 |
The city "bowl", taken from Table Mountain, which lords over Cape Town. You can see Robben Island off in the top left corner of the photo. We took the cable car up to the top. |
Cape Town | Garden Route | Jo'berg | Vic Falls | Stellenbosch
|
|
The city "bowl", taken from Table Mountain, which lords over Cape Town. You can see Robben Island off in the top left corner of the photo. We took the cable car up to the top. |
| The southern tip of South Africa, the most southern point of mainland Africa in the Cape of Good Hope, where the oceans meet. |
|
 |
Kath outside the Cape Town Public Library, home of the cheapest Internet connection in a very slow Internet connection speed country. Note the rain jacket. She wore it a lot. It rained a lot, being winter when we were there and all. |
| Kath at the base of Table Mountain, after jet lag and an hour-long vertical climb over to the southern coastal area of the city. |
 |
 |
Going to Robben Island, this is a look back at the city. You can see the bowl, Table Mountain, and many of the buildings at the waterfront. |
| Kath resting at the Cape of Good Hope during the ascent to the lookout point. |
 |
 |
The mad, churning sea in Cape Town. I actually hopped on rocks to get out to a point where I could be surrounded by water, only to snap this picture, get totally soaked by a massive wave, and then be scolded by a local, who told me just how close I came to being sucked in and trapped by the undertow. Still, it was pretty cool. |
| Another view of Robben Island from the top of Table Mountain. |
 |
|
The prison at Robben Island where Mandela was kept. It was home to many important political prisoners for several decades. |
 |
 |
"The worst table service ever, but a pretty cool place to have a snack." -kath We watched whales play and blow water into the air only about 150 yards away. Some lady lived in the cave there completely self-sufficient for decades until she died. Then, logically, they put a restaurant there. They also have a web site - for some strange reason. Actual whale pics here. |
|
Not actually Table Mountain, but it is a peak connected at the western end of the chain called Signal Hill. The name comes from the fact that a cannon is fired there every day at noon (except Sunday), originally so that burghers can set their watches. Want to save the mountain? And see naked people? Well, you are in luck: Models for Table Mountain. No kidding. |
 |
 |
The beach on the western side of Cape Town. You can see the chain of mountains leading off into the distance, heading for the tip of southern Africa. |
|
More of the beach. There are few really nice homes stacked one on top of the other in this area. Beach real estate is prime and crowded in Cape Town, of course. |
 |
 |
The view from the edge of the bowl looking toward the western beaches. |
| More of that fine waterfront real estate. |
 |
| View of the same beaches from the top of Table Mountain. |
 |
 |
 |
More Table Mountain. Sick of it yet? |
|
Guess what this is? Even more of Table Mountain... Yes, that's right... |
 |
 |
Kath and I had some tea at this place - an authentic dining car from an old colonial train that someone hauled into town and hooked up to the utilities. We were the only ones in there. |
|
truk in front of the car we rented for a few days to see the Cape region. Spare no expense, that's what I always say. |
 |
 |
truk braving the waves to get just the right photo. idiot. |
| A much safer photo, post-drenching, on top of a sea wall. |
 |
