April 19 in Cape Town

April 19

We arrived in Cape Town after an overnight flight from London, a journey of about 16 hours due to a brief stop-over to change planes  in Johannesburg.  Fortunately our long haul flight was not full and we were able to stretch out, even if we did not succeed in actually sleeping.  We flew with  South African Airlines and found the service to be excellent, and friendly.  

Just before leaving London we made a last minute decision to rent a car for our brief stay Cape Town.   This allowed us to spend our first afternoon  exploring beyond the city, and getting our bearings.  

Our drive away from the airport led us past a "township" and our first views of a seriously poor neighborhood.  Minutes later we drove through a seriously rich neighborhood.  Throughout our journey we expect conversations to involve questions about 'how' and 'why' these situations were created, and continue. 

As tired travelers our initial priority was to find some place green, and quiet.  We drove south to the lovely Rhones Drive, skirting the eastern periphery of Table Mountain, stopping numerous times to take in the scenery and breath in the scent of Eucalyptus trees.   

This road led us to Hout Bay, where we stopped to wander e docks, view the boats (wondering what it might be like to be here on Darwin Sound), and relax over a late  lunch of fresh seafood at Mariners Wharf.  

We then followed the Victoria Road, driving north above the west coast cliffs and beaches to Camps Bay then via Green Point into Cape Town.  This narrow road was busy with bikers and runners, but provided plenty of pull-outs and parking areas for stopping to take in broad views over the Atlantic. Camps Bay was particularly lively, reminiscent of a Riviera resort in August. 

The Victoria & Alfred waterfront was our final destination, because it was here we planned to meet Gavin and Tricia for our two-night stay in Cape Town.   Without any way to communicate we decided to 'nip into town' in search of an internet café, and thus we spent an hour experiencing some less enjoyable urban driving conditions, and the reason why many had advised us to avoid renting a car.  Still, we survived unscathed and soon found our way back to the relative calm of e V & A marina, where we connected with our hosts.  

The evening was spent 'at home', enjoyed a delicious fish dinner accompanied by superb local wines.