Orlando to South Africa and back - by way of Sofia, Budapest, Riga and Oslo!!
Sep 28, 2018, 9:28 am
#46
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
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A treasure hunt ... for you readers!
As I had left my main camera in the car, all photos in this specific post are courtesy DD's camera. But I have a different camera story to share. Anyone interested in a treasure hunt? #facepalm
We walked/hiked about a km or two, stopping a few times to gaze at the sight of Cape Town and the surrounding waterscape. A couple of times, we came across folks walking across the road and picking up a trail and wondered if this was it. Each time, DS consulted the GPS on his iPhone and informed us that we were not there yet. One of those times was when we passed the location of the cable car station. We knew this was not it, but some folks were still climbing up from around there - don't know if these were alternative paths to the top or general lower level trails.
Finally, we reached the point where it said Platteklip trail and I was needing to empty my bladder; unfortunately, there was no place here for me to do my business. We got some photos at the sign saying Platteklip trail (with and without us); at one point, we even found a couple of (we assumed) locals who took photos of all of us as well.
Somewhere in this area is an iPhone SE waiting to be found
Then, we started on our hike up the path - it was about 9 am. Soon, I could hold it in no longer and went into bushes to do my business (sorry!!). In the meantime, DS and DD had gone on ahead. There were a lot of folks on the trail - it being a weekend, I thought (later, someone pointed out that half the hiker traffic was - like us - probably also the result of the cable car being down). After a few minutes, DW and I caught up with our kids. And were aghast when DS announced that his iPhone was missing. He didn't recall taking photos with it; but he did vaguely remember leaving it somewhere behind. Next, I asked him where the water bottle was - between the four of us, we had a two-litre water bottle with us that he had been carrying - and he couldn't recall leaving it anywhere either. So, now we were up a creek without a paddle (and there really was a small stream close to the hiking trail right around this point)!! The iPhone we could live without but without water? That would be an issue.
iPhone or not, the trail goes on
Right when we were discussing this, the two nice guys who had taken our photos at the trail sign below came up to us and said, "Did you guys leave an iPhone behind?" Yes, we shouted. They said that they had left it under a rock near where they had found it. We didn't ask for many details and DS rushed back down leaving us to wait. At this time, we decided to push on ahead, water or no water - hopefully, we could get some water on the top.
Twenty minutes or so later, we spotted DS coming up crestfallen. No, he had not found the iPhone. Did he look properly? He said he wasn't sure where exactly the guys had said they'd put it. We had assumed that he knew exactly where to search. Anyway, I decided to take a second look. So back down he went - with me for company this time. We went all the way down - looked around at the spaces between the rocks near the sign and also a little up the path as well. No phone :-(
So, if you guys get a chance to go Table Mountain in the near future, keep your eyes peeled. Maybe you'll see an iPhone SE somewhere. Don't know how useful it will be, as DS has locked it. But he has told me that he doesn't think anyone found it yet and/or was using it at the time he locked it.
We walked/hiked about a km or two, stopping a few times to gaze at the sight of Cape Town and the surrounding waterscape. A couple of times, we came across folks walking across the road and picking up a trail and wondered if this was it. Each time, DS consulted the GPS on his iPhone and informed us that we were not there yet. One of those times was when we passed the location of the cable car station. We knew this was not it, but some folks were still climbing up from around there - don't know if these were alternative paths to the top or general lower level trails.
Finally, we reached the point where it said Platteklip trail and I was needing to empty my bladder; unfortunately, there was no place here for me to do my business. We got some photos at the sign saying Platteklip trail (with and without us); at one point, we even found a couple of (we assumed) locals who took photos of all of us as well.
Somewhere in this area is an iPhone SE waiting to be found
Then, we started on our hike up the path - it was about 9 am. Soon, I could hold it in no longer and went into bushes to do my business (sorry!!). In the meantime, DS and DD had gone on ahead. There were a lot of folks on the trail - it being a weekend, I thought (later, someone pointed out that half the hiker traffic was - like us - probably also the result of the cable car being down). After a few minutes, DW and I caught up with our kids. And were aghast when DS announced that his iPhone was missing. He didn't recall taking photos with it; but he did vaguely remember leaving it somewhere behind. Next, I asked him where the water bottle was - between the four of us, we had a two-litre water bottle with us that he had been carrying - and he couldn't recall leaving it anywhere either. So, now we were up a creek without a paddle (and there really was a small stream close to the hiking trail right around this point)!! The iPhone we could live without but without water? That would be an issue.
iPhone or not, the trail goes on
Right when we were discussing this, the two nice guys who had taken our photos at the trail sign below came up to us and said, "Did you guys leave an iPhone behind?" Yes, we shouted. They said that they had left it under a rock near where they had found it. We didn't ask for many details and DS rushed back down leaving us to wait. At this time, we decided to push on ahead, water or no water - hopefully, we could get some water on the top.
Twenty minutes or so later, we spotted DS coming up crestfallen. No, he had not found the iPhone. Did he look properly? He said he wasn't sure where exactly the guys had said they'd put it. We had assumed that he knew exactly where to search. Anyway, I decided to take a second look. So back down he went - with me for company this time. We went all the way down - looked around at the spaces between the rocks near the sign and also a little up the path as well. No phone :-(
So, if you guys get a chance to go Table Mountain in the near future, keep your eyes peeled. Maybe you'll see an iPhone SE somewhere. Don't know how useful it will be, as DS has locked it. But he has told me that he doesn't think anyone found it yet and/or was using it at the time he locked it.
Sep 28, 2018, 12:53 pm
#48
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
Programs: UA, IHG
Posts: 464
Even though we had lost our water bottle, we had decided to keep hiking up ... and suddenly our luck improved. We saw a bottle exactly like ours, full of water, left on the trail path ahead of us. We decided to give it a try and sure enough, it was our bottle (or at least the water tasted like the water we had filled in our bottle, as we had sipped a little before we started our hike). Under any other circumstances, I would've voted to dump the bottle and/or the water. On this occasion, we really weren't left with much choice.
As we hiked up, we saw some clouds in the sky - I didn't realize that there were as many as can be seen in this photo ...
... or on this one!
You can see Robben Island on this view - I hadn't noticed it until we reached the top
The view to our left, as we climbed, was much clearer, though we did see some table top (tablecloth?) clouds
As we climbed higher, we could see farther out as well
This is probably where we came from, though I cannot be positive, as we did have a couple of flat or even downhill sections as we climbed up. But this surely is a representative sampling of the rocks on the path
A zoomed in view of the Harbour area - our accommodation was somewhere in the middle right edge of the photo, more or less (I think!)
Don't understand why people indulge in this kind of behaviour - there were other similar rocks and boulders along the trail that were similarly disfigured
Some portions were not fenced ...
... but others were!
We encountered people with (friendly) pets
By the time we entered the gorge and looked down, though, the view was not encouraging at all!
At this time, the clouds had really swept in and almost covered our view towards the ocean. We quickly hurried up, and found that the clouds were pretty thick. There was a guide we met near the top who advised us that the clouds would probably remain like that for the rest of the day, though he assuaged my fears of an impending thunderstorm.
I now felt thwarted by clouds on a big mountain for the second time in three years. In 2015, we had been left with a similar image on the Kleine Sciedegg-Manlichen trail in Switzerland looking down toward Grindelwald. I was afraid this is all we could see here from the top of Table Mountain as well.
As we hiked up, we saw some clouds in the sky - I didn't realize that there were as many as can be seen in this photo ...
... or on this one!
You can see Robben Island on this view - I hadn't noticed it until we reached the top
The view to our left, as we climbed, was much clearer, though we did see some table top (tablecloth?) clouds
As we climbed higher, we could see farther out as well
This is probably where we came from, though I cannot be positive, as we did have a couple of flat or even downhill sections as we climbed up. But this surely is a representative sampling of the rocks on the path
A zoomed in view of the Harbour area - our accommodation was somewhere in the middle right edge of the photo, more or less (I think!)
Don't understand why people indulge in this kind of behaviour - there were other similar rocks and boulders along the trail that were similarly disfigured
Some portions were not fenced ...
... but others were!
We encountered people with (friendly) pets
By the time we entered the gorge and looked down, though, the view was not encouraging at all!
At this time, the clouds had really swept in and almost covered our view towards the ocean. We quickly hurried up, and found that the clouds were pretty thick. There was a guide we met near the top who advised us that the clouds would probably remain like that for the rest of the day, though he assuaged my fears of an impending thunderstorm.
I now felt thwarted by clouds on a big mountain for the second time in three years. In 2015, we had been left with a similar image on the Kleine Sciedegg-Manlichen trail in Switzerland looking down toward Grindelwald. I was afraid this is all we could see here from the top of Table Mountain as well.
Oct 1, 2018, 8:41 am
#50
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
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After a short while, however, to our great relief, the clouds started thinning out.
And we could see the entire city of Cape Town (or at least the portion located in the direction we were viewing).
And we could see the entire city of Cape Town (or at least the portion located in the direction we were viewing).
Oct 1, 2018, 8:56 am
#51
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
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We spent almost two hours at the top of the mountain (we didn't find any water, if you want to know - note that all concession places were closed at this time because the cable cars were not running), then started on our way back. Like what we'd read, the climbing down was as tough, if not tougher, than the climb up. Because of how the rocks are laid out (or not) on the trail, we had to taken big steps down at many places. By the time we were at the half way point or so, we were all wondering how far more we had to go before we were back on level ground.
Finally, after almost two hours with plenty of breaks in between for rest and scene-gazing, we finally were back at the road. We still needed to walk a couple of km to get to our car! By the time we were there, we were tired, hungry and thirsty, not necessarily in that order. Got in the car and drove about a little - we knew that once we got back in the airbnb, not only would we be in no position to leave, but also I - for one - would be scared of getting out of that parking spot and re-parking it again.
So, we drove up and down a couple of streets close to the mountain. We parked in an underground mall-like parking area that serviced the Woolworth and surrounding stores. Though we were a bit apprehensive of walking around in Cape Town, we had no choice now! It was about five pm or so and starting to get dark (or at least dusky). At one point, we saw a couple of Indian restaurant close by and even sat down. But when we looked at the menu, we realized that the prices were way beyond our budget - if I recall correctly, a meal for two was about $70. We didn't really want to spend $140 for our dinner, so had to politely ask them to excuse us and left.
We'd spotted a Pizza Hut, but that was about half a km away. Originally, we didn't want to walk more - but now decided we didn't really have a choice. We were famished and didn't really want to get some sandwiches etc from Wellworth for dinner! The prices at Pizza Hut were definitely more reasonable. We managed to not only stuff ourselves full, but we even had leftover pizza (and a big portion of a cookie pizza) for tomorrow - and the total bill came to less than $50!
After walking back to the car, we realized that it would be a good idea to get some basic food necessities for the next couple of days; after all, we would not be too far from a car for the next three-four days and didn't need to worry about solid vs. liquid items. So we got juices, five litre water cans, (my best purchase) frozen Malva Pudding, some spinach and feta cheese pockets for tomorrow, bread, butter, jam, etc.
By the time we got back to our airbnb and parked, it was just about the same it was last night, i.e., just past 9 pm. And already, our familiarity with the place meant that the surroundings were less scary (though the drunk guy screaming loudly as he walked by the back street - the one between us and the train tracks - made sure we didn't get too complacent).
Finally, after almost two hours with plenty of breaks in between for rest and scene-gazing, we finally were back at the road. We still needed to walk a couple of km to get to our car! By the time we were there, we were tired, hungry and thirsty, not necessarily in that order. Got in the car and drove about a little - we knew that once we got back in the airbnb, not only would we be in no position to leave, but also I - for one - would be scared of getting out of that parking spot and re-parking it again.
So, we drove up and down a couple of streets close to the mountain. We parked in an underground mall-like parking area that serviced the Woolworth and surrounding stores. Though we were a bit apprehensive of walking around in Cape Town, we had no choice now! It was about five pm or so and starting to get dark (or at least dusky). At one point, we saw a couple of Indian restaurant close by and even sat down. But when we looked at the menu, we realized that the prices were way beyond our budget - if I recall correctly, a meal for two was about $70. We didn't really want to spend $140 for our dinner, so had to politely ask them to excuse us and left.
We'd spotted a Pizza Hut, but that was about half a km away. Originally, we didn't want to walk more - but now decided we didn't really have a choice. We were famished and didn't really want to get some sandwiches etc from Wellworth for dinner! The prices at Pizza Hut were definitely more reasonable. We managed to not only stuff ourselves full, but we even had leftover pizza (and a big portion of a cookie pizza) for tomorrow - and the total bill came to less than $50!
After walking back to the car, we realized that it would be a good idea to get some basic food necessities for the next couple of days; after all, we would not be too far from a car for the next three-four days and didn't need to worry about solid vs. liquid items. So we got juices, five litre water cans, (my best purchase) frozen Malva Pudding, some spinach and feta cheese pockets for tomorrow, bread, butter, jam, etc.
By the time we got back to our airbnb and parked, it was just about the same it was last night, i.e., just past 9 pm. And already, our familiarity with the place meant that the surroundings were less scary (though the drunk guy screaming loudly as he walked by the back street - the one between us and the train tracks - made sure we didn't get too complacent).
Oct 2, 2018, 1:35 pm
#52
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
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The next day was our last full day in Cape Town. We woke up not too tired, but our feet had difficulty following our commands. It was a pain to walk, to say the least. And going up and down stairs - we (or at least I) looked and walked like a crab. There is no way I was able to come straight down or go straight up stairs. But we felt happy that we had achieved our objective of hiking up and down Table Mountain.
DS's original plan was to go down the west side of the Western Cape south of Cape Town to the Cape of Good Hope, then come back up the east side, viewing the penguins on the way. I was unsure what time the penguin viewing area would be open up to, and was afraid that we would miss out on them again, if we followed that path. On the other hand, if we hugged the east coast going down towards the Cape of Good Hope then came back up the west coast, we would a) be able to see the penguins and get that out of the way early, and b) we could see the sunset from the Chapman Peak Drive. With that logic, I was able to convince the rest of the family to the switcharoo. As it is, it was already about 9 am or so, so we knew we wouldn't be able to catch the sunrise.
By the time we left, it was about 9:30 am or so. I got both DS and DW helping me to back the car out from the parking spot and managed to get the job done (like yesterday) without causing any damage :-). As we left the area and started following the GPS directions, DS found out that I had missed a turn; so I had to get back to the highway going the other direction and make a U-turn around to get back. Finally, we were on our way. Here are a few photos of the scenery that we encountered. While driving on these roads, we were reminded of the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne in Australia.
What do the squiggly lines in the yellow lane marking signify?
DS's original plan was to go down the west side of the Western Cape south of Cape Town to the Cape of Good Hope, then come back up the east side, viewing the penguins on the way. I was unsure what time the penguin viewing area would be open up to, and was afraid that we would miss out on them again, if we followed that path. On the other hand, if we hugged the east coast going down towards the Cape of Good Hope then came back up the west coast, we would a) be able to see the penguins and get that out of the way early, and b) we could see the sunset from the Chapman Peak Drive. With that logic, I was able to convince the rest of the family to the switcharoo. As it is, it was already about 9 am or so, so we knew we wouldn't be able to catch the sunrise.
By the time we left, it was about 9:30 am or so. I got both DS and DW helping me to back the car out from the parking spot and managed to get the job done (like yesterday) without causing any damage :-). As we left the area and started following the GPS directions, DS found out that I had missed a turn; so I had to get back to the highway going the other direction and make a U-turn around to get back. Finally, we were on our way. Here are a few photos of the scenery that we encountered. While driving on these roads, we were reminded of the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne in Australia.
What do the squiggly lines in the yellow lane marking signify?
Oct 3, 2018, 9:19 am
#53
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
Programs: UA, IHG
Posts: 464
Here are some photos of our drive enroute to Simon's Town, which is a town just north of Boulder Beach, (on of the local areas) where the penguins are. DS gets the credit for all photos ... and his GPS gets the credit for completely disorienting me during this drive.
I have to go back and see if I can figure out our route from Cape Town, but we lost sight of the Ocean after a while, and then got to see it again only after a while. I was so turned around that I still cannot say if this was our view to the east or to the west!
We liked this little community built right up to the road on a hillside. Close by, we found a parking spot and got out of the car to take some photos.
As we did that, we noticed that we were parked right next to a railway line...
... and when I squinted into the sun, I could make out a train rounding around the hill in front coming towards us! So we decided to hang around a few more minutes ...
... and watch the train come in. DS took the opportunity to head over to the platform inside the station. I was a bit apprehensive about doing that. Didn't know if one needed to have a ticket to go onto the platform, what kind of antisocial elements might be there, etc. Anyway, bottom line is I stayed outside, and he was able to get these nice photos (though I'm old school and didn't really like the graffiti on the train)
I have to go back and see if I can figure out our route from Cape Town, but we lost sight of the Ocean after a while, and then got to see it again only after a while. I was so turned around that I still cannot say if this was our view to the east or to the west!
We liked this little community built right up to the road on a hillside. Close by, we found a parking spot and got out of the car to take some photos.
As we did that, we noticed that we were parked right next to a railway line...
... and when I squinted into the sun, I could make out a train rounding around the hill in front coming towards us! So we decided to hang around a few more minutes ...
... and watch the train come in. DS took the opportunity to head over to the platform inside the station. I was a bit apprehensive about doing that. Didn't know if one needed to have a ticket to go onto the platform, what kind of antisocial elements might be there, etc. Anyway, bottom line is I stayed outside, and he was able to get these nice photos (though I'm old school and didn't really like the graffiti on the train)
Oct 3, 2018, 2:24 pm
#54
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: CMH
Programs: DL Platinum, AA Platinum; HH Diamond; SPG Gold; Hertz PC
Posts: 57
Oct 3, 2018, 5:43 pm
#55
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Cape Town
Programs: BA Exec Gold , Qatar Priviledge Club Plat
Posts: 1,584
Very nice report so far, I'm based in Cape Town myself. Without sounding stupid are you still in Cape Town, if so i can give you some truly fantastic recommendations.
Oct 4, 2018, 9:23 am
#56
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
Programs: UA, IHG
Posts: 464
Sorry, but we were there a couple of months ago. That said, please feel free to share your recommendations - I've close relatives who moved to Cape Town area recently (when we purchased our tickets, we didn't know they were planning a move - not that we could have changed our plans!). And others would benefit as well.
Oct 4, 2018, 9:24 am
#57
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
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Posts: 464
Oct 4, 2018, 9:36 am
#58
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
Programs: UA, IHG
Posts: 464
Once the train left, we got back into the car and continued driving south to Simon's Town, which is a quaint little town by the shore. It has a small harbour with lots of yachts. I saw a sign for a post office and went there, only to see it was closed - then I remembered that it was a Sunday!! I then rejoined the rest of the family by the wharf, and out from the pier, we saw a few folks canoeing (or were they kayaks?) around. We could also see a waterfall far away (not too far) in the sea-side mountains. We spent some time picking up souvenirs from the Cape Town Visitors' Centre. Here are a few photos of our drive and around Simon's Town.
Oct 4, 2018, 12:29 pm
#59
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
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Boulders Beach, just a few minutes south of Simon's Town, was our first planned stop of the day. We - especially I - were anxious to look at penguins in their natural habitat. A couple of years ago, I had not realized that penguins come as far up away from Antarctica as Australia. The southern tip of Africa is even north of South Australia, so I had been really wanting to see the penguins when I learned that they lived in the area.
We were not sure how the parking situation was going to be once we get in the Penguins area, so we parked by the road as soon as we saw on the GPS that we were close. There was plenty of parking available not just by the road but also at the small shopping centre which serves as parking for the Penguins' home.
DS clicked this photo of a statue - I hadn't seen it when I walked by!
One of the place that sells curios
Signboard near the entrance
As you can see, had we not decided to come here first, we would have had to be here before five pm, and as you will learn, that - in retrospect - would've been very tough, if not impossible!
By now, I had my camera out in the open (well, to be honest, I did take photos in Simon's Town as well, but all of the photos that I have shared of our travel on this day until this point were all taken by DS), so all of the photos below are mine :-)
We paid the (nominal, I would say, after currency conversion to USD) entrance fee and entered the penguin area. There is a small boardwalk that takes you right to the seashore from where you can watch the penguins. And boy, they were all over. On both sides of the boardwalk, there they were - (stinky) penguins! To the right of the boardwalk as we headed in from the entrance, there were a lot of artificial nesting structures as well as holes that were probably dug by the penguins themselves. There were nesting babies (based on description of their skin colour) as well as parents, and some to-be-moms sitting on their eggs. They were unruffled by the human activity around them.
Except for one poor penguin. An employee of the area had brought this creature in a big box to let it out. The penguin came out of the box and right away jumped on to the boardwalk and tried to waddle away as fast as it could. Needless to say, the poor thing didn't have much luck - in the process, it tried to bite one of the tourists who came in its way (thankfully, no harm done) - as its pace was not too quick. Soon, the employee caught up and grabbed the penguin once more and this time walked out way far from the boardwalk and left it there.
Apparently, there is no proper fencing around the whole area, so some penguins manage to "escape" on to the road (not the main road, but the local road); those have to be brought back and left on the beach so they can get back to their homes.
What's the commotion here for? What's going on?
The big picture
...with lots of onlookers to the right
Parent with kids
Incubation in progress
A poor unviable egg
Another view of visitors watching the penguins
Shortly after we arrived, a whole load of tourists showed up. The whole area was full of folks taking selfies (yes, we did too :-); why not?)
And then it was time to leave for our next stop, a beach further down and across on the western side of the peninsula
We were not sure how the parking situation was going to be once we get in the Penguins area, so we parked by the road as soon as we saw on the GPS that we were close. There was plenty of parking available not just by the road but also at the small shopping centre which serves as parking for the Penguins' home.
DS clicked this photo of a statue - I hadn't seen it when I walked by!
One of the place that sells curios
Signboard near the entrance
As you can see, had we not decided to come here first, we would have had to be here before five pm, and as you will learn, that - in retrospect - would've been very tough, if not impossible!
By now, I had my camera out in the open (well, to be honest, I did take photos in Simon's Town as well, but all of the photos that I have shared of our travel on this day until this point were all taken by DS), so all of the photos below are mine :-)
We paid the (nominal, I would say, after currency conversion to USD) entrance fee and entered the penguin area. There is a small boardwalk that takes you right to the seashore from where you can watch the penguins. And boy, they were all over. On both sides of the boardwalk, there they were - (stinky) penguins! To the right of the boardwalk as we headed in from the entrance, there were a lot of artificial nesting structures as well as holes that were probably dug by the penguins themselves. There were nesting babies (based on description of their skin colour) as well as parents, and some to-be-moms sitting on their eggs. They were unruffled by the human activity around them.
Except for one poor penguin. An employee of the area had brought this creature in a big box to let it out. The penguin came out of the box and right away jumped on to the boardwalk and tried to waddle away as fast as it could. Needless to say, the poor thing didn't have much luck - in the process, it tried to bite one of the tourists who came in its way (thankfully, no harm done) - as its pace was not too quick. Soon, the employee caught up and grabbed the penguin once more and this time walked out way far from the boardwalk and left it there.
Apparently, there is no proper fencing around the whole area, so some penguins manage to "escape" on to the road (not the main road, but the local road); those have to be brought back and left on the beach so they can get back to their homes.
What's the commotion here for? What's going on?
The big picture
...with lots of onlookers to the right
Parent with kids
Incubation in progress
A poor unviable egg
Another view of visitors watching the penguins
Shortly after we arrived, a whole load of tourists showed up. The whole area was full of folks taking selfies (yes, we did too :-); why not?)
And then it was time to leave for our next stop, a beach further down and across on the western side of the peninsula