I left South Africa a week ago and spent a few days in London. From there, my other half and I did a mini road trip to Scotland. It’s mid summer back in South Africa and of course mid winter in the UK. The contrast is sharp.
South Africa never really gets that cold. There are places that get cold, but they are remote and sparsely inhabited. Snow in our cities would be front page news.
I don’t possess the sort of clothes that people from cold countries wear. Instead I am putting on just about every item of clothing I brought with me. Wearing all this clothing is so freaking heavy.
Frost covered garden
Salt/grit bins, snow poles, clip on ice grips for shoes, ice scrapers for car windows, bum warmers in a car and many other things people in the UK consider normal simply don’t exist in South Africa.
I always though ear muffs were daft things. Now I totally understand why people wear them. I wish they could come up with something to keep my nose warm other than wrapping a scarf around my face.
Back in South Africa they have been having a heatwave. Places like Riebeek Kasteel have apparently had temperatures in the upper forties touching 50’C. Yikes! Riebeek valley tourism.
We were glad we chose to stay in the Deira area, which is the older part of the city. It’s right opposite the City Centre shopping mall, and walking distance from the Carrefour food store, which has a wide selection of yummy Middle Eastern and Asian foods. We hardly ate out, and ate well for very little money. Alcohol was not readily available, and when it was, it was so expensive that we chose not to drink for the 3 days in Dubai.
Concrete skyline
There are a few Souks (markets) and we got to see the old market. It is quaint and deserves to be seen to get a feel for how the old style architecture would have been. Dubai for the most part is a modern and almost new city. As far as the eye can see hundreds of developments are going on. They were even pulling down old buildings to put up new ones. We saw the famous Palms and The World, where they are dredging and building islands with beaches in the shape of a palm tree and the shape of the world.
Dhow
Our city guide made so many references to buildings being bigger or better or more expensive as we drove past them, I lost track, but one that stood out was the Burj Dubai Hotel. It is reputed to be the biggest and most expensive hotel in Dubai. It is right next to Dubai’s Jamirah Beach, which has warm water, as you would imagine, but also calm sea and a sandy white beach. One has to remind oneself all the time that Dubai is built in a desert. Beautiful palm trees, lush lawns and brightly coloured flowerbeds dot the city.
Our friendly guide from the day dropped us off for the dhow trip along Dubai Creek. The creek is really just a big river running up into the city not unlike the Thames into London. It has marinas with luxury yachts and beautiful old style wooden dhows. A dhow trip includes a meal but not alcohol, which, as said earlier, is very expensive. The evening was warm and pleasant but, as I don’t eat meat, I always worry whether I will have enough food at these buffet meals. However, there was plenty delicious vegetarian food. I really enjoyed the humus, pita and pickles mezze type foods. We were given lots of water in lieu of alcohol. The dhow trip was enjoyable although I could have done without the copycat hits they belted out on the PA. We saw the city lights, the mini ferries zipping across the creek and a glimpse of the harbour.
Sand dune surfing
We were taken back to our hotel and slept soundly. The next afternoon we were anxious as the tour operator was late to collect us for the dune tour. Our hotel phoned the company and the driver for us. Turned out we had another party joining us who had gotten stuck in traffic. Finally we all climbed into a great big 4 x 4 and headed off for the desert. A mix of raucous hip-hop and sweet Arabic music was playing in the car to get us all in the mood. I suspect our Egyptian tour guide and the other party with us had no idea of the lyrical content of the music we were listening to, as it was XXX rated.
We stopped at a petrol station for the tyres to be deflated and were herded into the curio shops. The usual cold drinks, sweets, fridge magnets, toy camels and tat were on sale. A plethora of highly enthusiastic sales people showed us all sorts of awful things we could buy. We escaped to the warmth outside and shortly we all piled back into the 4 x 4 and our driver drove off into the soft red sand. There were plenty of other 4 x 4’s gathered there. They seem to wait until there is a big enough party and get going together.
Cheesy desert photo
Our tour guide, who till now had been quiet, asked us to fasten our seat belts and assured us we would be safe. He then, raced the car straight up a steep dune, swung around and let it slide down the slopes. The only way I could describe this experience would be like surfing a wave on a surfboard, except we were surfing dunes in a car. How the cars do not fall over I will never know. Quite obviously not any old driver can do this. Once we realised we would be safe we enjoyed it. We stopped a few times to watch some biker demos, a sunset and then we went to a desert camp for a meal and a display of traditional and belly dancing. Again the food was good and plentiful. We avoided the alcohol but there were lots of soft drinks.
Local dancing and entertainment
Three days is enough to get a feel for Dubai. There are other tours offering rock climbing, quad biking or trips to the other UAE states such as Abu Dabi. There are Arabic countries that are not conducive to female travellers and seem repressed to western societies, however Dubai allows you to experience Middle Eastern culture in a safe modern environment. My only disappointment was that the only Emiratees we had contact with or saw was at airport customs or shopping in the malls.
We didn’t initially think of going to Dubai. However, since Emirates Air appear to be one of the better and more affordable airlines for economy class flights, we decided to throw in a three day stop-over in Dubai en route to London. It must be oil money offsetting the price, as the saving was substantial.
Also helping us to make our choice was a chance to spend time with family who live there.
Mosque, Dubai
Our flight didn’t disappoint. Emirates Air on-board entertainment has a selection of nearly everything from current and classic movies to Best-of TV shows past and present. The music selection was massive ranging from country music, the latest chart offerings through to solid rock numbers.
The seating space seems roomier than other airlines, which helps on a long haul flight. Not that Dubai is too far from Cape Town; our flight was 8 and ½ hours. They gave out warm cloths to freshen up before we left and a copy of the menu with 4-course meals. I had the vegan meal and my other half had a low calorie, low cholesterol meal. We also had some lovely French wine with our meal. We didn’t sleep much as the flight wasn’t long enough. I watched Slumdog Millionaire and my other half watched re-runs of Fools and Horses.
Fake ski resort, Dubai
We arrived in Dubai Airport at 05.00 am. We had booked into Ibis Hotel in Deira and we were told a shuttle bus ran from the airport to the hotel. Our bus driver arrived after about ½ hour and took us to the hotel. We were very early but they agreed to check us in at 10.00 am so we had a snack in the reception area while we waited.
We paged through tour brochures and probably picked the same tours as everyone else. They all had variations on the much the same thing. As we made our choice of tours we sat watching people with mounds of bags check into the hotel. It never ceases to amaze us how much luggage people travel with. We always stick to the limit for fear of penalties, yet we saw people staggering under their luggage. How do they get away with it?
Beach, Dubai
Once checked in, we freshened up and had a short sleep. I had been to Dubai before in June and the heat and humidity was particularly uncomfortable. I was pleased that in the last few days of April it was warm but not unbearable. Next, our tour guide for the Dubai City Tour collected us. We soon realised that all tour guides in Dubai are always foreigners.
In fact the only jobs the Emiratees seem to hold are in government, banks or shareholders in business. What was even more surprising is the Emiratees only make up only 20% of the total population of Dubai. The rest are workers and “ex pats”. Asians from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and those regions make up 50% of Dubai’s people and the final 30% of the population are Europeans, Australians, and South Africans etc.
Foreigners come across for work and money opportunities. They pay tax, for water, for education, and the usual things one would expect. Most people working in Dubai earn good money but the cost of living is high. Conversely the Emiratees don’t pay tax and get state grants for just about everything. Truth is they don’t have to work and one can’t help but wonder if any do as they fill the millions of shopping malls all hours of the day and night.
Outside a souk, Dubai
Dubai likes to think of itself as a shopping destination. And if shopping is your thing, you’re in the right place. There are many shopping malls with the same shops. The usual big names like Gap, H&M, Next, Benetton and even the South African store Woolworth was there but with signage in Arabic. The high-end shopping malls have designer stores with luxury goods. There is even a shopping mall with a ski resort in the middle. We watched people going up ski lifts in real snow through the glass windows.
All the shopping malls we went to were spotlessly clean and air-conditioned with plenty of coffee shops. The sight of the Emiratee people sipping coffee in their traditional clothing is a common one. The men wear a white dishdasha robe with a checked or white headdress. The woman cover up in a black abaya with a black headdress and sometimes even a black facemask or a burka.
In closing the three part series on Cape Town, here are a few things to try or places to visit while you are in Cape Town.
1. Go for afternoon high tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel or The Nelly as she is known locally. Mount Nelson
2. Visit Atlas Trading, Wale Street, Bo Kaap for an incredible selection of spices, incense and more.
3. The organic food and craft market at the Neighbourgoods Market in Salt River, or the City Bowl
Market, Hope Street. Get there early. They can get seriously crowded. neighbourgoods market city bowl market
Long Street
4. A leisurely stroll along Lower Main road in Observatory for bric-a-brac, old books, anything. It’s a great place to pass time.
5. Green Point flea market and Milnerton market late Sunday mornings.
6. Coffee at Giovanni’s Deli in Green Point, they’re open early till late. They make the best coffee and their deli foods are to die for. Think balsamic roasted onions, aubergine carpachio, delicious chocolates and sumtuous wines.
7. Join the crowd and do a “full moon” hike up Lion’s Head if you around during a full moon. view from Lions Head
8. Find healthy fast food outlets Kauai or Osumo across Cape Town. Kauai menu
9. The funky fashion and food vendors along Long Street and surrounding streets.
10. A curry or roti at Biesmiellah, Wale Street, Bo Kaap. Biesmiellah menu
And lastly some unique South African foods to look for when shopping or eating out: –
Volvo Race V and A Waterfront
1. Rooibos tea with Ouma buttermilk rusks. Dip the rusks in your tea. That’s how it’s done.
2. For a local sweet treat try Melktert, Koeksisters or Malva pudding.
3. For a dried meat snack, biltong and droewors are favourites. Also available in exotic meats such
as kudu and ostrich.
4. Smoked snoek and curried fish are local fish favourites. You can buy tinned curried fish at the
supermarkets.
5. Waterblommetjie bredie is a type of curry made with a local plant/flower as the main ingredient.
6. Mrs Ball’s chutney is a fruit condiment somewhat similar to Branston pickle.
7. Frikadelle and boerwors are cooked typical meatballs and sausages.
8. Ostrich meat is dark, low in fat and tastes quite different. Try it as a steak, sausage or burger.
Rock formation on Table Mountain
9. Mealie meal or pap and umngqusho (nush) are both polenta type meal accompaniments.
10. Potjiekos is a slow cooked meat and vegetable stew made in a cast iron pot.
11. Pepperdews are a pickled capsicum/cherry tomato hybrid. Heaven on a pizza or in a salad.
12. South Africa wines. Even the bad wines are good.
13. Buchu brandy. A revitalising remedy used by the San people and early settlers.
The Waterfront and Robben Island
The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is a massive shopping and dining warehouse in the harbour. Since it is a working harbour you can observe fishing boats, cruise liners, tugs and other working boats. It also has boat tours that will take you whale watching, fishing or on a sunset cruise.
If you plan to visit Robben Island, be sure to get in the queue early or you may be disappointed. Book tickets on-line to save time here – webtickets. You will also find the Two Oceans Aquarium at the Waterfront. They have over 3000 sea creatures including sharks. For more go here – aquarium.
Visit the massive craft market in the Red Shed and watch live demo’s by the craftsmen and women. There is a link for more here – waterfront. If you love crystals, visit Mineral World opposite where they have rocks and semi precious stones. At night you can enjoy fine dining and live music right next to the harbour and watch the seals lounging in the water. Robben Island takes its name from “robbe”, which are seals in Afrikaans.
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Market off Long street
You will either need to book a bus or hire a car to get there. South Africans love their great outdoors and from the activities on offer here this is evident. Apart from a chance to wander around the gardens and see over 2500 indigenous plants, you can enjoy an al fresco breakfast in one of the restaurants, take a hike up the mountain or enjoy the sunset and a live open air concert with a picnic basket. Find out who is playing on this link – Kirstenbosch summer concerts.
The Cape Peninsula and Cape Point
Cape of Good Hope
This scenic day out is reminiscent of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. The roads are believed to have been built by Italian prisoners of war. It’s a round trip from the city along the one side of the peninsula to Cape Point and back along the other side of the peninsula. Beautiful seaside scenery and fishing harbours are scattered along both the False Bay Coast and the Atlantic Coast. Cape Point is where the two oceans meet. It’s a busy day with antique shops, shark and whale watching, maritime museums, baboons, shipwrecks, designer craftsmen, famous local penguins and lots of fabulous seafood. You can do part of this trip by train from Cape Town but it doesn’t go all the way to Cape Point. Best to book a coach trip or hire a car for the day.
The Winelands
Metropolitan golf course
If the previous day out had an Italian feel to it, this area has a French flavour. Some of the early settlers were French Huguenots and many place names such as Franschoek hint at their influence. They even celebrate Bastille Day. This is another full day out and if you want to taste the wines, book a tour so you can relax and not worry about driving.
The wine farms are quite a way out of the city and there are various wine routes. The wine estates go back eras and are steeped in history. Many of them have elegant dining and award winning chefs. And of course they supply exquisite wines to go with the meals. Much of the architecture is the old Cape Dutch style with elegant curved gables and thatched roofs. Wine estates are often nestled in the mountains surrounded by vineyards.
Bo Kaap
People can be put off coming to South Africa because they have heard of local crime. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which gives advice to travellers says the following, “More than 460,000 Britons visit South Africa every year. Most visits are trouble-free.” Crime tends to happen in hot spots so if you are not sure, ask someone. South Africans will happily give you assistance or advice. For health and safety tips have a look at this post – Cape Town health and safety tips. And for even more tips to make the most of your time in Cape Town follow this link – 20 best travel tips for visitors to Cape Town
Cape Town is more European than the rest of South Africa. You may want to plan another trip inland where the look and feel is completely different. A bush safari or game lodge stay are not to be missed experiences.
