As such, getting to the top of Table mountain was our first priority during the 6 days we spent in this wonderful city. There are two ways to get to the top. The Easy way... and the Hard way. Of course we chose the hard way which was a hard one and a half hour walk up a pretty aggressive slope. (The other alternative was a 2 minute cable car ride costing $15) Along the walk, we were able to see numerous species of fynbos - plants that are unique to the part of the world and a fuzzy little creature who's name we forget.  This little guy reminded us of the Quokkas on Rottnest Island (See: April 22, 2004) but we read in LP that their closest relative is the elephant. Not sure how scientists figured that one out...

But even with all these great things to see, the most rewarding thing about climbing the 1,075 meters (over 3000 feet) to the top of table mountain was the views over the city. We had a perfectly clear day and could see all the way to the cape of good hope while sunning ourselves and enjoying a celebratory picnic at the top. Wonderful.The only bad part was the walk down which resulted in very sore knees.

Cape Town is a laid back, relaxing place with abundant coffee shops and small cafes where you can sit and watch the world goby. The V&A waterfront is particularly great for just hanging out. We enjoyed fish and chips at the harbor and coffee at Mugg and Bean. (The local Starbucks equivalent) The waterfront also hosts the free Nelson Mandella Gateway museum which documents the history of Apartheid and the black resistance movement in South Africa. ti's exceptionally put together and we easily spent a whole afternoon there.

We also took a boat out to Robbin Island to see where Nelson Mandella dna other black political prisoners were held. Many of the prisoners were forced to work hard labor in the limestone quarries and lived in tiny individual cells but they still had time and energy to create a covert education program for prisoners, by prisoners. Today, the island is a nature reserve and occupied by a large number of animal species. We were most impressed with the large number of penguins! They looked different and were much larger than those we saw on Penguin Island in Oz! (See April 24, 2004)

Sir Francis Drake, the old pirate, said of this place that it was the “fairest cape of all”. Well, while it is very impressive, he had never seen the cape that Zorro wore, which I’m sure we’ll all agree is mighty fair and could put even this beautiful place to shame. But, if you add the company of some old friends then even the debonair attire of the swashbuckling hero who, in the early days of Spanish California, was the only man who could oppose the many injustices dealt the people by evil Governors, pales into insignificance! So, as we were meeting old pals, it certainly seems to us that “Frankie D” got it right. We met up with Sigrid and Dave Houtermans. Sigrid had been a colleague of mine back at work in Holland and I had attended their wedding (a day I’d never forget as it was on that day that the devil car we drove was finally vanquished... see: September 14, 2003) almost a year earlier. It was great for the four of us to get together, share stories from our holidays (Sigrid and Dave were on their summer hols) and enjoy reminiscing about times past and catching up with more recent gossip. Naturally, we just had to meet up for a few beers and a bite to eat to do this and the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town is as convivial a place as you’ll find for such get-togethers. We had a great night and really look forward to repeating the occasion wherever and whenever fate offers the chance. Cheers, guys, thanks for a terrific evening.