Awestruck in Cape Town

Saturday morning we said goodbye to the Blessmans, and went by van to Johannesburg. We flew 1time Airline (no joke) cross-country, and landed (safely, as our driver Bernard promised we would) in Cape Town mid-day.

I can't adequately describe the beauty of this part of South Africa. Words like tapestry, richness, landscape, awe come to mind. But if words don't quite convey the majesty of the place, I hope these pictures will.

In short, Cape Town is one of the loveliest places on earth.

Smack dab in the middle of the city is Table Mountain. It looms in the landscape from every direction. It's a reference point for giving directions, a sanctuary for urbanites, and the first place you must go as a tourist.

So right after we checked into our hotel, we went.

View from the cable car up to Table Mountain:



A surprising variety of plant and animal life clings to the top:


Hanging out in the clouds:


A curious rock hyrax, or 'dassie':






Dazzled by the endless vistas and late afternoon heat on Table Mountain, we didn't realize how late it was getting. By now, though, we were hungry! A fellow traveler in our hotel lobby recommended a restaurant nearby: Mama Africa.

They seated us up front. For the next two hours, with the band playing over us, we sampled curry and seafood and grooved to the lively African drumming. After a dry week with missionaries, I can tell you those beers went down well.

Live music @ Mama Africa

Sunday we were up early. From Victoria and Albert Waterfront we caught a boat to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of the 27 years of his life behind bars.


I imagined that the prison tour would be depressing. But it was just the opposite-- the political prisoners' quiet, persistent resistance became for me instead a symbol of overwhelming power.

View of Cape Town and Table Mountain from Robben Island:


A bright local graduate student was our tour guide. He thanked the busload of tourists for creating the international pressure on the South African government, which helped end apartheid in 1994:


Nelson Mandela's jail cell:


Former political prisoners at Robben Island give firsthand accounts of their lives behind bars:


Back on the mainland, we hired a taxi to visit one of South Africa's famed wineries.

Our driver, David, told us about his life growing up in Cape Town, and the many changes for the people living here since apartheid ended:


We had lovely views from the front porch, and enjoyed some terrific wines:



A local tipped us off to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden's Sundays-in-Summer concert series. It was a perfect way to cap off a busy day:



Early Monday morning, we set out to tour the Cape Peninsula. Our van took us along the gorgeous coast from Cape Town to the Cape of Good Hope:


We stopped to take a boat tour of an offshore seal colony:


At Boulder's Beach we came face to face with African Penguins at their rookery. They're also called Jackass Penguins, since their calls back and forth to one another sound just like donkeys braying. It was never meant as an insult!



My Asian fusion lunch at Boulders Beach Lodge and Restaurant:



That night we walked to Victoria and Albert Waterfront for our last dinner in Cape Town. If we had been leaving for the States just then, I might have cried. But instead we were on our way to Zimbabwe in the morning. And I couldn't wait to see what that country was all about.

Ocean Basket restaurant, at Victoria and Albert Waterfront

The Greek Fisherman restaurant, at Victoria and Albert Waterfront