There was a band of drummers and dancers as the passengers arrived at Cape Town airport and lots of flags and huge banners promoting the World Cup Soccer. John was waiting for me at the airport and we headed to the Avis counter to pick up our rental car. This took ages and the queues got longer and longer with tired passengers. The first car we got had a registration that would expire within the two month period of hireage so we had to wait for a second one. No sooner had we got the keys when the receptionist noticed that that registration would expire too. Finally we got our wee Picanto Kia and it was so small that only one backpack could fit in the boot.
We headed to Claremont where we met Mike and his wife Anya, and their 3 hyperactive dogs. They are friends of our South African friends Sue and Stuart from New Plymouth. Stuart used to flat with Mike and they were climbing buddies. WE were thankful that we were able to drop our gear and shower and head off to Matt and Wendy's engagement party at a restaurant at Kalk Bay.
The party was held in a ground floor bar/restaurant and we could see the huge wild waves crashing on the rocks outside the windows. Wendy said that in a storm the glass blows out and the place floods and then they repair it and carry on.
The next day was the final game for the boys so I tagged along with Wendy's sister Tracy and her friends. They decided to take the train and unbeknown to them so had most of the Cape Town suburbanites! The train was jam-packed, hot and chaotic. Sam and other passengers had to hold the doors closed at the stations as loads more people were wanting to board and there was no more space. It seems that everyone realised that the fan walk; a 2 1/2 km walk from the station to the stadium with street entertainers, food stalls and sellers, was a fun thing to do. Walking at night was something that the locals would not normally do but being a fine weekend day everyone was out and about. Unfortunately there were not enough trains and not enough carriages for all who wanted to take the trains. Some people were stranded at the station while up to 4 trains sailed past full.
Tracy's friends wanted to meet at a bar near the stadium and it became so crowded that we caught a 5 rand shared taxi with the locals to a bar at Seapoint which was deserted and had a huge screen where we could sit, eat and watch the game; Spain versus Paraguay.
My first impressions of Cape Town
lots of high walls with razor wire,
electric steel sliding gates,
grills and bars on every house window,
grills and bars on shop doors,
lots of dogs behind the gates and walls,
lots of security guards patrolling in company vehicles or on bicycles in the suburbs,
many black people walking along the sides of the road,
lots of sellers with flags, vuvuzuelas and other cup paraphernalia at intersections,
several beggars at the lights,
firewood in wheelbarrows, or tied in bundles, for sale on the side of the highways,
fluoro-vested car guards wanting money every time you park on private or public land,
white-painted houses with high facades and many with thatched rooves,
lots of small cars like ours,
four way stop intersections like America, and
traffic lights that are labelled 'robots'.
John drove us to Cape Point where we were rewarded with clear views along the rocky coastline
and were joined by queues of cup supporters all wanting to do the same thing. The baboon minders were out in large numbers on the roadsides with whips to keep the baboons away from people, food and vehicles. We meandered back through some of the coastal towns and over the hills past a lot of ostrich farms. The 'fynbos' are thin leafed plants and as we drive along there is a sage-like smell coming from the bushes in the heat.
and were joined by queues of cup supporters all wanting to do the same thing. The baboon minders were out in large numbers on the roadsides with whips to keep the baboons away from people, food and vehicles. We meandered back through some of the coastal towns and over the hills past a lot of ostrich farms. The 'fynbos' are thin leafed plants and as we drive along there is a sage-like smell coming from the bushes in the heat.
We caught up with Johnnie and Clare and their two girls one evening and had a delicious meal in front of their roaring log fire. They used to live in Papamoa and after a stint in the UK have returned to Cape Town. It was interesting to hear about their business supplying low pressure shower heads to hotels as there is a water shortage and electricity has gone up 25% and will continue to go up by the same rate over the next 3 years.
We have bought a Wild Card which gives us a year's entry to any of the South African National Parks and will pay for itself in no time. As a lot of the accommodation is already booked up in the parks we have decided to buy a small tent so we can camp in fenced -in park camps. We already have a cooker and pots and hopefully the weather will be warmer further north.
