Even though it's extremely rocky the little section of beach looks to be quite protected from the ocean at low-tide and seems perfect for young kids, be careful to keep a close watch on them - the ocean get's pretty fierce pretty quickly and the rocky outcrops make it very easy for even young kids reach this danger zone.
We really do have beautiful sunsets in Winter.
I'm reasonably tall so I'm able to see over the barrier to what's below - so this photo is for the benefit of those who can't see over the barrier. As you can see - all that you're missing out on at low tide is a large outcrop of rock! :)
We do so miss the sun in winter. Even though we have plenty of sunny days, there are still far too many dull and grey days for my liking. Perhaps when I'm rich one day I'll follow summer around the world. Good plan, don't you think? :)
The starfish uses its powerful arms to slowly pull the mussel's shell open. Once the gap between the two shells is large enough it turns its stomach inside out and forces it into the shell and digests the mussel right in its own home! Who would have thought the sea star to be such a vicious foe?!
I took this photo at the beautiful and peaceful Clifton 4th beach.
The train itself is crummy inside - nothing much to behold, and it's a little dirty inside and (as you can see) especially so on the outside!
On the plus side, locals and visitors are able to buy a special tourist ticket that costs around R20. The specific ticket is a day pass that allows for traveler to hop on and hop off at any station along the route from Cape Town to Simon's Town. Isn't that awesome!?
This particular path is a long, narrow, winding set of stairs that lead down to Cape Town's trendy Clifton 4th beach... a buzz of a place in summer but on this clear-yet-cool autumn day, practically deserted.
After descending the many steps to the clean white sand, I decided to leave my shoes in a particular spot in order to collect them on my return. Unfortunately, on my return, they had mysteriously grown legs and walked off. I first though that someone had stolen them, but then later realised that since I'd wandered out of sight, it's completely plausible that someone in need of shoes found them and assumed that the owner had abandoned them... the beach was after all pretty deserted!
I needed new shoes anyway. :)
Do you perhaps know more about this? Please leave a comment if you do!
While visiting, be sure to take a walk along the breakwater (to the left of the photo) - and, when you're tempted to step out onto them, be extra careful not to slip and fall down between the dolose. I did so once - it sure was painful - I shall not repeat the incident.
If you missed the previous 5 photos in this series, click here to jump to the beginning. :)
And there Cape Town surprises us all with a beautifully warm weekend filled with plenty of sun and warmth ideal for visiting the beach. Don't worry though, next week will see winter returning with all her chilly force. Brace yourself Cape Town - and remember to think of this weekend when you're freezing your toes blue towards the end of the coming week. :)
Wouldn't it be awesome to hire the boat for an adult pirate party - at around this time of day?
In case you missed my previous post, I'm publishing a few photos of the sun setting on what could have been the last warm day until summer arrives at the end of the year. See the previous photo in the series here.
You may have noticed that I'm about a week behind on publishing photos. So, please excuse me while I take the opportunity to catch up by posting a small set of photos that I took on Friday. This set of pics may after all turn out to be the our last reminder of Cape Town's last warm day until summer arrives!
Do you recognise the location?
While visiting their website I came across an interesting article on rip currents, how they work, how to identify them, and (more importantly) how to escape them. I've always heard that in the event of being caught in a rip current that you shouldn't try to fight against it, but rather swim along the shore until you escape it. Read the article, take a look at the pictures, and familiarise yourself with the technique - it could save your life. :)
This is the view that meets you as you leave Table Mountain's the upper cable station - the Atlantic ocean with the Twelve Apostles mountain range stretching into the distance. Isn't it a beautiful view?
I took a similar photo as the sun was setting about two years ago, and based on that experience I'd definitely recommend an early evening trip up the mountain (especially if it's a warm and windless evening), it's one of the most beautiful views of the sun setting over the ocean. A word of caution though - always take a warm top or jacket along no matter how warm it seems at the lower cable station - it get's kinda cool 1KM up in the sky. :)
I'm sure you can see that progress has been made in taking her apart, but still there's an awful amount of metal that's yet to be removed. Isn't it weird how easy it's for a ship to sail across the water and how difficult it is to remove it once run aground? I'm sure if it were possible that the ship would have been towed to Table Bay harbour for dismantling. :-/
While having breakfast at the Table Bay Hotel and enjoying our quiet spot outside, we noticed a burst of excitement on the pier. Gazing out towards Fish Quay, we spotted a small school of dolphins playing what seemed like a game of tag.
Contrary to how it may appear, we don't actually spend that much time at the Waterfront, and while I'm not sure how common this sight is, it's certainly the first time either Kerry-Anne or I have seen dolphins in the harbour.
The small school frolicked in the water for about 10 minutes and eventually headed off to the open sea. I'm sure it was a very memorable experience for the tourists visiting the Waterfront at the time - especially one little Asian boy who kept jumping up and down like a jack-in-the-box, pointing in the dolphins' direction. :)
Although I'm really happy to live where we do - out in a quiet neighbourhood in the northern suburbs - one of the things that makes me a little jealous of people living in the Green Point/Sea Point area is the Sea Point promenade, pictured here.
As Paul mentioned in a previous post about the promenade, the path runs for about 3km along the beach and seafront, stretching from Mouille Point to Sea Point. On pretty much any summer's evening (and most winter's evenings too) you'll find the promenade filled with joggers and walkers. Where we live, if we want to take a walk in the evening after supper, we either have to drive somewhere a little more interesting (bit pointless, really) or make the most of the neighbourhood scenery - which consists mostly of houses, houses, and yet more houses.
If I lived anywhere in the vicinity of Sea Point, I think I'd be out on the promenade most days, either diligently exercising, or else lazily reading a book. Where's your favourite spot for taking walks? Is it close to your house, or do you have to drive to get there?
The people on board appeared to be repairing the ship and the noise was possibly a result of them grinding away rust and replacing broken bits with new sheets of metal.
I thought at first that this was an awesome workshop. From this location workmen on the ship have a perfect view of Table Mountain and close-up view of the beautiful Blouberg beaches. However, considering this a little longer led me to decide that it must be a terrible place to work! It may be great when the weather's good, but surely it's awful to be stuck aboard this "prison island" when the weather is poor and the seas are rough? Nowhere to escape, nowhere to run, not many places to hide!
Great as it may have been this day, I'm a little surprised to come to the conclusion that I think, on average, I'd still prefer my air conditioned office!
In my next post I'll tell you a little more about the awesome meal that we enjoyed, but for now, visit their website to see the beautiful photo taken of the view from inside the restaurant. It's truly a spectacularly romantic spot for evening dining.
The water on this coastline is generally pretty cold, however (in my experience) not quite as cold as the waters of Clifton, Camps Bay and Llandudno. Big Bay and Blouberg Beach are extremely popular with kite-fliers and kite-surfers, but fortunately these guys tend to keep well clear of the more populated parts of the beach.
When I was youn my parents use to bring my brother, sister and I to this area to swim. Although the riptide can be quite strong, the area has a number of fairly well-protected pools surrounded by annoyingly-jagged rocks (which I remember navigating slowly without shoes).
Perhaps it doesn't look that way from this angle, but the roads in this area are so narrow that everyone parks on the curb in order to prevent this two-way road becoming fit for only a single lane. The little green Mini Cooper that you see parked on the curb is Kerry-Anne's. You'll notice that we decided to follow suit when parking. This was not only out of courtesy to other drivers, but also to prevent her little car from being scratched by other (under-cautious) drivers.
I discovered that that contrary to my previous belief, this is just not true. One of my very own friends had never been to the top! So, even though it was windy as hell (not that I'd know how windy hell may be) I decided that while we were in the city I'd take her on her first trip to the lookout point.
This is one of the photos that I shot while at the lookout point. I'm not sure what plant this is - but isn't it pretty? The wind was blowing furiously and that's how I got that cool, more-or-less-in-focus effect on some branches while others are partially, or completely blurred.
The ocean that you're able to see in the background is the Atlantic ocean that fills Table Bay; and the island that you see out in the distance is the famous Robben Island - South Africa's own version of Alcatraz Island
Perhaps we're too used to the comforts of large cruise liners or huge jet airplanes. Perhaps we've all (although, perhaps not all) become too accustomed to modern living. Do you think we've become too soft; too breakable?
I'm not sure if this boat is quite as maneuverable the one in Sydney, but from the photos on their site, it sure looks like a hell of a lot of fun. I also noticed that they offer a combo trip that consists of a boat ride and helicopter flip! If you're into adrenaline-releasing experiences then I think this experience could be just for you.
I think what some times happens is that people find the feeling of bobbing about on the water so relaxing that they shut their eyes for a little while and don't pay attention to how far away from the shore they are - until it's too late. Clifton's beach is very protected from the wind, but once you drift a little further out there's sharp change and the wind is easily able to drag you far away from the beach - too far for the average person to swim back.
Fortunately, the Clifton and Camps Bay beaches normally have lifeguards on duty who would probably warn you when you drift too far out. That said, it's not worth the risk, so be careful and keep your wits about you!
There was no wind to speak of; the air was cool, but the sun was warm. Bobbing around on a boat just of the beach was an amazing feeling. Even though we weren't on a luxury yacht, I guess that's the best way to describe the feeling. Imagine yourself in this very spot on the deck of a luxury yacht, enjoying the sun, drinking cocktails and snacking on delightful treats. Grand hey?
This was such great fun - and if you're okay with being out on a boat, I'd suggest this to be of the things you have to do when visiting Cape Town. It was simply beautiful.
Remember to take motion sickness tablets before jumping on board. As a particular colleague of mine discovered , feeling ill on the water really does ruin the experience.
The beach in this photo is a little more tricky than normal to identify because the hole in the hull obscures a lot from view. This said, I'm sure if you've spent some time in Cape Town that it would be unmistakable. Can you identify which it is?
The mountain in the background, along with Lion's Head and Signal Hill to the right unmistakably identifies this breakwater to be part of Table Bay harbour (which is the big harbour where your cruise liner would normally drop you off).
I heard recently, on the radio, that plans are afoot to build a proper arrivals and departures terminal that will cater for tourists arriving on large liners. Currently, visitors normally disembark alongside a commercial (and not very pretty) pier very close to the beautiful Table Bay Hotel - which I have to say is hugely convenient if you plan on bunking in one of the hotel's 5-star rooms!
