Author Archives: Paul

Spoornet’s springbok window

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Spoornet's springbok window
Way back, when the railway systems were owned by the state, the company known today as Metrorail used to fall under the banner of the South African Railway Services, aka SARS. Then one day the South African Revenue Services (our income tax government department) decided that they wanted the name "SARS" and instructed the government privatise and change the name of the South African Railway Services. They were a bully, and so now the South African Revenue Services is know as SARS.

I'm lying about the reason for the privatisation, and the involvement of our tax department, of course. The little lie explains however how strange it is to some of us to see all the old trains and old equipment labelled "SARS", and I figured this may clear it up for those who weren't around at that time - no, SARS isn't in the business of owning trains. :)

Back then, since the rail services were owned by the government, it made sense to use the springbok (our national animal) as an emblem - hence the springbok on this old train window.

Running water, running boy

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Running water, running boy
For some reason, it seems to me as though The Cape Quarter is a little hidden from the path that most tourists walk. It's a shame, because The Piazza and this, The Square, at De Waterkant's Cape Quarter is a very beautiful and very photogenic area. If you're visiting Cape Town, be sure to visit this spot - you'll thank me later. :)

Gourmet Boerie

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Gourmet Boerie - why did it take so long?
Boerewors rolls (aka boerie rolls) are to South Africans much like burgers are to Americans, or pizzas to Italians - they're practically a staple food.

Boerie rolls have been sold at sports events, festivals, and even along side the road for about as long as South Africa's been South Africa. They're common at braais, and the perfect emergency meal for a Friday evening, when you really don't feel like cooking.

A friend and I visited the Gourmet Boerie (map) launch party on Saturday evening - and OMW, the food was outstanding. Boerewors rolls are normally cool, but Gourmet Boerie's extensive menu that includes gorgonzola, bacon, pecan nuts and rocket, with the choice of lamb, chicken, beef and ostrich sausage, along with the option of white, whole grain, or even rye rolls really takes the traditional braai meal to another level! It really was that good.

South Africans, don't you think it's strange that it's taken so long for a restaurant selling gourmet borie rolls to appear? I'm sure most of us would kick ourselves for not coming up with the idea first!

Flip the switch

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Flip the switch
I found this open electricity box on one of the buildings in Loop Street. It's weird that it's been left so open and accessible. Perhaps someone recently vandalised the cover, and perhaps it's already been fixed.

You have no idea how tempted I was to flip a few of these switches.

Jo’burg in Long Street

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Jo'burg in Long Street
It's a little ironic for a bar in Cape Town to be called Jo'burg - well, at least I think it's ironic. Anyway, reports have it that Jo'burg is one of the noisier bars at the top of Long Street - very vibey, and filled with a diverse group of young people who are out to party.

I've often seen the bar, but I can't say that I've ever felt the desire to visit. Noisy and cramped bars aren't my scene, you know. Well, that's me, but if you're visiting Cape Town and want to get a feel for the local bar scene, then this may be a place to start.

If you visit this area at night, take care - while the top part of Long Street is reasonably safe, this is a city... so keep an eye out, and avoid weirdos - okay? :)

Loop and Buiten Street

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Loop and Buiten Street
In my previous post I asked for you to guess where I'd taken the photo. Well, it was right about here, on the corner of Loop and Buiten Street - which quite close to the top of Loop.

If you're looking for a quiet coffee-shop-type restaurant, there's quite a nice coffee shop and bakery (that sells great cakes) right about here. I can't recall the name, but you can't miss it - it's not like there are a lot of restaurants in this part of Loop Street. :)

DAL’s Deer Park mural

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Deer Park mural
DAL, a public space artist, was born in China and started with his first public works in 2004. Since then he's graced Cape Town with a few murals, including this one at Deer Park - just below Deer Park Café. Click on the pics below to see larger versions, and click through to DAL's own site to browse through his other works - they're extraordinary!

Red and blue

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Red and blue
I found this makeshift corrugated wall of iron separating pedestrians from a building site in Commercial Street, between Buitenkant and Harrington (map). They could have left the wall a dull grey colour, but instead decided to make it look more awesome. Isn't that nice? :)

Cheetah-kitty

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Cheetah-kitty
He entered the room like a Don Juan; cool, calm, collected. Two hundred eyeballs fixed on his every move as he stepped up onto the table. He lay down as though he owned the room.

Joseph is a 10-year-old male cheetah who lives at Cheetah Outreach in Somerset West. Cheetah Outreach is a local conservation and education organisation that serves to save Cheetahs in the wild by educating the public.

Wild cheetahs are often killed by farmers who are forced to protect their livestock from these predators. Most of the funds raised go towards their Anatolian Shepherd Guard Dog programme which places the dogs on farms to ward off cheetahs, and in so doing dissuade farmers from hunting the cats.

If you'd like to get involved, or support Cheetah Outreach in some way, visit their website for a list of ways in which you can help.

Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town

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FIsh Hoek and Simon's Town
I took this photo while heading from Simon's Town to Kalk Bay. The small town that you see closest in the photo is known as Fish Hoek, and the one in the distance, on the left, is Simon's Town.

This side of the peninsula is completely different to the Atlantic Seaboard (ie. the Sea Point / Camps Bay area), and in some way reminds me of a few of the small sea-side fishing towns that we visited in Brittany, France.

Peninsula trip stop 7: Dinner at Cape to Cuba

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Peninsula trip stop 7: Dinner at Cape to Cuba
Dinner at Cape to Cuba in Kalk Bay was awesome. Their service was snappy, they had half-price cocktails (between 5pm and 7pm) and the array of unusual dishes were both tasty and pretty well priced.

If you enjoy eclectic décor, beach sand, good service, then visit Cape To Cuba in Kalk Bay - it was pretty awesome. :)

Peninsula trip stop 6: Boulders Penguin Colony

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Peninsula trip stop 6: Boulders Penguin Colony
Contrary to what Pixar would have you believe, penguins don't all live in the icy Arctic regions - we have plenty of African penguins along our shores. Two places that you'll more than certainly see penguins is at Betty's Bay, and this place, Boulders Beach.

What's awesome about Boulders Beach is that it's a regular beach where people are allowed to bathe in the sun and swim in the ocean together with the penguins. Entry to Boulders Beach is paid for and strictly controlled as not to overcrowd the penguins.

Peninsula trip “stop” 5: Chapman’s Peak Drive

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Peninsula trip stop '5": Chapman's Peak Drive
Chapman's Peak Drive is one of the most scenic routes in the Cape Town area. The area that you see in this photo is known as Hout Bay, or as locals often refer to it, the Republic of Hout Bay.

As with our previous "stop" at Camps Bay, we never actually stopped on Chapman's Peak Drive since were in a rush to get around the mountain into Noordhoek, and over the hills into Simon's Town for our last official stop before hitting Kalk Bay for dinner.

Peninsula trip “stop” 4: Camps Bay

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Peninsula trip stop 3: The V&A Waterfront
By the time we hit the Camps Bay part of our Peninsula trip I realised that we were running out if time pretty quickly and it would be impossible to make time to stop for a walk on Camps Bay beach. The weather was (as you can see) pretty much perfect for a day at the beach, but we had bigger birds to fry, so we headed off along Victoria Road in the direction of Hout Bay.

Peninsula trip stop 3: The V&A Waterfront

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Peninsula trip stop 3: The V&A Waterfront
Some of our little tour group hadn't yet visited the V&A Waterfront, so we made this the third stop of our one-day peninsula trip.

Our party spent about an hour visiting the Blue Shed craft market - where they bought a few African treats. I thought about swinging past one of the roadside informal markets to get a better deal, but time wasn't on our side, so we paid the premium Waterfront prices (which weren't actually so expensive, anyway).

Once done buying souvenirs, we headed over to Quay 4 for a quick bite to eat before boarding our shuttle to the next destination...

Peninsula trip stop 2: The Company’s Garden

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Peninsula trip stop 2: The Company's Garden
The second stop of our trip around the peninsula was at the Company's Garden. The word "Company" in the name referrers to the Dutch East India company, who were the first European settlers to land and set up a base at Cape Town. The Company's Garden was established by the commander, Jan Van Riebeeck, to grow produce to supply passing ships with food.

For their historical significance, the gardens are today considered a national monument.