Our days start at quite a civilised 9.30, so there's time to go swimming or to the gym before breakfast. The leisure facilities are on the top (19th) floor of this very modern hotel, so they make the most of the stunning views.
The pool is particularly nice. It's not very big (a wide lap pool, really) but very dramatic. One edge has a rimless "infinity pool" effect, with the water appearing to run right up to the windows. The view is of the harbour, mountains and Robben Island; you literally feel that you're floating over the city. The water is warm, the air is imbued with heavy perfumes from the spa and they even pump the new age spa music under water. Great for relaxation, I could have floated there all day. But we're trying to pack a robust African experience into just a week, so no time to dawdle.
Today's transportation was yet another clever touch that demonstrated how the trip organisers are making this event very special. We all turned up in the lobby expecting a tour bus. Instead, we were greeted by a line of vintage cars, their pristine paint jobs gleaming in the sun and their fins, curves and running boards forming a delightful contrast to the backdrop of the very modern hotel. Hillary and I started with two others in a 1950s Ford Zephyr, which was fun. But then we got lucky and the organisers asked us if two of us wanted to switch to one of the extra cars. (We've traveled together enough to know that being the sparky single girls who make friends with the staff often delivers dividends.) We took the chance ... all the cars were different, some showier than others ... and ended up in a 1939 Chevy for most of the day. A real gangster style car; it was a blast.We particularly liked our driver, Alex Stuart, who told us all sorts of things about what we were seeing and was up for answering our questions about life here.
Our driving tour started by going up to the top of Signal Hill, which is one of three peaks looming directly over the city. On the way they looped us through Cape Town to see the main sights: the castle, the town hall, the colourful Cape Malay district. This was a clever way to do it, I thought, as it gave everyone the highlights but kept us from wandering on our own. Clearly the safest option as, despite appearances, we were warned that you still must be very careful here. The weather continued clear and we could see for miles. The hillsides were covered with wild
flowers. Perfect for a bit of a walk at the top of the hill and lots of photos.Unfortunately, we had to cancel the next part, the cable car up Table Mountain, because it was too windy. This meant we spent more time and did more photo stops with Alex. We drove down the coast south of Cape Town and saw some beautiful beaches and some very expensive neighbourhoods. The view is better than the swimming, though. We're so far south that the water on the Atlantic side never gets to a comfortable temperature. We then turned east and in a very short time were on the other side of the continent, so far south are we. It's the Indian Ocean on this side, which looks exactly the same but is much warmer (good for swimming) and has enormous sharks (bad).
At this point Alex had some car trouble and we ended up back in a foursome, in the car Alex's wife was driving. Also a '39 Chevy. I think we had the best experience, switching around and meeting so many other programme winners.
We drove by a couple of mansions of stupendous size. There is definitely great wealth here, and great poverty, and probably not enough in the middle. There are many social efforts to build a black middle class, and I sense this is the key to the future of the country. It's essential that they have a native population with an interest in maintaining stable government and a business community. Otherwise it's us v. them and revolution. But can they do it fast enough?
Alex commented that there simply weren't enough Mandelas. (An aside: we could see the bleakness of Robben Island from Signal Hill. It's amazing that after 27 years there he didn't seek revenge, but worked to build a unified country. My respect for him now is so much more sincere.) All it takes are some leaders who give in to mob rule, and masses taking land and businesses away from the more prosperous without the skills to manage them, and, hey presto, it's just like Zimbabwe and all those other failed African states. So it feels like the whole place is on a knife edge. It could continue on as the great African success story. It could slide into anarchy. I'm glad I saw it so that if the second option happens, I was here once. Nice place to visit but I sure as hell wouldn't want to live here. The people trying to push forward with this transformation are very brave. (Delighted to note that three years on, the positive side of this scenario seems to be winning, and the country's getting ready for the World Cup. Long may it last.)
Anyway, on to our next stop.
Kirstenbosch Gardens are, rightly, some of the most famous in the world. They were built to preserve South Africa's indigenous plants and were the first botanical gardens in the world dedicated to this purpose, as opposed to just showing off variety. As such, they give a great idea of how amazing the experience must have been for Europeans seeing this stuff for the first time, because everything is strange and different. Some flowers, like birds of paradise or calla lillies, we now know from florists and nurseries, but here they are growing wild in huge clumps.The gardens are nestled up against some looming, steep mountain slopes and in the distance you can see the ocean (Indian) and more mountains. The setting reminded me quite a bit of Delphi in Greece.
We had an all-too-brief wander here and a lovely lunch. After years of being an independent traveler it's strange to be on a bus tour again where every stop seems like a short taster and leaves you wanting more. One advantage to the budget: No time for shopping at all.
We had a couple of hours at leisure at the hotel (naps) then it was off for the evening activity. First we got on a vintage (1930s) train and rode for about an hour up to the winelands. Then we arrived at the Spier winery where Hillary and I, unsurprisingly, were taking the tasting more seriously than most others. We had a lovely talk with the guys running the tastings and were one of the last in to the dinner.
Dinner, in the winery, was a big Cape Malay buffet. That is, mostly food with an Indian curry influence. More of the delicious kingclip on the menu. Later in the evening a local band came in to play for us and one of the band members pulled me up for a spotlight dance. Great fun.
We stopped for one drink in the bar when we arrived home but the pillow called, so sleep looms ahead. Another aggressive day of tourism lies ahead, and for this one, our palates need to be well rested.
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