Cape Point

The old lighthouse at Cape Point
Needing a shorter walk today after very active dreams, we went to Cape Point - getting there early before the torrent of tourists poured in, all wanting their photo taken with "The Most South Westerly Point In Africa" sign.

Blown away at the light house
We had our photo taken by one of a group of Dykes on bikes we met at the top of the lighthouse. She had to snap quickly before we got blown off.

We had parked at Cape Point which gave us a lovely walk along the cliff tops to the funicular railway that took us to the light house. On the way we saw Eland, Blesbok, Baboon, Ostrich, ghetto, cormorants (including one very lame one limping along on road) and some very, very tame dassies.

Winnie had bought along a special treat - some Florentines, which we had with coffee from the Two Oceans restaurant below the lighthouse.


Dassie, which you could almost touch


We are now waiting for the ladies from the Engen service station to clean the bakkie that we borrowed from Roly for the holiday. They are certainly taking their time, even though there is a whole crew of them. The advantage of the iphone is that I can continue with my Blog during interludes like this, and record dramas as they happen. One has just occurred: one of the ladies split her pants climbing into the back of the bakki.

Sea Point Pool

Shopping again. Still on the trial for chrystallised fruit for mummy. Still no success. I nearly bought 3 shirts at Truworths, except that they didn't have my size, which is now 38. A total swizz. Must be something to do with the Chinese - or my determination to select from the youthful side of the store, where the larger sizes are more limited. Both of us found very nice work shoes at Monsons, which were definitely not from the granny side of the shop.


50s pin up!

Today was the first really hot day we've had - ideal for a visit to Sea Point Pool. Many other people thoughts too, but on spite of the crowds we had a lovely swim - complete with a moment of drama when an umbrella got thrown by the wind into the sea and a lifeguard dived in to rescue it. Thereafter we attempted a walk along the esplanade but it was too hot to go far.

I love the blocks of 50s flats in Sea Point, quasi art deco. I would love to research the ideas behind their design. They're from an age of austerity but not meanness because their rooms are huge and they give space to air, eg the huge balconies with decreasing widths to the top which nowadays would be valuable building space.



Sea Point Flats

All the sun made us ripe for a cool sharp Harp. We headed for the Waterkant which is a gay part of Green Point, characterized by very quaint double story terraces, very colourful, many with roof gardens. I wanted to find a cafe with a roof garden, but we had to settle for Manhattans, which has decks on 2 sides. I had a Naked Muscle beer (highly recommended) and Nicky had a gingerbeer.

Kogelberg Nature Reserve

Dee had received word of a rare plant flowering in the Kogelberg Reserve - which only flowers a year after a fire. She wanted to take a specimen and Colin wanted to photograph it. We took the opportunity to accompany them, even though we never learned, or forgot, the name of the plant.



The expedition involved a walk through lovely harsh scenery, at first obscured by mist, but later very hot without a shred of shade, once the sun burned through. Nicky spught refuge in a cool pool, the water discoloured by peat. We saw 2 very energetic tortoises, one of which had been damaged by the fire.

Red Hill Pass to Kommetjie

Koeksusters yum! We got them from the free range farm stall at Kommetjie - where I also bought a b/w photo of race horses on the beach. It's taken from above and behind so you can look through their ears.

Simons Town from Red Hill Pass
Our route to Kommetjie took us up Redhill Pass from where there are spectacular high up views of Simon's Town - impossible to capture on a small camera.

Nicky and Winnie on Scarborough Beach

Scarborough Beach is on the other side of the pass and far less touristy than the beaches near Fish Hoek- probably due to the distance and freezing water. But it's very picturesque with white sand, rocks and big blue waves. Some large dogs were having an absolute ball.


Slangkop Lighthouse on the way to Kommetjie

This morning we managed a swim for the first time, on Fish Hoek beach. We were slow getting in due to the coldness of the water, but quick getting out when the shark siren went off. Even though the red flag was still showing, people lost their fear and were back in the water within about 20 mins. Not us !

Wine tasting in Franchoek

No trip to Cape Town would feel complete without some wine tasting in Franchoek - to supplement the tasting we do at home. I refuse to "spit out" but shared the tasting with Winnie, which reduced my consumption, but not enough to avoid a later headache. Mind you Nicky also got a headache and she didn't do much tasting, so maybe the events are unconnected after all.

La Motte - which has the best wines
We visited La Motte, Stony Brook, Chamonix and Haut Cabriere, of which La Motte was the best and Haut Cabriere the most lethal because of the preponderance of champagne. Winnie left her wine book there, which gives you some idea.

The champagne at Haut Cabrier
I never buy expensive wines so the tasting was a real experience, plus there were some real bargains to be had.

The sole at Dieu Donne

Lunch at Dieu Donne lived up to the standard of the wine, and the magnificent setting. Nicky and Winie had Salmon Trout and I had the sole - all 5 star, and followed by 5 star deserts. You would think after all this that we would retire home with our headaches to an early night with no supper. Instead we met Erline and Colleen for a pizza supper at "Toad" in Noordhoek.

William and family

Nicky has just brought to my attention an omission from my Blog - my Flight Control scores. I am now on 52 after spending a number of days below 10!


William, Adele, Ben, Isabel, Katy, Winnie & Nicky at Kalky's
Thursday was a public holiday (Day of Reconciliation). We spent it with my University friend William and his family. We last saw each other 28 years ago on the occasion of a car crash outside Witbank. We walked down to Kalk Bay through the wetlands and had platters of seafood in "Kalky's" at the harbor, probably the freshest hake, yellowtail and calamari I have ever eaten. In spite of the copious quantities, we still managed to squeeze in coffee and cakes afterwards at William and Adele's nicely positioned house overlooking Simon's Town harbor. Yes, we are getting fat.

Kirstenbosch again

Colin in action
An adverse weather report diverted the location of our proposed walk with Colin from Cape Point to Kirstenbosch. In the event, it was T Shirt weather on the protected slopes of Kirstenbosch. It was good to do some exercise though tiring on legs not used to so many steep stretches. We re-energised with tea and a snack at the cafe. I had anchovy toast for the first time in years and it really hit the spot.

Anti Malaria tablets are not available over the counter anymore, so we had to make a doctor's appointment to get a prescription. Crazy. This is in preparation for our trip to Vic Falls on the 27th.

Kirstinbosch flowers

Olympia Cafe and Waterfront

Erline and Nicky at the Olympia Cafe
Continuing our pre-disposition for unhealthy options, Nicky had a huge spinach and feta cheese croissant, and I had an Apple Danish, at the Olympia Cafe in Kalk Bay yesterday morning. Winnie and Erline had a healthy berry and yoghurt concoction. Erline works as a co-ordinator for a popular Afrikaans version of 'The Farmer Wants A Wife". Her stories made me want to film a doco about the hilarious families and events that occur outside the main TV story.

Shopping, shopping, shopping, again we went shopping. This time at the Waterfront, which is a presinct on the opposite end of quality, choice and expense to Access Park. Unsuprisingly, we bought a lot more at Access Park, but it was very worthwhile to see all the beautiful shops at the Waterfront.

We also dropped in at the Cavendish Shopping Center, where for the first time, we came aross a shop with a huge selection of suitable work shoes. But by then we were too tired to try them on, so they will have to wait to another day.

Dinner was a very nice curry at Colin and Dee's, with Greg, Roly and Lisa - preceeded by some computer work by Nicky.

Peers Cave, Chapman's Peak and Kalk Bay

Peers Cave
Jayne sent me 2 instructions: do the Chapman's Peak drive and visit Kalk Bay - both of which we inadvertently accomplished yesterday (Sunday). In the morning we went on an hour long walk to Peer's Cave - fortunately a protected route because even though the wind has died down considerably, it's still strong. Great views as always. Almost everywhere you go in Cape Town has the dramatic backdrop of the splendid mountain.

Chapmans Peak
We had lunch with Roly and Iisa at their lovely property in Hout Bay, and picked up their bakkie. Driving there along the stunning Chapman's Peak Rd, we saw a school of dolphins larking in the bay below.

Dinner was at the Harbour House Restaurant with Kay, preceded by champagne at her lovely house with million dollar views across the bay. The excellent seafood food at the restaurant was served against a symphony of waves breaking against the glass walls on it's seaward side.

Kay at the Harbour House

For some reason we woke up at 5.30 this morning, though there was far less wind rattling against the window pane. At last, I am becoming acclimatized to the sharp dry, dry wind. At first I found it depressing because it feels so much like winter in Zim. It hard not to feel concerned for all the millions of poor people here who are struggling in their unheated corrugated iron shacks.

But CT is a wonderful city - beautiful, varied, edgy, surprising. Our early start delivered us to Nicky's dad, Colin in Newlands by about 10 am. We had tea and then proceeded to Access Park - a conglomaration of factory outlet shops for brands such as Levi and Adidas. Nicky bought some jeans, a lime yellow top which I wanted but which didn't fit, and some wet and dry trainers. I went crazy, coming home with new tennis shoes, sandals, socks, 2 shirts for Dad, a Lime Green (the other colour recommended for me by the lady at Cairns Airport) T shirt, some cream shorts (clone of a pair I already have), and a black skirt.

We got home to find that Winnie had done about 3 more Crossword clues!

Wine is cheap!

Wine is cheap here, which is good. A decent wine is $75, which is about Aus $12. "Splattered Toad" from the local winery is half the cost. We arrived at 7 am on Friday, then slept for a day and a half - with the help of Melatonin. In between, Winnie fed us some very nice meals, including great curried Kinclip. I can't believe how good the bread is here - it's something that Australia can't get right. Kay came round for dinner and we had champagne and subjected her to a movie show.

Luca, Isabella, Leah, Greg, Nicky and Winie in Kirstenbosch.

The wind has been howling today, especially in Fish Hoek. In the morning we did basic shopping at the Longbeach shopping centre. In the afternoon we had a birthday picnic for Nicky's brother, Greg, in Kirstenbosch gardens, with his kids who played crazy games on a lawns shared with messy geese. It was a pity we couldn't stay longer because it is a fascinating place. It was more protected and a bit warmer than FH but Nicky & I hit the full force of the wind again when we walked home along the coast from Kalk bay.

Amazing the properties we passed along the coastal Rd beyond Kalk Bay - old and run down and occupying space blasted out of the rock of the mountain. Would be worth a fortune if redeveloped.

In flight entertainments

A hard lesson in geography. Going to South Africa via Singapore may be cheaper but it's a lot longer than flying directly to Jhb from Sydney or Perth! Getting to Cape Town from Cairns took 2 hours from Cairns to Brisbane + 2 hours wait in Brisbane + 8 hours Brisbane to Singapore + 4 hours wait in Singapore, and now 12 hours from Singapore to Cape Town. As I'm writing this, we are 5 hours into this last flight, in a cabin full of howling babies. My watch says 8.30 am, which is Cairns time but it's 10.30 pm SA time.



Two features stand out from the past 24 hours: spending and drinking. Spending started before we'd even left Cairns when a lady at the airport persuaded me to buy a bright yellow T Shirt. I have only ever had one yellow shirt in my life, a much less strident yellow, and it didn't really suit me, so I'm not sure what's changed now - maybe my old and grey colouring. I also spent money downloading 3 games for my iPhone - Ronaldo, Flight Control and a Lemmings rip off called KamiCrazy.

At Brisbane airport I bought a G & T - my drink of preference on long flights, and Nicky bought some scones. The spending ball really started rolling at Singapore Airport. We bought a swim in the airport pool for $28 (not that nice because it's on the roof and far from warm), and $26 each on a massage (definitely worth it). Other purchases included socks (though it turns out these are supplied by the airline), a very soft "I Love Singapore" travel cushion, a bowl of onion soup for me, and a bowl of chicken and rice porridge for Nicky.

My drinks log for the day included that first very welcome G & T, 2 glasses of wine, 1 Bailey's on ice, and a Singapore Sling.

On the Brisbane/Singapore leg I watched a reasonable French Film called Affair du Coeur starring Kristin Scott Thomas, which was about corporate power play between 2 women.
I then switched continents to Asia represented by an excellent Korean Film called Poetry, which won the best screenplay award at Cannes this year.

At the beginning of the film an elegant and dignified old lady called Yang Mija, grandmother and guardian to a 15 year old boy, is seeing a doctor because of her forgetfulness (later confirmed as Alzheimers). While at the hospital she sees an ambulance bring in the body of a teenage girl who has drowned herself. The girl was in the grandson's class at school. Mija later learns that her grandson and 5 other boys had been raping the girl over a period of 6 months. The fathers of the other boys want to pay off the girl's mother, but the amount required is unaffordable for Mija.

She lives on a pension supplemented by working as a carer for an old disabled man twice a week. He has obviously had a stroke but has acquired some Viagra and asks the grandmother to oblige him one last time. At first she is appalled & refuses but then she agrees in order to get her share of the money to pay off the mother of the dead girl.

Concurrently with these dramas, Mija starts attending poetry writing classes. The teacher emphasizes "seeing things" and seeing beauty. There are classes and readings, and self-explorations amongst the other poetry writers - which is a huge contrast to all the dark aspects in Mija's life. A beautifully written, directed and acted film.


The good thing about long flights is that there is plenty of time for multiple activities. Apart from watching movies, I also nearly finished a fasincating novel called "The White woman on a green bicycle" by Monique Roffey. Set in Trinidad, this is an unconventional relationship story played out against the fascinating historical backdrop of Trinidad's Independence.

Cat's Christmas

Don't worry about the cats. They are having a very nice Xmas in Cairns with house-sitter, Desmond.