Table Mountain
Most visitors to Cape Town
take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain, but not us. On Sunday, we decided to hike to the top –
after all, it’s only 3 km!
We had read various
reports of people being mugged on the trails or falling to their death in a
sudden fog. Lucky for us, the trail we
chose was packed on a sunny day without a cloud in the sky, diminishing the
possibility of being mugged or falling to our death. We chose the most direct route to the top via
Platteklip Gorge. We quickly discovered
the trail was not for the faint of heart.
In fact, it is not so much a trail as 3 km of steep stone steps with
amazing views at every break (of which there were slightly more than usual).
Plenty of other visitors
were also attempting the trail, and we passed various ill-equipped groups as we
made our way to the top. (Are TOMS a
good choice for a steep hike?) If you look closely at the photo on the left you can
see all the hikers slowly making their way up the gorge.
Just under 1.5 hours after
we began our ascent, we made it to the top of the gorge!
However, reaching the actual summit
of Table Mountain necessitated a comparatively simple hike (approximately 30 minutes) along the top to Maclear’s
Beacon.
Proud of our exertions, we
determined the best course of action was to finish our day with a beer at the
top and take the cable car back down. As this was yet another hike along the mountain top (only about 15 minutes), we were treated to panoramic views of Cape Town as well as the mountain range known as the "12 Apostles." The range continues southward to Cape Point where we were previously.
Robben Island
Monday morning, we embarked
on the Dias (one of the boats originally used to transport prisoners) to Robben
Island. The tour included a bus trip
around the island, but most importantly, included a visit to the prison led by a
former political prisoner. We have been fascinated to learn more about this country's political history throughout our five weeks here, including on our visit to Robben Island, and have welcomed the opportunity to meet South Africans from a wide variety of backgrounds.
 |
| Nelson Mandela's Cell |
On our return boat trip,
Cape Town’s infamous clouds descended onto Table Mountain, eliminating it
entirely from sight.
We were understandably
quite happy we had chosen to make the ascent on Sunday.
We spent the majority of
the day at Robben Island, but also fit in some time to explore the waterfront
and city centre on foot.
We leave Cape Town behind
today as we start our three-day drive to Namibia. After spending three days in a city -- the first on our trip -- we are excited to get back to the bush. Wish us luck with our new rental car and border crossing!
#stephandgio
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