Singapore has its trishaws, Bordeaux has the tram, London has big black cabs, Sydney has the monorail, and Cape Town has... Rikkis! By all accounts, this is the way to get around the city - far safer than minibus taxis, much cheaper than standard taxis, and way more fun than walking, the Rikkis operate all around the city, and will even take you to some of the big tourist attractions around greater Cape Town, like Kirstenbosch and Cape Point.

I have to admit that I've never actually been on one (since we're always in our car), but I think I'm going to have to try it out some day soon. If you've travelled on a Rikki, please leave a comment and let us know how it was...

It's our wedding anniversary today, so we thought that a photo taken from Lover's Lane might be appropriate... :)

Paul took this shot on Monday evening just before sunset. It was a beautiful evening, and plenty of people turned out to watch the sun going down - Lover's Lane is always a popular spot, especially with young couples keen to have a bit of time on their own, away from parents and friends... It's certainly one of the best spots to go to get an idea of the size of greater Cape Town, and of course, to take in yet another beautiful view of the mountain.

This shot is especially for Abraham Lincoln, who inspires me every day with his exquisite wildlife shots and entertaining tales. This is one of the Egyptian Geese I mentioned in a previous post - they're rather precocious animals, and I managed to get this shot without too much zoom while my father was feeding him bread - or should I say, while he was snatching bread from my father's hand. Fortunately he didn't try snatching my camera... :)

We were on our way to the movies this afternoon, when we decided to stop off at the Arderne Gardens in Claremont to eat our lunch (just sausage and bread - nothing elaborate!). This garden must be one of Cape Town's best-kept secrets. It's a really tranquil spot, with lovely lawns and huge old trees, as well as a few sections of pond, which are home to a variety of waterfowl. We sat on a bench just like this one (there are plenty of them all around the garden), under the shade of an enormous old pine tree, and enjoyed a bit of time out.

The leaves in the vineyards are beginning to turn all kinds of autumn shades, and yet we're still sweating through temperatures in excess of 30 degrees Celsius - cooler days must surely be just around the corner?

Paul took this shot from the Bloemendal Wine Estate, which is hosting a Champagne and Oyster Festival this weekend. The farm is set on the slopes of a tall hill, and from where we were standing we had the most exquisite 360-degree views of vineyards, vineyards and more vineyards... it was breathtaking.

Well done to Earle A Bowen and GMG for getting the answer to yesterday's quiz. The invention in question is the dolos (pronounced almost like "door-laws" but with very short vowel sounds); these huge concrete blocks, shaped like the letter "H" with one arm rotated by 90 degrees, are used to protect beaches and breakwaters all around the world today. They were invented by one of two men (there is some dispute as to which one) in East London, South Africa in the 1960s. The name is derived from the Afrikaans word for an animal's knuckle-bone, to which these concrete blocks bear some resemblance.

Today's picture shows a large section of the breakwater in Table Bay Harbour, protected by thousands of dolosse.

Earle & GMG: please email your postal addresses to info@redballoon.co.za, so that I can send off your postcards.

A snail-mail postcard to the first person to give us the correct name of the South African invention in this shot... no locals though, this one's too easy for you! We'll tell you a little about the history of this clever invention tomorrow.

Today is CTDP's one-month anniversary. Yay, virtual cake and tea for everyone! Thanks to everyone who's joined us here so far - this is turning out to be a really fun adventure.

Here's another view of yesterday's rose garden... this shot reminds me of The Secret Garden, which is one of my favourite books even though it's meant for children! I love the idea that something very special could be waiting around a corner, or on the other side of a gate, or behind a hedge, or in this case, through the archway.

On Sunday afternoons in summer, various charity groups take turns to serve cake and tea at the Durbanville Rose Garden, to raise funds for their organisations. Paul had lemon meringue and coffee, and I chose baked cheesecake and tea; we then took a leisurely stroll around the garden to admire the abundance of colourful and wonderfully-scented roses growing there. The Garden was established in 1979 and boasts around 4,500 rose bushes!

Today is a Daily Photo theme day, and the theme this month is "A Public Mail Box". I spotted this one in Kloofnek Street on Friday, and believe it may well be the oldest postbox in the city. It's located outside the Kloofnek Grocer; the shopkeeper wasn't sure why it had never been replaced, but she did mention that we're not the only ones who've stopped to take photos...
Does anyone know what the letters "GR" stand for? I know it has something to do with the British Royalty, but I'm not sure exactly what, and can't seem to find any info on the Web.

66 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st April theme, "A Public Mail Box"; please use the links to below to visit them. Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

1 (London (UK) ) -2 (Grenoble (France) ) -3 (Rotterdam (Netherlands) ) -4 (Greenville SC (USA) ) -5 (Hyde (UK) ) -6 (Villigen (Switzerland) ) -7 (Albuquerque NM (USA) ) -8 (Mazatlan (Mexico) ) -9 (Montréal (Canada) ) -10 (Stayton OR (USA) ) -11 (Shanghai (China) -Jing ) -12 (Arradon (France) ) -13 (Sequim WA (USA) ) -14 (Newcastle upon Tyne (England) ) -15 (Seattle WA (USA) -Kim ) -16 (Bastia (Corse) ) -17 (Minneapolis MN (USA) ) -18 (Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) ) -19 (Joplin MO (USA) ) -20 (Sharon, CT (USA) ) -21 (Cottage Grove MN [USA] ) -22 (Houston, TX (USA) -Candice & Megan ) -23 (Singapore - by Keropokman. ) -24 (Guelph, ON (Canada) ) -25 (Menton (France) ) -26 (Monte Carlo, Monaco ) -27 (Naples, FL (USA) ) -28 (Kyoto (Japan) ) -29 (Tokyo (Japan) ) -30 (Aliso Viejo, CA (USA) ) -31 (Cape Town (South Africa) ) -32 ( Jakarta (Indonesia) ) -33 (Kitakami (Japan) ) -34 (Tel Aviv (Israel) ) -35 (Vantaa(Finland) ) -36 (Guadalajara (Mexico) ) -37 (Auckland (New Zealand) ) -38 (Nelson (New Zealand) ) -39 (Tuzla (B&H) ) -40 (Brussels (Belgium) ) -41 (Anderson, SC (USA) ) -42 (Lubbock, TX (USA) ) -43 (John, Melbourne, (Australia) ) -44 (Stavanger (Norway) ) -45 (Tenerife (Spain) ) -46 (Stockholm (Sweden) ) -47 (Boston, MA (USA) ) -48 (Not Strictly Seattle, Susan ) -49 (New York City, (USA), Ming the Merciless ) -50 (Paris [Eric], (France) ) -51 (Ampang (Selangor) ) -52 (Sydney (Nathalie) Australia ) -53 (ailea , HI (USA) ) -54 (Manila (Philippines) ) -55 (Sydney (Sally) Australia ) -56 (Cork (Ireland) ) -57 (Saarbrücken (Germany) ) -58 (Saint Paul MN (USA) by Carol ) -59 (San Diego, CA (USA) ) -60 (Mexico [POLY], (Mexico) ) -61 (Budapest (Hungary) ) -62 (Singapore (Singapore by Zannnie) ) -63 (Madrid [Dsole] (Spain) ) -64 (Nottingham (England) ) -65 (Bandung (Indonesia) ) -66 (London - Jonemo (UK))

This is a close relative of our national flower, the King Protea. The protea in Paul's photograph is called 'Pink Ice', and it's been growing in our garden for about four years. The flowers are always so perfectly formed, and since I work from home, I love to go out into the garden and admire them when I'm having a bad day.
Which reminds me... our national cricket team is named after our national flower (don't laugh - we've just gotten used to the idea ourselves :) ), and they had a particularly nailbiting match last night in the Super 8 round of the Cricket World Cup. Judging by discussions on the radio today, I wasn't the only one pacing the room and having heart palpitations while watching the closing overs of the game. Sometimes it's tough being a spectator.

Today, a simple picture - a mussel shell lying on Blouberg beach. It reminds me of the scrumptious moules and frites I had last October in Cancale, France; and so it makes me think of my friends living in Bretagne. In fact, this shell brings back a host of memories from that holiday, and makes me wish I could be in France on holiday again. :) What does this simple image make you think of?

From ships to shipwrecks... and back to Robben Island. I heard quite an amazing story on the radio today - on Sunday, the daughter of Robert Wilcox, an ex-Robben Island political prisoner, swam from Robben Island to Blouberg beach in honour of her parents and their resilience during the struggle years. 36-year-old Diane Wilcox completed the 7.5km swim in 2 hours and 47 minutes - and I can promise you, that water's CHILLY! The radio announcer joked with her that if her father had had her talent, perhaps he would have left the island a little earlier...

The brownish building on the left is the smallest prison in South Africa, and only ever housed one prisoner - Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe. Sobukwe was the leader of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), and was first arrested in 1960. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, but upon his release he was immediately re-arrested under a special Act of Parliament, and sent to Robben Island. The government evidently saw him as a greater threat than many of the other leaders on the island, and so he was placed in solitary confinement in this house, and was not allowed to make contact with any other prisoners.
It was fitting that we visited the island on Human Rights Day (21 March), as this holiday marks the event that led to Sobukwe's arrest - the 1960 PAC-led march against the pass laws in place at the time. On this day, 69 people were killed - including 8 women and 10 children - and scores more injured when police opened fire on protesters in Sharpeville.

Cell 5. This is where our former president, Nelson Mandela, spent much of his time during the 18 years between 1964 and 1982. On the left you can see the toilet bucket, which prisoners had to make use of during lock-up; and to the right, the thin mattress and blanket issued to them. The conditions were designed to make these people weak, and yet the effect seems to have been entirely the opposite. To get a real idea of the resourcefulness and courage of these men, do yourself a favour and read Long Walk to Freedom, Dr Mandela's autobiography. It's truly inspiring. You can read an excerpt here. As our guide Sipho - himself a former political prisoner of the island - said: "We do not do these tours to remember the bad things that happened in the past, but rather to celebrate the strength and triumph of the human spirit."

The inscription above the archway marking the entrance to Robben Island has a sad ring of irony to it; it's hard to believe that anyone could have been proud to be involved in the events that played out here during the apartheid years. Tourists to the island enter under this archway in buses, but new prisoners would have been on foot, and chained together. Black prisoners were not given any underwear or shoes and socks, and wore short pants all year round. It's still incredible to me that human beings are capable of treating one another with such indignity and cruelty. More tomorrow...

We left the V&A Waterfront at around 09h30 yesterday morning, on the Sea Princess, bound for Robben Island. The island is about 12km from Cape Town; this is the same trip that political prisoners would have undertaken to reach the island in years gone by, although in considerably less comfort, and with rather grimmer prospects. We picked a perfect morning to visit the island, as you can see from that almost-too-blue-to-be-true sky, and the water was flat and calm, making the ride out a really pleasant one. The next instalment tomorrow...

Our winner: Well done to victoria and kala for getting it right - the beaded creature in the picture was indeed a gecko. Victoria, as the first person to name the mystery animal, you are officially our very first CTDP prize-winner! :) Please email me your postal address and I'll send you your new pet.

We spotted this colourful chap at Green Point Flea Market on Sunday as well. He was singing and chanting for passers-by, who were dropping coins into his basket. We gave him a few Rand, and he thanked us and then chanted, "Well-a-come, well-a-come! Well-a-come to Cape Town!" in his delightful accent - there's nothing quite so heartwarming as being welcomed to your own city. :-) I guess the cameras must have given us that touristy look...

I'll post the winner of yesterday's little competition tomorrow. For now, it's Human Rights Day in South Africa, and we're off to Robben Island - see you later!

Nathalie and Alice, your wish is my command... I'll definitely post more close-up images of handcrafts in the future (after all, one of my day jobs is running The Red Balloon Craft Junction, so you'll realise that I have quite an interest in crafts), but for now here is one of the things we saw on Sunday. This is just one example of the beautiful 3-D beading done by our local people, and in fact, I liked these so much that I bought one. He's looking for a home now, and I'll send him to the first person who correctly identifies these little critters.

Since the weather was warm, and the sky very blue, we decided to make a trip to the Green Point Flea Market yesterday (not to be confused with Greenmarket Square - that's a story for another day). The atmosphere at the market is so relaxed, and typically African, and the stalls are jam-packed with all kinds of souvenirs and handcrafted goods. It's always amazing for me to see what people can create, even when they start out with very little. The beadwork, especially, just seems to become more and more creative as time goes by.

This is the view of Table Mountain and Devil's Peak seen from the back of the Table Bay Hotel. Devil's Peak (on the left) supposedly got its name from the legend of Van Hunks and his pipe-smoking competition with the devil. You can read the full story here - it's a lovely old legend that attempts to account for some of our Cape Town weather phenomena.

I had to drive out to Stellenbosch yesterday to fetch my driver's licence (our licences have to be renewed every 5 years - what's the rule in your country?), so I took a little detour to buy some yummy lemon butter biscuits and get a photo for you. This was taken at a deli and restaurant close to Stellenbosch (which is about 40 minutes from the centre of Cape Town). Stellenbosch is wine country, and in the background you can see just a small portion of the farmlands stretching out over the horizon.

We found this kind of amusing when we were having lunch at the Waterfront the other day. The one on the left is the salt shaker - what gives you the idea that they have a problem with the sea air making the salt damp? Click for the larger version if you can't see what's in the "salt" shaker...

I took this picture at the V&A Waterfront on Sunday afternoon. I believe ours is the only national flag in the world that features 6 colours - this, coupled with its relative youth (the new flag was first flown in 1994, the year of Nelson Mandela's inaugauration as president) means that most South Africans over the age of 30 would probably not be able to draw the flag correctly if asked. It's a wonderful symbol of our "rainbow nation" though, don't you think?

Yesterday saw 35,000 cyclists taking on the winding hills of the Cape Peninsula, in the the largest timed cycling event in the world, the Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour. Yesterday's 109km race was won by a South African, Robbie Hunter, in a fitting celebration of the event's 30th anniversary (not only because he's a South African, but also because he himself will be celebrating his 30th birthday next month!). I took this shot in Camps Bay, which is pretty close to the finish, and on the flat. The city was absolutely overflowing with people this weekend - as much as HALF of the income brought in by Cape Town's top 5 events each year comes from the cycle tour alone.

Last night we visited friends out in Uitzicht, which is a relatively new suburb out to the north of Cape Town. This is the view from their back garden - it's very peaceful, until the Egyptian geese start quacking. Actually, they don't quack so much as bark... There is something of a plague of Egyptian geese around Cape Town, and the possibility of culling has been mentioned once or twice. It doesn't seem like a very appealing idea, until you realise how the population has exploded in the last couple of years, and how they're chasing away other species of duck and waterfowl. To be honest, I'm just glad it's not my decision to make.

This is our rush-hour traffic into the city centre, photographed at about 08h20. If you have to get stuck in the traffic every day, you might as well have something pretty to look at, not so? Rush "hour" usually lasts from around 06h30 until 09h30, with most people having to start work at around 08h00 or 08h30. Tempers flare when minibus taxis (a ubiquitous form of public transport in South Africa) ignore traffic regulations and drive in the yellow line to get ahead of the slow-moving traffic. The yellow line is meant to be kept clear for emergency vehicles and police, and besides, people just don't LIKE other people getting ahead of them by devious means... :)

Paul took this shot yesterday, when he went to a seminar at the grand old lady of Cape Town, the Mount Nelson Hotel - affectionately known as the Nellie. She's also called the Pink Lady, and if you look at the walls behind the mirror, you'll see why...
That's Table Mountain hiding coyly behind the trees, by the way.

The Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are a great place for a Sunday afternoon picnic or nature walk, but from time to time they also double as a concert venue. Last Monday and Tuesday, for instance, the concert area was host to popera stars Il Divo; tonight, Wednesday and Thursday it's the turn of the legendary Sir Cliff Richard. Seating is unreserved - and picnic-style on the lawn - so concert-goers have to start queuing really early if they want to get a good spot. It's all worth it though - on a clear night, with a full moon, the silhouette of these mountains forms an awesome backdrop to the stage.

This weekend was carnival time in Cape Town. The annual Maynardville Carnival is a fundraising initiative run by the Community Chest charity organisation. The main focus is on food, with stalls selling everything from Austrian cheese and Chinese food, to Belgian waffles and seafood. This year we were brave enough to try a piece of chickpea fudge from the Hare Krishna stall - and hey, it was pretty good!
The carnival has been an institution for as long as I can remember, and has a very particular smell - a combination of all the food being cooked - that brings memories flooding back each time I visit.