Monthly Archives: March 2009

Don’t forget to pay for your parking

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Parking signs

We used to have parking meters in the city, but now we have real, living human-beings to receive our parking money and make sure that we don't stay longer than we should. Which is much better, I think, because, try as I might, I could never get a smile out of those parking meters...

If you come to the city and hire a car, look out for people wearing bright yellow bibs, and carrying hand-held parking machines and bags of change. They'll tell you how much you need to pay, depending on how long you plan to park for. Oh, and do be nice to them - they're out there on their feet all day, every day, and I suspect they have to deal with a lot of grumpy, unfriendly people. ;-)

Walking on sunshine

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Wheel Clamping sign

Yes, yes, the wheel clamping sign's interesting and all that, but JUST LOOK AT THE SKY PASSAGE above it! I've had a slightly exaggerated fascination with these building-to-building sky passages ever since I was a little girl. I remember going into the city with my mother, and wondering if I'd ever get to walk across one of these. To my young mind, crossing a sky passage seemed totally magical and mysterious. And to think that some people get to cross them every single day! (Not much has changed, by the way - I still find these passages terribly enchanting, only now I think they'd be a whole lot more exciting if they had glass floors. ;-) )

An enigmatic hotel at Greenmarket Square

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Longmarket Street

I wonder how many people realise that the building located behind Greenmarket Square (in the background of this photo) is in fact a hotel - the Park Inn, to be precise. I scoured the web for anything about the building's history, but it seems as though there is just NO information... which is kinda strange if you ask me... (I'm thinking conspiracy theory here). ;)

Apart from the fact that the building itself looks like it's been around for some time, the Park Inn's website is just so '80s. (That's really saying something, since the first http website was only launched in 1990.) And why do I say their site is looking dated? Just take a look at the antiques in the photo on this page. :D

The 2009 UCT RAG float parade

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UCT RAG Float Parade

Remember and Give, RAG for short, is an 84-year-old tradition of raising money for charity. At the beginning of each year students from the University of Cape Town publish and sell a student magazine called SAX Appeal, and then towards the end of March they gather for a float parade in Cape Town's Adderley Street.

All profits from the sale of the magazines and all donations collected at the float parade are given to SHAWCO, a student-run organisation whose mission is to improve the lives of developing communities in the Cape Town area. Approximately 1,200 volunteers make up SHAWCO, and they run 15 health and education projects in the area.

We drove through to the city centre today to snap some shots of the parading students. It was a colourful and entertaining affair, as always, with hundreds of dressed-up and decorated students walking, dancing and singing through the streets. Take a browse through today's photo album, but I have to warn you, ladies, that in addition to the one above you will come across several more photos of topless young students. :D

If this is your first visit to our blog, and you think it's actually pretty cool or awesome or sick or rad or [insert favourable slang word of your choice], please (a) subscribe (b) leave us a comment and (c) consider voting for us in the SA Blog Awards - we've been nominated for Best Travel Blog, Best Photography Blog and Best Group Blog. There are only a few days left to vote (voting closes on 1 April). To vote, click on the big golden tag in the sidebar - this will take you to the voting page, where you can have a look at all the finalists in the other categories and submit your votes. Don't forget to click on the link in the confirmation email you'll receive, or else your vote won't be counted. And a huge thank-you to all those who've let us know that they've already voted for us!

Paragliding off Lion’s Head

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Lion's Head

Lion's Head is a very popular launch spot for paragliders in Cape Town. That's not at all surprising, of course - can you imagine what the view must be like from up there? Actually, as it turns out, you can do more than just imagine it. There is, in fact, a way for you to paraglide from Lion's Head without leaving your chair.

This post has taken a little longer to write than it should have, because in the course of my research I discovered an awesome-beyond-words paragliding simulator on the Paragliding Earth website. And I've been paragliding all around Lion's Head for the past half an hour.

If you'd like to try it for yourself, go to the listing for Lion's Head, and click on "Fly on this site: PG simulator in GoogleEarth!". You'll need to have the Google Earth Plugin installed. And while you wait for the landscape to load up, you can prepare for your flight by reading everything you need to know about paragliding from Lion's Head.

Have fun, and happy landings!

Glaceau Vitaminwater spotted in Loop Street

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Vitaminwater

I first heard about Glaceau Vitaminwater a few weeks ago, when one after the other my Twitter friends began saying that they'd received these promotional suitcases from the company. Look, I'm not going to lie to you - we were pretty envious. I watched at the window day after day, wondering when my suitcase full of (apparently awesome) vitaminwater would arrive. But alas, it never did. The life of a B-list blogger is filled with disappointment. ;-)

I have to say though, their stealthy launch campaign has been really well-executed and clearly very effective. I was visiting one of my clients in Loop Street yesterday, when someone in the office spied this truck downstairs, offloading crates and crates and crates of something liquidy. As soon as I saw the truck, I exclaimed, "Glaceau Vitaminwater!" with perhaps a bit toooo much excitement, considering I haven't even tasted it yet. :) It turns out their store/office/temporary home is right next to my client's offices, on the corner of Loop and Bloem Streets, and they were preparing for their launch party.

Come with me, down Paradise Road

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Union Avenue and Paradise Road

Today marks an interesting sporting anniversary: 120 years ago today the very first cricket test match was played in Cape Town. The match was the second of a 2-test series; the first test was held in Port Elizabeth earlier in the month, and the second hosted at our very own Newlands cricket grounds. South Africa unfortunately lost both tests and the series to the then-better ;-) English team.

Union Avenue and Paradise Road are both part of the M3, a route normally taken by most people going to watch cricket at Newlands. The M3 is the major road leading from the City through the southern suburbs of Cape Town. It can be a little confusing, as sometimes people will talk of De Waal Drive, or the Blue Route, and mean exactly the same road. Let me clear up a bit of confusion by listing the various names given to parts of the M3. Starting from Cape Town's side of the M3, we have: Buitensingel Street, Orange Street, Annandale Road, Mill Street, Jutland Avenue, De Waal Drive, Hospital Bend, Rhodes Drive, Union Avenue, Paradise Road, Edinburgh Drive and finally, Simon van der Stel Freeway (colloquially known as the Blue Route). Got that? ;-)

Chai-Yo – Spiro’s Corner, Durbanville

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Restaurant Table

It seems as though we don't go out for dinner much these days unless it's to a function like GeekDinner, 27Dinner, or something similar. I arrived home this evening to a wife not up for cooking and myself not too much in the mood either.

A quick decision was made, which entailed rationalising the fact that we deserve eating out tonight - because we've been working so hard, you see. ;) Anyway, we've been meaning to try Chai-Yo, a Thai restaurant in Durbanville, for some time.

To be honest, we're never really impressed by restaurants in the northern suburbs, and most often find ourselves eating out in the city or in the southern suburbs. The thing that normally counts against restaurants in the north is the service - which is usually just not good, or pretty average at best (to be honest).

But this is what made our visit to Chai-Yo really awesome. The service was impeccable - polite, helpful, and attentive without being overly intrusive. The thinly-cut, seared, tuna starter that Kerry-Anne and I shared was delicious, as were the traditional Thai chicken dishes that we ate as our main course.

So to sum it up, there was great service, good food, and a pleasantly comfortable yet smart ambience. Well done Chai Yo, please do keep it up!

Not everyone gets excited about cricket

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Reading the news

I can so relate to Mr Newspaper Reader in this photo (taken at Newlands yesterday). The vibe at Newlands is energetic. Cricket is interesting once very few hours. Still, I can't say that you would ever find me at the edge of my seat whilst watching a match - especially a test-match - painfully unfolding.

As I'm sure you gathered from yesterday's post, Kerry-Anne visited Newlands to watch South Africa battle it out with Australia. I, on the other hand, took the opportunity to stay home and catch up on an ever-growing and unrelenting task-list. I believe that the weather was perfect - although it could have been storming and raining for all I knew. I spent the day hidden behind this same screen I'm looking at now. How sad. :(

Bakers Mini Cricket at Newlands

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Bakers Mini Cricket at Newlands

Bakers Mini Cricket is a development programme aimed at introducing South African boys and girls of all races and economic groups to the game of cricket at a very young age (as you can see in today's photo - look at the size of some of those shirts compared to the size of their occupants!).

Bakers Mini Cricket is apparently the longest-running sports development sponsorship in South Africa - they celebrated a quarter-century last year. Cricket South Africa says that over two million children have been involved in the Bakers Mini Cricket programme so far, including some of our top professional players, like Mark Boucher and Makhaya Ntini. You can read more about the history of the programme on the Bakers Mini Cricket website.

I spent a few hours at Newlands today, watching the Australian cricketers taking a bit of a pounding from the Proteas. During the lunch break the field was occupied by a whole bunch of Bakers Mini Cricketers, who entertained us with some of the most adorable cricket I've seen in a long time. We'll be uploading more photos just as soon as we can finish processing them - and there'll be a few of the bigger cricketers too, not just these teeny-tiny ones. (In the meantime, our photos of The Dirty Skirts in concert at Kirstenbosch are up - have a look and let us know if you spot yourself in the crowd!)

In case, you missed yesterday's post, Cape Town Daily Photo has been selected as a finalist in the SA Blog Awards in three categories. If you think that CTDP is the best contender in any of its nominated categories, please do cast a vote for us: just click the big gold tag in the sidebar - it will take you straight to the voting page, where you can have a look at all the other finalists and submit your vote.

Keep that wine on ice for now…

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Wine bucket

A big thank you to those of you who nominated us for the 2009 SA Blog Awards - we were thrilled to discover this evening that Cape Town Daily Photo has been selected as a finalist in THREE categories: Best Photographic Blog, Best Travel Blog and Best Group Blog (a category for blogs with more than one author).

If you've been reading CTDP for a while, then you might recall that we won the award for Best Travel Blog in 2008. This year we have some truly formidable competition in every one of the categories for which we've been nominated, so we're keeping the celebratory wine on ice for now. :)

Of course I'd love you to vote for us, but at the same time I feel strongly that you shouldn't vote for this blog simply because I've asked you to, or because you're my friend, or because you follow me on Twitter: you should vote for this blog if you believe it to be the best in its category. So please visit the SA Blog Awards voting page, have a careful look at the finalists in each category, and then cast your vote for those you feel are most deserving. And don't forget to click on the link in the confirmation email you receive, in order to confirm your vote!

By the way, voting is open to EVERYONE, not only South Africans or residents of South Africa. So even if you live in the USA or the UK, Canada or Germany, Romania or India, or anywhere else for that matter, you can still vote.

AND ONE MORE TIME: Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate us - I'm not sure that you realise just how much your support, comments and encouragement mean to us, especially when it's reeeeally late at night, and, exhausted after a long day, we suddenly realise that neither of us has posted yet... ;-)

Any day for a picnic

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Sea Point Picnic

Cape Town has plenty of outdoor spots where you can just sit down and enjoy a simple picnic assembled from the shelves of Pick 'n Pay, Spar, and Woolworths. This couple found a spot near the ocean at Sea Point, but other good picnic spots include the top of Signal Hill, the beach at Woodbridge Island, Camps Bay or Clifton, Rhodes Memorial, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town Company Gardens, and many more.

The evenings have started cooling down a little and I seem to have developed a cold, so I suspect that unless the weather warms up again soon, the only picnicking I'll be doing is during the day, not in the evening. I'm finding it hard to believe that summer has started to show signs of fading already...

Coffee from a bygone era

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Raadsaal Coffee

To be honest, I've never seen this brand of coffee before, but I'd bet that if I asked my parents they would remember it from many years ago... possibly before I was even born!

The word "Raadsaal" means "Council Hall" if you translate it directly... which I guess is an odd name for a brand of coffee. Strangely, if you zoom in you'll be able to read that the manufacturer of this traditional-Afrikaans-sounding coffee brand is an old British company, "Brooke Bond Tea & Coffee Co".

This aside, the funniest part of this poster is the phrase "Sterk Koffie!", which means "Strong Coffee!". If you zoom in you'll notice that the coffee consists of 62.5% chicory and only 37.5% real coffee... which, in my opinion, isn't very strong at all! :)

Litter sucks

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Please do not litter

It's really strange to me that the City Council has to place stickers on bins in an attempt to persuade people not to leave their rubbish lying around.

I remember many years ago being astounded at the way a fellow passenger dumped her empty soda can half absent-mindedly out of the train window. So I guess there's my answer - it's for these "absent-minded" folk that we pay taxes to have stickers asking them to be nice and not litter.

Oh, and then don't get me started about the plethora of cigarette butts you'll find lying around public areas... heck, we don't even smoke and one of our outside plant pots has become a resting place for many discarded cigarette butts - thanks guys. ;)

Our men and women in blue

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Our men, and women, in blue

Last month Cape Town was visited by the UK's Commissioner of Metropolitan Police Services. We're told that the intention of the visit was to share information with respect to security and safety at major events, like the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Cynicism tells me however that Sir Paul Stephenson visited Cape Town to put his mind at ease that UK citizens will be safe when visiting our country next year.

Yesterday the South African National Defence Force and South African Police Services started conducting training exercises to help prepare security personnel for managing safety and security in 2010. The Confederations Cup, being held in a couple of months' time, will be great training to help the police and military put into practice what they're learning at the moment. So, when next year rolls around we'll be confident of our ability to keep visitors and locals safe at these large events.

Roll on 2010!

David Newton cleverly combines comedy and cancer

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On Broadway

David Newton is a brave guy. Fortunately, he's also very, very funny. You see, David is a Cape Town-based stand-up comedian who has taken on the tough job of raising awareness around the very unglamorous topic of... wait for it... ... Colorectal Cancer.

I was invited to attend the launch event for Colorectal Cancer Awareness, which took the form of dinner, drinks and a 2-hour comedy show at On Broadway in the city centre. Following this, I have three recommendations for you:

1. If you're in Cape Town, get yourself a ticket for David Newton's next show, which will be held on 4 May at On Broadway. Unless you have some sort of old sports injury that makes laughing very uncomfortable, or something like that, of course, because he WILL make you laugh. About everything. Everything.
2. If you can't make it to David's show, book for one of the other shows at On Broadway - it's a beautiful venue, with excellent service, and the portions of food are HUGE. Trust me on this. I couldn't even finish half of my meal - and I'd arrived hungry! Their prices are really reasonable too. Oh, and the restrooms... well, have a look at today's photo and judge for yourself. Pretty, innit?
3. Take five minutes to read through the information on the Colorectal Cancer Awareness site - this kind of cancer is treatable if caught early, but can become very aggressive if it's not. And for the sake of those who love you, if you think you might have any of the symptoms, don't ignore them. Make an appointment with your doctor, and get it checked out.

The Dirty Skirts: Summer Sunset Concert at Kirstenbosch

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The Dirty Skirts at Kirstenbosch

Summer Sunset concerts at Kirstenbosch are always great, and this week's concert was no exception - the weather was perfect, our picnic was yummy, and The Dirty Skirts played an awesome set. These guys are amazingly talented: they have a really original sound, and, as a bit of bonus for the girls, they make for good eye-candy too. :)

This was the band's first time playing at Kirstenbosch, and I sure hope it won't be their last. If you've never been to one of the Summer Sunset concerts at Kirstenbosch, you should really fix that. There are still a few concerts this season; you can have a look at the schedule here.

We'll be posting more photos of the concert later in the week (of the crowd too, so even if you're not actually one of The Dirty Skirts, you might see yourself here...), so do check back then. And if you really can't wait until then, you can have a look at some photos we took of The Dirty Skirts in concert late last year.

Green Point Stadium construction site

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Green Point stadium construction

I must be honest, I'm not too sure how you'd enter if you wanted to - the holes in that fence look pretty tiny to me. But still, nice of them to warn us that it's a construction area... because I'm not sure that the cranes there in the background were quite enough of a clue on their own. :)

By the way, if you're in Cape Town and you'd like to get a closer look at the stadium, visit the Green Point Stadium Visitors' Centre website to find out about the tours and experiences that are available. Paul and I will definitely be making a turn there ourselves very soon...

Night-time view of Beach Road in Mouille Point

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Beach Road in Mouille Point at night

On Wednesday we showed you the view from Wakame; this photo was taken from the same section of the restaurant (the upstairs bar area), but facing in a slightly different direction (looking up Beach Road, towards the lighthouse and Sea Point). And it was at night, of course. ;-)

We don't often find ourselves in this area on a weeknight, and so we were very surprised to see just how busy this part of the Atlantic Seaboard was. We had to drive around the block quite a few times to find parking - pretty impressive, considering it was 8pm on a Thursday...

A cafe is a superette is a corner shop

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Tahiera's Superette

In South Africa we have several names for a convenience store. A cafe (pronounced ca-fee), a superette and a corner shop are all small convenience stores selling everything from sweets and milk to detergents and candles. Prices are normally a little inflated - irrespective of what Tahiera has written on the wall - and as a rule, we NEVER buy meat from this kind of store (even if it is an emergency) as one can never be sure how long the meat's really been in that fridge! :)

A killer restaurant view – Wakame in Mouille Point

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The view from Wakame in Mouille Point

We met up with friends for drinks and a light lunch at Wakame, a multi-level restaurant in Mouille Point, on Sunday. By multi-level I mean that they have a traditional restaurant on the second floor of a three-storey building, with a more casual tapas restaurant and bar on the top floor.

The view that you see here is of the outside lounge area and Table Bay. If you look very (very) carefully, you'll also see Robben Island on the left side of the photo. We enjoyed an assortment of tapas, from calamari to prawns, and lamb chops to chicken wontons. After spending some time inside, munching on our meal, we ventured out onto the deck to relax with a good cup of coffee. All things considered, it was a great experience. Well done, Wakame, and thanks to Beverley and David (who were visiting from the UK) for introducing us locals to a darn fine restaurant!

Dirtopia – hiking and biking

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Dirtopia Trail Centre
Since our last two posts were about the Argus Cycle Tour I hope that you're just itching to get out into nature, away from all the traditional tourist spots. If you're keen, then read on.

Dirtopia is a mountain bike event and hiking trail construction company. While we haven't yet attended one of their hiking or biking events, I've known about them for ages. I happened to notice that they've organised a full-moon hike from DelVera (near Stellenbosch) for tomorrow night, 11 March! We'd love to go, but unfortunately won't be able to make it tomorrow - but if you're free and want to get out, meet people, and experience hiking at night, I'm certain that you'll have a truck-load of fun.

The cost is R40 per person, they leave the Delvera Trail Centre at 18h00, and you can call 021 884 4752 to make a booking.

We haven't been in contact with the Dirtopia guys yet, so if you do go, please be sure to report back on the experience. Kerry-Anne and I will tag along on a hike some time and let you know what it's like. Heading in the direction of Stellenbosch, DelVera is located about 10KM from the N1 highway, along the R44 towards Stellenbosch.

Matt Damon riding in the Cape Argus Cycle Tour!

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Matt Damon riding in the Cape Argus Cycle Tour
As I was working through my photos from yesterday's Cape Argus Cycle Tour, I discovered that I'd quite unwittingly managed to snap a photo of Matt Damon! That's him, on the back of the tandem, just to the right of the motorbike. (His brother Kyle, an experienced athlete, was apparently occupying the front saddle of the tandem.)

Matt is here in Cape Town to film The Human Factor, a Clint Eastwood film about the 1995 Rugby World Cup. And it turns out he's a brave guy - he took part in the race despite having suffered a sprained ankle during a rugby practice session on Thursday. (He'll be playing the role of former Springbok rugby captain Francois Pienaar in the film, by the way.)

In case you missed yesterday's post, you can see more photos of the Cycle Tour in our 2009 Cape Argus Cycle Tour album.

Cape Argus Cycle Tour 2009

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Western Province Rugby Cyclist

Given the look on this cyclist's face, you'd never guess that today's Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour was one of the most challenging (possibly THE most challenging) races ever. Winds of 60 to 90km/hour, of which 70% were apparently headwinds, made race conditions incredibly difficult, and resulted in delayed start times for most groups, and longer race times for pretty much everyone.

Well done to all those who braved the gale-force winds (which were so strong near the start that they knocked a number of cyclists off their bikes), and congratulations to 23-year-old Arran Brown, who crossed the line just before Robbie Hunter to claim his first Cape Argus title. You can see more photos of all these determined and resilient cyclists in our 2009 Cape Argus Cycle Tour album.

Mobile greengrocers

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Roadside fruit-sellers
If you drive around Cape Town's suburbs or out into the winelands, you are bound to come across guys like these selling fresh fruit at the side of the road or at an intersection.

I don't often buy from them, but not because I think their produce is no good or their prices are too high (to be honest, I couldn't tell you how their prices compare to those of the supermarkets). It's really just a personal preference - because of the way my mind works, I find it easier to buy all my groceries in one place. Perhaps I should make a little pact with myself to buy something from the next roadside fruit-seller I see, just for the experience. :-)

One thing I do know, from being invited to buy their products when I'm stopped at the traffic lights, is that the first price they quote you is very seldom the price they actually expect you to pay. Most times, when I indicate that I don't want to buy, they'll immediately drop their price, saying something like, "Today, just for you, I'll make it TWO for [insert original price here]." So next time I think I'll take them up on that Special Deal that's Just For Me and Only For Today. ;-)

The best place to be in a heatwave…

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Escalators

... is in an air-conditioned shopping mall, of course. The temperature here has been hovering around 38 degrees Celsius for the last two days (for our overseas readers, that's equivalent to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit). In a word: HOT. This kind of heat is stifling and extremely draining, and there's really very little one can do to keep cool. Escape is the best option. :)

Onward and upward

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Spiral staircase

Believe it or not, Cape Town Daily Photo turned two yesterday, and we almost forgot all about it! It was only when we heard that it was South African social media site Zoopy.com's second birthday today that we remembered that it was ours too. Since we really love and admire the team over at Zoopy, I stopped by their offices to drop off some age-appropriate birthday goodies this afternoon. They in turn gave me as much cake as I could eat... and then some more to take home. :) (Here's a photo to prove it.)

I almost can't believe that we've been running this blog for two years already. It really does seem like just a few months ago that we were so warmly welcomed into the City Daily Photo community, following our first post. And just so you know, we have no intention of stopping any time soon - certainly not while there is still so much of this beautiful city left to explore.

(By the way, in case you're puzzling over what to give us as a birthday gift, nominations have opened for the 2009 South African Blog Awards. I'm just saying. ;-) )

Boat trips from the V&A Waterfront

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Spirit of Victoria

The 58-foot yacht Spirit of Victoria carries passengers on trips around Table Bay, taking them a little way along the Atlantic Seaboard, in fact. At night she lies quietly moored at the north pier of the V&A Waterfront, bobbing about, content after a day of hard work. If you've spent much time looking out into Table Bay you will almost certainly have noticed the schooner's distinctive brown sails blowing in the wind; see another photo here.

Time permitting, Kerry-Anne and I will try taking a trip on the Spirit of Victoria before summer is over, and then report back on the experience.

There’s no place for bad wine

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Mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher - Galileo Galilei

I learned a fascinating thing about wine-making in South Africa recently.

Winemakers press the same grapes several times. The first pressing gives the best quality wine, and the last the worst quality (much the same as "extra virgin" and "virgin" olive oil). The interesting thing that the winemaker I spoke with said was that by law he is not allowed to throw any wine away - all wine produced has to be sold.

My first thought was one of admiration for the law-makers, as I figured they must really appreciate the value of a good bottle of wine. This naivety was quickly dashed though, as the winemaker elaborated, explaining that it's not for any environmental or other good reason, but because the government wants as much tax money as possible.

A wry smile what all I got when, in an effort to save us all from bad wine, I asked why the last pressing of poor wine wasn't simply skipped. From his response I gathered that plenty of very juicy grape skins are disposed of each year. :)

Excellent seafood and sushi at the Waterfront

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Sevruga at the Waterfront

Kerry-Anne's parents were given a restaurant voucher for their wedding anniversary last year, and kindly invited us to join them in spending it last night at Sevruga, a restaurant close to the water's edge on the V&A Waterfront's harbour pier. If I'd taken a step or two back from where I took this photo, I would have been bobbing around in the water!

We had a pretty good time at Sevruga. The service was friendly and good (albeit a little slow, I felt), and the food was well-prepared and well-presented, and tasted very good indeed. Considering the quality of the food, Sevruga's prices are not bad at all, as you can see on their menu.

Sevruga offers a half-price sushi and cocktail special every day between 2 and 5pm. They have an extensive range of cocktails and a huge sushi menu (I'm not a sushi fan, but Kerry-Anne said that the sushi starter she shared with her mom was superb, as was her seared tuna main course. My steak was excellent - tender, perfectly cooked and tasty.)

All in all, a really lovely experience, and we'll definitely be back to sample some of their other dishes.

We’re loving summer

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The Waterfront at night
Today was exceptionally hot; even now as the clock is about to tick over into a new day I'm absolutely baking here in my office.

Hot, quiet and windless evenings like this make Capetonians head for the outdoors. While we were at the Waterfront watching the sun slowly fade into an array of pastel colours, hundreds of people would have been meeting up with friends on various beaches around the peninsula, many would have been walking up Signal Hill, and yet others would have been catching a ride to the top of Table Mountain.

Another perfect summer's eve in Cape Town...