The 5th day in Cape Town was Christmas Day. We had already attended a bunch of different Christmas parties in Hong Kong, and we've already opened presents, so there wasn't a big urge to celebrate Christmas again. However, Cape Town this year was really strange on Christmas Day. It was actually cold and rainy, pretty miserable. We still dragged ourselves to the V&A waterfront and had some Burgers and oysters. All the shops were having a big sales since it's already Christmas, and I found myself some nice crop tops at Cotton On, then just went back to the hotel for the rest of the day. My stomach flu was still giving me aches here and there so it's better to just chill.
For the rest of the afternoon, I continued reading a book I picked up at the airport "The Next 100 years by George Friedman". I was actually expecting some exciting predictions, more along the lines of technology advancement, environmental changes, and human interaction changes. Instead, this book was all about how different countries will interact with each other, how power shifts, when the next world war is ... etc It's entirely base on geographical politics. It's still an interesting read, especially everything about China and South East Asia since that is more relocatable for me. At least the business and economics part is intriguing. For dinner I just ordered room service: 3 mini burgers and a giant oreo milkshake. (Maybe that's why my stomach flu has been so bad)
Dec 26th, the sixth day in Cape Town, finally the clouds cleared up and the sun is out, which means it's ok to go up Table Mountain. I went to bed early so I was wide awake by 7am. We picked up some breakfast at Knead and then headed to Table Mountain. To get to the base of the cable cars, you needed to drive up 302m above sea level. That drive is probably the worst traffic in Cape Town, because it is the same road you take to go to Camps Bay. After getting to the base of the cable cars, it was another 2hr wait in line despite the fact that I had advanced tickets bought from online. This is probably the most touristy part of town.
(The view from the Base of the Cable Car is already stunning)
Here are some basic facts about Table Mountain:
- It is one of the world's 7 wonders of Nature
- It is 1,084.6m (3,558ft)
- In year 1503 the Portuguese were first Europeans to land in Table bay, and named it Taboa do Cabo: Table of the Cape.
- The Cable Car opened in 1929
- You can hike up in around 2.5 hours
- Besides Hiking, rock climbing is also very popular
- It is part of Table Mountain National Park, established in 1998.
- THE CABLE CAR SPINS
The journey to the top was probably around 2 minutes, maybe less. But the coolest (and scariest) part is that the interior of the Cable Car spins. Which is a good thing because you get to see a 360 view, but it's bad because at some point you will be forced to spin into an opened window with nothing but a metal bar between you and a 100m drop to death. But I survived, I just kept my eyes on my camera screen.
It was extremely cold on the top of the mountain. I probably only stayed there for around 10 minutes because my hand was so frozen. But the view is absolutely breathtaking. On one side you can see all the beaches and the waves hitting up against the coastal line. And on the other side you see Lion's head, signal hill, the stadium, the Waterfront, and the city center of Cape Town. The clouds are also usually really low, and it falls over Table Mountain like a sheet of blanket, or a "Table Cloth" if you will. At the top you are literally standing in the clouds.
(So I made some new friends from Congo!)
For lunch we went to Belthazar at the Waterfront again. I just can't get enough of South African steak. It's so fresh and cooked properly, but at the same time it's very inexpensive. My 250g fillet was only around $18 USD but it's 1,000,000 times better than a $85 USD steak I had in Seattle and $100 steak I had in New York. And also the sweet potato fries are the best in the world. Everything at Belthazar is just perfect.
The Waterfront also has this new building called the "Watershed", which is like a creative indoor market with lots of small stalls selling very unique creations from artists all over South Africa. You can find products made of entirely from aluminum soft drink cans, wood carvings of meercats, paintings of Table Mountain, glass sculptures costume made on the spot, and even 3D printed accessories. No wonder Cape Town has been named the World Design Capital.
In the afternoon we just chilled at the pool hotel. I caught up on some more reading, swam for a bit, and then in the evening we just went to have some Mexican food with a couple of friends.
Next blog: Going to "Old Biscuit Mill". It's like an outdoor market with many different sections. There's tented areas that sell food, drinks, clothing, accessories, home decor... anything you can think of!
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