This day will be very hard to sum up. We have literally hundreds of pictures of the sights seen as we toured the cape and visited the Cape Point. Ill try to narrow it down to the best of the best only. This tour was amazing. Very cheap, and action packed.

Short boat trip to see some seals (yawn) just outside this harbor. I do always love a boat trip though and the views were amazing.




Drove around the bay and took a really cool road which was basically carved out of the side of a mountain. View from halfway up this mountain.


At times the mountain was actually above us while driving on this mountain road.


Next we went cycling along this gorgeous beach for about 6 km. Had to stop every 100 metres or so for another photo op. Most scenic bike ride I have ever been on.


Surfers of the coast were doing their thing.


Biking! Love that pants tucked into the socks style.


On to the lighthouse just north of Cape Point. From the top we spotted this beautiful little beach carved out of the countryside.


This lighthouse was built a fantastic height. The drop off was massive.


At this point I thought I was at the southern most point of Africa. Little did I know that we had not yet reached our ultimate destination.


Group shot with the lighthouse.


We all decided that the beach seen from the lighthouse was worth a visit so we took the hike down to check it out. Here Stefan is caught with the bag of Lays chips he was planning on using to lure the baboons.


Pristine.


We all agreed that it was simply the nicest beach we had ever been on. This does not include tropical beaches however as it was far from warm. The sand was immaculately clean, as was the water. We were warned against swimming here as the currents are very strong. In fact we were told of an American who, only a few weeks ago, was so awe struck by this beach and decided to take a swim. He was never seen again!


At the top of the Cape Point, another incredible peak. We did alot of hiking up and down this day.




Cool dragon rock.


The Cape of Good Hope is also a nature reserve and it is not unlikely to see animals sharing in the splendor.


I made it~!!

Randomly checked out the Cape Town Good Food and Drink show on Friday evening. The international conference centre is just a short walk from the waterfront.


We bought tasting glasses at the door and were invited to try a number of fantastic South African wines at the various booths. It actually turned out quite nicely, as we had hoped for a wine tour which time did not allow for. We basically had a little wine tour on this night!


Found the Corona booth!!!


Havana Club had a little fruit stand set up. You brought the bartender any two fruits and she would mix you a cocktail. I had melon and lime, which was rather tasty.


All in all a great show! Good representation of South African food and drink!

Spent two of our evenings here wandering around and exploring the views in all directions. The waterfront project seems like a fairly new development. There are many shops and restaurants to experience in this area.




Drinking Weisse Beer at the Paulener Beer Garten. This was one of the best Weisse Beers I have ever tasted. Do we look happy???


Nice shot of the city and blanket of Table Mountain.

On Friday we decided to check out Table Mountain as it was impeccably clear which would provide for excellent views from the top. Maik and Stefan opted to hike up but me and Joey went for the old man's route. The hike up takes an average of 2 hours and our friends were able to do it in about an hour and a half. We bumped into an Aussie at the top sweating profusely who claimed to have done it in 45 minutes. Nice one.

This picture is taken from the lower cable station. As you can see we are already quite high up before even entering the lift.


The cable car runs quite quickly both up and down the mountain. The floor of the car rotates 360 degrees almost perfectly in the time it takes to get up. On the way up me and Joey discussed which superhero would be best able to save us if there was an incident. The people around us were not impressed. We concluded that Superman would be best fit to save the cable car if the wires were to break. ;)


View from the top.


Overlooking the magnificent city of Cape Town. I can almost spot out hostel.


Interesting flora at the top of the mountain.


Looking south to one of the many amazing beaches found on the coast around the cape.


Looking west I think. On the left is the Lion's Head which is another staple on the Cape Town lanscape. In the distance you can see Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years.


Wind swept rocks at the summit.


There are three options for going down the mountain:

1. Take the cable car.
2. Hike down.
   
3. Abseil: Take the vertical plunge down the mountain by rope.
   

We opted for the cable car, maybe this picture helps explain why!

We rolled into Cape Town at about 3pm in the afternoon. We were a bit sluggish from the ride but enthralled by the beating heart of the city. After settling into the Carnival Court backpackers, getting a beer, and a game of kicker (thanks to Stefan) we set off into the city to explore. Immediately I was impressed by the cafe's and restaurants along Long St. very urban, multicultural, and diverse. Immediately spotted a Mexican, Middle Eastern and Irish Pub restaurant, that translates to Guiness on tap!!!!

View from the backpackers later in the evening.


Enjoying beer and kicker, which means foosball or gits (gitonees!) to the North American.


Laxing on the patio.


A couple more beers, a little more tired. Maik (pronounced Mike), Stefan, both from Germany and Joey my buddy from Phoenix, Arizona.


Across the street we had a very vibrant little cafe which served great food and played great house non-stop.


This became my favorite spot between travels. Ill be back.


Typical side street in Cape Town. Love those narrow streets.


Lunch Sunday at The Color Red. The meals were fantastic and the portions massive! We needed the energy for Table Mountain however.

I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of Cape Town! I am kicking myself having been here in Namibia over a year and visited Cape Town only now. I will surely be back, sooner than later. From our group of four we have about 500 pictures. Give me a few days to go through them and then I will post them in segments.

Here is a happy moment for me at the top of Table Mountain.

Well I thought that since it is winter here in Windhoek, the coast would be even worse! Surprisingly, record high temperatures were experienced in Swakopmund and the weather was absolutely perfect. It was really neat to feel the change in temperature between the waterfront and the city. There was plenty of hot air coming in from the desert, and cool air coming off the ocean. I would say there was a good 10 degree jump walking from the beach 5 minutes inland.



Even at night we were able to enjoy the beach in t-shirts! Plenty of people joined us as well. I have learned when the best time to get to the coast is. ..in the winter...go figure.


Sunday afternoon drama!!! Kimera, the drama queen, dropped her wallet off the pier and into the ocean! It was floating away fast, so we made arrangements with a young man who was willing to jump in the water and rescue the wallet provided he could have all of the money inside. Kimera seemed to think she had about 100 bones. As it turns out the walled was pretty much empty plus a few coins. We gave the guy a dry 100 anyhow. After all it was fun to watch!


Rescuing the wallet.


Oh no! Not another Swakopmund boardwalk picture!

I have a fantastic chili recipe from my Mother. Chili is a winter food, and its getting cool here at night so I thought it appropriate to whip up a big batch of dirty old chili!! This particular chili recipe includes 4 oz. of Tequila and freshly ground orange juice and grated peel. These were new ingredients to me, but they melded quite well into the pot. I cooked this for about 4 hours, so it was really a nice treat. My dinner quests had never experienced chili before, so it was nice to get their take on this southern dish.



"Gringo's Tequila!" I only understood what exactly this meant after I got it home. Go home gringo!!! Next time I'll stick with Jose Quiervo.


Desmond and Kimera relaxing after dinner.


Kimera and I.


Couldn't help getting down after we had digested. A couple shots of tequila helped!




Kimera, Desmond and Talita.


We decided to go out after relaxing for a bit. Desmond's cousin was having a graduation party in Katatura, so we crashed. It was a lively event! We then hit a small sha'been in Katatura for a quick beer. After that we went to the night club where Talita works for some dancing. It was a slow night though, so we did not stay too late.

Yes, I know I'm terrible!!! Nearly two weeks without any new material on this site!! I have been very busy. I was also sick for a few days, but am feeling much better now. I finally have a VISA which allows me to sleep peacefully at night and finally settle in. Time is flying by! This is what happens when you get older I hear? !! Its nearly June, which almost marks the halfway point of 2008. It feels like I just got back from Toronto.

Here are some 'recent' pictures. Actually these are from three weeks ago!!! We had a fund raiser at the Polytechnic for our friend Leo who was quiet suddenly diagnosed with cancer in one of his eyes. The doctors were able to treat the eye in advance of the cancer spreading, but he has lost some of his vision and will have to watch how the cancer progresses. Medical bills are high here so a fashion show/concert was arranged to help cushion the costs.

Interesting clothing design made of shopping bags?!


Interesting artists, men wearing nurses outfits???


These guys were quite good, billed as the premier Afrik'aans rappers in Namibia.




Another crew representing.


Model in training.


My friend Taura always gives a great performance.




Kim, Leo and Talita after the show.

I was finally able to get my apartment set up. Now I am truly comfortable in the new place and actually rarely desire to go out anymore! Actually, that is a stretch but I am loving the ability to just have friends over for an evening.

The couches here took ages to be delivered. They had to ship the smaller one up from South Africa.



My "piece de resistance". This new style of TV stand is making huge waves in Namibia amongst my friends.




Represent!


Being on the ground floor has it's pluses. Luckily the building is very secure. I've started barbecuing out here and so far have no complaints from those above.

Only got a few pictures from the housewarming party. Here we have Kimera, Desmond and Isabelle dancing up a storm in my living room!

The newest edition of Windhoek @ Large has reached the web. Give it a read, I still have not received much feedback from anybody out there. I just gave it a quick review and it seems that I did not get to edit all of the articles. I am assuming that some came in late. Excuse any mistakes in advance.

http://www.whk-at-large.com/