Day 21 – Cape Town (Day 2)

This morning we got up bright and early again and took a taxi to the Table Mountain cable car. Luckily we had booked fast track tickets for the cable car before we left home and when we saw the size of the queue, we were very glad we did! The ride up to the top of Table Mountain is extremely precipitous and not for those who aren’t keen on heights (ie me), however it only takes approximately three minutes so the pain is short-lived. Once at the top the views are spectacular in every direction. It must surely be one if the greatest vistas in the world. We both commented that the top was not really what we expected. I think we were both expecting it to be a featureless rocky plateau, whereas in actual fact there is a lot of greenery on the top and a considerable amount of small wildlife. There is also a shop and a café and one is able to walk almost all the way around the summit. After this most magnificent excursion we headed back down to base where we jumped on the hop-on hop-off tour bus. This took us on a tour of the beach and tourist areas south of Cape Town and through some very exclusive neighbourhoods. It was difficult not to note the contrast between these exclusive and highly secure neighbourhoods with the township we had passed through yesterday. However, it was an enjoyable way to spend an hour and after disembarking in the centre of Cape Town we found ourselves in a very lively craft market where we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours and we stopped for lunch whilst watching a troop of local children performing traditional African dance, with accompanying drummers. After this we decided to walk all the way back to our ship and stopped on the way for a cold drink.

We have absolutely loved Cape Town and wish we had more time here. There is so much to see and do, the people are wonderful, and everybody seems friendly. The backdrop of the city is dramatic to say the least and the waterfront complex is superb. Cape Town is abuzz with life, colour and rhythm and there seems to be a choir singing around every corner. It is such a shame that there remains such an economic divide between whites and people of colour.