Day 3 - Thursday 7 October, 2010 First day in Africa

We all arose refreshed after a good sleep and since we were sharing one shower which was in Larry and Ronnie's room they got ready first then Ben and Doug each had our turn. Breakfast was just across the street at a small cafe. The coffee tasted much like instant but supposedly was brewed, We had a small breakfast of toast and eggs and a concoction called Marmite. Made from some kind of fruit and was quite good but a bit salty similar to brewing a cup of bouillon. This did grow on us as the days went by and we had it on more occasions - at least some of us. We went back to our apartment to brush our teeth, get our gear and be ready for the days activities. The weather was a bit chilly and there was a light rain so our planned excursion to Table Mountain was curtailed. We altered plans and visited the waterfront in Capetown.

The Waterfront was similar to many waterfront developments in the US with a variety of stores and shops, Everyone separated and found Souvenirs at the various shops. We eventually all made our way to Quay4 for drinks and lunch. Some of us were there earlier and managed a few more drinks than others. We then saddled up for a long trip to Cape Point.

We stopped at many points along the way for some great photo opportunities including a picturesque "city by the bay" or perhaps just a town.

 

Proceeding along the road went up Chapman's Peak - a windy road up some very steep cliffs which reminded me of a stretch of highway 1 up California's north coast. One extremely interesting design feature was a part of the road that was cut into the cliff side leaving a natural rock overhang covering a sharp curve. This feature provided protection from falling rocks. There was also a man made "patio cover" that accomplished the same function but was a man made feature. Similarly, along less steep grades rock fences were constructed of large and small stones strategically fitted and enclosed in a steel mesh framework to form a safety wall. These sections were stacked as needed for the terrain. Some as tall as 10 - 12 feet while others were only around 4 feet tall.

We arrived at Cape Point and the lighthouse that sits atop the cliffs at the very end. There was a tram to get to the top but most of us decided to hoof it along a really steep path. It rose nearly 1000 feet in just over 1/4 mile. Pretty hard on many of these old knees but we all made it to the top and experienced an incredible view of the ocean and distant points of land.

There was two young couples at the top and as it turned out they were from Patty's home town - go figure. We caught the last tram down the hill as the site was closing for the night. The road back was an E-ticket ride on some dirt roads. We spotted 3 groups of Eland but we were not very steady in the car and the photos may not be very good.

We made it back to Stellenbosch and had dinner at the Cape Town Fish Market restaurant. Meals varied but included Sushi, great Greek Salads, Japanese Bento Box dinners and, of course, some great South African wine. The Apartment dwellers were back in the apartment by 10PM for a cup of tea and bed.