14 | October | 2023 | The Cannon Family's travel blog

Today was our first unscheduled day in Cape Town that we quickly proceeded to schedule. After a very good nights sleep and some yogurt, muesli, and fruit for breakfast we decided to play uber tourist again but on our own schedule. Time for the Hop On/Hop Off buses!

One stop is basically across the street from our apartment so it couldn’t have been more convenient. We decided that this was the best way to hit the downtown area as well as make a stop at the famous Table Mountain – one of the “must see/do” items in town. The plan of the day was to drive around town enjoying the beautiful sunshine that we so desperately wanted to see yesterday. After a couple of stops, we’d head to the aerial tramway that would take us to the top of Table Mountain. The first part of the plan went perfectly: wandering around the market stalls in the central business district, seeing the cathedral where Desmond Tutu was bishop, having a yummy coffee and watching the world go by. Then nature threw a wrench into the works: the top of the mountain was completely shrouded in mist and clouds with pretty much zero visibility. Oh poop.

Quick refactoring of the plan led us to take the bus around the mountain to see some of the outlying areas and drop us at the beach for lunch. We thought that would give the weather at the top enough time to clear – cuz that’s how weather works, right? So we enjoyed the pretty informative narration on the bus while we motored around the Kirstenbosh botanical gardens, the Constantia Nek wine region, past Hout Bay (where we left for the seal tour) to Camps Bay – an absolutely gorgeous beach and beach town that reminds me of Laguna Beach in CA.

We chose a beachfront restaurant in the same group as Bobo’s which we loved for dinner last night and watched beach life unfold in front of us. While it was sunny, there was a pretty cool wind which negated the warmth of the sun somewhat. It is still early spring here and 19C is not *really* beach weather but it appeared that everyone wanted it to be. We watched small naked children squeal as they ran into the waves while the fake RayBan salesmen annoyed their parents. There was at least half a dozen people selling “their” genuine African paintings that all looked exactly the same. And there were a vast array of clothing options from shorts to anoraks. So entertaining!

Looking up at the top of the mountain, there was still a fair amount of cloud so we spent a little time wandering the beach and popping into some of the shops. We found some GF rolls in the Woolworth’s food hall (Yes, THAT Woolworths! Who knew?) It looked like the clouds were starting to clear a bit so it was time to try our luck. Unfortunately, we were currently at the bus stop AFTER the one we needed to get to the cable car which meant that we would need to do the WHOLE loop again if we used the red busses. Um, nope. Instead we hopped back on the bus to get back to our flat and grab some necessary items (jackets, camera, etc) and then it was time to call Uber. Our guide yesterday, the wonderful Kevin, insisted that Uber was safer than public transport so we were willing to pay the R103 (about £4) to get to the cable car station. Then the fun began.

Frank isn’t good with heights. Most of our family vacations have had some version of the kids and I waving down at him from the top of something: the Sagrada Familia, the tower in Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, etc. So this was going to be a big thing for him to tackle. We boarded the aerial tram with 60 others and begin the ascent. Then they announced that everyone needed to let go of the handrails and windows because the floor would be rotating. (!!!!) Yes, they want to make sure that regardless of where in the car you are, you have the opportunity to see all sides so the floor rotates a full 360 in the time it takes to get to the top. Well that was enough of that. Frank decided he needed to stand in the stationary middle and chat to the operator to avoid thinking about being suspended hundreds of meters above the ground.

But we made it and are we glad we did. The mountain is amazing – part of the Twelve Apostle range and a defining aspect of Cape Town. And the views! We had timed it perfectly; by the time we got to the top around 3pm, the clouds had cleared and while the wind was still very cold, the skies were clear enough to be able to see forever. We wandered all over the top of the mountain getting nearly as many photos as we did of the penguins. Eventually it was time to head back down and this time Frank knew exactly what to do to avoid his vertigo. Then it was back onto the red bus to stop at the flat before heading out to dinner.

Tonight’s choice was a steakhouse not far from where we had dinner last night. But unlike last night, the weather was clear and the view of the sunset as we walked along the waterfront was unbelievable. So we finished up the day with amazing views before delicious South African beef with a lovely bottle of Pinotage – which may be a new favorite red wine.