Cross rail tracks only...

"Cross rail tracks only when area beyond is clear" is what the sign says. After crossing this particular piece of rail, motorists have only a couple of metres before they encounter a traffic light.

Perhaps some unfortunate motorist once had to reverse faster than a pregnant woman at a chocolate exhibition after the vehicle in front came to a halt at the red light. Or, perhaps the city council was smart enough to realise that drivers are often much like sheep. Whichever it is, this sign certainly is large enough to catch anyone's attention.

Austin Seven

It's not too often that one spots an Austin Seven parked in the street - especially since they're not generally fitted with an alarm, immobiliser, or even gear-lock. I looked around for the owner, but they were nowhere to be seen.

About four years ago a good friend of ours dropped off a broken-down Austin Seven at our home for safe-keeping. He had bought it for a song and had the crazy idea that he could make some money out of it. It turned out that it would cost him far too much to restore and so he ended up selling it for around R2000 (200 Euro).

If I remember correctly, the new owner wanted to cut it in half, down the middle, and make some kind of artwork out of it...

The long haul home

This scene was the daily drudge for five years of my life - first as a student and then as an employee at a large corporate. The sixty kilometres per day in a train taught me that it is possible to sleep sitting upright... and it is possible to (*don't try this at home) land safely after diving out of a train window because you've overslept and nearly missed your station.

We recently had the pleasure of catching the train again for the first time in 10 years. The trains are still the same old trains - minus the aluminium baggage racks, which I'm pretty sure were stolen and sold as scrap metal. That said, as much as things stay the same, some things do change. In this case, the presence of armed security guards was the most apparent. There were (seriously) no fewer than 5 fully-armed, flak-jacketed security guards on the coach we were in. While looking perfectly approachable, all five had "don't mess with us" looks on their faces. I'm guessing that the intention is for them to discourage criminals from even boarding the train.

Although the train was no where close to the standard of trains in Paris, Singapore or Sydney, it was a pretty interesting ride along the Simon's Town route. 25 ZAR buys a ticket from Cape Town station all the way to Simon's Town and back - allowing the traveller to hop on and hop off at any stop along the way.

Winter is upon us

Winter is truly upon Cape Town. It silently crept up on us yesterday evening with some light rain, then greeted us this morning in sheer arrogance with overcast skies, icy cold air and patches of rain throughout the day. Perhaps I'm being a little melodramatic, though it is true, winter really is my least favourite time of the year.

Kerry-Anne and I ventured outdoors this afternoon and popped in at the coffee shop attached to the Wordsworth bookshop at Willowbridge (an outdoor shopping mall). If I had left Kerry-Anne there she would have spent the remainder of the day just like the subject of today's photo... reading and drinking coffee (though in her case it was white hot chocolate).

Into False Bay

The pier at Kalk Bay seems to stretch out into False Bay like a huge concrete tongue. When one day you visit the harbour at Kalk Bay (again) do remember that it's mandatory that you take a walk out to the end of the pier.

Click through to our Extras blog for a few more photos of what you may see out on this huge concrete tongue.

Robert Mugabe has lost?

A fellow Cape Town blogger captured this photo a few days ago. Even here, at the southernmost point of Africa, everyone seems to have been waiting in trepidation to hear the results of the not-so-recent Zimbabwean elections.

In case you're unaware of what's happened in Zimbabwe, let me explain. It's been five weeks since the Zimbabwean elections and only today were the results revealed. It appears as though the current president Robert Mugabe (leader of Zanu-PF) has lost to Morgan Tsvangirai's party (the MDC). Neither has gained an outright majority which means that a second round of voting will have to take place for one party to establish an outright majority.

For good reason many claim foul on the part of Zanu-PF, but it appears as though it's back to the waiting game to see who will rule the country. God bless and peace be with you Zimbabwe.

Fresh fish fillets

Fishing boats arrive in Kalk Bay after a long shift out at sea. Fishermen hop off the boat and unload crate after crate of ice-covered fish. A few men are responsible for scaling the fish, but this lady is the one who knows just how to cut them up into perfect-looking fillets. I watched her for a while and it was clear that she's being doing this job for years - she worked efficiently and absolutely precisely.

I would have bought a fish from her, but thought it not wise to attempt the long train trip home with a freshly cut fish under my arm.

Gone fishing

All recreational fishers in South Africa are required by law to buy recreational fishing permits with the implication of such a permit being that the fish caught under it may not be sold.

The recreational permit imposes daily fishing limits (as far as quantity is concerned) and limits fishers to certain periods of the year. This ruling was put in place to protect the marine life during breeding periods as well as limit conflict between commercial and recreational fishing.

If you're planning a fishing trip to Cape Town, just take note that there are areas where fishing is prohibited. I'm not familiar with the specific areas, but I know (for example) that the Boulders area in False Bay forms part of a conservation area where even thinking of fishing is subject to a hefty fine. ;)

Kalky's fish and chips

No trip to the False Bay coast (or any fishing town, for that matter) is complete without a lunch of fish and chips. Kalky's is, as the name indicates, located on Kalk Bay harbour, which means that you can expect to be served really, really fresh fish here - so fresh that an hour or two before it was still somebody's cousin or aunt, in fact.

A friend suggested that this is the place to go if you really just want to eat fish and chips - it's unpretentious, and the food is straightforward, tasty and filling.

The Amber-Rose at Kalk Bay

Kalk Bay is a small sea-side suburb of Cape Town, situated on the False Bay coast, and known mostly for its harbour and small fishing boats - the Amber-Rose being just one of many.

It was a cool and windy day today, so walking out on the pier was a somewhat chilly experience. Nevertheless, we saw hardy fishermen casting their lines, taking their boats out to sea, and gutting their catch along the water's edge. I truly think that fishermen must be a special breed.

General Electric

General Electric is one of the hugely pervasive brands that made its way to South Africa many years ago, in 1894. The company left our shores in 1985 in a stand against apartheid, returning only in 1995 after apartheid had been abolished.

I'm not sure how old this radio is. Some of you might remember it from the days of your youth. If you click on the photo you'll see a larger version with a list of countries and cities like Moscow, France and Norway. Surely it's not possible that a radio in South Africa could actually receive a signal from as far away as Moscow?

Cheetah!

We visited the Cheetah Outreach Project at Spier wine estate today. The facility is a cheetah conservation project that serves mostly as a conservation education facility and fund-raising initiative.

So, on your next trip to Cape Town be sure to visit the Cheetahs at Spier. If you bring a little extra money along you'll have an opportunity to visit the cheetahs inside their enclosure, and even stroke them - if you're brave enough!

Being able to reach a speed of 120km/h makes the Cheetah the fastest land animal around. They are reportedly able to accelerate from 0 to 110km/h in only 3 seconds... which is more than twice as fast as my 6-cylinder BMW!