Cape Town Capers

How can I describe the beauty of the port of Cape Town while doing it justice?  As I watched the sun rise and touch the majestic Table Mountain with its golden glow, the landscape seemed to embrace us. Devil’s Peak, Signal Hill and the Twelve Apostles rose up as we sailed nearer. The port itself looks like a modern, commercialized area while still retaining its charm. We docked beside The Table Bay Hotel ($400.00 per night) and had the same view of Table Mountain without the exorbitant cost. It feels like a European city the moment you arrive, totally different than the other two ports.

 

We again waited patiently for our names to be called to pick up our passports; giving those who were on an SAS trip first advantage.

We were to meet up with friends of Maggie & George in the elegant Table Bay Hotel for coffee. Maggie’s friend Jeannie will be joining the ship after our 5 day trip into South Africa. The other couple I met were Ally & Jeff, a school friend of Maggie’s and her husband who live in Johannesburg and also have a place in Cape Town. We spent an hour visiting with them while George took Jeannie’s luggage onto the ship, dealt with customs and picked up our car.

At last we were off on our journey into the Karoo. This dry, arid area comes alive in the spring with a blanket of flowers dotting the mountains. This year, there has been a lot of rain so the flowers are exceptional. We drove over several mountain passes and at every new twist and turn the mountains seemed endless.  At one lookout point, there was a sign “Do not feed the baboons”; really??  Sure enough, along they came. I quickly took some pictures and jumped into the car to safety. I know, I’m a whimp!

We arrived at our destination in Calizdorp, home of the best port in Africa, and The Soeterus Guest Farm (it means sweet rest) was beyond our imagination. It is newly opened and is run by two wonderfully hospitable guys, Louie & Retief. Their dog Sophie (7 months ) greets you warmly as you arrive. The resident cat Johanna knows that she is the Queen of this castle; but she does allow you to give her a rub between her ears every now and again. These cuties really made me miss my own Jack & Griffin even more. After being shown to our rooms by Retief, we had the most amazing twin bedded rooms with high ceilings and stone walls, warm wooden furniture and padded headboards. Perfect! We were given directions to Zamani, the restaurant in town where we were to meet Joan, another school friend of Maggie’s, and Joan’s husband Trevor. The restaurant had authentic South African food and I couldn’t resist to order the babotie just to compare it with Frank’s recipe. I rather prefer Frank’s because of the extra spices and love he puts into it.

After dinner we returned to Soeterus and were given a welcome glass of port from Louie, who had just made the drive from work in Cape Town. He works Monday-Friday in Cape Town then spends the weekends on the farm. Retief is the chief cook & bottle washer and handles all the accounts. After a pleasant chat with Louie we retired to our rooms and fell into bed happy & content.

The next day dawned warm & sunny again. It was Heritage Day in South Africa. We wandered into the dining room and found a long wooden table beautifully set. Coffee, orange juice, fruit salad, yogurt and granola, wonderful grainy bread, eggs, bacon, mushrooms waiting on a hot plate, homemade preserves and butter …all laid out waiting. Retief packed us a huge picnic basket full of goodies to take on our trip to yet another mountain pass. This one was through the Swartberg Mountains to Prince Albert. We ate at the foot of the mountains beside a stream. George enjoyed all the wonderful birds in the area. We then continued on to the picturesque town of Prince Albert and found a rustic pub called “The Bush Pub”. It was a birdwatchers paradise. We stayed for awhile under a thatched roof patio beside a pond; George & Jeannie were in their glory. After a few beer, we then drove back to the farm.

Heritage Day in South Africa means everyone has a Braai (BBQ). Think May 24^th weekend in Canada. We were invited to Louie & Retief’s braai along with some of their friends that came for the weekend. We enjoyed wine around a fire pit while their friend cooked the meats. We then proceeded to the dinning room where they treated us like friends rather than paying guests. The meal was delicious. After much conversation, food and wine we retired to bed.

Another warm spring day arrived in the Karoo. We were joined by Maggie’s friend Joan after breakfast. She recommended a few sights to visit during the morning and invited us all for Sunday lunch at Zamani (their treat). We set out for Joan’s suggested sights, but unfortunately, took the wrong road and ended up in a funny little place called Uhuru Adventure Farm. They had monkeys, zebras, parrots and a playground for the children complete with a swimming pool & slide.  Thank goodness they had a bar! We ordered a couple of drinks and watched as one family fed the goldfish and ducks some bread cubes from the patio overlooking the pond.

We made our way back to the restaurant to meet Joan & Trevor for lunch. The meal was delicious and very filling.  Luckily, we had informed Retief that morning to please prepare just a salad for us for dinner. The day turned extremely warm and George & I went swimming in the pool. After a leisurely dinner, we all hit the hay.

We bid a fond farewell to Soeterus Guest Farm and promised to recommend them on Tripadvisor. I want to keep this a secret, but I also want them to succeed; so I suppose I will give it a great rating.

George drove us to Stellenbosch (wine country) through the Robertson Valley.  The scenery is so breathtaking!  We had tastings at a couple of wineries that, thankfully, we can get in Canada. It reminded me of Niagara-on-the-Lake. We checked into the lovely Bonne Esperance Guest House and met up with friends from the ship for dinner at Volkskombuis Restaurant. It served authentic South African food.  We had a wonderful time and it almost felt like a going away dinner for me. Only 2 more days and I will have to leave these new friends. I will miss them all so much.

Stellenbosch is a beautiful town.  We agreed to wander for 2 hours on our own after breakfast. I found a street filled with little shops and bought myself some ebony candlesticks that were handmade by the owner.

We then drove to one more winery for a tasting and a cheese plate for lunch. When the tasting was finished, we all had to use “the facilities”.  George spotted a sign out back that said “Palazzo Pi Pi” and sure enough, that’s what it was for!

As we neared Cape Town, George made a detour and drove us up Signal Hill for the spectacular views.  We could see Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak, Lion’s Head and Robben Island. We were met by the resident Guinea Fowl that live there. So funny!

My last night had arrived. George had booked us into a pub on the waterfront that was in the movie “Invictus” (Clint Eastwood directed) called Ferryman’s Pub. I had a delicious Lamb curry. We all went back to the lounge for a Drambouie night cap. I met a few friends there and started the farewell process. It was so difficult to say goodbye. I have only known these people for 5 weeks, yet I feel so close to them. It must be the shared experiences that bring people closer.

The next morning I had my last breakfast in the Dining Hall. I was reluctant to tell some of the stewards that I was leaving, but I had gotten close to a few of them and so told them goodbye.

George & Maggie walked me down the gangplank to meet my taxi. They made sure I was all tucked in and safely on my way.

After a long 36 hour day of travelling, I made it safely home. My husband Frank arranged to have my entire family waiting for me when I arrived. He had earlier picked up my daughter Laura from Guelph, called my parents to let them know I had landed and made sure that my son Andrew was home. Champagne flowed and souvenirs distributed. 

My memories of Africa will forever be in my heart.