South Africa - Vignettes of the Cape in Spring

South Africa is a multi-hued country, colourful in every sense of the word, it is beautiful everywhere and in all seasons, but my favourite is spring in the Cape. Flowers bursting in a riot of colour with dainty birds sipping nectar. These pictures are a glimpse of the views that you have to look for.

The protea
The king protea is the national flower of South Africa and at this time of the year it is blooming everywhere, huge and colourful.  There are many varieties of protea, some so different in shape and size, however all are colourful and pretty.

Flowers Flowers Everywhere
Nothing strikes you so much as the profusion of flowers and nowhere more than at the West Coast National Park. A part of this park, Postberg, is open for two months only, August - September during which it is a breathtaking palette of colour.  We went on the last few days and only the yellow remained, but  literally in carpets. 

Waves lash the shore
The WCNP offers some spectacular seascapes too, raw rocky beaches being lashed by the violent Atlantic and the placid Langebaan Lagoon, with its varied palette of blues.  There is an island here which is the refuge of thousands of seals and with a pair of binoculars one can see them.  The violence of the Atlantic made the west coast the terror of sailors in the days of sail and north of here lies the dreaded Skeleton Coast of yore.

Wine labelled with the National flower
A little distance out of Cape Town is the Paarl Valley, one of the premier wine growing areas of  famous wines of South Africa. In this area, there are towns like Franschhoek, Paarl, Stellenbosch, all surrounded by vineyards. there is a distinct French flavour to many of these areas, perhaps that's how the wine industry took off.

Kirstenbosch with Castle Rock standing sentinel
A botanical garden established by Cecil John Rhodes on the apron of Table Mountain, is the repository of much South African flora and some exotics as well. Beautifully laid out and colourful in spring, it offers a tranquil but educative walk amidst flowers and birds of various hues. Castle Rock is a part of the Table Mountain massif.

Mandela's Gold
In a tribute to the iconic Nelson Mandela, this golden coloured Bird of Paradise is carefully bred at Kirstenbosch.  The more common flower too grows in profusion here.

Sipping Nectar
A brilliantly coloured sunbird sips nectar from a variety of protea at Kirstenbosch.  There are many birds at Kirstenbosch, some are semi-tame like species of guinea fowl, ducks, geese and spur fowl.  Then there are birds like these, flitting among the bushes and enjoying the flowers.  A certain tree has been home to generations of spotted eagle owl, and not to disappoint we saw the mother sitting over her brood.

A craftsman's hands
Stone carving is a popular handicraft, various stones, particularly this variety of grey stone is carved then oiled for a lovely play on shades of black and gray. Subjects range from the traditional to the modern. Handicrafts in the Cape, are very meticulously wrought with great attention to detail and finish. 

Life in Stone
Artisans chisel the stone rapidly, but surely, a slip or mistake can ruin a large block.Statues of animals, people and activities; statues in a variety of stone; statues of realistic figures and abstracts; there is a wide variety here.  They offer to ship large pieces to one's home country.  Mostly the work has meticulous attention to detail and finely finished.

A Loving Couple
On our way to the Cape of Good Hope we stopped at Red Rock Tribal area which has a delightful restaurant run by this very friendly couple.  The small and very meticulously laid out dining area is made of wood with vines on the outside walls; very redolent of old residences.The pastries, Coffee and tea were absolutely delicious.

Friendly....
One of the ladies attending to us in the Red Rock Tribal area was this pretty girl. She had her hair tediously knotted into tiny knots and exactly arranged.  She graciously allowed me to take pictures, chatting away all the while. The most of the ladies have interesting hair arrangements.

Franschhoek Motor Museum
Located between Paarl and Franschhoek, the FMM has an eclectic mix of cars.  Ranging from a Model T Ford and Lorraine Dietrich from 1911 to modern Ferrari's; tourers, sportsters, formula 1, shooting brakes all make for a breathtaking range of cars.  Worth a visit by any car buff, by anybody for that matter.

The iconic Table Mountain
the best place to see the breath-taking views of Cape Town is from Table Mountain. It has a cable car to go up, but for the intrepid there are many routes to climb up on foot. These are interesting trails that allow one to see the different views and flora as one climbs.  There are climbs for the beginner and for the technical expert.  However none of the trails are a casual walk so be prepared with adequate water (at least two litres per person on a hot day); and a jacket for the considerable change in temperature from a warm bottom (pun intended) to a windy and cold top. Please see my earlier blog on  walking up Table Mountain

Cable car to the top...
For the easy going or the not-so-fit or for those in a hurry there is a cable car to the top. The hitch is that the Mountain creates its own weather system which is often uncongenial to go up in.  Strong winds, poor visibility (the 'tablecloth' of cloud) and bitter cold can prevent one from going up and enjoying the views. On sunny days the wait for a ride in the cable car can be upto two hours, book online to half the wait time. Timing and planning is critical for Table Mountain.

On top...
 Once at the top one is rewarded with beautiful views and seacapes, there are palettes of blue punctuated with cotton fluff white in the water and the sky. Take an easy walk to the highest point on the Mountain, Maclears Beacon.

The Lighthouse atop Cape Point
Cape Point is the south west most point of the continent, a promontory with a well established tourist facility with views all around.  The seascapes are vast and ever changing in shades of blue, from a pale sky-blue to the deep-blue bruises of deep water. The weather is ever variable and white wisps sailing through a pristinely blue sky can change suddenly to glowering clouds and rain, so be prepared. The drive to Cape point is through a National Park and along the way one can see baboons, ostrich and varieties of antelope.

The art of Dylan Lewis
One of the more well known sculptors of South Africa, his work on display is mainly African animals and surrealistic human figures portraying "the animal within". His work is displayed at a sculpture garden in Stellenbosch where he has placed pieces amidst natural surroundings, worth a visit to walk the large estate. His animals are very accurately represented, with a lot of fluidity and action.

Protea buds
South Africa is spectacular, scenic, uncertain weather, colourful flowers and birds; and the Cape more than most places.  If one likes history, scenic panoramas, seascapes, flora and fauna; the Cape is for you.  Doing it as a tourist with a been there and done it agenda is not the best way, perhaps long walks and drives to soak in the scenery, watch the wondrous flora and fauna and soak in the turbulent and often violent history of the land.

Climbing Table Mountain – My Cape Town Odyssey in South Africa

A view of  Table Mountain from the Lower Cable Car Station.
This is the start of the climb.

Table Mountain is an iconic landmark towering in grandeur above Cape Town, the southernmost tip of South Africa, exudes a powerful but inviting presence.  Its slopes have wildlife, an exquisite range of flora and the homes of the rich and famous. Even today, despite human habitation creeping up its slopes, it is an imposing sight, particularly from the suburbs of Cape Town.  Huge blocks of stone, almost artificially cuboid, make up the steep cliffs crowning the summit.   Presiding majestically over the city of Cape Town, adventurers will feel compelled to conquer the giant by walking to its summit. Take the cable car back to the bottom if your legs are too tired to descend on foot, which is what I did.

After a short while looking down at the
 lower cable car station.

The view of Table Mountain is an ever changing kaleidoscope of vistas, sometimes clear and stark standing against a bright blue sky, a sentinel over the city;  at other times a delicate table, draped in the lace of white clouds and then rapidly become a raging dark monster with whistling icy winds and cold rain.  These changes happen rapidly, sometimes in less than an hour, therefore when climbing Table Mountain it is important to be prepared, a bright sunny start to a pleasant climb can very rapidly degenerate into a battle against torrential rain and bitter cold.

I was in Cape Town in September and became impatient with the long wait (over two hours) to board the cable car to the top, therefore decided to climb to the top. There are over twenty routes to ascend the mountain on foot, ranging from the difficult technical rock climbing routes to more prepared paths. Whichever way you go, signs along the way caution that ‘more people die each year climbing Table Mountain than on Mount Everest!’ Factually right or wrong, it is a stark reality check.  I took the popular Platteklip Gorge (flat rock in Afrikaans) route which starts at the lower cable car station, arguably one of the more difficult routes.

The cliff face, huge blocks of stone with a few stunted trees

  Difficult or easy is a matter of perspective, it is a climb of about 680 metres over approximately three kilometres.  I found it fairly arduous, doing it over about three hours, though I am told some of the fitter youngsters do it in about two to two and a half hours.  The perfidious weather was apparent in the rapid temperature drop from a balmy 22 degrees Celsius when I started, to a bone chilling 10 degree wind at the top.  The sun was very sharp as it was bright and sunny when I started but I soon found a marked difference in temperature between the sunny and shady parts of the walk, enough to often don a warm jacket.

A view of Lions Head Peak

The Platteklip route starts as a steep half hour climb from the lower cable car station, then it levels out at the base of the cliff, from where it follows the contour of the mountain for another half an hour till it meets a path going up. The initial ascent provides a great warm-up for the arduous climb to come. In this stage of the climb, cable car passengers going up the mountain often look down on hikers with admiration and wave encouragingly through the windows as they enjoy their own effortless journey upwards, they will do in five minutes what I would take three hours to do. The entire route is clearly signposted.  The path along the second climb is a series of steep of rough-hewn stone block steps and rough sections of walkway, continuously climbing to the top through the Platteklip Gorge. The path is flanked with a never ending riot of colour in the bushes, plants and flowers along the way, the wind and rock however stunts the trees growing here.  There are three streams along this route, all easy to cross, but each creating a tiny and very pretty eco-system around itself.  Different points along the path show different vistas, each very spectacular, initially there are broad panoramas of Lion’s Head, Cape Town CBD and suburbs as also the entire harbour; however as I enter the Gorge the view narrows and I can only see the blue waters of the bay.

...the Trail

Being a bright sunny day, there were many people, hundreds possibly, climbing this route, young, old, well equipped or ill prepared, families, school groups, tourists; everyone’s there.

A very narrow crevice (less than three metres) at the top suddenly opens to reveal that I have reached the top of the mountain, further indicated by a metal tablet set in stone that gives the geography of the Table. 

Finally, the last few steps before one reaches the.......

From here one can take many trails to various places on the mountain including its highest point. There is also a restaurant, cafe and souvenir shop near the upper cable car station where you can buy cable car tickets for the journey down. As I was running out of time and that I wanted to avoid the rush of people for the last few car trips down, I decided to meander my way to the restaurant, grab a bite and then take the cable car down.  The walk was through a palette of colourful flora and ancient boulders, well sign posted, with rails and handholds at difficult patches.

The cable car itself is interesting, it is huge, taking about 65 people, and has a rotating floor so that everyone gets a view in every direction in the journey up or down (about four to five minutes). Be aware that the car closes when the weather turns bad, and this could happen when you are on top, thus always be prepared to walk down if necessary. For anyone going up to Table Mountain either on foot or by cable car I would recommend wearing good walking footwear, carrying a waterproof jacket, a warm top, a litre of water, sunscreen and dark glasses. It is best to be prepared.

Climb - relentlessly climb, the only way to describe the path in Platteklip Gorge. It’s the most direct route to the top of the mountain and the most popular. However, it is not a route to be trifled with; the going can be tough (but that’s when the tough get going)  and the rewards at the top tremendous. 

Cape Town CBD and the Bay,
 as one enters the gorge, this view reduces

The lateral level path before the real climb starts

Beautiful views of the bay on the way up

The narrow crevice as one approaches the top

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Lovely flowers along the way; do stop to enjoy them

er view of the ocean

Pretty flowers make the walk so much fun