Cape Town Ride and Touring

Thursday, October 29, 2016

After breakfast, we headed for a day of visiting sites around Cape Town and doing some biking in the immediate area.  The first plan was to take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain, which towers above the city.  Unfortunately, because of high winds, the cable car operation was closed for the day.  Table Mountain is really spectacular, because in the summer (that is now in Café Town) the winds come from the SE and blow moist air up the backside of Table Mountain.  That moist air is rapidly cooled by the mountain air and condenses as heavy fog, which as it flows over the mountain looks like a liquid being poured over the mountain.  This is now warmed by the hot air on the front side of the mountain and the fog disappears (moisture back to vapor).  So, it all looks like a tablecloth lying on the table of Table Mountain fluttering in a breeze.   This is really a spectacular site. 

Table Mountain "Table Cloth"

So, just after the cable car station, we chose to do a morning bike ride, which involved having our bikes fitted to us.  Then, off we sent to bike part way up Table Mountain to the end of the paved road just below Devils Peak.  What gorgeous views we had of Cape Town, Lion Head Mountain, and Signal Hill.  Looking up, we had the “Table cloth” fluttering in the breeze and, looking out toward the city and the ocean, we had a bright blue sky.  We then turned around and biked to the summit of Signal Hill.  Although quite a climb after we passed the cable car station, it was worth it for the views. 

Read to bike

Cape Town

Lions Head

Table Mountain in Background

Back into the mini-bus, we drove back to the city and visiting the Kirstenbosch Gardens, which are a celebration of South African flora.  Only indigenous South African plants of showcased in the 1,300 acres of the Gardens located on the eastern slope of Table Mountain.  Much of it highlights the fynbos or  shrubland vegetation of central South Africa.  It is one of the tiniest floral kingdoms in the world, but very impressive.  The proteas are gorgeous.  All the plants are intermingled with streams and ponds along pathways.  We preordered lunches from the botanical garden Tea House and took these onto the rolling lawn and had a picnic lunch.

Mandela Bird of Paradise

Coral Tree Flower

Leucospermum hybrid (pincushion)

Common pincushion

Protea cynaroides

Protea cynaroides

After lunch we drove to Langa, which is a township outside of Cape Town that began in 1923 with the Urban Areas Act as a means of controlling immigration of Africans into the city.   A native of Langa gave us a tour of the township and explained how changes were coming.  The government is replacing many of the small shabby, shanty structures with permanent housing for the residence and the shanty structures are then being destroyed.  The food area and roasting of sheep heads was most interesting and represented a continuation of some of the older cultural aspects of the residents.

Langa Shanties

Roasting Sheep Heads

Sample?

Tonight we had dinner in a private home in the Cape Town flats area.  The very gracious hosts prepared an outstanding dinner with specially selected wines by the husband, who is a dentist.  She and a friend cooked So. African food, which consisted of a special pate appetizer, salad, caramelized sweet potatoes, slow cooked lamb pie, and lava cake for dessert.  Each course had a special So. African wine.  It was an unbelievable evening.