Today when I tried to pay for petrol with my Discovery card the petrol attendant informed me that there was a problem and that they could not process the transaction. I ended up being forced to use the ATM at the filling station - and being late for an appointment... grrr... technology!

This card isn't a normal credit card. I can't use it to buy dinner, a fine set of glasses or even a candle holder. All this piece of plastic is good for is to buy petrol or diesel.

South Africa must be one of the few countries where you cannot buy fuel with your ordinary credit card. How disastrous it must be as a tourist to find out only once you've filled up your rental car's tank that the filling station won't accept your credit card.

Since we can't use traditional credit cards to purchase fuel, we have to either carry wads of cash around with us, draw money at the filling station's ATM, or use one of these special "garage cards".

It's winter here in Cape Town and this is arguably one of the best snacks for a cold winter's afternoon - or so Kerry-Anne has led me to believe. This slice of cake would normally cost between 16 ZAR and 20 ZAR, depending on where you chose to eat it.

I'd love to take a poll to find out how much you would expect to pay for this piece of cake in your country. So, please do leave a comment and let's find out where we're able to get the best deal on chocolate cake.

"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.

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...

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 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).

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.

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.

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.

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. ;)

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.

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 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?

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!

Longmarket Street and Shortmarket Street run parallel and extend from the traditional Cape Malay area (Bo-Kaap) down to Greenmarket Square. For many years these roads were used to transport slaves and later vegetables to and from Greenmarket Square.

Fortunately slave trading was banned way back in South Africa's history and today all that you will find to trade are African curios, clothes and perhaps other items you would expect to find at a flea or craft market.

I came upon these two signs in the V&A Waterfront but really don't know what they mean. I'd have to assume that they're related to some route (like a green route or a blue route) that takes tourists past points of interest in the Waterfront area. I'd imagine that there would also be some kind of a map detailing what can be found along the route.

This could however all be utter nonsense and so it would be awesome if someone could shed some light on this matter - either confirming my suspicions or pointing out their true meaning.

Have you seen these arrows before? Do you know for sure what they mean? Can you help?

We often have such lovely weather in April. It's generally a little to cool to go swimming, but warm enough to be outdoors. The air is clear and the sun is bright - only without February's bite. It's a great time of the year to stroll about at the Cape Town Waterfront, watching the activities and having a drink or two.

Just remember that whether you're going for a walk on the slopes of our beautiful mountain, or simply visiting the Waterfront, be sure to bring something warm along - April evenings tend to turn unpredictably chilly.

I guess it's not that nice to label people "creepy"... but seriously, contortionists creep me out - just a little. I know that they don't feel pain doing what they do, but I can't help feeling a sense of the pain that they should be feeling.

This chap has been at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town for quite some time. The photo sees him making his way out of the remains of a 25 gallon metal drum. I couldn't find any information about him, but interestingly enough, based on his accent I realised that he wasn't from South Africa... in fact, I don't think he's from Africa at all. For some reason I had the idea that he may even be American... can it be?

Peak-time traffic into and out of the city is just awful - and this photo doesn't do it justice at all. I guess it's not unlike any other large city though. The problem with Cape Town is that really big mountain backing onto the city; it seriously hampers the development of additional roads into and out of Cape Town. Though, to be honest, this isn't the real reason for our congestion.

It's rumoured that the City is looking at converting part of our rail network into an underground system. Perhaps this will lead to some kind of underground Metro. I'm not sure exactly what the plans are, but a general upgrade of our rail system would help tremendously to alleviate congestion.

Amstel is one of the more popular brands of beer in South Africa. I haven't made a clinical study of the facts, but I'd guess the four most popular (in alphabetical order) would have to be Amstel, Black Label, Castle and Windhoek.

Amstel beer was first produced in 1870 by the Amstel Brewery in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. According to a Wikipedia article, and to my surprise, it was taken over by Heineken International in 1968.

Although I find the beer a little bitter for my taste I do have many friends whose drink of choice it is. Perhaps my friends simply have a more sophisticated palate than I do...

Okay, the Cape Sparrow isn't really known as Captain Jack, but after Johnny Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, perhaps it should be.

As many of our readers already know, Kerry-Anne and I recently moved into a "new" house in an old established area, where the trees are large and the birds are plentiful. Just how plentiful I did not realise - until today. We've been seeing large Guineafowl on front lawns, geese on chimneys, and earlier today I watched as several birds hopped from branch to branch just above and just out of reach of our cats, taunting them. It was delightful to watch. Birds can be so cruel. ;-)

I think this rugby field is part of St. George's Grammar School in Mowbray. By the way the poles are positioned I wonder if it's part of their advanced rugby programme. From the photo it appears as though opposing teams' rugby poles are perpendicular to each other. This and the angle that the poles are positioned makes it somewhat more difficult for one of the teams to land a drop-kick or successfully convert a try.

When visiting Cape Town you should be aware that customs officials don't allow people over 1.9 metres tall to enter... :-) No, that's not true of course. We love tall people.

These signs are generally found before a lower-than-normal bridge or overhang, or at the entrance to a parking garage; and as a tourist, unless you're actually driving a bus, these height restrictions shouldn't be of any concern to you.

Although, perhaps you should take note of how high those red double-decker topless Hop-on Hop-off tourist buses are - just in case you see one of these signs while out sightseeing on the top deck. ;-)

In the foreground you can see the Bo-Kaap, in the middle the city centre, and in the background the lower slopes of Table Mountain.

The quaint and colourful houses of the Bo-Kaap make an interesting contrast with the city office blocks in the centre of the shot. We have quite an eclectic range of buildings in Cape Town, and in the city centre you will see tall modern office blocks located next door to renovated 18th- and 19th-century buildings in a few places.

After a particularly hectic week Krige's Pub is the place where I'll be likely to track down a few colleagues for Friday lunch-time drinks. Ah, Krige's, I've heard such interesting stories here - alcohol really is like butter on the tongue.

Apart from this outside section, Krige's has a traditional bar on the inside (with a cosy fire-place for those cold winter days) and a slightly more formal (yet casual) restaurant attached to its side. The bar is known for its easy-going and relaxed feel and the restaurant for its traditional South African meals and pretty decent hand-pressed pure-beef-patty burgers.

On another note, I'm now back from my trip to Las Vegas - a colleague and I attended an IBM conference in this rather over-the-top-24x7-party city. It sure was interesting and although it certainly was a great experience, I'm glad to be back on home soil. Hello Cape Town!

I took my parents our for a late lunch yesterday. We opted for sushi at the Blowfish restaurant in Milnerton, which turned out to be a good choice - great food, excellent service and a perfect location.

It was a fairly windy afternoon, so there were plenty of kite-surfers for us to watch out in the bay; and the sky was absolutely clear, giving us a perfect view of Table Mountain from our table.

If you've been following our blog, then you might recall reading that we recently moved house. We moved twice, actually - once at the end of March, and again at the end of April (we're all done now :-)). We've moved to a much nicer neighbourhood than the one we lived in before, and here's the evidence.

Every morning these guinea fowl (I counted at least forty adults in the group - obviously the rest are not in the picture) make their way along one of the streets in the area, foraging for worms and bugs in the grass. They're wonderful to watch, particularly now that they have a few babies tagging along with them.

These are not what you would call clever birds, and flying is not really something they do, unless it is absolutely imperative. They might occasionally flap their way up to the top of a wall, and then jump off the other side, but that's really about it.

I was surprised to discover that this set of buildings, which houses the Stellenbosch Council Chambers, amongst other things, was only built in 1941. Stellenbosch was founded by Governor Simon van der Stel in 1679, making it the second European settlement in South Africa (Cape Town itself was the first, of course).

To the left of this building is the Town Hall (not in the picture), which won its architects a design medal in 1941. I'm not quite as enthusiastic about it though, and think this section of the municipal complex is far prettier.

Raadsaal is Afrikaans for "council hall", by the way.

Another shot from Zevenwacht Wine Estate... Scenes like this always give the impression that life on a farm is so placid and relaxed - until you consider getting up at 5am to tend the vineyards, working round the clock during grape harvesting season, walking the vineyards in the heat of the midday sun and dealing with all the logistics that go into keeping a farm running profitably. What do you think? Keen to swap your fast-paced city life for a simple life in the country?

A few years ago we were guests at a wedding that took place in front of the Cape Dutch farmhouse in this photo. You can only imagine how beautiful that was. This is part of Zevenwacht Wine Estate in Kuils River (which is in the northern suburbs - about 30 minutes from Cape Town city centre). In addition to wine, a really good selection of cheeses is produced on the farm.

We posted about the Zevenwacht estate here too.