Traveling with the Greensides / South Africa 2014: Cape Town / April 30

Wednesday morning we hopped on a plane in Johannesburg and took a 2 hour flight to Cape Town. We stayed in a very modern Condo near the Waterfront.

This is the view from our 2 bedroom suite.

It is overlooking a man made canal that connects downtown area with the waterfront area by boat.

Many of the condos are privately owned and you can bring your own boat to dock at your complex. Oprah is supposed to own a penthouse in this area. But nobody knows where... or so they say.

Our first outing was to Table Mountain. It is called one of the Seven Wonders of Nature. These are pictures from a distance on

our way to the tram.

We took this tram to the top of the mountain.

I love heights so much that I wasn't looking up or down as we were on our way to the top. :(

But once up there the view was spectacular! These pictures are looking down into Cape Town and the Waterfront.

And these are on the other side of the mountain overlooking the small towns along the coastal highway.

You can see that the terrain is extremely rugged.

It was also a little chilly up here so Piper was bundled up. Me too!

These are some local flowers called Protea. They reminded me of artichokes.

We stayed at the top till sunset and took the last tram back down the mountain.

It was really beautiful. Pictures never do this type of

scene justice.

Even from the height where you get on the tram the view is really beautiful looking over Cape Town. These are a few pictures as all the lights were coming on.

This ferris wheel is at the waterfront along with dozens of restaurants and shops just down from where we are staying. Kind of like the Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey but on steroids.

On Thursday morning we took a drive down the coastal highway on the other side of Table Mountain. We drove thru some little fishing towns and beaches along the way. We were still heading South along the Atlantic Ocean on the West side of the point of South Africa.

There were so many places to stop and take pictures that sometimes Piper & I just stayed in the car while they jumped in & out.

There were many bikers & joggers along the road. I didn't think it looked that safe to jog on this narrow windy road. But I don't jog or bike pretty much anywhere. :)

In places you can really see where the road is cut right out of the mountain. This area has some pillars to support it.

But this area just hangs out over the car with no supports. I guess that is really strong rock... hope so anyway.

Some of the beaches were really beautiful...and no one on them. Looks like someone should put a big resort right here.

Or maybe just a big house overlooking the beach!

Nice huh?

Then we reached Cape of Good Hope.

This is the South-western most point of South Africa (Cape Agulhas is the southern most point of Africa). On the West side of the peninsula is The Atlantic Ocean and on the East side is called False Bay.

You can see on this map the very bottom tip of the Cape. That's where we are today.

Just a short drive inside the park and here is another mountain to climb. Yep...Piper & I will stay down here on the lowlands & wait.

But the other 3 had to go stand on top of the mountain.

I didn't have a very good lens to get a close up on them but that is Dawn at the highest point... of course.

But they got some great shots from the top of the mountain...

I'm sure Piper will be a mountain goat when she gets a little bigger too!

Then they came back down the hill and Piper & I got out of the car to pose with this sign. Had to prove we were here too!

We left the point & headed back towards Pretoria on the East side of the peninsula. On the way I spotted this baboon on the roof of the visitors center so we thought we better stop & check it out. (I had to pee too so perfect timing.) :)

We were in luck. As I said earlier the only thing I really missed at the safari drive were the baboons. Here they were all over the place just roaming the grounds & parking lots.

Of course while I was in the bathroom I missed the Baboon get into a man's car when he opened the door. The man closed the door & all the other baboons went crazy. Then one of the rangers (or guards, not sure what they are called) heard the commotion and came running. He had the man open the door & the minute the baboon saw him coming he and all the others hi-tailed it out of there. The rangers carry a big stick or a sling shot. They said they can become very aggressive trying to get food from people. They some times have to put them down because they cannot control them.

This guy could use a dentist.

I guess he's trying...he must have a toothpick.

Really reminds me of someone I know... just can't put my finger on who it is?????

Here is a mama carrying around her baby.

So now I HAVE seen the Baboons... YAY!

Continuing North we stopped at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town. Here we stopped to visit the African Penguin.

Everyone here is just trying to make a buck. This little dancers deserved a few Rand from me. they were very cute.

Then on down to the beaches to see the Penguins. Donald took about a million pictures of these guys. Here a just a few.

Some were enjoying the sun on the rocks.

Many were sitting on the beach on their nests.

Some were sitting on their nest with eggs.

Others with brand new babies.

Others with not so new babies.

We were on a nice wooden walkway overlooking the beach & nesting area.

We ended the day having dinner overlooking the waterfront.

After a pretty good nights sleep... We took the room with the twin beds...(4 feet from the snoring does make a difference) :)) we ventured to Robben Island. It is about a 1 hour ferry ride. This could be the closest I will ever get to a cruise.

Many people started out outside and up on top but ended up coming inside because it was cold & foggy. Reminded me of home! I didn't really want Piper up on top without a life jacket anyway. Funny, but my kids were on a boat all their lives, mostly without a life jacket but it seems different now. I guess it's just because I'm old & worry about things more.

Donald wore his patch so he wouldn't get sea sick.

Piper was a good little sailor!

Robben Island is where the prison is that Mandela was in for 18 of his 27 years of incarceration. Now there are signs telling about the Apartheid years and all the political prisoners that were held here.

An ex-political prisoner was our tour guide for inside and around the prison.

The only problem with our tour was too many people in the group. It was hard to hear our guide at some points because I stayed in the back with Piper in her stroller.

This was Mandela's cell. The political prisoners were kept separate so they could not talk to the other prisoners and sway them into thinking like they did.

Then we took a bus tour around the island. The tour guide on the bus explained to us that the island was originally a leper colony. People with leprosy and psychotic problems were sent here to live. They thought that leprosy was contagious but since then we have found that it is not.

There was another part of the prison where prisoners were kept completely in solitary confinement. Robert Sobukwe was held in this tiny house on the left. He was a originally a leader in the ANC (African National Congress). He later left the ANC to form the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), and was elected its first President in 1959. He was released in 1969. Originally only the small house was here. The dog kennels on the right were added later.

On our return trip on the ferry we were surrounded by hundreds of dolphins. They were only there for a minute then gone.

We also spotted this yacht out for a spin. It was docked very near where we are staying.

It is called the Georgia. I think Georgia must be a pretty lucky girl! It is now used for tours of the bay.

Getting back to dock on the waterfront. I'm glad our little tour over to the Island didn't turn out to be like Gilligan's 3 hour tour!

Now we know how far we are from home. Of course if I knew what a kilometer is in miles it would be nice.

A very large container ship was also leaving port.

This one looks like a pirate ship. Oooh... glad we escaped them!

At lunch today I ordered fries. No big surprise there! But they said they only had sweet potato fries. Now, I know that some of you (Sharon) really like sweet potato fries. So, I said what the heck, I'll try them. Ok, these do not look or taste like any sweet potato fries I have seen any of you have at home. They don't even look like sweet potatoes! Needless to say I had one bite & the rest of these stayed right here!

I took a walk back to the waterfront myself since no one else wanted to go. This is a picture of where we are staying from closer to the bay. We are in the far right 3rd floor up.

I really like being down here where the action is. The people, always some entertainment, the shopping, the restaurants... but no one shares my enthusiasm. Oh well.

Saturday morning off we go to downtown Cape Town for a 2 1/2 hour walking tour. Our guide starts us out at this Methodist Church where Mandela was a member of the congregation. There were many important meetings about Apartheid held here.

This sign hangs on the church now. SA is a very open to Gay people & their rights. All people are created equal no matter race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. That's a great outlook. Too bad it's not true everywhere in the world!

From there she took us to the middle of town where there are street vendors on almost every street.

Not unlike our Mesa Mart each booth has pretty much the same things for sale.

And even though they are selling 'South African' items, I would bet those items are mostly from China.

Many of the old buildings have been remodeled inside but the outer facades are kept the same.

Then on to the flower market which is also right downtown. This market on Adderley St. has been operating for over 100 years.

The many colorful flowers are beautiful and very inexpensive compared to at home.

Then we were so lucky to be there just in time for the "Legalize Marijuana Parade". Our guide said that they want it legalized for medical reasons and for use by cancer patients.

Hmmm...they all look young and healthy to me!

Although she also said that at one point any peaceful protest or parade for any reason would have been illegal.

Maybe this is what it looked like in Colorado not too long ago!

This building was the City Hall of Cape Town. This is where Mandela gave his Freedom Speech after being released from prison. He chose the day to give the speech on Feb. 11, 1990.

These were the words used at the end of his speech:

"In conclusion I wish to quote my own words during my trial in 1964. They are true today as they were then:

`I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination.

I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.

It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

Of course they have a little Americana in the mix...

Donald thought this clock tower was in a peculiar place since you could only see it straight on between these two tall buildings.

This is a German Seal with a Unicorn. Our guide had no idea what the Unicorn represents but it shows the German influence that was here.

And you always have your homeless camps. This one is in the courtyard behind the Methodist Church.

This building is the Parliament Building where all the laws are made for The Republic of South Africa.

There is a large garden across from the Parliament building that was originally a refreshment station in 1652. It was called the Company Garden. It was meant to supply the ships that stopped at the Cape. As you can see by the sign in 2001 they started plans to remake the garden.

This is a Rubber Tree. It originally came from India.

This is a statue of Cecil Rhodes. When you hear someone say they are a Rhodes Scholar this is the guy who started the scholarship that they got to go to Oxford. That's what makes them a Rhodes Scholar!

Then we saw some more little dancers making a few tips for the family to live on. I wonder what the child labor laws are here.

I loved the little guy in the middle. He was really rocking out!

Then we visited...

The original church's foundation stone was laid on St. George's day April 23, 1830 and the Erste Berg Dwars Street was renamed St George's St. The church today replaced the original on the same site and the foundation stone for this one was laid in 1901.

It is a very beautiful church!

The stained glass isamazing.

These stained glass windows are from the original church.

In dollars this is $1,095.00 per day. Your donation of $11.00 is what they are asking for. I have to admit.... I didn't put any in the bucket. I guess I should be ashamed of myself. :(

On to the Mandela Rhodes Building. Mandela joined Cecil Rhodes in granting the scholarships to Oxford. The Mandela Rhodes Scholarships aim to help in building leadership excellence in Africa. Since the selection of the first eight Scholars in 2005, a total of 200 Scholarships have been awarded.

Sunday morning before it was plane time back to Johannesburg we took a ride out in the country. Welcome to the Napa Valley of South Africa.

We took a ride to Ernie Els winery. I have mentioned Ernie before. I guess I should tell those of you who are not golfers that he is a professional golfer from SA.

However it was the only one here that was not open on Sunday. I guess he doesn't really need the money from the sale of the wines. The gate was nice tho.

They also grow berries in this area.

I wonder who came up with the plastic covers first.... us or them?

Maybe they grow for Driscoll or California Giant Berries????? But I don't believe either of them have this lovely lady selling them for them.

This was an interesting little place. All those colorful animals are mascots of the rugby teams.

We didn't stop. Just got the pics as we went by.

On the way back we took pictures of these communities not far from the city and the airport. As I said earlier during Apartheid the black African people were moved out of the cities out to what they called homelands which were basically like reservations. When you were allowed to have a job in the city you were able to move closer. They called these townships. You also had to have a pass in order to get to town to do your job. These communities still exist today even though Apartheid was voted out 20 years ago because these people basically have no where else to go. The amount of income they make does not allow them to move up into better homes.

They do have electricity but no inside toilets. They have outhouses. This looks like a lineup of them for the whole or part of the houses in this area.