This will be the third and last daily photo from my spectacular-spectacular helicopter trip over Cape Town's Table Bay. Shot while we were coming in to land, what you can see in this photo is (obviously) Table Mountain in all her splendour, and right in the middle the well-known Table Bay Hotel.
What struck me as interesting in this photo is how large Devil's Peak (to the left) appears to be when compared to Table Mountain. At 1 kilometre in height, it's only 87 metres shorter than Table Mountain, making it a fair-sized piece of rock! Visit the Wikipedia page about Devil's Peak - they have an awesome panoramic photo taken from the peak's summit.
P.S. After my little helicopter expedition I've decided to make a concerted effort to do more aerial photography around Cape Town, so if you want to pay someone to fly around the Cape, you know who to call. ;)
The mountains of Cape Town – a helicopter’s perspective
I guess you're all used to seeing the traditional Table Mountain photos, where it does in fact look somewhat like a table. I took this shot from a helicopter, after I'd spent about 50 minutes taking photos of two Tidewater Marine boats passing by Table Bay. Read yesterday's post for more info.
Since this isn't the traditional photo of the city, allow me to take a moment to point out which mountains, peaks and hills you can see here. Starting at the back, on the left is Devil's Peak, with Table Mountain to its right, kind of in the middle of the photo. You'll notice that it doesn't look as much like a table from this angle. If you click on the photo and view the large version you'll faintly make out the cable car station to the right of Table Mountain. Following on from the cable station, all the way to the right of the photo is the 12 Apostles mountain range (but, to be honest, I'm finding it tricky to pick out the 12 from this angle). In the foreground, you'll see Signal Hill (from where the Noon Gun is fired each day) on the left, with Lion's Head just to its right.
From this angle it's fairly easy to see why Signal Hill is often still referred to as "Lion's Rump".
A week or more ago (while we were away in Bloemfontein watching the soccer) one of the Tidewater Marine guys emailed me about chartering a helicopter and taking photos of two boats due to pass by Cape Town's Table Bay. The two boats were the Gubert Tide and Desoto Tide, en route from Singapore to the West Coast of Africa (somewhere near Côte d'Ivoire).
I read a little about the boats and found that they're reasonably new vessels, launched only this year and now being deployed to their new home near Côte d'Ivoire. Apparently, these two are Diesel-Electric-powered boats, which I understand makes them a little special in that they're not quite as bad for the environment as many other ships - they reduce CO2 emission by 30% and are lighter on diesel than traditional diesel-powered vessels.
Enough about Tidewater and the boats for now, and back to the helicopter trip. If you have the opportunity you absolutely HAVE TO take an early-morning flip in a chopper around Cape Town. I now understand why this city is often considered the most beautiful in the world. But, don't take my word for it - visit again tomorrow, because I'll be posting a few more early-morning aerial photos of Cape Town. Early morning is a beautiful time to see the city and its mountains.
Take a look at this article to read more about the two vessels.
I took this photo this morning at about 07h50, at a location just past the Table Bay Hotel at the V&A Waterfront. I overheard several people say that the sunrise this morning was the best that they'd seen in a long time, perhaps even the best ever!
Yesterday I gave a clue as to what I'd be doing today, but given that only Hilda from My Manila commented on the post I'm guessing that the clues must have been too vague. Well, either this, or the Internet is ignoring me... :-/
Today's clue in the photo above is the last one and will surely help narrow it down. In fact, I'm sure by now you have a fairly good idea of what I did this morning. Still, today's clue will help you uncover only one half of the puzzle... with the other half still represented in the second clue from yesterday's photo.
Although this photo was taken on Sunday, today's weather was pretty much the same; I thought it appropriate to share this photo because it gives two clues as to something fun I'll be doing early tomorrow morning... before heading off to work. Have a guess, and remember, I did say two clues. :)
Today is Kerry-Anne's birthday and at this stage she's received so many messages from people on Facebook, Twitter, on her cell phone, and in her mailbox that she's spent the whole day just getting through them all. I never knew that she knew so many people! So, believe me, if she hasn't yet responded to your message, it's not because she's ignoring you.
Thanks to the people who've contributed to the "Drummer-girl project" that I started for Kerry-Anne; we're up to R700 already! One of the contributors even offered to let her use his electronic drumkit every now and again! Why didn't I think of that!? An electronic kit with headphones! ;)
I took this photo yesterday while sitting at Blouberg beach, which is on the east side of Table Bay. Table Mountain is to the left and the famous Robben Island to the right of this picture - both just out of frame.
The two subjects of this photo sat on the fence for a long while, seeming not to talk, just looking out to sea. It was interesting watching the couple because due to the fact that they weren't sitting right next to each other I found myself wondering if they were uncomfortable with each other (being on some kind of "first date") or perhaps they'd been arguing and now sat silent, or maybe they were simply friends enjoying the warm sun (even though the sea breeze was a little cool). I felt that in some way the ships anchored in the bay were a silent reflection of the couple.
On a different topic, tomorrow, 7 July, is Kerry-Anne's birthday! If you will, take a guess at how old she will be. She won't be offended if you guess wrong, promise. ;) If you want to help and have a moment, have a look at the "Drummer-girl Project" that I devised in order to get her the drum kit she's been hounding me for.
The area around this signpost is littered with dolosse - big concrete blocks used to break the force of the waves hitting the retaining wall of the V&A Waterfront's parking area.
Even if you were a strong swimmer accustomed to braving the icy water, and even if the ocean looked particularly calm, the small waves ebbing and flowing would quickly crash you against the barnacle-covered concrete dolosse, making your swim at best rather unpleasant, and at worst, fatal.
It's strange how apparently calm waters can actually be very rough seas for humans, when combined with immovable objects like these dolosse. This sort of "apparent safety" is presumably also the reason that I see parents driving with their young kids unrestrained in their cars. If you do on occasion allow your kids unrestrained in a vehicle, imagine for a moment running as fast as you can into a sheet of glass. It takes a lot to make me angry - but this does.
If you're a parent, take a moment to visit the Childsafe website and read the Arrive Alive article on ensuring that your children are kept safe while in transit.
Thank-you to Mandy for helping out with photos, including this one, while we've been touring around the country for the Confederations Cup.
Jet Skiing is one of those sports that I think many people would love to try, but either it's too expensive, or they live too far away from the ocean and its waves to make one of these water bikes a worthwhile investment.
I'm sure many people know that you can hire a Jet Ski for the odd bit of fooling around, but what's always bothered me with this is that jet skis are dangerous and I don't know how to read the ocean - I do know that it's not something to toy with, though. A colleague of mine, who rides his jet ski regularly, told me of an incident where he helped someone who had paralysed themselves by landing incorrectly after jumping the ski... that's not a place I'd like to be!
But there is another option if you're visiting Cape Town and would like to take a tour of the coastline on a jet ski (and want to drive the machine yourself). Bugaloo Adventures have a Seafari jet ski package for R600 that puts you on a jet ski with a guide on a separate ski. The guide rides alongside you, keeping one eye on the ocean and one eye on you to make sure you're staying safe, and helps you learn how to ride the ski. It's a pretty cool idea, don't you think? I'm just waiting for Bugaloo to offer us a free ride, so that we can review the actual experience! :D
To help us out while we're on vacation, today's photo was taken by Bennie Vivier - the guy who, when I started getting into photography, was kind enough teach me about the subtle technical aspects of the art.
If you read yesterday's post you'll have gathered that Kerry-Anne and I are away in Bloemfontein (for the Confederations Cup). We decided that it wouldn't be fair to stockpile photos before we left and subject our readers to them over the time, so I've enlisted the help of a couple of friends to supply us with photos.
Mandy, blogger, writer, gadget-freak, and owner of brainwavez.org kicked off today with this shot of the Garcia D'Avila moored at the Cape Town Waterfront. This warship found its way to Cape Town in support of the Sea Power for Africa Symposium held at the CTICC (but I think they're actually in SA to support Brazil in the Confederations Cup!). Mandy mentioned that the public were actually being allowed to board the vessel for a short tour. We're not sure if they're still giving tours, but if you're in the Waterfront, stop by and try your luck. ;)
If you have a moment, visit brainwavez.org. The homepage lists article summaries, which link through to the main articles. Unsurprisingly, the first article I read was a review of a silly, yet fun game, Death Dice. (I'm on level 7 at the moment ;) ).
Perfect bliss may well be lying on a beautiful (and windless) beach while watching sailing ships pass by at a pace significantly slower than life.
Cape Town has for many years been known as a city where the pace is somewhat slower than the rest of the country. I've noticed though that the tide has started to turn and even though there's a more relaxed feeling in parts (like at this beach), it seems to me that the pace of business has picked up. Average folk seem busier than before, working longer hours than ever, and generally being trapped in the great hamster-wheel.
The interesting thing about Cape Town is that whenever the weather is good you'll find loads of people on the beaches... and not tourists, I might add. I've come to the conclusion that these people most likely fall into four categories:
1. They worked smart and earned a lot of money, enough to retire early.
2. They're trust-fund kids.
3. They're locals on holiday.
4. They're bunking work or lectures!
And in the majority of cases, I'd place my bet on option 4. ;)
Today Kerry-Anne and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We married fairly young and have been together for quite some time... so here's the challenge to you: leave a comment and guess how many years we've been married. (Hey, family and friends who know, shhhh..... ;) ).
So we normally don't do anything extravagant for our anniversary, but since I missed last year's one due to a business trip (*cough*) to Vegas, I realised that I'd have to make up for it this year. Since I'd like to keep the length of this post within reason, I'll tell you about the main highlight and fill you in about the breakfast, lunch and afternoon parts of our day next week.
We've never been to a health spa; I knew that Kerry-Anne would love it, and since I'm such a *cough* confident guy, I figured that I could put aside my bravado and join my lady for a couple of hours at a spa. So, I did what any smart guy would do and called a (female) friend for some advice. She recommended the Sanctuary Spa at the Twelve Apostles Hotel as "the best spa in Cape Town". And, although we're not experts in the field, she may have been right - the spa was pretty awesome.
We started off our skin rejuvenation journey in something called the Rasul Chamber. You first use some kind of coarse salt (I think) to exfoliate, and then apply a layer of clay (which looks much like real white potting clay)... followed by (yes, guys) a face and hair mask! The chamber then filled with dense steam for about 30 minutes before a fine rain began falling from the ceiling, washing off the products clinging to our skin.
Once we were done in the chamber, we headed off to the flotation pool, then sat in the warm spa bath for about half an hour, enjoying (part of) a bottle of sparkling wine.
At about 12h30 we were taken outside, up to the gazebos (seen in this photo) for an hour-long Swedish massage... which was divine. The gazebos have glass walls that allow you to see the ocean while you're in the room, and the sound of birds twittering and chirping in the surrounding bushes was incredibly relaxing.
I'd love to go into more detail about the experience, but time and the word-count of this post are against me. To get back to the introductory paragraph then, let's hear it: how many years do you think we've been married for?
Kite surfing is one of those sports that looks so awesome and appears to be so much fun, but can in fact be deceptively dangerous - especially for the foolishly brave noobies who think that it's okay to go out on their own. It really isn't okay for the inexperienced to kite-surf on their own, even if the wind is calm.
The Cape Town wind has a nasty way of arriving suddenly and changing unpredictably. A friend of mine was once lifted several metres into the air, and then thumped down on the sand, severely injuring his back. It took months for the feeling in his lower back to return... and he was lucky. More than once have I heard of kite surfers being dragged around on the beach, slammed into barricades and even dragged across roads. A little while ago I heard a report of a kite surfer flying across the beach, then flying across the road, and finally being slammed against a building.
If you do plan on taking up kite surfing, make sure that you take proper lessons and get in a good few hours of surfing before going out alone. Also, take a look at the safety tips on this kite-surfing school's site. And, just before you're ready to go out and buy your first kite, do take a look at this video. (Warning: The video contains no blood, or visible damage to any person, but could be classed as horrific in nature.)
There are so many fantastic sunset spots in Cape Town: Clifton 4th Beach, Summerville in Camps Bay, Signal Hill, Table Mountain itself, Scarborough, upstairs at Wakame in Mouille Point, Blouberg Beach (which is where today's photo was taken), the top of Tygerberg Hill, Lovers' Lane... if you live in the city, or have been here, which is your favourite? And yes, I know, that's like asking you to name your favourite dessert - but give it a try anyway.
As much as I love all the other spots, I'd have to say that the two most spectacular sunsets I've ever experienced were the two I watched from the top of Table Mountain. Clifton 4th Beach is a close second, though, and a bit more accessible, to be fair. :)
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...
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 killer restaurant view – 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!
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.
In the distance, far out of focus, you can see a ship floating in Table Bay. This got me thinking about the last time that I was on a large ship - and then I realised that I've never been out to sea on a large ship. With Valentine's Day just a few days away I started looking around for things to do and came across the 2-day "starlight cruise" on the MSC Rhapsody. The ship leaves from Cape Town and takes a trip along the coast, to nowhere in particular, and then returns.
Unfortunately this cruise is out of the question right now, but we'll have to make a point of doing this some time soon. For now, to solve the immediate problem of Valentine's Day, I've started making enquiries at restaurants that are "doing something special" for the evening. It would seem however that if one is to find a good spot for the evening in Cape Town then it's advisable to book more than 11 days in advance. It seems as though many places are already fully booked. :(
According to the Cape Ports website, the Celestine River, a ship just like this one, caused quite a fuss last year when it was anchored off Sea Point, as some people were concerned that it might explode...
According to the same site, the ships that lie at anchor off the coast like this (we see quite a few of them) are in fact empty, and so these fears were entirely unfounded.
"LNG" stands for Liquefied Natural Gas - natural gas is converted to liquid so that it can be transported, and then returned to its gaseous form once it reaches its destination, so that it can be piped.
This photo was taken from the promenade at Three Anchor Bay.
South Africans are proud of their inventors. It's almost guaranteed that if you're a foreigner and find yourself talking with South African friends on a harbour pier, at some point someone from the group will mention that it was a South African who invented the dolos (the 20 ton pieces oddly-shaped pieces of concrete seen in the photo).
This bit of information will more often than not be followed up by the story of Ferdinand Chauvier's world-first automatic pool cleaning system, the Kreepy Krauly and how the American company, Zodiac, allegedly stole the South African design, with their Baracuda pool cleaner.
Ironically, I'm South African and I own a Baracuda... which, much to my dismay, sucked all the water from my swimming pool during the night because I left the pump on backwash by mistake! Perhaps it's the Gods of Invention that are trying to teach me a lesson about patriotism. :D
