Cape Town

"[Cape Town, Cape Town]

That toddlin' town. 

[Cape Town, Cape Town]

I'll show you around.

Bet your bottom dollar you'll lose the blues

In [Cape Town, Cape Town.]"

Ok, Frank was actually singing about Chicago, but it applies to Cape Town as well. 

We made it into Cape Town on the 20th and immediately met up with Travis, who had arrived the day before as part of his COS trip. Our first order of business was sorting out the few activities we wanted to do, and the manager, John, at our backpackers, Cat and Moose, was hugely helpful. 

That first night, we went out for dinner. Wow! We went to a place called Arnold's that John recommend and gave us a coupon for. I got a game platter with crocodile ribs, an ostrich steak, a springbok stead, and warthog ribs. They were absolutely incredible! The meat was delicious, but then the expert chefs cooked them to perfection with the ideal sauce. If you're ever in Cape Town, eat there. 

The next day was pretty chill. We went out for breakfast and walked Long Street. Unfortunately, in an attempt to withdraw money, the ATM ate Cam's debit card. We were told he needed his passport, so we went back to the backpackers to get it. Him and Travis went back to the bank to try and sort it out, but it turns out that the bank wouldn't give him his card back and the reason they said bring ID so that they could destroy it in front if him. That's messed up! 

The next morning was an early one. We went on a Great White Shark encounter. While I didn't get into the cage, I did get some great pictures. Unfortunately, it was rough (7-9' seas), cold (60°F both water and air), and a slow day for sharks (we only saw 2), but I still am really glad we did. The two sharks were about 2.5m and 3m (8' and 10'), so not exactly small fish. Small note of pride, excluding crew, Cam and I were the only two on the boat that didn't get sick, and neither of us took sea-sick meds. 

The next day we went up Table Mountain. It's labeled as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. I don't think that's quite justified, but it was really cool. It rises 1000m out of Cape Town and provides some spectacular views of the city and out to the Cape of Good Hope. It was, however, extremely cold and windy.

After Table Mountain, we headed back to the backpackers via a grocery store. An Ed13 PCV, Jake, just so happened to be arriving in Cape Town that day and came to have dinner with us, then we went out of Long Street for a little bit. 

Sunday was our Wine Flies tour. We tour five different wineries in the Stellenbosch region. The first one, Fairview, had cheese pairings, and was our favorite. Then we went to Simonsig for both normal wine and bubbly wine, we had lunch at Middelvlel, went to Demordenzln, and finished with chocolate pairings at boutique winery called Lovane.  Overall, it was a very fun day. 

Sadly, the next day Cam and I had to say goodbye to Cape Town. However, we were beginning our Garden Route road trip, so still happy. Before setting off, we wanted to visit the Cape of Good Hope and Jake wanted to join us. So, we went to the airport to pick up the rental car and then I drove (yup, for the first time in over 2 years and for the first time on the left in over 6 years) us out onto the Cape. Some spectacular views!

 That night, we stayed in Simon's Town, a great end to a great visit to a great place.