We drove back through the Garden Route on our way back to Cape Town for our last day and a half before hopping on our return flight and 30 hours of travel back home.
We were looking forward to Cape Town as the weather had improved significantly. We still hadn't seen Table Mountain and we knew the city would look even better in the sunshine than the torrential rain we had just three days ago when we were there. We weren't disappointed.
Cape Town has everything any large world-class city has. Quiet, leafy suburbs, bustling downtown, gritty working class and industrial areas, and (unfortunately) large, dangerous, impoverished areas.
Looming over everything however, is Table Mountain. It is unlike anything in any other city. We're from Vancouver, we have mountains. But nothing that dominates the city like Table Mountain does. It defines and shapes the city. The city winds it`s way around the mountain, like a dragon around a treasure chest. And when the sun sets and hits the face of the mountain, it glows as if the treasure chest has been opened. We were in awe.
Our time was short and our plans to hike the mountain weren't going to work out. We opted for the cable car. The cable car has operated constantly since the 1930's. The latest cars, updated in 1997 rotate through 360 degrees during the 5 minute trip. Giving an excellent view of the mountain and the city below.
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| So much easier than walking. |
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| Dassies claim the mountain as their own but grudgingly allow humans to visit. |
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| Looking North, Table Mountain curls around the City Bowl. Tiger Hill and Signal Hill are on the left. The suburbs of Cape Town are on the other side of the mountain on the right. Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held, is in the bay, centre left. |
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| Looking south, the high end neighbourhoods and beach areas of CapeTown up against the Atlantic Ocean. |
We stayed for as long as we could, trying to take in the views and not wanting to leave. But finally, as the sun began to set, we took the last cable car down. As the light of the setting sun hit the mountain the whole city shined. Pictures don't do the scene justice.
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| Cel phone camera? check. Bad composition? check. Unknown people in the picture? check. Classic tourist photo. |
We got back into our rental car and took the short drive to Signal Hill to watch the sun as it slowly set into the Atlantic. Being Leftcoasters this was a novel experience, we're used to the sun setting into the Pacific.
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| Sunsets were out of this world |
We joined the crowds who were there enjoying a cool midwinter August day (The southern hemisphere is weird). And then back down to the Waterfront for something to eat and just to soak up the atmosphere of our last night in SA.
Our Couchsurfing deal had fallen through at the last minute so we scrambled a bit and picked up an AirBnB not to far from the rental car return place. The next day we turned in our rental and had once last look at the city as our driver took us to the airport.
It had been a fantastic trip. Both Michelle and I agreed that South Africa is one of the best places in the world to visit. Scenery, animals, history,friendly people, culture shock, grittiness, infrastructure. South Africa has everything. We both couldn't wait to go back. There was so much we hadn't seen and we wanted to see it all.
Up next! A review of all the airports we went through to get to and from South Africa.
