Landscape

Sun, sand and beach umbrellas

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Beach umbrella

It's been pretty warm in Cape Town, so Kerry-Anne and I decided to escape the heat of the northern suburbs by heading out to Kommetjie (close to Noordhoek) for some fresher, cooler, sea breezes. Although marginally cooler due to the nice sea breeze, it was still pretty warm out on that side of the peninsula.

I took the photo of this umbrella on a small beach in Kommetjie while the owners were sitting in the gentle waves a few metres to the right of us. I did find it a little strange that there weren't any more people swimming in the area. There were (further down the coast, to the right) a dozen or more surfers catching waves... but very few sunbathers.

Perhaps it was the cool breeze that discouraged people from visiting, or perhaps everyone had suddenly realised just how harsh the African sun is. ;-)

Cityscape

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City and the bay

When I was younger I used to love doing jigsaw puzzles during the school holidays. The puzzle pictures that I liked most were the ones that evoked a sense of place. I liked pictures of city streets, or quaint alpine wooden houses with window boxes full of flowers, or horses grazing lazily in a field somewhere. I wasn't much into baskets of kittens, or underwater scenes featuring dolphins.

I think that what I enjoyed most about putting these puzzles together was the way that I got drawn into the scene; it was escapism, just like reading a really good book. There's something about this photo that makes me feel the same way - I could stare at it for hours. Now if only someone would make it into a jigsaw puzzle for me. ;)

Sunsets behind Table Mountain

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Sunset behind Table Mountain

We met up with some friends at an interesting restaurant last night, which I'll tell you about tomorrow. Today I have to share this photo of one of the most beautiful sunsets I think I've seen in Cape Town (which, to be honest, is a really tough matter to judge!).

The photo doesn't really do the view justice (it's so difficult to capture exactly how the light was) but perhaps what the picture will do is allow you to understand why we love this part of the world so much. We arrived at the base of the towering Table Mountain and Devil's Peak about 10 minutes after taking this shot. The light changed to bright orange and pink and then slowly started to fade.

Cape Town's summer sunsets really are the best.

Lettuce farming

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Lettuce Field

This is the second last photo from our series about Joostenbergvlakte, and a photo that I'd considered using for yesterday's theme day, titled "Contrast".

If you're used to living in a large city then this kind of scene probably seems quite unusual. What's cool about Cape Town is that farms and smallholdings like this one aren't too far from the city centre, which means that within half an hour you can move from the inner city, through leafy suburbia, to wide-open farms.

What I found interesting about this little field is that the farmer has planted green lettuce in between his two rows of red lettuce. It doesn't seem particularly practical - I mean, surely all the red lettuce will be harvested together? All I can think is that he has a bit of an artistic eye, and likes to keep his fields pretty. :)

Lakes, trees and microlights

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Lakes and trees

We took a road that we hadn't taken before, into the hills behind Durbanville, and happened upon the Western Cape Microlight Club's airfield at Contermanskloof. I really wanted to take a cool photo at the club house, but there were no microlights to be seen and the club house isn't really the most inspiring building. So, I took a photo of this lake surrounded by those invasive Australian Blue Gum trees instead! :)

If you have Google Earth installed, you can follow this link to view the airfield from the air. And, if you have an interest in microlights, be sure to check out the Microlighters forum.

Wheat production statistics

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Fields of Wheat

According to Grain SA, South Africa consumes about 3 million tons of wheat each year - 2 million grown locally and the other million imported. Isn't it weird to think that this huge field doesn't even scratch the surface of all the wheat that we consume?

An interesting fact I picked up is that since the beginning of the year the price of wheat has fallen from around 2,600 ZAR per ton to about 2,150 ZAR per ton, which I guess (though I'm no economist) indicates slightly less demand than supply.

Perhaps South Africa is trying to lose weight. "Eat less starch, eat less starch!" ;)

Scarborough beach at sunset

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Scarborough Beach at Sunset

Our last couple of posts showed a little of the village of Scarborough. This post shows a little of why Scarborough is so special to its inhabitants. The beaches are wide, open, almost untouched and the sunsets in this area are reportedly some of the best in Cape Town. Even though this side of the beach looks fairly rocky, behind me there's a long sandy beach - with an ocean that is (based on the sign in the last post) safely swimmable.

The Scarborough Conservation Group was established in 1992 with the goal of changing Scarborough into a Conservation Village and ensuring that the natural environment is properly taken care of. They're been involved in beach clean-ups as well as the replanting of indigenous vegetation in the area. You can read more about their goals and activities here.

Map to the top of Tygerberg Hill

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The top of Tygerberg Hill

The Tygerberg Nature Reserve was opened in 1973, which makes it only a little older than I am. I never realised it before, but the 300-hectare reserve has 460 plant species, of which 12 are endemic to Cape Town and three endemic to the reserve itself! Besides for these, the reserve is home to about 50 different mammals, 125 species of bird, 35 reptile species and several different types of frogs.

Yesterday's photo was taken to the left of this one, more or less where you see the people standing - far in the distance. The setting here is beautifully peaceful with marvel-worthy views of Table Bay, Table Mountain, the Cape Flats, False Bay, and the Boland mountain range.

Two of our readers requested directions to the reserve, and since it's a little tricky to explain I drew a map using Google Maps. So, click through here for a map to the top of the Tygerberg Nature Reserve. Once the satellite image has loaded, wait a moment for the route to load. :)

A perfect lookout point

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Table Mountain from Tygerberg Hill

Sunday, oh beautiful Sunday. At about 11h30 Kerry-Anne and I paid R10 each to take a walk up Tygerberg Hill. Although the top of Tygerberg Hill wasn't crowded by any means, I never realised just how many people walk up for Sunday afternoon picnics.

The spring weather was absolutely perfect. No wind, not too hot, clear skies. If you haven't taken a walk up this little bump rising above the Cape Flats, you really should. Pick a warm day with little wind, take some food along and spend an hour or two admiring the 360-degree views.

Take a look at this map; I've placed the cursor in the centre of the screen exactly where this lookout point is on Tygerberg Hill.

Summer is approaching

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Summer is approaching

Even though our gardens are still enjoying rainy days, the smell of summer is already in the air. Well, at least in my nostrils it is. Spring has already arrived - trees and shrubs are sprouting leaves, flowers are blossoming and the air is slightly warmer than it was a month ago.

Summer in Cape Town is fantastic, with the only really bad part being that locals find themselves busy at work, many of them indoors, hidden away from the beauty of summer. The things that make it bearable for them (us :) ) are holidays, and the fact that summer days last until after the working day, with the sun setting after 8pm. Even when it's dark the warmth of the day lasts late into the night.

You can tell I can't wait, can't you?

Meandering pathways

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Meandering pathways
Pathways like this one aren't predetermined by a "field pathway engineer" - they develop organically as people make their way from one point to another. Normally it's pretty clear that the pathway leads to some common gateway or meeting place.

What is interesting is that while one may expect the pathway to be straight they tend to meander to their destination. Perhaps I'd understand this if the same person walked the route each day, but this path was made by a variety of people. What made them all meander in this particular pattern? It's not like there are hills or other obstacles in the way.

Is it only me, or is this kinda crop-circle-strange?

New 7 Wonders of the World

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Table Mountain, one of the 7 Wonders of the World?

Pardon me for today using this old photo from my helicopter trip on 8 July. Based on the title of this post perhaps the reason is fairly obvious to you though. Or, perhaps you haven't heard that Table Mountain is one of the finalists in the New 7 Wonders of the World campaign?

Please take some time to click through to the official website where you can cast your vote for what you consider to be the 7 top wonders of the world. (Hopefully Table Mountain will be one of them, but if for some reason you're not convinced by this photo, take a look at a few of the reasons at southafrica.info or get a better perspective by taking a look at these two photos taken from the summit. :) )

Head over to the New7Wonders website, click on the photos, add the 7 that you consider most deserving to your list, and follow the step-by-step instructions. Simple!

In closing, first do the voting thing; but when you're done, if you're interested in seeing a few of the photos from my exciting helicopter trip, click through to the photo album that I put together for the ship's crew.

Cold weather sucks

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Mud pools after rain
As Kerry-Anne wrote, it's been raining buckets in Cape Town. In addition to the rain though, it feels like it's been getting colder and colder with each passing day. As I write this post I'm wearing two pairs of warm pants, two pairs of socks, and four long tops - an unusual outfit, you must understand. I did a quick scan on our weather page and noticed that of the five weather stations that we monitor, the closest one to us (Durbanville Central) is the coldest at 9.2°C! Now, I know that 9.2°C isn't very cold for many of our readers, but you should remember, this is Africa!

We've often been told by visitors from abroad that the difference between South Africa and other cold countries is that our homes aren't geared for cold weather. We don't have particularly well-sealed windows or doors, I don't have a warm fire burning, there's no central heating, and nor do we have that awesome underfloor heating that a few of our friends are no doubt enjoying right now.

If you do find yourself visiting our city over winter, while you don't have to bring your snow gear along, do bring enough warm clothing, because it does get chilly every now and again.

Charter a chopper – see her splendour

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Table Mountain and the Table Bay

This will be the third and last daily photo from my spectacular-spectacular helicopter trip over Cape Town's Table Bay. Shot while we were coming in to land, what you can see in this photo is (obviously) Table Mountain in all her splendour, and right in the middle the well-known Table Bay Hotel.

What struck me as interesting in this photo is how large Devil's Peak (to the left) appears to be when compared to Table Mountain. At 1 kilometre in height, it's only 87 metres shorter than Table Mountain, making it a fair-sized piece of rock! Visit the Wikipedia page about Devil's Peak - they have an awesome panoramic photo taken from the peak's summit.

P.S. After my little helicopter expedition I've decided to make a concerted effort to do more aerial photography around Cape Town, so if you want to pay someone to fly around the Cape, you know who to call. ;)

Arrive Alive

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R300 fly-over the N1

I have to draw your attention to the little story that I've been putting together in the last two posts. The first photo in the series was of graffiti found underneath the fly-over, the second photo revealed where the first was taken, and now this one was shot from precisely the same spot as the first, but with the photo centred on the location in Kerry-Anne's photo on 8 June. So, by now you should have a fairly complete perspective on this particular interchange. :)

While lamenting over the boredom she endured in high school, Kerry-Anne failed to mention that this fly-over is one of her most loved roads in the Northern Suburbs, if not in the entire province! The way this fly-over rises into the air with a perfect crossfall camber, banking 90° to the right, is simply awesome for people who (really) enjoy driving their cars.

Now, don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting that one needs to exceed 120km/h to take pleasure in the bend, but I do suggest that if you haven't yet driven this route you should give it a try. Take note however that you should keep left as you take the bend, as the roadworks on the R300 extend onto this fly-over and cause the right-hand lane to come to a potentially dramatic stop. Remember folks, be safe, Arrive Alive. ;)

A tale of contrasts

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Girl in the water

Some of our suburbs have beautiful dams such as this one dotted around. To be fair, the beauty of this dam is a little out of the ordinary as it's located on the Bellville Golf Course! Generally the dams kept in shape by the municipality receive only the bare essential maintenance, and to be honest, they've been deteriorating over the past few years - presumably due to a lack of funds as well as the water shortages our province experienced a few years ago.

If you look carefully at the people in the photo you'll see that the little girl, dressed in red, fell down into the dam! She'd been playing at the water's edge, trying to get close to the ducks, when I guess she lost her balance and plopped over. Don't worry, she was fine - her dad picked her up and the family sat quietly in a little huddle comforting her for a few minutes.

The only crying that I could hear was that of some other annoying (very annoying) kid breaking the silence, screaming something at his grandparents that sounded like "No, I don't want to...!" I guessed that they wanted to leave and he wanted to stay at the dam.

The scene was one of such contrast - a peaceful dam and a quiet family versus a rowdy and rude kid. :-/

Beach weather and sailing ships

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Beach weather and sailing ships

Perfect bliss may well be lying on a beautiful (and windless) beach while watching sailing ships pass by at a pace significantly slower than life.

Cape Town has for many years been known as a city where the pace is somewhat slower than the rest of the country. I've noticed though that the tide has started to turn and even though there's a more relaxed feeling in parts (like at this beach), it seems to me that the pace of business has picked up. Average folk seem busier than before, working longer hours than ever, and generally being trapped in the great hamster-wheel.

The interesting thing about Cape Town is that whenever the weather is good you'll find loads of people on the beaches... and not tourists, I might add. I've come to the conclusion that these people most likely fall into four categories:

1. They worked smart and earned a lot of money, enough to retire early.
2. They're trust-fund kids.
3. They're locals on holiday.
4. They're bunking work or lectures!

And in the majority of cases, I'd place my bet on option 4. ;)

A killer restaurant view – Wakame in Mouille Point

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The view from Wakame in Mouille Point

We met up with friends for drinks and a light lunch at Wakame, a multi-level restaurant in Mouille Point, on Sunday. By multi-level I mean that they have a traditional restaurant on the second floor of a three-storey building, with a more casual tapas restaurant and bar on the top floor.

The view that you see here is of the outside lounge area and Table Bay. If you look very (very) carefully, you'll also see Robben Island on the left side of the photo. We enjoyed an assortment of tapas, from calamari to prawns, and lamb chops to chicken wontons. After spending some time inside, munching on our meal, we ventured out onto the deck to relax with a good cup of coffee. All things considered, it was a great experience. Well done, Wakame, and thanks to Beverley and David (who were visiting from the UK) for introducing us locals to a darn fine restaurant!

Just another gorgeous day in Cape Town

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Devil's Peak
We Capetonians are under no illusions regarding this terrible burden we bear. Whenever we have days like this, we gripe quietly to one another about how terrible it is to live in this city, and what a tough job we have keeping this place going

Of course, we realise that someone has to do it. And since we're such good souls, we take this task upon ourselves without complaint, and make the best of it.

Yup, we do what we have to do... which, in summer, mostly involves watching stunning sunsets at the beach, drinking cocktails, spending the afternoon in the pool, braaiing with friends and walking on the mountain. *sigh* It's a tough life.

A view above Granger Bay Harbour

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Granger Bay Harbour

After work today Kerry-Anne and I drove through to the city to meet one of our longtime readers, Beverley, and her husband David, who are currently hiding from the chilly English weather here in sunny Cape Town. If you have a moment, take a look at Beverley's collection of Cape Town photos by clicking here.

This photo was taken from their holiday apartment, which overlooks the small harbour of Granger Bay, located between the Radisson Hotel and the V&A Waterfront. It was fantastic to meet Beverley for the first time, and we all spent a lovely evening chatting and sharing stories over drinks.

I'll cover this topic in more detail some other time, but just for interest's sake, the orange submersibles in the bottom right of the photo are used for survival training at the Survival Centre, which is part of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Fiery sky

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Red-sky sunset

I decided to post this photo today for two reasons. Firstly, the fiery sky symbolises the raging flames that have been ravaging large parts of the Cape over the past few days. Last night's rain and today's slightly cooler weather served only to slow the fires down. We're hoping that this evening will bring more rain so that the firefighters can take a break from the battle.

And then, this photo also reminded me of the fact that it's Valentine's Day next Saturday... and I need help! I still haven't booked anything, and have no clue what we should do. Here are some of the ideas I've had, and suggestions that have been tossed my way:

  • Have dinner at the Ritz in Sea Point: The Ritz has a revolving restaurant on top of the hotel that gives diners 360° views of the city, mountain and oceans. It's a great idea, but the restaurant is already fully booked.
  • Have a picnic at one of the many wine farms around Cape Town: Awesome idea, but I'm not sure at this stage what the weather's going to be doing.
  • Go to the theatre: One of our friends is taking his wife to see Beauty and the Beast at the Artscape Opera House. Strangely enough, Kerry-Anne didn't seem to be particularly taken with this idea, though. Perhaps because she knows I'm not keen on musicals...
  • The big one - a weekend at the famous Kruger Park: We've never actually been to the Kruger Park (can you believe it?), even though it's one of South Africa's major tourist destinations. I thought this was an awesome idea (and discovered that it's surprisingly affordable!), but Valentine's Day is now only a week away and there's no way I'll be able to get leave from work. :(

So really, guys (and girls), if you have any suggestions I'd be very keen to hear them!

Ostrich concubines?

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Ostriches

The male ostrich (in the lower left corner) appears to be one lucky guy. I know this because female ostriches are easily distinguishable from males due to their comparatively dull appearance. Quite a contrast to the human species, don't you think?

In case you've never had ostrich meat for dinner, you may be interested to know that it's fairly close in appearance and taste to beef - although a little darker in colour. Ostrich is one of the healthier meat options since it reportedly contains 40% less fat than beef!

The Western Cape actually has quite a few ostrich farms. There is, in fact, a flock of them housed just one kilometre from where we live. I spotted this particular group, not too far away, wandering along one of the hills behind Durbanville - what a life.

Up on Lion’s Head

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Lion's Head

It's been quite some time since we've taken a walk up Lion's Head. I chatted with Robynn (mentioned in the previous post) and she told me that she was up on Lion's Head earlier this month, when it was full moon. A lot of people walk up this "little mountain" at night, especially when it's full moon.

We've heard differing opinions on whether one should take a torch up Lion's Head when there's a full moon. Some say that if you use a torch, all you can see is the small area in front of you. Robynn was telling me though that there were plenty of people without torches, stumbling dangerously as they followed the circular route down the mountain.

Although the full moon does provide a lot of light, the moon rises on one side of Lion's Head and creates a very dark shadow on the other until it gets overhead. So perhaps the safest option is to take a torch anyway, and decide as you're hiking whether you need it or not.

Today's photo, with Lion's Head in the background, was taken at a farewell gathering at a friend's place for a couple visiting Cape Town from our sister-city, San Francisco. Thanks for visiting, Ray and Renee - and come again soon!

Royal Ascot, a killer view

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Royal Ascot at sunset

Tonight we got to spend some time with a group of people whom, for the most part, we'd never met before. It seems that these days we have several friends who don't know each other, so when birthday parties crop up (like tonight) we often find ourselves meeting new and interesting people - which is awesome!

Scott and Robynn live in what must be one of the best situated apartments in Milnerton's Royal Ascot development - right next to the Gold Circle stables and horse training track. If our plans work out as we hope we'll be joining them for breakfast next week - where, apart from enjoying good company and good food, I'll try snapping a few photos of the horses training in the early morning. Watch this space! :)

Back in beautiful Cape Town

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Signal Hill and Lion's Head

On Sunday, after launching our new WordPress version of Cape Town Daily Photo, I caught a flight with four colleagues to Johannesburg (the largest city in South Africa), a mere two hours' travel time from Cape Town.

I remembered after landing how different Cape Town is from Johannesburg. It seems almost like a different country entirely. We ate lots of good food, stayed in a nice hotel, and spoke with many interesting people, but today I'm really happy to be back in sunny Cape Town.

Perhaps I've mentioned it before, but us Capetonians are often teased about how preoccupied we are with our mountains - especially Table Mountain.  Even though I'm aware of this there came a point when I genuinely realised that I missed the mountain - I just couldn't find my bearings without the landmark. Were it not for a trusty GPS I'd still be roaming the streets looking for our hotel. :) I really think Cape Town would slip into a huge emotional depression if the earth one day swallowed up our beloved mountain.

We are silly, aren't we?

Twelve Apostles from Table Mountain

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Twelve Apostles from Table Mountain

It is a beautiful scene, isn't it? The photo can't fully describe how phenomenally spectacular a sunset from the top of Table Mountain is. The cableway is still running a special where you can buy a return ticket after 18h00 for only 72.50 ZAR. A price like that for a view like this? It's a no-brainer.

I have to be honest and confess that this photo is a little out of date. We're in the process of preparing version 2 of Cape Town Daily Photo, so there really hasn't been much time to get out and take photos. I shot this one a month ago when we went up Table Mountain with our visiting family from Sydney. :)

The best beach in Cape Town

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Clifton 4th beach

I think by now you probably know that we're quite fond of the beaches along the Atlantic Seaboard (Camps Bay, Clifton, Llandudno). Our favourite of these is definitely Clifton 4th Beach. I don't think I need to say any more really - just take a look at the photo. Doesn't it look idyllic?

After the sun has set

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Dusk at Clifton 4th beach

We went down to Clifton 4th Beach this evening with a few friends. I wanted to do something to mark the one-year anniversary of my brother's death, but I wanted it to be happy and special, rather than sad and melancholy. So we took a picnic and spent a couple of hours watching the sky change colour after the sun had set.

The weather was sublime, and I even went for a swim (on my own, since no-one else had brought their costumes) just before it got completely dark. This is an experience I can totally recommend - if you live in Cape Town, you should do this at least once in your life.

It turned out to be a truly beautiful evening, spent with people I love - which is just what I'd wanted.

Look right, it must be white

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Cyclists on Sir Lowry's Pass

In yesterday's post I asked a question about the direction in which I was taking the photo. Trust an engineer to work it out first - although I guess it would be fair to mention that Duncan knows this particular road pretty well. :)

So yes to all of you who agreed; from this shot (taken a little further on) you can easily deduce that yesterday's photo was indeed taken in reverse. While the reason Duncan gave was correct, it's not the reason I was probing for - read on.

South Africa has a few large roads that carry traffic in one direction only. If the line on the road (in yesterday's photo) were white then this road would be one of these roads (carrying traffic in one direction only) and I would have been taking the photos facing forwards.

If you're ever driving in South Africa and find that darkness or fog prevents you from seeing too much, take note of the solid lines on the left and right of your vehicle - left should be yellow, right should be white... if that's not the case, pull off the road really fast!

Surprisingly, this does happen - I once experienced two such incidents in a single day. Leave a message if you're interested in reading the story and I'll add it as a comment.

Left, right, yellow, white

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Photo from the car's window

I shot this photo out the car's window. My question to you is this: in what direction did I take the photo? Was I pointing my camera towards the front of the car or towards the back, and why do you say so?

I'll post the answer and the reason for the question tomorrow.