The Great Es-Cape...

Prior to my trip to Cape Town, I'd heard great things about the place, and the flight there...
"It's beautiful" said one.
"The food is amazing", cooed another.
"The flight is easy" added one more.

I was excited to see for myself if what had been said was true, so here's my account of a journey that proved all of the above to be understatements.

On any first trip, I like to do my research so as to have a pre-prepared adventure ready when we arrive. This may sound a little contrived and somewhat less adventurous, but if you've ever tried to organise a day trip with a bunch of exhausted crew, you'll understand why this is completely necessary! After a 9 and a half hour flight it's quite commendable if any of the team are capable of mustering the energy to even contemplate an adventure... especially one of mine!

Most look at me with an almost pitiful expression - as if to say, "aww, look, she thinks she'll have fun with her rental car and her penguins. Just wait til the flight back tomorrow..."

But the way I see it, this mini adventure is my reward for the hard work in-flight and a chance to see if the place is worth a revisit (read, proper holiday) at a later stage...
And, safe to say, Cape Town has now been added to my list of must-see destinations as it is, quite simply one of the most fantastically beautiful places I've ever had the privilege to experience, if only for a short while.

Me and my hair, enjoying Cape Point

 

From the airport, we took a short, but scenic bus ride along a road protected by proud South African slopes, and arrived at the hotel. I made a beeline for the concierge and car rental where a lovely lady helped me get hold of a Hyundai for the afternoon. Then came the hard part, convincing anyone with enough energy to stay awake to accompany me on a road trip that would take in the jackass penguins of Boulders Beach, Cape Point (just in time for a South African sunset between the Indian and Atlantic oceans) and dinner at Camps Bay. So not much then (and yes, I am aware that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit).

To cut a short story shorter, an hour later, three of us were sitting in Harry the Hyundai, ready to start our road trip!

Following signs for Muizenberg, we travelled along the highway until it had had enough of our ooh-ing and ah-ing and sent us off on a smaller seaside road destined for Cape Point with our penguins promised en route. As soon as we turned off, the road seemed to rid itself of any other cars, as if to say, "meander slowly, take pictures wherever you like... enjoy." And so we did.

Bright beach huts stood out boldly against the blue ocean background, frayed cotton clouds hung loosely in the sky, trees showed off their gorgeous green outfits. It was like a dream.

When we woke up from our dreamy drive, we found ourselves in a little car park surrounded by wooden stalls offering up all manner of weird little beaded objects,  manned by ladies and gentlemen promising as I'm sure they always do, "a good price."

Tempted as I was, the idea of my first encounter with real, live penguins in the wild was too much so we made straight for the boardwalk that leads to the boulders which give this beach its name.

And then came the penguins and I adored them.

And their little sleeping barrels.

And their cheeky little looks.

This little lady stole my heart!

And their solo dances on the rocks

Lonely penguin...

And that's not to mention the view...



Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach is beautiful in its simplicity. Boulders, sand, sea, all perfectly placed. On that day, the sky was a cornflower blue, as if specifically chosen to match the sea and the distant peaks with their smoky shroud of cloud.

The boulders are scattered like marbles in a playground, and the smooth biscuit-crumb sand plays an easy supporting role. I could have stayed there for hours, watching the sky shift and the penguins playing in the surf... but with Cape Point closing in an hour, we had to get back to Harry the Hyundai and hit the road.

A view from Harry, as we wound up the mountain sides...

Harry wound precariously around steep mountain-sides and cliffs that were a little too close for comfort, but in the end we made it to Cape Point Nature Reserve, to be informed we were just in time to enter, but that The Flying Dutchman funicular train was now closed... Click HERE to see what we missed (and what we climbed...)

So we drove to the bottom of the peak that plays the meeting point of two great oceans, and parked Harry, who by this point was the only car in the car park.
We jumped out of the car, excited to see what we came for... and then we saw the climb.

Now, under normal circumstances, this would be a colour-in-your-cheeks-inducing mini-hike, but when you've been awake for close on 24 hours, and worked a 9 hour flight with over 200 passengers... Well, you do the math.

I pulled out my chocolate raisins and my camera. A reward and a reason. Then I talked the others into why they should see this as a rare chance to see a very popular tourist attraction minus all the tourists - what could possibly be better (except our beds)?

Refreshed and reinvigorated with our sense of VIP viewing, we pulled ourselves up towards the famous lighthouse that stands guard amongst the rocks and greenery, stopping occasionally to muse at the funny signs that warned of hungry baboons (we didn’t see any there)…

Arriving at the top, the view was more than a fair reward for our efforts. Staring back at the climb, on my left, the Atlantic, holding a beautiful sunset in vibrant shades of blue-tinged yellow and clouds sliced as if by a sword, into lines, each one shimmering with the sun's final rays. And on my right, the shadowed Indian ocean with its silky waves and ethereal clouds hanging around the seaside cliffs like a veil. If I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes (and snapping it with my own camera) I would have believed it to be a very lifelike painting by some skilled landscape artist or some supremely photoshopped tourism promo pic by the South African government! These shots of east and west are unedited to give you an idea of how truly beautiful it was up there!



Looking west to the Atlantic, and the sunset




Looking east to the Indian ocean - and lost for words



As the park was closing (along with our eyelids), we made once more for Harry the Hyundai and sped off along the twisty, safari-esque roads once more. We were now destined for dinner...

Interestingly enough, on the way to Camps Bay (dinner destination of choice) we passed a little group of baboons - just chilling (as one does, when one is a baboon), in the middle of the road. If it wasn't for the driver in front of me who, a. was probably wearing his glasses and b. wasn't half asleep, I might well have ended our journey with a large baboon-shaped dent in Harry. Instead, we ended up with some rather funny shots of the baboons enjoying their fruit in the middle of the road. Cute!

If you ever get the chance, please do take yourself on a trip along the M65 (which then joins the M6) from Cape Point to Camps Bay. Yes, it is scary at points and the heights are not for the faint hearted, but it really was one of the most beautiful sights/drives I've ever seen/driven - and that was in twilight. I can only imagine what a spectacle it must be during the day.

A glimpse of our road trip from Cape Point to Camps Bay

Just over an hour later, we arrived hungry into Camps Bay where we got all into the seafood at the lovely Tuscany Beach restaurant (plan your trip HERE) and ordered between us lobsters, prawns, langoustines and king clip. I ordered the melt-in-your-mouth King Clip Espetada and can report it was the nicest seafood meal I’ve ever enjoyed. Ever. 

yum yum yum, king clip fish with baked limes inbetween - perfection

Upon finishing our meal, the three of us wilted into our red chairs and we knew it was time to let Harry usher us back to the hotel, and to bed to rest our sleepy heads.

What a day!

Nothing quite prepared me for the beauty that lies tucked away at the bottom of Africa, in the gorgeous corner of Cape Town.

With so many awe-inspiring views and natural features, the place has been blessed with an endless magic, conjured up by mountains, rivers, trees, beaches, and even the people who were so friendly and polite.

Cape Town, I love you.

Love from awe-inspired Dolly x