Visit to Cape Point & the Cape of Good Hope

I didn't drive around in Cape Town but took organized tours. A family of five, Nigerians who were working in Kazakhstan (of all places) were in the minibus with me on this trip. The wife didn't seem to appreciate my Borat jokes, although the husband didn't seem to mind.



On the way, we stopped at Hout Bay to take a boat trip to the seal island. As in most tourist spots, the locals were displaying their handicrafts and paintings on the sidewalks. Unemployment is high in South Africa, so the singing and dancing groups at the Cape Town

waterfront do it not for recreation but for sheer survival. The same could be said of some handicrafts sellers because the items they display are sometimes crude and worth next to nothing. The photo shows handicrafts being displayed at Hout Bay.

A boat took us to the Seal island. Although the stench was overpowering, I had not seen so many seals in one place before, not even in New Zealand. The bucolic scenery was spoilt by yet

another township (more about them later) clinging precariously to a steep hillside.

Seal Island in Hout Bay

We then drove all the way south to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, a desolate area which contains both Cape Point as well as the Cape of Good Hope. We took the tram up to Cape Point and walked down, which took about 15 minutes. The views were spectacular. We had a nice lunch at Cape Point.


Cape Point tram

At Cape Point. At 200+ feet above sea level, the view is spectacular.

An dream fulfilled. Finally, at the Cape of Good Hope.

Seeing the Cape of Hood Hope was probably the crowning moment of my visit to South Africa. I had read about the Cape in history and geography books from primary school. The Cape is where currents from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, and the sea is very dangerous to shipping. The sea is littered with shipwrecks. Till the Suez Canal was dug in the 1800s, the route from Europe to Asia was around the Cape. Long, treacherous voyages.

An African Penguin.

We then drove up to Simonstown to see penguins, and were fortunate to see hundreds of them at close quarters. . (I hadn't seen any any New Zealand, so this was a treat.) Because of their braying, they used to be called Jackass Penguins, but that has now been changed to the more dignified African Penguin. The penguin population is sharply down and only about 20,000 remain. They look harmless but are said to have sharp beaks.

The penguin colony at Boulders near Simonstown.

We drove back to Cape Town with a stop at the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical garden.

Robben Island

Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned from 1964 to 1984. The island, which is only about 5 sq. km., is a short ferry ride from the Cape Town waterfront. It's a barren, bleak, windy place without any fresh water, although I saw many rabbits, which are considered a pest in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela is the person I most admire. For nearly 30 years, he lived by his principles, not giving into the White racist rulers of South Africa under Apartheid. He chose prison at the cost of a comfortable life as a lawyer. He had no family life and had little contact with the outside world for most of his confinement. Yet, when he finally gained freedom and was elected the President of South Africa in the early 1990s, he did not cling to power, choosing to retire after two terms, giving up the Presidency gracefully.

Robben Island has been a prison for more than a hundred years. Ordinary criminals as well as political prisoners were confined there. They had no access to visitors, newspapers, or radio. To keep them occupied, the prisoners were made to work in limestone quarries which in turned affected their lungs. They were not tortured (as political prisoners usually are) but their loneliness must have been unberable because Cape Town is only a few kilometers away and clearly visible from the island. But escape (by swimming) was not possible due to strong sea currents.

Table Mountain (in Cape Town) as seen from Robben Island

The entrance to the prison

The cell where Nelson Mandela slept. He did not have a bed; instead, prisoners were given a thick mat made of rough cotton fibre. The winters are bitterly cold. Because the cell is so small (less than 6' X 6'), Mr. Mandela would not have been able to stretch his legs when he slept. And this went on for 20 years!

Tours are conducted by former prisoners. I am with Wiseman N. Mdlalana, who was a prisoner on the island for 10 years. He now runs a wine business in Cape Town.

A limestone quarry where the prisoners were made to work.

Sightseeing around Cape Town

On Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a must place to visit in Cape Town. It's about 3,000ft. above the town and is often affected by winds, so we had to wait for a clear day to visit.

We also visited Robben Island, a ferry ride away from Cape Town, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 16 years. Other excursions were to Hout Bay, Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, the Paarl area and Stellenbosch for wine tasting, and to the Aquila Game park for close encounters with African wildlife. Unlike in New Zealand and Japan, I did not drive in South Africa; I felt it would be risky.

On Table Mountain. Cape Town could be seen in the background, 3,000ft. below

Table Mountain seen from the Art Gallery in Cape Town

Visit to Cape Town

The Bed and Breakfast at Cheviot Place, Green Point, where we stayed

In early December, I visited Cape Town in South Africa. As usual, the excuse was to "present a paper at a conference", but I managed to take 10-days off to relax and do some sightseeing. Although I went with some trepidation, given the terrible reputation that South Africa has recently earned due to a wave of violent crime, I had a great time. Not once did I feel that I was in any danger. The skies were clear, the food was great, and the people were usually friendly. What more could one ask for on a holiday!

The conference was held at the beautiful Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, actually within the Two Oceans Aquarium itself. The conferences I attend are usually held in convention centers or large hotels, so this was a new experience. The conference was small, with only about 30 attendees, but participants came from as far off as the USA, Russia (Siberia), Germany, Holland, France,
Australia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.



At the waterfront

For two days, we had breakfast and lunch on the waterfront, in the dazzling sunlight. The waterfront itself was rather generic (we could have been at Sydney or elsewhere), but the variety of cuisine that was available and the informal performances by local singing and dancing groups were unusual. My favorite eating places were Den Anker, a Belgian ale house, and Willoughby's, which served fine Japanese and Thai cuisine, despite its name.

Another view of the waterfront

Singing group at the waterfront




In Mandela's shadow. These are figures of the four South African Nobel Peace Prize winners

We stayed at Green Point, a 10-minute taxi ride from the waterfront, at a Bed & B'fast run by a youngish couple, James and Brooke. James turned out fabulous breakfasts and was good with sound advice. We talked about cricket, politics, and travel. Three other guests were Americans, staunch Republicans, and I enjoyed some jousting with one of them, who was still defending the American invasion of Iraq.



The lovely St. Margaret & Mary church at Cheviot Place


Beautiful homes at Green Point


At a park in Cape Town


James with his guests