Going Round the Cape of Good Hope
We were undecided about whether to go to Cape Point that Sunday, as Ian suggested, but now I can't remember why. On a map of Cape Town, Ian showed us the route he had outlined for us to take from the city to the Cape of Good Hope, the south westernmost point of the continent. We would be passing through Camps Bay, Hout Bay, Chapman's Peak Drive, Simon's Town and Cape Point. A scenic route, that took us west to east and down to…
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Cape Town on Foot, Pt II
After being on a schedule for more than a week, we had welcomed a free day to do whatever we wanted in a leisurely way. The good thing about being on a schedule is that we got things done. The bad thing is that once we get off the schedule we became so lax about time, we almost got nothing done. Today was no different. We slept late, hung around the apartment until near lunchtime then we spent more time…
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Cape Town on Foot, Pt I
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Image via Wikipedia[/caption] Originally, we had set aside the second day for Table Mountain but our guide, Ian Reinders, insisted we go that first day following our visit to Robben Island. His reasoning was simple: the weather was good and if we waited, it might change and we wouldn't get to see the mountain. Since we had only 5 days in Cape Town, we didn't want to take any chances so we agreed. When we woke that…
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Dr. King’s dream
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Image via Wikipedia[/caption] It took 15 years for the third Monday in January to be designated the day we would remember and honor civil rights activist, Martin Luther King, Jr. The first year we celebrated, I remember the euphoria, the sense of pride, the feeling of hope. I also remember an older gentleman in the building I lived at the time saying that if we didn't remain true, the day would become like any other, meaning,…
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Cape Town: Kissing Table Mountain
Ian was right. Under a dazzling sunshine and with hardly a cloud in the sky when we arrived, Table Mountain was spectacularly alluring. It seemed to rise straight up out of the ground, then stop abruptly as if something, or someone, had blunted its ascent. We got our tickets and boarded the funicular that would take us the nearly 3,600 feet to the top of the mountain. Watching the buildings and cars below as they got smaller and smaller, I…
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Robben Island – “We’re all on this journey together”
We knew from the outset that one of our Cape Town ‘must-sees’ would be Robben Island so we purchased our tickets before we even left the U.S. Despite being walking distance from our accommodations at the V&A Waterfront to the Nelson Mandela Gateway, if our guide, Ian, hadn’t shown up when he did, we would have missed the boat – we were so late getting ready! Seeing Cape Town on our first morning, bathed in the sparkling golden sunlight, was…
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Cape Town in Photographs
Since I began the postaday2011 challenge, I've not missed a day. But writing about our visit to Robben Island took a lot longer than I imagined. So, enjoy these photos of Cape Town. [caption id="attachment_660" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Cape Town Coke Man[/caption] I know these look like Lego blocks but they are actually empty Coca Cola crates. [caption id="attachment_661" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Nobel Square[/caption] South Africa's four Nobel Peace prize winners: Alfred Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, F. W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela.…
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Cape Town, the Pearl of South Africa
When I told my 80 year-old aunt that I was going to Cape Town, she replied excitedly, “I’ve always wanted to see Table Mountain but never made it. Please kiss the mountain for me!” After hearing that, if Table Mountain had not been on my list, it soon would be. We arrived in Cape Town on a Thursday night, after three amazing days watching game in Hwange National Park and making friends with the team at Makalolo Plains in Zimbabwe.…
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Three Black Girlz on Safari: Leaving Makalolo Plains
When the alarm went off on our last morning at Makalolo Plains, none of us wanted to get out of bed. The hot water bottles that had kept us warm when we snuggled under the covers the night before were no match for the cold that had now permeated our tent. I buried my head under the covers, lifting it just long enough to peek at the clock to figure out how long I had before I had to get ready…
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60 Minutes to Live?
So after I scream and pick my jaw from off the ground, I’d put on my best outfit and gather all my loved ones together for a blowout beach party. No tears, no recriminations, no sadness - just pure, unadulterated fun. There'd be lots of seafood and fish - steamed or fried crispy dry or escoveitched; lobster - jerked or curried; lots of beer and tropical drinks and all of my favorite dance music - from reggae to soca to…
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