No, it’s not Christmas in June, but they do look a lot like our annual Christmas lights. Adderley Street runs right down the middle of Cape Town city centre. Every year they put up Christmas lights in Adderley Street. And we take a drive to look at them.
Well now we’ve got Soccer World Cup lights to add to the festive feel. Find Cape Town’s street lights on the foreshore side of Adderley Street. It’s getting crazy here in Green Point. The mini bus taxi drivers blast away on vuvuzelas as they drive past. I know, I know! Mini-bus taxi drivers do all sorts of things they shouldn’t. Adherence to the rules of the road is not what mini-bus taxi drivers do. We mutter at them and accept it.
Newspaper vendors in the streets are in on the festival bandwagon too. They blow their vuvuzelas as they walk past. Cars are hooting for the sake of it. Cape Town is a complete riot of flags. Houses, hotels, buildings, streets and cars are ablaze with flags. It feels like everyone has going completely mad. This must surely go down as the loudest Soccer World Cup ever!
Photo courtesy of e-mail circular
I hope most people are pleasantly surprised when they arrive at Cape Town airport. They should be. The airport is brand new and we now have a gleaming new IRT or Integrated Rapid Transport bus up and running. One wonders why it took us so long to get a municipal airport transfer? The IRT bus station is right outside the front door of the airport and costs R50 to get to the city centre. From there you can catch the IRT or a Golden Arrow bus or the train or a taxi to your final destination.
Visit the Cape Town City Council website for timetables. Use Google Earth for a map or to gauge distances.
As said before, I am not well travelled, but I have done a bit of travelling. Some of the airports in the rest of Africa are … well let’s just say rustic. I recall Zanzibar airport. The arrivals board had the flight of the day written on a chalk board. That was if there were enough people to justify a flight. There is a charm to such simplicity. However I failed to find being stranded at the airport after I had spent all my holiday money in any way appealing. And the good news is we don’t have volcanoes here.
Much happiness and joy here! Our boys Bafana Bafana beat Denmark on Saturday. They must be feeling the love and a lot of pressure from all of us. Cape Town and I presume South Africa, is ablaze with car flags, window flags, street flags, shopping mall flags, socks on rear view mirrors. The South African flag is everywhere. I saw a guy on a Harley at a traffic light with an massive flag attached to his bike. Stories abound of street vendors making a small fortune overnight selling all this paraphernalia.
And our famous, and at times infamous, vuvuzela sound also emanates from nowhere all day long.
The vuvuzela was a goat horn used in days gone by to call villagers. The low foghorn type sound would travel across hills and valleys. Now it is a weapon to destroy opposing football teams en masse. It makes a hellava noise. But if you can’t beat them? Then you just have to join them. Vuvuzelas are dirt cheap at the supermarkets now. I think it’s time to get one in green.
Picture courtesy SA Tourism
My personal bias does prevent me from mentioning luxury hotels and fine dining establishments in this blog. Good food to me is organic, preferably vegan and enjoyed with loved ones in the comfort of my home or somewhere natural, relaxed and informal. But I do realise there’s a world full of people and tastes.
Many of my friends and family thoroughly enjoy splashing out on a meal or a weekend at a fabulous venue. And we have plenty of them here in Cape Town. If money is no object or if you still spend anyway, then here are some ways to part with large amounts of money to indulge yourself to the max.
If you have one, you could park your super-yacht at the V and A Waterfront and spend a night or two at The One and Only. They boast a full six stars. If their ambiance is not quite to your taste The Cape Grace, The Table Bay, The Mount Nelson or The Radisson may do it for you. Shop till you drop at Gucci, Burberry, Byblos, Louis Vuitton et al at The Waterfront. Local designers to visit are Marion and Lindie, GGDT and Malcolm Kluk.
We have international restaurants such as Nobu or Gordon Ramsay’s Maze. But you could try one of our very own fine dining establishments such as Savoy Cabbage, Aubergine, Emily’s, and so on and on.
Find them at www.eatout.co.za. Enjoy!
Picture courtesy of Jemma Fletcher
Unless you are planning to go out to The Wine-lands or drive around Cape Point, you can easily get about on a scooter. There are plenty scooter hire places. Parking and traffic problems instantly disappear. The only preclusion to using a bike is cold or wet weather. The bike is slippery on wet tar and being cold and wet makes me very grumpy.
One experience well worth trying is a visit to a health spa or beauty salon. Prices here are usually very good. Romney Spa, corner Hill and High Level Roads have a flotation tank. Most of the top end hotels have spas but their prices are top end too. There are plenty of spas and salons all over Cape Town. Yellow Pages lists most of them and if you go walkabout you’re sure to find plenty.
If you are travelling on a budget then try the International Day Spa. It’s where the students get to practice on bodies under the auspices of their tutors. You can even get cut price laser treatments there. And why not return home a more pampered version of yourself. You deserve it.
Cape Town is a malaria free area. It’s not really safari territory but you can still have a wild animal experience by taking a shortish trip inland where they have malaria free game farms. The Tourism offices at Burg Street in the city and at the Waterfront have piles of brochures. You will be spoiled for choice.
I know people who have had awful reactions to the new generation of anti-malarial drugs. It’s a catch 22 situation because you are advised to take them, but you could end up ruining your holiday if you are one of the unlucky people who reacts badly to the drug.
The standard of accommodation is usually very good in South Africa. Our B and B is almost back to back full for the Soccer World Cup. However I am sure you can still find accommodation. Try visiting the websites of Web Reservations International, A A Travel, Sleeping-Out, Safari Now, Travel Selection or Reservations Africa.
The first match in Cape Town is a week today!
Picture – Bedroom Cape Coast Views
