Friday 29 Mar 2024
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“Beware of crime over there” and “Perhaps I shouldn’t go, with Ebola and all” were some of the things that played on my mind as I boarded my flight for Cape Town, South Africa.

These thoughts continued to bother me even when I was on transit in Singapore, from where I would travel to Johannesburg before arriving in Cape Town, but there was no turning back.

My round-trip Singapore Airlines ticket, at RM4,200, was more expensive than those offered by other airlines. It would have cost RM3,700 on Etihad Airways, but the route it used was longer and would transit in Abu Dhabi before reaching Johannesburg.

When my brother and I arrived at Cape Town International Airport, we were greeted by clear blue sunny skies — a stark contrast to the hazy skies of Kuala Lumpur. It was the beginning of summer in mid-October.

We rented a car and drove into the city to meet with the local community who would be hosting us. Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg. It is the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape.

The city is a welcoming tourist destination with its iconic harbour, beautiful natural floral kingdom, magnificent coastline and majestic mountain views. 

Driving is the best way to enjoy Cape Town’s stunning scenery as you can stop and take photos to your heart’s content. The roads are good, so driving between cities and towns is not a problem. Yes, there are traffic jams here, but it only takes about half an hour to get through the congestion. Motorists there also drive on the left side of the road.

It is best to plan your journey and check to see if you have enough fuel. Petrol stations — or garages, as South Africans call them — can generally be found in smaller towns and on country roads. We almost ran out of fuel on the highway to Cape Point, as there weren’t many petrol stations along the route.

Petrol is expensive. The first time we refuelled in Simon’s Town — a town just before Cape Point — we were shocked to find that we had to pay almost ZAR600 (about RM184.80) for a full tank. It was ZAR13.20 (RM4.06) for a litre of unleaded fuel.

Our first few days were spent enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city, especially the local eateries. Long Street is one of the best spots in the city and is famous for its bohemian atmosphere. The street is lined with unique stores and various ethnic restaurants. 

The city’s architectural heritage of Cape Dutch-style buildings, which combine the architectural traditions of the Netherlands, Germany, France and Indonesia, can be seen around Constantia, the old government buildings in the central business district and, of course, Long Street.

Being budget travellers on a tight schedule, we often chose to have a quick bite for lunch. I turned to local fast food, such as Debonairs Pizza and Kauai, which serves healthy sandwiches, wraps and salads that come with a good smoothie. It costs about ZAR60 (RM18.50) for a wrap and smoothie set.

If you prefer something a bit classy, head for Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront, which has upmarket restaurants serving South African cuisine and seafood at double the price. Strolling around the waterfront can be a challenge to those without deep pockets as it is a popular shopping venue with hundreds of shops.

V&A Waterfront was built on the docks of the Port of Cape Town. It was refreshing to walk around the place as we enjoyed the breeze and marvelled at the huge ships that came into the port. 

Another area to visit is Bo-Kaap, which is filled with bright and colourful houses. The area, located on the slopes of Signal Hill, was formerly known as the Malay Quarter — a historical centre for Cape Malay culture. 

Cape Malays were originally from Southeast Asia and spoke the Malay language. They were mostly Javanese who had been imprisoned in or exiled to South Africa by the Dutch East India Company. Some who migrated there were the Malay servants of the Dutch officials.   

The vibrant Cape Malay community no longer speaks Malay. Now, they generally speak Afrikaans and English. Nevertheless, various Malay expressions are still used to this day, like terima kasih.

When we arrived in Bo-Kaap, we were surprised by the sound of an explosion. A chat with one of the locals revealed that it was the Noon Day Gun. Twin cannons have been fired to mark the end of the morning since 1806. They are one of the oldest active “weapons” still in use today.

Food is a popular part of its culture. While the dishes have different names and vary a little in appearance, they are essentially same dishes we have back home. For example, there is pinangkerrie (curry) and sosastie (satay).

Every day, a member of the South African Navy loads the cannons with gunpowder. They are then fired automatically by a remote control prompted by the atomic clock at the South African Astronomical Observatory about 10km away.  

Another place we visited was Greenmarket Square — a historical square in the centre of old Cape Town. During the apartheid era, the place was often the focus of political protests, due in part to its proximity to parliament.

The square is now a flea market where you can find mainly African souvenirs, crafts and curios. Haggling is a must and is something the traders themselves encourage you to do. The rule of thumb is to start with a 50% to 60% discount off the opening price and you might walk away with a cool trinket.  

While Cape Town is nice, the highlight of the trip was the drive around the Western Cape. We drove up Signal Hill to enjoy the view of the city and have a closer look at Table Mountain.

Signal Hill, also known as the Lion's Rump, is a landmark flat-topped hill next to the Lion's Head and Table Mountain. The hill provides a high vantage scenery of Cape Town if tourists do not have the time to trek up Lion’s Head.

Signal Hill can be easily reached by car and there are parking spots available. There are also places where you can enjoy a picnic, if the wind is not too strong. For adrenaline junkies, tandem paragliding is an activity not to be missed. 

Our plan was to go up Table Mountain. Like its name, the mountain resembles a table and the clouds above it often look like a tablecloth. It is an important feature on the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia.

The top of the mountain is usually accessed by the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway. The cable car station at the base of the mountain can be reached car or the many forms of public transport available, like the tourist-friendly hop-on, hop-off bus.

With its nearly vertical cliffs and flat-topped summit more than 1,000m high, the picturesque views would have left us very much in awe. Unfortunately, every attempt we made to go up was met with strong winds that blew our hopes away.

The cable car station at the base closes when winds get too strong. Luckily, the disappointment was soothed by the scenic coastal route on the way down to Lansdowne.

On the way back, we drove to the 36ha Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, which houses a protected natural forest and fynbos (natural shrubland vegetation found in a small belt of the Western Cape) filled with a variety of animals and birds among the canopy of trees. It was as if we went through a tunnel made entirely out of trees to reach there. 

Kirstenbosch itself was fascinating with its more than 7,000 species of plants. Many are said to be rare and threatened species of the Cape Floristic Region, such as the protea species. Protea cynaroides or King Protea is the national flower of South Africa. It is no wonder that it was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2004.

We also went to Hermanus, a popular tourist spot on the Cape South Coast, to get on a boat for some whale watching. Between August and November, there is a good opportunity for tourists to spot the Southern Right and Humpback whales off the coast as this is their breeding season.

We wanted to get a closer look at these whales, and also take the Marine Big 5 (whales, dolphins, seals, sharks and African penguins) cruise, but the only company that does this in Kleinbaai was fully booked. In the end, for ZAR650 (around RM198.40), we took a two-hour cruise with Hermanus Whale Cruises in search of the magnificent creatures.

The sea was choppy during our cruise, which made the search for whales a challenge. It felt like something out of the Tale of Moby Dick. Fortunately, we managed to spot some whales with the help of the crew. A whale came very close to our boat to greet us before going on its way a few minutes later. 

The ride back was calm as the weather had settled. We had an encounter with a school of dolphins as our farewell. We tried going back to Table Mountain, but the weather was still gloomy so we could not. 

When I left for the airport the next day, I noticed the blue skies with no clouds in sight and little wind. It would have been a perfect day to go up Table Mountain.

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