For some reason ships have such beautiful lines in photos - which I'd argue is why in English we refer to them in the feminine. ;)
Author Archives: Paul
The Bourbon Clear – a transport ship
The front of the ship is absolutely huge, in comparison with the rear, which looks more like a flatbed lorry. For another perspective, take a look at this photo of a sister ship, the Bourbon Front.
Julep, a cocktail and tapas bar on Long Street
From the poster, I guess it's clear that at times the stylish-looking bar (open Wednesday to Saturday, 7pm to 2am) has music orchestrated by various live DJs. So, if you're into that kinda thing, then visit and let me know what it was like, okay? :)
A Kloof Nek sidewalk
Two guys approached us shortly after taking this photo - asking for directions to some street I'd never heard of - Hofmeyer, I think it was. Anyway, perhaps it's an interesting testimony to modern city life that for some time after they first introduced themselves I kept a cautious distance, not completely sure that they weren't muggers.
As it turned out, their British accents were legit, and it seemed as though the were genuinely unable to find the party that they were searching for. We spent a few minutes trying to find Hofmeyer road on Google maps, but they eventually gave up and decided to phone a friend.
Pureness of heart
Intersection
It was the first time I've eaten at Rafikis, and I have to say the pizza wasn't bad at all. The bases were thin and crispy, just how I like them, and the Inferno chili pizza that I ordered was pretty tasty and not quite as hot as I'd imagined it may be.
Blue-sky night
The street lights on the promenade were so orange that when I moderated the photo's hue the sky became this rich blue colour. But, I kinda liked it - which is why I'm sharing it with you. :)
A peaceful seaside evening
Sea Point at night
Bruce Banner and Three Anchor Bay
Even though it looks nice and peaceful when the tide's low and the seas are calm - this little bay easily turns into a ball of raging fury. Take a look at the photo of the same bay posted here.
Doesn't this spot remind you a little of Dr Bruce Banner? :)
On the rocks – Three Anchor Bay
After spending 10 minutes out on the rocks, amidst the peaceful lapping of the waves, I realised that it was probably time to return to the promenade before the light disappeared completely and I ended up in trampling over rocks and though puddles on all-fours trying to find dry land.
Winter, though chilly, can be very beautiful in Cape Town.
Winter sunset
Furry black bull
And no, I never said "she looks like a cow" to his face - that would have been mean (and, despite the barbed wire fence, I wasn't sure that he couldn't get to me). ;)
Driving in the rain
Slippery when wet
I was involved in a minor motor vehicle accident about two years ago. I'd stopped my car at a wet intersection. I started to pull away once the traffic lights turned green, and at the same time a driver (from the opposing side of the intersection) turned across my path. I planted my foot on brakes as quickly as I could, the car's anti-lock braking system kicked in, but the road was too slippery - I t-boned the other driver's car on their passenger-side door.
Given the relatively low-speed at which I hit the other vehicle, I was somewhat surprised at the impact of the accident, and the amount of damage both vehicles sustained. Fortunately nobody was seriously injured - probably because all involved had been wearing their seat-belts. But, the jolt from the impact made me realise how seriously-hard an immovable object must be when traveling at any speed over 20km/h.
Birds on a wire
Wet ‘n soggy vineyards
Chilly-cold, rains and floods!
It rained so much in Cape Town on Saturday and Sunday that the banks of the Liesbeek River burst leading to the M3 highway (near UCT) being knee-deep in water! Take a look at the photos, and read this article on IOL.
Do the roads around your city ever flood? Isn't it scary when your car hits water that's deeper than you expect it to be?!
Kiddie coaster
As mentioned, it is intended for young kids, so to be fair - it was fun-ish. Although, next time, if the queues at the Cobra, Monkey Falls, or Diamond Devil are short enough then I think we'll just spend our time alternating between those three. :)
Diamond Devil
We voted this ride, Diamond Devil (the one in my previous photo) as the third best ride in the park. The number one position, naturally, went to the park's twisting-two-times-looping roller coaster, the Cobra (check this video), and the number two position most certainly always goes to Monkey Falls.
A theme park train
Riverboats
Tiny flowers
Cable Station parking
I normally drive to the lower cable station, drop off my passengers, and continue past, where there's normally parking about 500 meters up the road.
One thing to bear in mind when you plan a trip up Table Mountain is to buy your tickets online from the official Table Mountain Aerial Cableway site. You'll get a 10% discount and get to skip the last part of the queue - just like the VIP you are. ;)
Walking down the street
Here's a link to a collection of photos of people that I've published on Cape Town Daily Photo and my collection of modeling photos on my portfolio site. Enjoy! :)
Scooters
I'm not really one for driving about on a motorbike - not because I don't think they're fun, but because I have far too many friends who've spent far too long in hospital because of them. Broken bones, disfigurement, and loss of limbs for the kick of adrenaline and the ability to beat the traffic? I don't think so.
Oak leaves in the street
Sunshine though the trees
These trees are on the slopes of Signal Hill. What may not be immediately obvious is that the area directly behind these trees has been stripped clean of most vegetation, creating a firebreak to slow the progress of the fires that break out on the hills and mountains in this area each year.
What you may find strange is that, to survive, the fynbos flora that covers our mountains and hills actually needs to burn, preferably in late summer, every 10 to 15 years. Strange hey? Read a little more about this on the Encounter South Africa site.
Graffiti, but not art
Finding government information
What I did find was an interesting directory on the Western Cape Government site (operated separately to the City of Cape Town site). The directory appears to list all kinds of Western Cape government departments and services along with contact numbers, addresses, and email addresses and opening times. The site's presentation is (at the time of writing) a little old-school, but the content appears really useful and easy to consume - which is what we want, isn't it?