trees were green.

My first sight ended up not being at all what I hoped for. The name is Gold Museum, but it is no longer a museum about gold. Booo.

It's now a museum about the life of Nelson Mandela. I was disappointed, but walked through anywho. There were a few items on display, but it was mostly quotes and pictures and description of Mandela's life.

I wound my way through the streets to St George's Church, which was lovely. Nothing extravagant, but I prefer less splashy. It felt peaceful, and was empty while I was in there.

Sortof behind the church are the Company Gardens. Lots of little areas in the gardens, so you feel as though you're seeing several different gardens.

There were a bunch of people in the gardens, but with the way it is arranged, it didn't feel crowded at all. It seemed to be a place people come to enjoy their lunch break.

I found a decrepit building on the edge of a parkplatz, upon which was a quote that should be noted around the world: All are equal before the law.

My next stop was the so called artillery memorial. The monument itself was backlit at that point, so I didn't take the photo. There was a small pond in front of the monument, I had fun watching a couple kids play in the water.

Next to the memorial was the museum of one person. This museum follows how humankind came to be, from way back all the way till now. There is a GIANT strand of DNA in front of the museum, it's impossible to miss. I had to be very patient to get the photo I wanted, as people kept walking into my frame. Then, just as people cleared out, a couple ladies decided to do an amateur photo shoot. Finally they left and I clicked away.

I walked back to Strand Street, a main street of sorts. I followed the street toward another part of the city, by the coast. The first part of the walk was uphill, which was exhausting for some reason or another.

At this point there was already plenty of traffic, which always makes me a little nervous. I walked and walked, and finally arrived at the coastal part of capetown.

I walked to the lighthouse, which wasn't nearly as exciting as I had hoped. It's painted red and white, and rather cute.

As I walked along the coast I realized how much more active people are in capetown than in other cities in the country. There were heaps of people out for a walk, or a run, or to do yoga, etc... It was nice to see people out in public.

There were large green areas, and paths along the coast. This isn't a beach area, as there are rocks there, not sand. In one of the large green areas was a huge frame for glasses. Since election day was coming up, someone had put a sign in the frames reminding people to vote.

I walk a lot more, making my way to an area of the city called Sea Point. It's filled with shops and restaurants, one of which is where I had dinner. Sushi, it wasn't wonderful or awful. To get home I used uber for the first time. Easy, convenient, and relatively cheap. I wanted to walk, until I realized it would be over an hour of walking, after dark in a South African city.

The next morning I followed the same path I'd walked the day before, which was a cycle and footpath for part of the way. I made my way all the way to V&A waterfront, passing a small shipyard along the way. I like seeing things built, and I could see where some of the workers were living.

In the waterfront area I could see a clocktower that reminded me a bit of the lighthouse I'd seen the evening before, it was painted red and white. I found the diamond museum, and entered. I tried to pay, but they said I could pay after the tour. To go through the museum one of the employees gives you a tour, explaining the different exhibits along the way.

The museum isn't big, but it describes how diamonds are made, how they're mined, and how they're used. Diamonds are described in terms of shape and cost and uniquemess. At the end, there is a shop if you want to buy something.

In a small area of the waterfront are a couple cannons, they're all that is left of what used to be a fort in the area.

I ended up having a hot dog for lunch, as I wasn't in the mood to stop and sit in a cafe/restaurant. Probably not the healthiest thing I could do, buuuuut.....

My next stop was the medical museum. It didn't seem well known, it's actually an old hospital (the infectious disease unit,) located near the modern hospital. After I pushed the doorbell, I had to wait while they opened the security door for me. As far as I could tell, I was the only person in the museum at the time, and no one paid any attention to me.

There were displays of old medical books, old medical supplies, a mockup of a surgical room, etc... There were also displays of various diseases that had come to this area of the world, along with the stories of specific outbreaks.

When I left, I signed the guidebook, which confirmed my thoughts that this museum doesn't get a lot of visitors.

I walked from there to the Slave Lodge. This building was originally one of the places where slaves were brought to be sold after being imported from east African countries. After the slave trade stopped, it was turned into a set of courts. Now it is a museum all about the slave trade. There is an area set up as the interior of a slave ship, which is horrifying. Sooooo many people were crammed into such a small area. There is a monument listing some of the known names from one of the major slave trading companies.

I won't go into details here, but lets just say that what people have done to other people over history is absolutely awful. No human is any less than any other human being.

One area of the museum had temporary displays; one of these was about music. The display had a bunch of cd jackets, which I loved.

From the Slave Lodge I wanted to go to the District 6 museum, but it was already closed for the day. (Museums in this country don't seem to be open very much.) Instead, I ended up at a place called Charly's Bakery. YUM. Definitely one of the most brightly coloured bakeries I have ever seen.

After stuffing my face with a brownie and a cupcake, I walked toward the city fort. Unfortunately, that was also already closed for the day. Argh. Since I still had some time, I walked back to the waterfront, getting to see sunset while I was walking. I got back to V&A waterfront, and took a few night photos. It's a commercially developed area, there are plenty of people out there every night for dinner, shopping, and just being outside.

From there I walked to the neighborhood known as Bo Kap (sp?) which is known for it's coloured houses. I'd arranged dinner with a guy I met while traveling through Turkey 4+ years ago.

We'd only met briefly, while each of us was passing time at a bus station; we had dinner together back then.

Since Terrence lived in Capetown, I asked him to choose a place, he chose a Malay/Indian restaurant. Apparently this place had been featured on an episode of Iron Chef (or another cooking show along those lines,) a couple years ago. There is a lot of Indian food all over South Africa, but unlike my memories of India, there is a lot more meat involved in South African Indian food. Terrence and I ended up closing down the restaurant because we talked for so long.

The next morning I got up early, even though it was a holiday. It wasn't a regular national holiday, it was Election Day. I love the idea of Election Day being a day off for most people, that way very few people have an excuse for not voting. My host had made plans to hike on Table Mountain with some friends, and invited me along. He said it would be a little technical, but I should be fine. I made sure I had water, snacks, and decent clothing, and walked out the door.

Mark's friends picked us up, and we parked under the bottom of the cable car. I think the original plan had been to hike up, then take the cable car down, but upon arrival we discovered the cable car was closed for annual maintenance.

That meant hiking up and hiking down. Adventures are always fun, right?

When I arrived in Capetown one of the things I knew I wanted to do was hike up Table Mountain. I wanted to be able to say I made it to the top of such an iconic place.

I was happy Mark had invited me along, as it meant I didn't have to do any research about how to get to a trailhead, or what trail to use, or how to get back after hiking. We met a couple other folks at the parkplatz, then started moving.

Almost as soon as we started, I knew I was the slowest of the group. I don't get to hike nearly as often as I'd like, and when I do, I stop quite regularly to take photos and enjoy whateva views I can see. I didn't mind at all that I was the slowest, and I hope I wasn't holding anyone back.

We followed a trail called India Venster. The sign at the trailhead warns that it is a difficult trail, and some climbing will be needed. Talk about an understatement. For me, there was real climbing.

I loved every minute of the hike, even though it was one of the toughest hikes I've ever done. A few times I had to use my arms to pull myself up and onto a rock, then reach for the next part of the trail. I felt like a badass, hee hee. The trail varied constantly, so I never settled into a rhythm. It was an awesome challenge, and one I would gladly repeat, with someone of course.

The trail was quite steep in places, and full of amazing views. I got to see the sun move in the sky, and I got to see clouds roll in.

At one point we went around a corner and all of us felt as though we would be blown off the mountain due to strong winds. Mark showed me that I could see down the ridge, and see what they called the 12 Apostles. Very picturesque.

We passed a sign that faced the other way, saying "not an easy way down.' That was even more of an understatement than the first sign I'd seen that day! There is no way I would risk going down the trail we came up, as I'm sure I'd fall all the way down the mountain. I can't imagine many people would hike down that trail, but I'm sure there are a few.

When we got to the top we found out the cafe was closed, along with the cable car. This was a disappointment, but thankfully all of us were prepared just in case. As we were on top it got really cloudy, and the wind kept up. We were all rather cold, and didn't linger as long as we would've in the sun.

Another reason I'm glad I was with other people: they knew other trails on the mountain, and knew how to hike down. We went down a trail called Platteklip Gorge, which was basically a giant, neverending, very irregular staircase. Since I have little to no natural grace or coordination, I had to watch every step I took.

It maybe sounds crazy, but my mind was exhausted as we went down, so I had a hard time staying upright. As with any descent, my quads were totally wrecked by the time I got to the bottom, waaaaay behind everyone else.

I was so far behind that I got totally separated. Thank goodness I had my phone, as I called Mark and figured out where to find everyone else. They picked me up, and we drove back closer to Mark's neighborhood. We stopped at a cafe, just because we could. I loved my sandwich, though it wasn't anything special. It's funny how simple food tastes so amazing after hard physical effort. If I lived here I'd like to think I'd do heaps of hikes like this one. 

After going home, I took a nap, and rested my legs. Around 1600, I left the house and started walking back toward V&A waterfront again. I went shopping in an outdoor store, finding a pair of pants that I sorely needed. Yay. From there I walked to Long Street, since I'd seen an Indian restaurant there a couple days earlier and wanted to try it out. Unfortunately, it was closed. Fortunately, there was another Indian place across the street. The new place looked cheaper, and more basic. I was happy to try it out :) I ordered a thali, which ended up being way too much food, but I was happy to eat as much as I could.

The next day after I came back from Simonstown I went back to the same restaurant and had a vegetable curry and roti. Yum. This is the life!

The following morning I was up early again, and walked back to the waterfront. I'd bought tickets online for a tour of Robben Island, thankfully there were still a few available during my visit in Capetown. They were booked out several days in advance.

I went through a security check before boarding the boat, going through a metal detector, and having to show my ticket and form of identification.

The boat that took us to Robben Island had three levels, I managed to get to the second level. On the way to the island I got to stand on the second level, in the back. This meant I got the view of the city and mountain as we drove away. I can see why there are so many photos of that view. 

The boat pulled up to the dock at the island, and everyone boarded one of several buses. On each bus there was a guide up front with a microphone, who started by introducing themselves. 

After the introduction, the us pulled out and started driving around the island. Almost immediately our guide noticed a penguin waddling down the road, he said they come to the island occasionally. Needless to say, this made me very happy. 

As the guide said, Robben Island is most known as where Nelson Mandela spent most of his 27 years of imprisonment, but that is far from the entire history of the island.

We saw part of the village in which island employees live, which includes a church. We saw what used to be the school, (kids now commute to capetown every day for school,) and a small coffee shop. There aren't a lot of people who live on the island, but they're necessary, when you think about it. 

We also saw one of the quarries where prisoners did hard labor. We saw a little bit of the WW2 history of the island, where an artillery battery was located. Those guns could shoot a looong way, the island is a very strategic point. I wish we could've gotten off the bus at that point. 

Finally we came to the entrance of the prison. We all piled off the bus, and our bus was greeted by a new guide. 

All of the guides for the prison portion of this tour are former prisoners. When they describe parts of life and parts of the prison, they're describing parts of their prior life. It gets intense at times. 

Our guide showed us different areas of the prison, including the cell where Mandela lived. We saw group housing, the recreation years, the so called Mandela's Garden, etc... I was fascinated, and horrified. The only thing I wish I'd been able to hear was an idea of what daily life was for the prisoners. 

We walked back to the dock, and boarded the boat for the return trip. This time I had to sit inside, and it made me really really seasick. The waves weren't that bad, but I react to such things rather dramatically. The ride back to Capetown felt a lot longer than the ride out because I was miserable. Ugh.

We got off the boat back at the port, and I immediately noticed a group of seals laying out on the docks. Very cute. Ugly at the same time.

From the waterfront I walked to the castle of good hope, also called the city fort. It was under renovation in a lot of areas, but it was open. I paid my entry fee and went in to see what I could see. 

It turned out there wasn't a lot of anything of interest for me, argh. I saw a room with art on display, a couple goats in the courtyard, and a few ducks in the courtyard. I most enjoyed climbing up to the roof, though I don't think that area was open to the public. When I see a door that isn't specifically closed and blocked off, I like to see what is behind the door. I found a random stairwell and followed it all the way up to the roof. Great views of Table Mountain.

After the castle/fortress I walked to the District 6 Museum. It's called District 6 because that was the name of the area that had a huge flip flop in the days of apartheid. The neighborhood was mostly black originally, but in a location whites wanted. 

So the government told the blacks to get out, and tore everything down so whites could redevelop the area. The result of tearing everything down was in a huge loss of culture. Families lost housing, neighborhoods lost sports areas, hair salons, etc... Reading the information and seeing the photos was heartbreaking. It's a small museum, filled to the brim.

I stopped in Charly's Bakery after leaving the museum, but didn't buy anything. I have no idea why, but nothing appealed to me. I don't know how such a thing is possible! I should point out everything looked good, but nothing screamed "eat me!"

After the museum I walked toward city hall, going around the entire building. It turns out that the first public speech given by Mandela after his release from prison was right in front of city hall. There is a huge platz there, usually filled with some vendors, and cars.

I walked home, stopping at a supermarket for dinner food. Along the way I kept looking at Table Mountain, which was wearing a hat of clouds. After a few days in the city I could understand why there are so many photos of Table Mountain. It's appearance changes all the time, depending on time of day and the weather.

The next morning I got up in time to do laundry, then Terrence picked me up for a day trip. Read about that in another post.

When I arrived back home I took the time to start packing my stuff, and figure out arrangements for the next morning.

The next morning I was up in time to catch an uber taxi to the airport, which ended up being cheaper than I expected. Yay! I paid for my ticket (they let me book it on the phone, then pay cash when I checked in, I wish that happened more often!) and made my way through the airport. 

south africa: muizenberg, st james bay, and kalk bay

When Terrence and I had dinner earlier in the week we decided to do a day trip to nearby areas when he didn't have to work on Saturday. I follow him on instagram, and he has posted some beautiful photos, so I told him that's where I wanted to go.

Our first stop was a town called Muizenberg. It's one of many small towns stretched along the cape, south of Capetown. Most people come to town for the same reason we did, to see the beach. It's a popular place for surfing, though I'm not into that. We did see a few people out there, though I know the water wasn't warm.

Along the beach are another iconic part of town: the beach shacks. They're colourful, and impossible to miss. Terrence told me that even though they don't look spick and span anymore, they're actually quite expensive, and very difficult to buy. People/families hold onto them for a long time.

Next we drove to another town on the coast called St James Bay. As you might guess, it's on a bay. There isn't much to the town, just a couple roads. Most of the people who live in town work in tourism, or commute to Capetown for work each day. It seems like a good idea, except that there aren't many roads, which means commute times could be horrendous. Heaps of tourists, (especially in season,) cram the roads all day every day.

While we were driving, Terrence pointed out to me fire damaage on the mountains from a fire several years ago. (Table Mountain National Park stretches down the entire length of the cape.) It was sad to see that the damage is still there, I wonder how long it will be until it is back to normal.

St James Bay also has colourful beach shacks, even more than there are in Muizenberg. Since it was still pretty early in the morning, on a winter Saturday morning, there weren't many people out and about yet. We took advantage of this to have a mini photo shoot with the shacks. Terrence is just as picky as I am about photos, and also has a really good eye for what makes a good photo. We had fun taking advantage of the beautiful colours, and lack of other people.

While we were there we did see a couple taking engagement photos, we took photos of them as well. One of the photos was something I tried to recreate, using the reflection of the water. I really need a better camera.

We drove from St James Bay, to Kalk Bay, the next small town on the cape. We started exploration of town by having a small breakfast in a random cafe. I'm a sucker for any place that has scones and cream on a menu. These scones were amazing, the cream was even better. The cream was so good that both of us considered ordering another scone just to have more cream. YUM.

After the cafe we browsed through a couple vintage/antique shops. Just like St James Bay, Kalk Bay is dependent on tourists. There are plenty of these shops, and souvenir shops as well. Once I found postcards in a shop, I was a happy camper.

After the shops we made our way to the beach area, and the marina/port. It was neat to see the fishing boats, and know they weren't just for tourist photos. (Though the photos were pretty good too.)

In this area we saw several seals, all laying around. While we were watching them, we noticed a woman pouring fish guts/remains over the wall, into the water. That's when I realized seals move really fast when they're motivated. Apparently the fish guts were plenty motivating, because the seals got going, and went over the wall into the water after the food.

I wanted a video, but I was more concerned about staying out of the way of the seals. They're all fat, and lazy in the sun, but big and scary too.

At that point we realized it was mid afternoon, and we hadn't had a proper meal, yet. Fortunately, not too far away was a tourist destination in terms of food. It's called Kalky's, and according to Terrence has been around for years and years. The food isn't high class, most of it is fried. We ordered a platter with fried fish, fried shrimp, french fries, and I've forgotten what else. There was a small amount of a salad that had probably come from a bag.

We thought we would need more food, so we ordered an extra piece of fish. It turned out we didn't need the extra, but that didn't stop us from eating it. Fried food at its best.

From there it was time to go back to Capetown. The drive back was a bit more busy than our morning drive, but it still didn't take long.

We drove through the area where Terrence lives, which has beautiful views of the water. I can see why he loves it. We continued driving, until we got to an area known as Camps Bay The people who live here have money. A lot of money. The houses were big, and had good views of the water.

The beach is nice, and was filled with people running around enjoying the beautiful weather. I walked into the water, to make sure I could say I'd been in the ocean this far south :)

While we were there the sunset started, so we took a few more photos, so pretty.

What a great day/road trip. Great to spend time with a travel/photo friend, and see more of an area I love. I will be back.

south africa: simons town/boulders beach (PENGUINS!!!)

I love penguins, I always have. They are my favourite animal. Imagine my excitement when I found out there is a penguin colony in a town in South Africa. YIPPEEEEEE doesn't even begin to describe it. 

I walked to the train station in Cape Town (stopping for a piece of takeaway cheesecake and a muffin - for breakfast of course,) along the way. Since I'd already walked that street several times, my walk didn't take as long as google maps said it would. 

I asked the clerk for a ticket for the next train to Simon's Town, and he asked which class I wanted. The cheapeast, of course. It ended up costing me less than $2 round trip for third class. To make it even better, there was a train leaving in less than 10 minutes. 

I wound my way down to the platforms, and hopped on the train. 

There weren't many people on the train, and they were all men. I looked around the car just to see what I could see, which was interesting. Advertisements for several medical opportunities, including cosmetic surgery and abortion. Almost all of these didn't list a doctor's name or qualifications, only that they could be contacted by whatsapp. Howeva you feel about any medical procedures, I'd think you want them done by qualified medical personnel. 

One man moved seats to sit right next to me, and tried to strike up a conversation. I wasn't interested, and let him know that by keeping my answers very very short, and very very vague. I also made a production of taking out my earbuds every time he asked a question, then putting them back in. At one point he touched my arm to get my attention, which I did not appreciate, and told him so directly. 

He said he just wanted to talk to me, and I said I wasn't interested. He finally got the message, and moved back to where he had been sitting originally. I could see a few slight grins on the faces of others, as well as expressions that said 'she is rude, why won't she talk to him?' on the faces of a few. Hmmmm. This wasn't the first time I had this sort of a conversation during my trip, but it was the time that someone took the longest to understand that I wasn't interested. 

It wasn't easy for me to know where we were. There were announcements for each stop, but I couldn't understand the garbled sound. Each time I train stopped I had to watch the entire platform to catch the name. 

Eventually, the train stopped at a station called Fish Hoek and everyone but me got out. There were only three others in my car at that point, so I assumed this was their stop. 

I found out I was wrong when someone came into the train and told me I had to get off and take a bus the rest of the way. He asked if I'd heard the announcement, and I told him it was so garbled I hadn't understood a thing, just as with the other announcements. He didn't seem surprised. At the same time, I got the impression that not a lot of tourists ride in 3rd class on the train. He said I'd probably missed the bus catching people from this train, and the next one wouldn't be for another hour or so. Argh. 

Since I wasn't completely confident in how long I had to wait, I didn't go anywhere. Instead of walking around this random town, I sat on a bench outside the station and read my kindle. I always make sure to keep something in my purse to entertain myself in case of adventures like this one. 

The bus came, and dropped everyone off in Simons town. I immediately started walking down the main road. It's almost a one road town, stretched out along the coast. 

I passed a cemetery, and figured out how to walk through a little bit of that. I passed a museum, unfortunately it was closed due to inventory. Argh. 

I passed a small marina area, with a couple cafes and a statue. At that point I wanted a breakfast cafe with scones or muffins, or a bakery, but none of these places were what I wanted. Argh. 

I got to a sign indicating where to go to see the penguins. I followed the arrow, noting a couple options for postcard purchases as I walked. I came to the entrance area, which was straightforward. For my fee I also got a brochure which told me about the area, the type of penguins who live there, and had a small map. 

The penguins who live in this colony are called African penguins. They're quite small, only about 60cm (2ft) and weighs up to 3.5kgs (8lbs.) They used to be called Jackass penguins because of the braying sound they make (it really does sound like a donkey,) but then someone decided that name wasn't politically correct. 

I went through the turnstile into the reserve.

There are two boardwalks at this entrance, I followed the longer one first. I went around a corner, and saw my first penguin. He wasn't close, and was a bit hidden amongst the scrub, but I SAW A PENGUIN! 

Then I came to the end of the boardwalk, which looks out onto the beach. MORE PENGUINS! I know I'm using a lot of capital letters, but I absolutely love penguins, and this was making me so happy. 

Just like everyone else there, I pulled out my camera and started clicking away, and filming video as well. 

The way penguins 'walk' makes me smile every time, it's sooo cute. After taking too many photos I put my camera away and just watched. Penguins fascinate me, I could've stayed for hours. 

The boardwalk keeps people away from the penguins, so you get to see them cross the beach and waddle up to the burrows in the wooded area. Sometimes they decide to lay down and take a nap  on the beach. 

After a while, I walked back and found the other boardwalk, which takes you through the wooded area, where the penguins have their burrows. I could hear them more clearly, and saw a few chicks. Penguin chicks aren't nearly as cute as adults. They've got a lot more brown fuzz, and don't walk around as much. Thank goodness for adults :)

I took heaps more photos, of course. 

I exited this area, and followed the map to another area. The lady working there looked really really bored, I don't think nearly as many people visit this part of the reserve. I have no idea why, because this area lets you go on a beach!! This is the actual Boulders Beach, it's quite small. 

As soon as I walked onto the beach I saw a penguin. I know it sounds silly, but my heart started pounding because I realized I would be able to get close to a penguin. I moved slowly closer and closer to the penguin, absolutely loving every minute. Eventually I got within a couple meters, which was as close as I thought was okay. I squatted down and talked at the penguin. He just looked at me, probably thinking I was crazy. Eventually he wandered off. 

Then the beach was empty so I sat for a few minutes just enjoying the peace and beauty. This was definitely a highlight of my trip. 

From there I walked back to the train station and caught the bus back to Fish Hoek, then the train back to Capetown. 

When I come back to South Africa I will go back to Simons Town to see the penguins again, how could I not? 

south africa: mossel bay

When I booked the bus from Knysna to Mossel Bay I made the mistake of thinking it would be on time. The original arrival time was in the middle of the night, which was tough enough. Then, it was at least 90 minutes late, pushing back my arrival time even more. Argh. Fortunately, before I left Knysna my host there had given me the number of a taxi service to call. (Yet another reason he was so awesome.)

Thankfully, the taxi didn't take long to arrive, and drove me straight to my accomodation.

When I'd booked my accomodation (on the recommendation of the same host in Knysna,) I'd let them know I would be arriving after they closed the check in desk. They'd said they would leave the key and information with the security guards, so I knew that would be the same arrangement no matter what time I arrived.

Security let me into my room, and I went straight to sleep.
This is where I describe my accomodation a bit. It was an old train!!! Unique, to say the least. I've slept on many a night train, but this one was unique in where it was parked. On the beach!! I opened my window just a bit to let in the sound of the waves coming in. Totally awesome. I fell asleep fast.

I slept until just before sunrise. In other words, not all that long, since I'd arrived around 2 in the morning.

Normally I would've been annoyed. But when I woke up and looked out the window of my room (which probably would've held at least two – maybe even four – people when it was an active train) I could see the beginnings of sunrise. I knew I'd already seen a few beautiful sunsets during this trip, but not so much sunrises.

I got out of the train and walked a few steps to the beach, and proceeded to take several panoramic shots of the sunrise. Beautiful the whole time.

I wanted to go back to sleep when I got back to my room, but it didn't work. Instead, I went to breakfast, in another part of the complex. This wasn't part of the train, it was added on. My room rate included breakfast, but only the cold food. That is, cereal, yogurt, fruit, and bread. I missed my eggs and bacon and tomatoes, but I survived just fine. It was possible to order and pay for hot food, but that seemed unnecessary to me. I was also able to have tea.

I went back to my room and packed my bag. It didn't take long, since I'd been there less than 12 hours. At the front desk I was able to see I wasn't the only one leaving a bag there during the day. I spent a few minutes booking a bus to my next destination, then asked the front desk how to get to where I wanted to go that day.

Mossel Bay is another city on the garden route. I'd come for one reason, which didn't end up working out, argh. I'd come because someone I met recommended a specific seafood restaurant. When I called the restaurant to make a reservation, they told me they weren't open for the season yet. Argh. Oh well.

I followed a map into the city center, which wasn't terribly exciting. It's another place that is probably packed during summer. During winter, not so much. During summer, shops and stuff are probably open all the time. During winter, not so much. It's probably rather cute when the shops are open, with people wandering around. I hope there are more cafes and restaurants open in summer.

As I walked through town very little was open. It was rather depressing, even though the weather was pretty good.

I found a church that was mentioned on the map, though it wasn't very intesting. I found a church that wasn't on the map, which was far more interesting. I finally found an open shop, it sold bikinis. Since it was winter, there weren't others looking, but I wanted more, so I was excited. I bought two, then stuffed them in my purse.

Eventually a road took me to a memorial. Like most of those I saw in South Africa, this was mostly for WW1.

There were a few names added later for WW2, but it was clear where the emphasis belonged.

I found a shack selling soft serve ice cream cones, I got one dipped in caramel sauce. The guy told me they made their own ice cream cones. I think the cone was better than the ice cream or the dip. I thought about buying an extra cone, just because; but I didn't.

From the ice cream shack I could see where I wanted to go next. Mossel Bay is on the coast, which is where the ice cream shack was located.

I took a few minutes to climb over a few rocks, and watch the waves crashing on the other side of the rocks. The wind wasn't all that strong, but the waves were still strong. I bet it must be amazing during storms.

I found the beginning of a trail I wanted to walk, and started walking. I'm glad I'd figured out something to do since the restaurant was closed.

St James trail follows the coastline for a while. I don't remember exactly, I think it is something like 15km? I walked for over 5km one way, then turned around because I wanted to get back to the hotel before sunset.

While I was walking, I followed the contours of the coastline. The trail was high up, so I wasn't down at water level. I got to see heaps of views over the water, and up and down the coastline.

Sooo pretty. I found myself wishing again that I'd gotten going earlier in the day, and had a chance to walk further along the trail. The trail went up and down, through bushy areas, through sandy areas, etc... I loved every minute of the walk.

I struggled to find a dinner place when I got back in the direction of my hotel. I ended up buying food at a supermarket (surrounded by closed shops) which isn't what I wanted. Argh. Fortunately, the dining room was still open in my hotel, so I ordered a hot meal in addition to the food I'd bought at the supermarket. I didn't have hot breakfast in the morning, I had it in the evening instead. Well worth it.

I called the same taxi company that evening to take me back to the bus dropoff. It ended up being the same driver! The bus was again running late, and I was again stuck outside most of the time. Howeva, in Knysna there was a picnic table and benches on which I could sit. In Mossel Bay the gas station didn't have much for people waiting around for a bus. It was cold, windy, and annoying.

At this point I should've been ready for it, but I was still surprised when the bus was late. Over an hour late, argh. I called the bus company again, and they wanted to know my ticket number when I asked where our bus was. Does that really matter? I think they just wanted to know who was taking the time to call about buses. Anywho, eventually they told me where the bus was. Not surprisingly, it was even later than they said.

Eventually, the bus arrived, and most of the people already on board were asleep. I had to wake someone up to get to my seat, oh well.

I probably won't go back to Mossel Bay, as I feel as though I've seen the town. But I've also learned, never say never....