I left home at lunch time on Boxing Day for the journey to Heathrow. This was truly uneventful except for some very slow traffic on the M25 but we arrived in plenty of time anyway. I left from Terminal 5 which is quite something, shiny and new but easy to use and loads of shops but mostly upmarket ones. Unfortunately I didn't get the hoped for ugrade so it was the usual cattle class cramped seat for 12 hours - not as bad as Eurpean flights though which is just as well. I didn't manage any more than about 15 minutes sleep in the whole journey but it was still very exciting to watch the sun rise over African mountains. The plane landed about 15 minutes early at 6am - 4am UK time! The passage through customs and collecting the bag was quite quick too and John and his girlfriend, Alta, were there to meet me. By 7am I was sitting in the front seat of a dark orange Hummer on my way to his home in the Blaaubergstrand area of Cape Town.
We sat by their pool and had a cup of tea then, when the world had got up, went to a beach front restaurant, Doodles, for breakfast. This was a lot like an English breakfast and certainly gave me some much needed energy.
We sat by their pool and had a cup of tea then, when the world had got up, went to a beach front restaurant, Doodles, for breakfast. This was a lot like an English breakfast and certainly gave me some much needed energy.
Later we took a stroll along the beach but otherwise had a leisurely day so that I could recover from the flight. Unfortunately, despite having but sun cream on I managed to burn my face and shoulders. Consequently I am now peeling - not a pretty sight.
When we got up on 28th (Sunday) it was quite cloudy although not really cold. I was quite pleased as it gave me a chance to heal the sunburn. We went to a couple of flea markets which are a mixture of car boot sale and african crafts markets. Quite interesting to see. Monday was also cloudy and whilst we were in town shopping the rain came down. It rained quite heavily for much of the day so not much done that day either.
Tuesday (30th) was once again sunny and we took a drive up to Signal Hill to see the Noon Gun fired. The views from up there were teriffic. We saw loads of hang gliders jumping off from up there too. We also went to town to an area called the Waterfront - harbour area but loads of entertainers there too. I have taken loads of video and photos but have just discovered that I don't have the right connector to upload the photos so I will have to get one - most things are available here in Cape Town from street vendors at the Robots (South African name for traffic lights). In the meantime though no photos to accompany my blog.
Yesterday was New Year's Eve and we had to shop for some things we needed for a themed party we went to last night - Hats and Shirts. Quite a good party and not as full on as the alternative invitation which was at a bar. I managed to survive without a hangover - although I did have to sleep late to recover. Today we went into Cape Town for the Kaarpse Klopse only to find it isn't until Saturday this year. So plan B was the castle but that was closed so it was on to plan C which was a trip to Camps Bay. This is a very upmarket area of Cape Town - except today when all of the blacks and coloureds make it their own. The roads were solid traffic for several miles in both directions and the beach and foreshore were solid bodies. It was quite an odd experience. Most of them don't have proper swim wear so were there in their underwear or shorts and t shirts.
So - now we are up to date again. I will try to post more regularly so that I don't forget anything - and upload photos as soon as I can.
When we got up on 28th (Sunday) it was quite cloudy although not really cold. I was quite pleased as it gave me a chance to heal the sunburn. We went to a couple of flea markets which are a mixture of car boot sale and african crafts markets. Quite interesting to see. Monday was also cloudy and whilst we were in town shopping the rain came down. It rained quite heavily for much of the day so not much done that day either.
Tuesday (30th) was once again sunny and we took a drive up to Signal Hill to see the Noon Gun fired. The views from up there were teriffic. We saw loads of hang gliders jumping off from up there too. We also went to town to an area called the Waterfront - harbour area but loads of entertainers there too. I have taken loads of video and photos but have just discovered that I don't have the right connector to upload the photos so I will have to get one - most things are available here in Cape Town from street vendors at the Robots (South African name for traffic lights). In the meantime though no photos to accompany my blog.
Yesterday was New Year's Eve and we had to shop for some things we needed for a themed party we went to last night - Hats and Shirts. Quite a good party and not as full on as the alternative invitation which was at a bar. I managed to survive without a hangover - although I did have to sleep late to recover. Today we went into Cape Town for the Kaarpse Klopse only to find it isn't until Saturday this year. So plan B was the castle but that was closed so it was on to plan C which was a trip to Camps Bay. This is a very upmarket area of Cape Town - except today when all of the blacks and coloureds make it their own. The roads were solid traffic for several miles in both directions and the beach and foreshore were solid bodies. It was quite an odd experience. Most of them don't have proper swim wear so were there in their underwear or shorts and t shirts.
So - now we are up to date again. I will try to post more regularly so that I don't forget anything - and upload photos as soon as I can.
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