South Africa 2014
June 18. Hans, our next door neighbour, took us to the bus station to catch the Megabus to Scarborough, then the Go bus to Pearson and Terminal 1. Air Canada to London was >2 hours late because our plane was held up getting to Toronto. Our flight to Heathrow was great but full; the crew were the best yet- efficient and very happy.
June 19- Terminal 2 in London was just opened last week, no wonder it’s so clean. With the late arrival we decided to go for a walk in the airport area instead of taking the tube to downtown London. We took a local bus off the airport proper from the central bus terminal and walked to Hounslow and it surroundings; then it was to the Pheasant Pub for supper. As it was such a long time since we were in London, I had fish and chips with a pint of bitter; Susie had haddock and a salad. The food was excellent. After our meal, we took the bus back to the airport and waited for our flight to Cape Town. The plane was a 747 with lots of seats unused. I moved to a set of 4 in the middle and Susie used the 3 on the side. We both slept most of the way to Cape Town.
June 20- flying over Namibia we saw lots of sand and the Atlantic Ocean. What was impressive was the absence of vegetation along the beach. As we settled into our approach, we flew over what we later learned was Robben Island then further south around the Cape of Good Hope and turned north to land. Clearing customs was far easier than we anticipated; the officers asked how long we were staying and stamped our passports then we were through. We stopped at the information desk for tourist information pamphlets then with the assistance of an airport employee caught a Sport Shuttle to our hotel for R260. On the way we passed some shacks that the driver told us was a squatters town, which was filled with bad housing although they had electricity and good water. We arrived at the Cape Town Lodge Hotel early so our room wasn’t ready. We checked our luggage, and had a quick bite to eat at the Subway next door and walked down to the see the location of the convention centre. We decided to hike up Signal Hill. At the top we talked to an attendant and got directions to Lions Head. As we started up Lions Head we met Erica from California and then continued to hike the spiral pathway to the peak. The grade was initially gentle on a wide path then became narrow and steep after a complete revolution. We even had ladders and rock staples in several places. The view from the top was spectacular. Table Mountain had her table cloth of clouds today. We walked back to hotel via the main road, which happened to be Buildengragt where our hotel was located. On checking into our room we found large clean room with a large TV and minifridge and small sink nearby. Susie started by having a hot bath while I connected to the internet; I bought a card for R35 for 100 mb. I followed in the tub a few minutes later. For supper we went to the restaurant downstairs. I had a sirloin steak and baked potato, while Susie had a salad topped with chicken; both were excellent although my medium rare steak was rare. The total price for dinner including the tip was just over R200- excellent value.
June 21. Slept in until after 8 then had a huge breakfast on the 5th floor. Great buffet of hot and cold meats, eggs, toast, fruit, juice, coffee etc. For R120 each. We then walked up to the Table Mountain cable station, continued past it for about 15 minutes until we found a sign for Plattenklip Gorge path. While on the path we met Stefano from northern Italy. The path up was well maintained although quite steep and mostly in sunlight. We arrived at the top just two and a half hours from the hotel and meandered to the upper cable station and restaurant area by three hours~ 1 PM; considering that everyone told us that hike from road by the lower cable car station to the top was 2 and half hours, our old legs served us well. The whole day gave us perfect weather; a sunny almost cloudless sky all day. We took lots of pictures and saw a Dassie (aka hyrax), which is a small ground hog like mammal that is most closely related to the elephant. We then walked around the top to Maclear’s Beacon then back to the gorge trail and out. Stefano caught the bus not far below the lower cable station and we walked back to our hotel.
June 22. First thing after breakfast to walk to the Victoria and Alfred Docks (V&A waterfront) via the working docks. Then we looked around all the touristy stuff and by the new soccer stadium. After going to Hertz rent a car, we saw our car with its small trunk and upgraded to a slightly larger one so that our suitcases would fit in the trunk. We drove out of Cape Town via the N2 and took the R4 to Muizenberg then on to Glencairn; it was a weird feeling driving on the left and shifting with my left hand. At Glencairn, we checked into the Glen Inn, which provided us with a quaint large unit; it had a sun room overlooking the bay. The bathroom was interesting as it had an iron tub with legs, and a toilet with a chain. The taps on the tub did not shut off well. It was R650/night for two with continental breakfast. The hostess Greta was very helpful in pointing out various walk we could take and how to do the cape. We took her advice and hiked up Elsie’s peak, a 300 and some metre peak just north of the inn. The views from Elsie’s were spectacular.
June 23. At 8 AM we had breakfast with Greta and the man who runs the pub next door. They gave us more advice about touring and we talked about the country of SA. We drove to the entrance to the cape part of Table Mountain National Park and were told that we couldn’t buy a multi-park pass (aka Wild Card) there but had to drive 7 km inside to get it. But to drive in you have to pay an entry fee that is not counted toward the pass. This is the dumbest make work procedure they could have dreamed up; most countries would have the passes available at any entrance. After that we drove to Cape Point and hiked to the upper (older) then the lower lighthouse. After lunch we hiked to the Cape of Good Hope and walked down to the beach that joins them; almost no one does it but we had to of course. After that we drove to Olifantsbos then hiked the beach to the wreck of the Thomas T Tucker; even though it went down in 1942 there is still a lot of steel to rust away. On the way back to the park entrance, AC we saw antelopes (Bontebok?), zebras and ostriches by the road. Then after leaving the park, we stopped in Simon’s Town to see the African Penguins. It was a very successful day. Also stopped to get a book on hostels in SA. That evening, I tested the hypothesis that all SA wines are good by getting merlot for less than R30; it was quite alright. I had to be impressed. Of course, I am anything but a wine connoisseur.
June 24. After breakfast we left Glencairn and drove eastward through Fishhoek (where I bought another plug adaptor for 220 to 110 V plugs. Then we took R310 to N2 and R44. We stopped often along the coast to enjoy the view then just before Betty’s Bay we hiked up an nice little peak after finding the path which had been marked with a cairn on the dirt road near the R44. After getting into Hermanus, we found our accommodations for the next two days- Tiny Bubbles a small, self-catering place just as you enter Hermanus. For the great price of R600/night we got a unit that over 600 sq ft including a living room with large TV, full kitchen, large bedroom and bathroom. Everything in it was first class; Elma even had little flowers on the towels and elsewhere and two glasses of sherry. We lucked out on this one. In addition our hostess was a lovely person. We spent the afternoon hiking up and down the rocks by the cliffside pathway.
June 25. Our first activity today was to check out the clubhouse that we also had access to. It had a pool and large weight room with free weights and exercise machines. We did an upper body workout then headed out to Schulphoekwig, a street that took us to the western end of the accessible cliffs. After walking along toward the east, we ran into the abalone farm and New Harbour and had to walk around them inland. We then picked up the cliff path and walked to the centre of town by the old harbour for a latish lunch. After that it was continue eastward until we thought we might run out of light. On the way back we stopped at Pik’n Pay to check out groceries. One item we picked up was peanut and sow butter- not bad although sweeter than anticipated. We toyed with the idea of staying in Hermanus one more night because the accommodations were so nice but decided to move on an see new vistas tomorrow.
June 18. Hans, our next door neighbour, took us to the bus station to catch the Megabus to Scarborough, then the Go bus to Pearson and Terminal 1. Air Canada to London was >2 hours late because our plane was held up getting to Toronto. Our flight to Heathrow was great but full; the crew were the best yet- efficient and very happy.
June 19- Terminal 2 in London was just opened last week, no wonder it’s so clean. With the late arrival we decided to go for a walk in the airport area instead of taking the tube to downtown London. We took a local bus off the airport proper from the central bus terminal and walked to Hounslow and it surroundings; then it was to the Pheasant Pub for supper. As it was such a long time since we were in London, I had fish and chips with a pint of bitter; Susie had haddock and a salad. The food was excellent. After our meal, we took the bus back to the airport and waited for our flight to Cape Town. The plane was a 747 with lots of seats unused. I moved to a set of 4 in the middle and Susie used the 3 on the side. We both slept most of the way to Cape Town.
June 20- flying over Namibia we saw lots of sand and the Atlantic Ocean. What was impressive was the absence of vegetation along the beach. As we settled into our approach, we flew over what we later learned was Robben Island then further south around the Cape of Good Hope and turned north to land. Clearing customs was far easier than we anticipated; the officers asked how long we were staying and stamped our passports then we were through. We stopped at the information desk for tourist information pamphlets then with the assistance of an airport employee caught a Sport Shuttle to our hotel for R260. On the way we passed some shacks that the driver told us was a squatters town, which was filled with bad housing although they had electricity and good water. We arrived at the Cape Town Lodge Hotel early so our room wasn’t ready. We checked our luggage, and had a quick bite to eat at the Subway next door and walked down to the see the location of the convention centre. We decided to hike up Signal Hill. At the top we talked to an attendant and got directions to Lions Head. As we started up Lions Head we met Erica from California and then continued to hike the spiral pathway to the peak. The grade was initially gentle on a wide path then became narrow and steep after a complete revolution. We even had ladders and rock staples in several places. The view from the top was spectacular. Table Mountain had her table cloth of clouds today. We walked back to hotel via the main road, which happened to be Buildengragt where our hotel was located. On checking into our room we found large clean room with a large TV and minifridge and small sink nearby. Susie started by having a hot bath while I connected to the internet; I bought a card for R35 for 100 mb. I followed in the tub a few minutes later. For supper we went to the restaurant downstairs. I had a sirloin steak and baked potato, while Susie had a salad topped with chicken; both were excellent although my medium rare steak was rare. The total price for dinner including the tip was just over R200- excellent value.
June 21. Slept in until after 8 then had a huge breakfast on the 5th floor. Great buffet of hot and cold meats, eggs, toast, fruit, juice, coffee etc. For R120 each. We then walked up to the Table Mountain cable station, continued past it for about 15 minutes until we found a sign for Plattenklip Gorge path. While on the path we met Stefano from northern Italy. The path up was well maintained although quite steep and mostly in sunlight. We arrived at the top just two and a half hours from the hotel and meandered to the upper cable station and restaurant area by three hours~ 1 PM; considering that everyone told us that hike from road by the lower cable car station to the top was 2 and half hours, our old legs served us well. The whole day gave us perfect weather; a sunny almost cloudless sky all day. We took lots of pictures and saw a Dassie (aka hyrax), which is a small ground hog like mammal that is most closely related to the elephant. We then walked around the top to Maclear’s Beacon then back to the gorge trail and out. Stefano caught the bus not far below the lower cable station and we walked back to our hotel.
June 22. First thing after breakfast to walk to the Victoria and Alfred Docks (V&A waterfront) via the working docks. Then we looked around all the touristy stuff and by the new soccer stadium. After going to Hertz rent a car, we saw our car with its small trunk and upgraded to a slightly larger one so that our suitcases would fit in the trunk. We drove out of Cape Town via the N2 and took the R4 to Muizenberg then on to Glencairn; it was a weird feeling driving on the left and shifting with my left hand. At Glencairn, we checked into the Glen Inn, which provided us with a quaint large unit; it had a sun room overlooking the bay. The bathroom was interesting as it had an iron tub with legs, and a toilet with a chain. The taps on the tub did not shut off well. It was R650/night for two with continental breakfast. The hostess Greta was very helpful in pointing out various walk we could take and how to do the cape. We took her advice and hiked up Elsie’s peak, a 300 and some metre peak just north of the inn. The views from Elsie’s were spectacular.
June 23. At 8 AM we had breakfast with Greta and the man who runs the pub next door. They gave us more advice about touring and we talked about the country of SA. We drove to the entrance to the cape part of Table Mountain National Park and were told that we couldn’t buy a multi-park pass (aka Wild Card) there but had to drive 7 km inside to get it. But to drive in you have to pay an entry fee that is not counted toward the pass. This is the dumbest make work procedure they could have dreamed up; most countries would have the passes available at any entrance. After that we drove to Cape Point and hiked to the upper (older) then the lower lighthouse. After lunch we hiked to the Cape of Good Hope and walked down to the beach that joins them; almost no one does it but we had to of course. After that we drove to Olifantsbos then hiked the beach to the wreck of the Thomas T Tucker; even though it went down in 1942 there is still a lot of steel to rust away. On the way back to the park entrance, AC we saw antelopes (Bontebok?), zebras and ostriches by the road. Then after leaving the park, we stopped in Simon’s Town to see the African Penguins. It was a very successful day. Also stopped to get a book on hostels in SA. That evening, I tested the hypothesis that all SA wines are good by getting merlot for less than R30; it was quite alright. I had to be impressed. Of course, I am anything but a wine connoisseur.
June 24. After breakfast we left Glencairn and drove eastward through Fishhoek (where I bought another plug adaptor for 220 to 110 V plugs. Then we took R310 to N2 and R44. We stopped often along the coast to enjoy the view then just before Betty’s Bay we hiked up an nice little peak after finding the path which had been marked with a cairn on the dirt road near the R44. After getting into Hermanus, we found our accommodations for the next two days- Tiny Bubbles a small, self-catering place just as you enter Hermanus. For the great price of R600/night we got a unit that over 600 sq ft including a living room with large TV, full kitchen, large bedroom and bathroom. Everything in it was first class; Elma even had little flowers on the towels and elsewhere and two glasses of sherry. We lucked out on this one. In addition our hostess was a lovely person. We spent the afternoon hiking up and down the rocks by the cliffside pathway.
June 25. Our first activity today was to check out the clubhouse that we also had access to. It had a pool and large weight room with free weights and exercise machines. We did an upper body workout then headed out to Schulphoekwig, a street that took us to the western end of the accessible cliffs. After walking along toward the east, we ran into the abalone farm and New Harbour and had to walk around them inland. We then picked up the cliff path and walked to the centre of town by the old harbour for a latish lunch. After that it was continue eastward until we thought we might run out of light. On the way back we stopped at Pik’n Pay to check out groceries. One item we picked up was peanut and sow butter- not bad although sweeter than anticipated. We toyed with the idea of staying in Hermanus one more night because the accommodations were so nice but decided to move on an see new vistas tomorrow.
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