Hi

In March I'm going to South Africa again. We are mainly heading over there to see my wifes family in Johannesburg but I'm also hoping that we will have a chance to pop down to Cape Town for a few days. It has been a few years since I went to Cape Town last time and I'm sure it has changed a bit I have seen the main attractions such as Table Mountain, Robben Island etc. But I would love to hear from people that have been there recently. What is the main attractions these days? Good restaurants to visit? Fun stuff to do? When I went to Joburg in 2004 I made this trip report http://gardkarlsen.com/johannesburg_...frica_2004.htm . I hope to make a similar one from Cape Town this time

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Gard I love your reports!

Here is one of mine with CapeTown information; note that the report kind of trails off after Vic Falls...but that is not your interest this time, so...



http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35088021

Gard when are you there? I'm in Cape Town from the 18th March before heading up to Durban then Kruger, and will be visiting some conservation orgs: if interested drop me an email at [email protected].

Matt

hi gard,

the highlights of our stay in CPT were:

table mountain free walk [meet at the seats near the top of the cable car where the placard is, starts at 10am and 12noon]

kirstenbosch gardens - blew us away even in July.

day trip to the cape - after visiting the penguins at boulder's beach, drive down the very long road right to the cape, go up the little railway to the top, and walk right out to the very end - the sign says it takes 1 1/2 hours but it's only 35-40.

then go back down and have lunch in the two oceans restaurant. on the way back take the road up the western coast - lovely views over the beaches, chapman's drive, and sunset on chapmans's peak.

have a great time,

regards, ann

Hey Ann - What's the "free walk"?

Just avoid getting mugged on Table Mountain!

Hi

I'm not sure when we will be there. At the moment we have just booked the ticket to Joburg. The next thing we'll have to do is book flights to Cape Town and find accommodation

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Will also be in Cape Town in March. If there's a GTG I may be able to attend.

hi kareng

>>Hey Ann - What's the "free walk"?

when we got to the top of Table mountain via the cable car, we wandered around a bit, and found about 50 yards from the cable car station, a bench with a notice next to it, advertising free guided walks around the top. as it was close to the start time [12 noon for us, but it said there was one at 10am too] we decided to give it a go, on the basis that if we weren't happy, we could vere off.

it was conducted by 2 retirees, who do this on a voluntary basis on a monthly rota. They knew all the best spots for photos, flora, fauna, history etc. also if anyone had worries about security on Table Mountain [which has hit the headlines recently] they were able to advise re routes for people who wanted to walk down.

our two chaps were very interesting as was the rest of the group. the tour took 90 minutes or so - you would then be free to wander round alone, or have lunch, but we had an appointment with kirstenbosch gardens. [and a burst tyre, but that's another story].

we were certainly pleased that we took the tour.

regards, ann

Thanks Ann - that sounds like something we may want to do!

We lived in CT for a year and Ann has just about covered all of our favourites, but here are a few more:

Lunch at Rhodes Memorial - great views and great food! Book ahead!

Talk a walk on the UCT campus - lovely old buildings and great views of the city

At the Cape of Good Hope, walk from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope - it is an easy hike (~ 1 hour) - more like a walk - and the views are great - most people drive from one to the other, but it is a lovely hike - be sure to take the steps down to Diaz Beach - good exercise and a beautiful beach (the beach you overlook as you climb to the old lighthouse)!

The views of the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean from Chapman's Peak Drive are amazing - talk a bottle of wine, find a nice spot and sip wine while watching the sunset - a very memorable experience!

Hike to the top of Chapman's Peak - the views of Hout Bay are amazing - not for someone with weak ankles however - the trail is rocky and rough but otherwise not hard to do!

Hike to the top of Lion's head - the trail spirals around Lion's head so, as you climb, you enjoy successive views of the city bowl, Table Mountain, the ocean and Robben Island! Amazing!

Take a bottle of wine up to Signal Hill and enjoy the sunset!

Attend a summer concert at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens - pack a picnic, take a bottle of wine and enjoy an outdoor concert while taking in the views of the city far below!

Hmmm - wine seems to be a recurring theme here!!

Take a 2-hour surfing lesson with Gary's Surfing School at Muizenberg Beach - very reasonably priced (includes the wet suit and board)and excellent lessons! You then get to keep the board and suit for the rest of the day at no charge!

Take a day trip to the Winelands - From Cape Town, one of our favourite day trips is what I believe is called "the Four Passes Route" - N2 from CT over Sir Lowrey's Pass to Grabouw (stop at Peregrine Farm Stall - great breads, pies, muffins, dried fruit etc). From Grabouw, north on the R321 over Viljoen's Pass towards Villiersdorp. South of Villiersdorp, head northwest on th R45 over the Franschhoek Pass to Franschhoek. Finally, on the M12 over the Helshoogte Pass to Stellenbosch and then (still on the M12)back onto the N2 to CT - taking in both Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. You, of course, could do this trip in reverse. Some of our favourite wineries on this route - Cabriere (great cellar), Boschendale (beautiful estate), Rustenberg (great reds!) and - if you have children traveling with you - Spier for the cheetahs (you can pay to cuddle a cub) and dinner in a treehouse (but reserve a treehouse in advance - you can do this online - the restaurant is called Moyo)!

The Tourist Info Centre downtown has a great map of the city bowl which includes a walk that takes in many of the city's historic sites - Castle of Good Hope, the National Gallery, the Houses of Parliament, some beautiful churches - there are guided walks available, but we walked it on our own and felt perfectly safe - a most enjoyable day!

Despite the rather mixed reviews on this forum, I would still recommend dinner at the Africa Cafe - we have visited on many occasions, last in July 2007, and it is still a favourite!

Take a drive along the east coast of False Bay to Hermanus - almost as lovely a drive as Chapman's Peak Drive and far less busy! Hermanus is a small fishing village famous for its land-based whale watching - have lunch at Bientangs' Cave - a seafood restaurant with a spectacular setting!

Last but not least - visit a township - I include (below)a description of my family's visit to a CT township - it is part of a trip report that I sent home to family and friends back in Canada - I think my enthusiasm for this experience will come through - I would recommend everyone visit a township and I would certainly recommend the group we toured with.

Enjoy your visit to Cape Town - my family has many fond memories of the year we spent there! Township visit described below! Robin

The highlight of Dinah’s visit to Cape Town came near the end of her stay. While Laura was on the road with the UCT volleyball team, Robert, Dinah and I took a guided tour of a township. This was something that Robert and I had wanted to do all year but had hesitated, fearing that we would be treating the people who live in the townships like animals in a zoo, gawking at them and snapping photos from behind the windows of a bus. We had read that some township residents see these tours as an intrusion, while others feel that they are benefiting from the financial and cultural exchanges the tours offer. After much debate and considerable research, the three of us selected Inkululeko Tours, a small tour company whose guides are township residents and who encourage their guests to get out of the vehicle and interact with the people. While we all set off with some trepidation, by the end of the day we were very thankful that we had gone. Robert and I agreed that it was another highlight of our year and wished that Laura had been with us.
Our tour was led by Gladstone Pasiwe, a black in his early twenties, who has been a township resident all his life. We were ferried about in a minibus, and our tour companions included a group of six Italians, who spoke little English, and a couple from New Zealand. Our tour began with a drive through District Six, a large piece of vacant land on the slopes of Devil’s Peak, adjacent to the city centre. Originally the sixth municipal district of Cape Town, it was once an impoverished but vibrant neighbourhood, which housed people from every walk of life - musicians, traders, teachers, craftsmen, petty criminals, hookers, and pimps. It was one of South Africa's most inspired and creative communities, producing poets, jazz musicians, and writers. Blacks, whites and coloureds lived and worked side by side. However, in 1966, sixty thousand people were forcibly removed from District Six by apartheid hardliners who, wanting to limit interaction among races, passed a law making it illegal for people of different races to live in the same neighborhood. The government declared District Six a whites-only area and renamed it Zonnebloem ("sunflower&quot. Blacks and coloureds (the apartheid name for people of mixed descent) were forcibly removed, and their houses flattened by bulldozers. When the bulldozers finally moved out, all that remained were a few churches and mosques, which still stand today. In an ironic attempt at morality, religious buildings were exempt from the demolition order. The community was relocated piecemeal to segregated areas - the coloureds to the Cape Flats (a name that accurately describes both the geography and psychology of the area), and the blacks further east to the “townships” or “black suburbs” of Langa, Khayalitsha and Guguletu. Today, District Six remains largely vacant, as even hardened capitalists spurned development in protest. Only the state-funded Cape Technicon was ever built on the land. Restitution is finally underway, and construction of homes for some of the evicted families started in 2003. It is hoped that by returning the land to the original families, the damage done to the national psyche may be reversed. Until then, the vacant land is a constant and sobering reminder of what took place.
After driving through the area, Gladstone took us to the District Six Museum, which is housed in one of the churches that were spared. There, we admired an impressive collection of historical photographs, paintings, books, artifacts, and physical remains such as street signs, most of which were donated by former residents. There was an especially poignant display of the dreaded pass books, which controlled and limited the movements of coloureds and blacks. All non-whites were forced to carry these passport-like books at all times, and were thrown in prison if found without one. David (the professor that Robert is working with), who is coloured, still has his pass book. Also of particular interest was a layout of the streets and buildings of District Six, which was painted onto the floor of the main room of the museum. Former residents had signed their names where their homes or businesses once stood. It was a fascinating museum, and we wished we could have stayed longer.
From District Six, we headed to Langa (“sun” in Xhosa) township, Gladstone’s home and Cape Town’s second oldest township. We drove into the township through its only entrance, designed that way originally to allow the police easy control of the inhabitants. Once intended for 40,000 people, Langa is now home to over 100,000 blacks. Driving along the main street, my first impression was of an impoverished but vibrant community. Minibus taxis, the only means of transport available to most residents, littered the streets. There were people everywhere, many just standing around, no doubt among the 60% in Langa who are unemployed. We passed an odd assortment of small, dilapidated buildings which offered a peculiar mix of goods and services – a grocery store, HIV/Aids clinic (Langa has one of the highest levels of HIV/AIDS in South Africa), library, braiding salon, jeweler, cell phone shop, environmental centre, nursery school, church, high school (there are two high schools and five elementary schools in Langa, all with classes of fifty to sixty students), arts and craft centre, sheeben (pub), and traditional healer. Street vendors, with their wares spread neatly on tarpaulins which covered the sidewalks, offered everything from freshly plucked chickens and firewood to coat hangers and wooden giraffes. Although we didn’t see them, we learned that Langa has a sports stadium, several parks, three public baths and a swimming pool.
The first homes we passed were decrepit three-storey buildings, which were originally built as hostels for migrant workers. During the apartheid era, when cities were designated for whites only, workers were forced to leave their wives and children in rural homelands or “bantustans” while they worked in the cities. Since apartheid, some of these former hostels have been renovated to provide dormitory style housing for families. We stopped outside one hostel and Gladstone led us inside. After climbing a rickety, external staircase, we found ourselves in a small living room that was dark, musty and almost devoid of furniture. In one corner of the room was a kitchen, which consisted of a sink with a cold water tap and a hot plate. A small table and a few wooden chairs took up most of the floor space. Off the central living room, were four crowded bedrooms. Two of the small bedrooms held two twin beds each, while the other two, slightly larger, bedrooms each held three twin beds. Gladstone explained that each small bed was shared by a married couple. The worldly goods of each couple were stored under or above their bed. What few clothes they possessed were on hangers that were hung on nails in the walls. Needless to say, there was little space and no privacy. The children of the ten couples slept together on the floor of the central room. There was no bathroom. There was electricity, but Gladstone told us that few families in the dormitories can afford it. Many of the adults living there are unemployed. Kerosene lamps, the cause of many tragic township fires, provided dim lighting. Windows were tiny and overlooked adjacent hostels, and it was clear that the rooms would be stiflingly hot in summer and very cold and damp in winter. We were shocked to discover that this small, five-room dormitory was the home of twenty adults and goodness knows how many children. Communal toilets and showers were located in another building. In one bedroom, we found two grandmothers who were babysitting their grandsons while the boys’ mothers were at work. When I admired the two toddlers, the grandmothers asked me about my children. I regretted not having photographs of Graham and Laura with me, which would have made communication a little easier. In another, we found an older gentlemen resting on his bed. He seemed glad to see us and eager to talk, asking us where we were from and how we had traveled to South Africa. As I have on a number of occasions this year, I wished I had a small atlas with me. If they felt we were intruding, they hid it well. They were friendly and welcoming, and we enjoyed our visit with them.
Leaving the dormitory, we walked down the street towards another renovated hostel. We were immediately surrounded by children, who were home on a school holiday. Some slipped their hands into ours and accompanied us down the street. I could have taken them all home with me. They were surprisingly well dressed and healthy looking, and their large, dark eyes and huge, white smiles were irresistible. Many asked for money, but we had been given strict instructions by Gladstone not to give them money, candy or any other handout. Apparently, it didn’t take these resourceful children very long to learn that tourists visiting the townships were handing out money and food, and the children started skipping school so that they could be the recipients. Tour operators were asked by the schools to put a stop to the handouts. It broke my heart to have to turn the children down.
The second hostel we visited had also been renovated to accommodate families, but was a considerable improvement over the one with the dormitories. It had been modified into small apartments, which offered much more privacy and space. The apartment we visited was the home of a couple and their son and three daughters. The three young girls were there to greet us. The apartment had a small L-shaped living space, with a couch, bookshelves and a kitchen with a sink, two-burner hotplate and small refrigerator. Off this central living area were the parents’ small bedroom and a tiny bathroom. The home had cold water only. The children slept in the central living space, presumably on the couch and floor. The apartment was spotlessly clean and tidy. The only picture adorning the walls was a high school graduation photograph of an elder son. The apartment was small and sparse, but it was a big step up from the dormitories. Most of the families living in these apartments have a small but steady income.
Leaving the second hostel, we took the opportunity to wander down the street. Apart from the litter and abject poverty, it could have been any suburban street. A group of teenage boys was playing a noisy game of soccer on the street. Laundry was hung outdoors to dry. Women stood chatting while their youngsters peered out at us from behind their mothers’ skirts. Boarding the bus again, we drove to another, more prosperous area of the township. There we found rows of identical, low-cost, matchbox houses. These homes had a front door opening on to a living room, from which doors led to one or two bedrooms. Each house had a small kitchen and bathroom but, in many, there was still only cold water. Gladstone told us that this was his neighbourhood.
From the residential area, we returned to the commercial district, where we stopped to visit the traditional healer. The healer’s large shack was dimly lit, musty and chaotic. We were greeted by a large tortoise, which was wandering in the entrance way. The dirt floor and several large tables that filled every available space in the dilapidated shack, were covered with all manner of peculiar objects - feathers, potted plants, bones, sea shells, dried flowers, roots, mushrooms, turtle shells, bark, and dirt. We had to duck to avoid seeds, dried plants, python skins, animal skulls and all manner of strange things which hung from the low ceiling. After a brief chat with the healer, who looked ancient, we left, relieved to return to fresh air and sunshine and determined to remain healthy for the duration of our stay. Outside the healer’s shack, we were accosted by several street vendors, who directed us to their displays. As always, we sought out vendors who were offering crafts that they had made themselves, as it always fascinating to watch them work and listen to them talk with such enthusiasm about their work. Some of the crafts were quite lovely and, after some token bartering, I purchased a print of an elephant that is pieced from banana leaves.
Our last stop in the township was at a daycare which Gladstone’s company sponsors with the fees that it earns from its tours. When we pulled up outside the tiny building which housed the daycare, little smiling faces peered out at us through the large, front window. Twenty-three children were being cared for by two friendly and efficient women. Most were the children of single mothers who work. In South Africa, only the elderly and single mothers receive financial aid, with the result that many young, single girls become pregnant so that they may collect welfare. There were six babies in one small room and seventeen toddlers in a second, slightly larger, room. It was so crowded in the daycare that we had to take turns going inside. Two infants lay sleeping on a blanket on the floor at our feet. There was little furniture and there were no toys or books. It was heartbreaking. I took some comfort in learning that the children are fed a hot breakfast and lunch every day. The toddlers crowded at the window and waved to us as we drove away.
In many ways, the township was far more civilized than I had expected. I was of the impression, from what I had seen from the highway when passing countless townships over the past year, that all township residents lived in crumbling shacks of wood, plastic sheeting and corrugated metal. I hadn’t realized that those “informal settlements” (a wonderful euphemism for a slum!) of dilapidated shacks that lie on the periphery of every township are not typical of what lies within. I was surprised and relieved to discover that people in the townships actually live in dormitories, apartments, and houses, decrepit and appalling though many of them may be. The reason for the slums which surround the townships is simple. When apartheid ended and people’s movements were no longer restricted, so many blacks flocked to the cities from the bantustans in search of employment, that not all of them could be accommodated in the townships. In desperation, the new arrivals constructed temporary or “informal” shacks next to the townships, where they could live until housing in the townships became available. More than ten years after apartheid, most are still living in those temporary shacks. The government is desperately trying to build enough low-cost housing to accommodate them all, but it is an onerous task, as the need keeps growing. Some estimates put the number of unemployed blacks arriving annually in South Africa from other parts of the continent at well over a million. I must admit that I was rather relieved to learn that our tour would not include a visit to one of the shacks which surround Langa, although we did drive past them. I had seen quite enough deprivation and suffering for one day and, in the informal settlement, it would only get worse. While our visit to the township was very difficult and left me feeling saddened and helpless, I was thankful that I went. I believe that I have a much greater appreciation of how a large segment of the population of this country lives, and I certainly have an even greater respect for those perpetually cheerful and hopeful people.

Hi

Thanks a lot for all the great tips. I have actually done some of them. I really enjoyed the hike to Lion's head as it gave such spectacular views to the entire surrounding area...just what a Norwegian is looking for The surfing lesson sounds like a fun idea.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

You're welcome Gard! I have just been enjoying your website - some great stories and photos - thank you! Robin

Hi

Which restaurants in Cape Town are regarded as being the best? I guess it is a very relative question but normally there are some restaurants that keeps on getting great reviews year after year. Is there a top 5 list?

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Gard, take a look at the report I posted above..I think Showroom and Ginja might be considered in the top rank..I thought both were excellent. But for seafood, the non-fancy Panama Jack's and Codfather get my vote!

hi, gard,

how could i add anything to what canadian robin has said?

well, i can add a bit. we found the district 6 museum closed, so we made for the slave house which is up by the cathedral. it was atmospheric and moving in equal measure.

as well as exhibitions of slaving boats and the slave house itself, there is a large and very informative area devoted to segregation in US schools and the links between the US laws and later apartheid ones. also a fascinating piece on the different peoples of SA and the development of afrikaans. Even my museum-phobic DH thought it was worthwhile. like the township, some of it is difficult and challenging, but i was glad we'd been.

regards, ann

Hi again Gard! There are several great threads on this forum regarding restaurants in Cape Town. In particular, have a look (under South Africa) at the ones entitled "Great restaurants in Cape Town" and "Capetown Eating....?" - there are many great suggestions there!
Happy eating! Robin

hi Gard

i live and work in Cape Town and would strongly recommend Baia restaurant at the waterfront. the service is impeccable (the waiters are practically invisible!) and the food is out of this world every time. they specialise in seafood and have a few meat dishes. you must try the Lindt chocolate desert - you'll be hooked! other good places to eat include Beluga (Greenpoint), Balducci (waterfront) and La Colombe and Constantia Uitsig in the Constantia Uitsig wine farm. Simon's at Groot Constantia is also a great al fresco dining place, with awesome views of vineyards. but you must make a reservation way in advance - they are popular places!

Linda