The Cannon Family's travel blog

Our second unscheduled day dawned bright and warm…. and early! The Cape Town marathon is this weekend so we awoke to a fun run where thousands of people were running right past our apartment. It was certainly fun to watch them! Frank decided he had a hankering for eggs so he popped out to Woolworths (still makes me giggle!) for some provisions while I tried to finish up my keynote presentation – which is the reason we are here after all. After some egg rolls and coffee, it was time to head out into the warm sunshine toward the harbour.

We were headed for the V&A Waterfront – a massive retail complex where we would catch the ferry to Robben Island, the 5 square kilometer land mass off the coast where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison. We walked along the coastline stopping in at the farmer’s market for some iced coffee before proceeding to the conglomeration of concrete and glass. Interestingly, the V&A here is not named for the Victoria and Albert, the queen and prince consort, but for Victoria and Alfred, the queen and her son who started construction on the waterfront during his mother’s reign. It is quite an impressive place with acre after acre of restaurants and malls. Yay, shopping…. grumble grumble… But there were cool rhinos! Aberdeen had bunnies but Cape Town apparently has rhinos.

We got our obligatory souveniers for the trip (and a lovely new tanzanite pendant for me) then enjoyed a glass of wine while we waited for our tour time. We then boarded a catamaran with 200 or so folks for the 30 minute trip to the island. During that time, they showed a video with the history of the island from the beginning of the colonial settlements through it’s use as a leper colony then WWII defensive post and on to the incarceration of political prisoners starting in 1961. Although the weather was glorious, the subject matter was sobering. It was interesting to hear people talk about “history” for many events that happened during my lifetime and for which I have some recollection of the news reports.

Once we disembarked, we were put onto buses to get a tour of at least part of the island. We passed one of the prisons used for criminals, the church built by lepers during their time on the island (the only building on the island owned by the church and not the state) and the leper grave yard. We had a short drive through the housing complex where the guards used to live and where the museum staff now stay. And we saw the house where Robert Sobokwe spent 4 years in basically solitary confinement amoungst the dog kennels for his part in what would become the Sharpesville Massacre.

Of course the centre piece of the trip is a tour of the maximum security prison that housed most of the political prisoners, inclunding Mandela. Our tour guide was Sparks Mlilwana, a former political prisoner who was arrested at for “terrorism” in his native Namibia and imprisoned on the island from 1983 – 1990. Listening to the stories of the treatment of the prisoners was sobering. He told of how the Indian and “coloured” prisoners got better rations than the black prisoners and were allowed socks and shoes. We saw the cell block where he spent his 7 years and he talked about how hard it was to start working here after everything he’d been through. If you can get here before they are all gone, do so. Hearing about things first hand is quite an experience.

Then to Mandela’s cell to see where he spent 18 years. Unlike Sparks who had a bunk in a room with 29 others, Mandela as a movement leader got his own 2 meter by 3 meter cell and spent 18 years there before being transferred to two other prisons during his 27 years behind bars. Don’t know what else can be said and I don’t know the blog post version of a moment of silence…

We were then herded back to the boat and went back to the mainland. And we were starving! We had a great breakfast but no lunch and the Coke Zero and bag of crisps purchased during our tour were no longer keeping the tummy rumbles at bay. So we were off in search of dinner and Frank’s choice tonight was sushi! Because nothing else goes with a day of apartheid history like raw fish! We found a lovely spot on the deck of a restaurant at the waterfront and went all seafood. Oysters to start then a huge platter of tuna and salmon sushi with a lovely bottle of Chenin Blanc. No GF soy sauce so I had to eat my sushi naked but it was still delish. Because we weren’t weighed down by wads of red meat like last night, we had room for dessert as well: cheesecake and an Eton mess. YUM! Because we had an early dinner, we were treated to an amazing sunset sky for the walk home. All in all, a both sobering and satisfying day.

Data for today:

• Steps: 15,611 or 9.5 miles
• Wines tryed: 4
• Gasps heard during tour: 6
• Blessings counted: All

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.

Data for today:

• Steps: 15,344 or 7.2 miles
• Height of Table mountain: 1086 meters (3563 feet)
• Photos of stunning scenery: More than 40 across 2 phones and a camera
• Number of times we applied sunscreen: 1
• Number of times we should have applied sunscreen: More than 1

Somewhere in what I thought was my infinite wisdom, I decided that our first full day in Cape Town would only be complete by doing an all day tour. Yay? Being one of the umbrella followers that were the bane of my existance in DC was never our thing. But occasionally you need to go to the edge of your comfort zone… or so I’ve been told.

So we woke to the alarm at 6.30 (!), showered and had breakfast on the balcony watching the early morning hang gliders land across the street. But we had a minibus to meet at 7:45 so off we went for our Penguins and Cape of Good Hope tour. The group of 10 (8 from the UK and two wayward Canadians) were at the mercy of Kevin the tour guide to show us all the interesting sights south of the city.

And we got a great tour! We started with a drive down the coast past the most expensive real estate in South Africa in Clifton Beach to the lovely town of Camps Bay before hitting our first stop in Houts Bay for a seal watching trip. We took a short boat ride to a set of rocks outside the harbour where a colony of sea lions were enjoying a lovely mild day. Some of them were hamming it up in the harbour before we left but most of them were enjoying being pretty much left alone – especially the new born seal whose mother was still removing the birth sac.

Then it was back to the van to continue south. But out progress was severely impeded by the appearance of a troop of baboons (look it up – it’s the right collective noun!). Just wandering down the road, and in some instances across the road, they were happily ignoring us while we snapped furiously with cameras and phones. Once we were clear to proceed, we made our way to visit some lovely ostriches at a farm inside the national park. The more unusual animals the better!

We climbed back in the van as the clouds continue to gather and glower. We made it to the Cape of Good Hope for the obligatory photo with the sign (there was a queue for the priviledge!) and a few snaps of the amazing scenery before the sprinkles started and we were back in the protection of the Toyota Hiace. We were headed for the lighthouse point on the cape to take the funicular to the top but the rain was now fairly steady thereby guaranteeing that there was no point in paying the ZAR 100 fee to go look through the clouds. We instead voted to head out to Simon’s Town for lunch so off the group went.

And it was a lovely little town, very much catering to tourists unless local people care a lot about African handicrafts and socks with elephants on them. Half of our group decided that the suggested restaurant wasn’t to their liking and so they tromped off. The rest of us enjoyed a very nice lunch by the water. Frank went for the kudu burger (a kind of antelope) while I went for the fresh kingklip, a meaty white fish vey much like hake. We were joined by the Canadians and the lovely couple from Maidenhead in England and a good time was had by all.

The rain had let up so we had a few minutes to peruse the town and look through the shops before heading to the highlight of the day: the penguins at Boulders Beach. OMG! I can’t even begin to describe how adorable the colony (or rookery!) of penguins was. The photos below are just a fraction of what we took. Definitely the highlight of the day!

But the day was nearly done so back to town we must go. I do need to point out that the entire time we were in the van, our lovely tour guide Kevin had been giving us all the history we could manage as well as tips about where to go (or not go!) and other safety tips about Cape Town. It was now rush hour and we slogged north to make our way to the colourful Bo-Kaap neighborhood. I have seen it described as “the most Instagrammable neighborhood in Cape Town”. UGH. It was very cute but the photos won’t do it justice because the the continuing threat of clouds in the background.

After a very long day with our fellow travelers, it was time to say good bye. We had enough time for a cup of tea before heading to Bobo’s for dinner. A short walk from our flat in Sea Point to Mouille Point, it was an amazing dinner. Cocktails to start followed by three courses and a lovely bottle of Chenin Blanc. Fantastic meal all the way around for about half of what we would have paid at home. The half hour walk home was a welcome opportunity for digestion. Unfortunately, it got us back to the flat for the second half of the Scotland-Spain match which didn’t do anything for the digestion (insert complaint about biased referees here! That was an amazing corner kick!) but tomorrow is another day.

Data for today:

• Steps: 15,946 or 7.5 miles (we were slacking!)
• Calories consumed: I have no idea so don’t ask me.
• Penguins that I wanted to take home: 12 or 14. Some were moulting so less cute.
• Number of tchotchkes purchased: NONE. (We were being very good.)

Our cunning plan for a relaxed transition seemed to have worked perfectly (for a change!) We got up to a reasonbly timed alarm (6.30) to shower and dress for the completion of the outward bound travel. The hotel breakfast was a delight (and so cheap!) then we walked back to the terminal to check in for our domestic flight. This was a completely separate ticket from Joburg to Cape Town on one of the many domestic airlines. I’ve seen bus routes that are less well covered! There is an A330 flying from JBN to CPT every 20-30 minutes – and that’s just on FlySafair! There are other similar airlines!

We arrived at the requested 90 minutes prior to take off, had nothing to check, spent 5 minutes in the security line (no liquids need to be removed?) then had WAY to much time to wait. The flight boarded on time, took off with little issue, and landed just a few minutes late. Yes, it was a budget airline that charged us for the fizzy water we asked for but whatever. When it was time to deplane, the most amazing thing happened: there was NO mass chaos to get bags out of the bins when the seat belt sign went off. Instead, everyone sat calmly and waited for the flight attendant to dismiss their row – like we were in grade school. It was amazing!

We had prebooked a ride from the airport and a lovely man with our name on a sign was waiting in the main area of the airport. And 30 minutes later, we pulled up in front of our AirBnB apartment in the Seapoint area of Cape Town. The art deco building was similar to other architecure in the area (reminded me a bit of South Beach actually) and our flat is just lovely with lots of space and a view of the ocean.

But first we needed some food. So off we went to explore the neighborhood. We had lunch at a French tapas bistro (?) because nothing says “Welcome to South Africa” like a French style wine bar serving Spanish small plates! But the food was lovely and the prices unbelievable – £3 for a glass of good rosé! Then our favourite vacation activity: the local supermarket! Because we have an apartment, we can have breakfast at home so we needed some supplies (and wine. We always need wine!). It turns out that GF bread isn’t much of a thing here but we managed to find muesli and crackers to go with the fruit, yogurt and cheese.

Back to the flat for a quick meeting (some vacation!) and then a wander along the coast. We thought we would take a nice long walk along the beach to get to the V&A waterfront to find a nice place for dinner. About 2 miles into the walk, we noticed that street parking was becoming a challenge – random guys were “helping” people to find parking, for a fee of course – and stumbled upon the Oranjezicht City Night Market – a gourmet farmer’s market with crafts, food, booze, and loads of people and fun. We couldn’t have found a more perfect way to spend our first night in Cape Town! I was hoping for some fresh sea food and got swordfish with hand cut chips. Frank had a hand carved roast beef sandwich and chips. Throw in some local beer and cider, some music and craft stalls and the evening was complete. We started our Christmas shopping (shh! don’t tell our kids!) and then wandered back to the apartment. Another small bit of work (dissertation grades submitted!) and it was time for our first day to end. Tomorrow is our first excursion so we need our beauty sleep!

Data for today:

• Steps: 21,171 or 10.1 miles
• Number of flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town every day: 51
• Rough exchange rate: 25 ZAR to 1 GBP (terrible mental math!)
• Cost of a very nice bottle of South African Rosé: 64 ZAR (yes, that’s correct. My liver is already sad.)

We have a day and a half(ish) between adventures and once the luggage finally got delivered (at 8pm – luckily we were still awake! ) we got ready for the next part of the odyssey.  Because the dryer decided to pack in the night before we left for round 1, we knew that we had to get all the washing done straight away to allow time to dry before repacking.  A quick 30 minute eco wash, a full drying rack in the spare room and we could finally get some shut eye.

And then it was Monday – a real work day and back to the classroom for me!  A wonderful colleague had been kind enough to cover 2 lectures while I was gone so now it was time to reclaim my module and get into the nitty gritty of modelling and logistic regression.  Woo hoo!  It was interesting since there were quite a few students who had missed the first week due to visa and relocation issues and they had NO IDEA who I was or why I was in front of the classroom.

Once I had dazzled them with my amazing knowledge, it was back to marking dissertations and preparing for round two of travel.  The weather gods had been kind enough to give us a few dry hours to get the clothes out on the line so repacking was possible.  We needed a quick trip to the shop to pick up a ready meal for dinner (shepherd’s pie – yum!) and a nice bottle of French red before the entertainment commenced.

We had a big decision to make:  check bags or no.  We only had an hour to change planes in Amsterdam and having just been through that we decided that the AMS ground crew could not be trusted to get our stuff to the 10+ hour flight to Johannesburg.  So we played the “how much can we fit in a regulation size carry one bag” game.  Luckily, this half of the trek had fewer business attire requirements:  the first week is strictly holiday and the second week is an IASSIST conference which is WAY more laid back than the central banker gatherings.  Given that we had successfully done 10 days in Portugal with just a carry on and we were staying in an AirBnB with a washing machine, we decided to give it a shot.

The taxi collected us at 4am (!!!) for our 6am flight.  Another airport breakfast and a short hop to AMS and we were power walking through the airport to get to our gate.  KLM had notified us the previous day that for “operational and load” reasons, they had changed our seats so we got the bulkhead row in premium economy – yay!  Lots of leg room and no one to climb over to get to the loo. 

It was a very smooth and uneventful 10.5 hours – I paid for the in-flight wifi and got all my marking (including second marking) done and the outline of my keynote speech drafted before my brain shut down and it was time to watch the latest Indiana Jones movie. (Cute but nothing special.). We landed on time and made it to the airport hotel where we stopped for a snack and a glass of South African wine. Then off to get good night’s sleep before our short flight to Cape Town tomorrow. All in all, a successful pitstop.

Data for today:

• Miles from Aberdeen to Johannesburg: 8500(ish)
• Weight of our carry on luggage: 4 pieces @ 6ish kg each = 25 kg
• Time to ABZ at 4am: 17 minutes
• Number of white wines KLM was kind enough to provide: 4