A wet and rather dreary two days are next! Unfortunately Day Four was quite a bummer as gale-force winds, overcast skies and rain meant our Robben Island ferry was cancelled yet again. Most outdoor activities were also a no-go so we went to brush up on some history at the nearby District Six Museum (R 30 or SGD 3.54 entry, additional R 15 or SGD 1.77 for a guided tour):
District Six Museum, Downtown Cape Town
Like us, you might have probably heard of the Apartheid policies in South Africa which promoted White Supremacy above all other ethnicities, in place until the 1990's. Visiting one of the many museums dedicated to the memory and healing of that racist era is a good way to sort of feel what it might have been like living in South Africa at the time.
The District Six Museum is dedicated to one aspect of Apartheid - Forced Removals. The government put urban planning policies in place dictating that whites and non-whites were to live in entirely separate neighbourhoods, so when they declared District Six a white-only neighbourhood all the non-whites were forcibly evicted from their homes and moved to other newer but crappier townships. Chilling stuff.
District Six Museum, Downtown Cape Town
The museum itself isn't that big, so once we're done we take a half hour drive to Hout Bay to see if we can catch one of the many Seal Island Boat Tours. There are two huge Cape Fur Seal colonies on islands not far off the Cape Peninsula, one of which is barely a 20 minute boat ride from Hout Bay. Sadly we arrive too late - the boats only go out in the mornings - so we just roam around and settle for a nondescript lunch of fried fish (not bad), fried calamari (not bad) and fried chips (horrendous) at the nearby Mariner's Wharf.
Fish n Chips at the Mariner's Wharf
On a whim we take a short detour along the Constantia Wine Route and also a stop by one of the wine farms - Groot Constantia. If you're a wine lover you'll love this route - eight separate wineyards all offering wine tastings, sales and some pretty great restaurants! The darling and I are teetotallers though, so we just admire the scenery and marvel at the architecture. If I'm absolutely honest though ... I'd say that the Constantia route isn't worth visiting if you're not a wine drinker.
Scenery along the Constantia Wine Route
For dinner we head over to the Grandwest Casino and Entertainment Complex. With almost twenty restaurants and bars, bowling lanes, cinema, skating rink, and (gasp!) no $100 entry fee to the casino, it's a great place to spend a night (and a lot of your hard earned cash).
Grandwest Casino, photo credit Magda's Manor
Onwards to Day Five, and an early trip back to Hout Bay for a second attempt at reaching the Seal Island! As you can see from the raincoat-wearing tourists in the photo, it's yet another gloomy, rainy day.
Hout Bay Seal Island Ferry
Unfortunately we aren't able to reach the island itself due to 6-8 foot waves, so the boat turns back and circles the harbour area to at least give us a glimpse of some seals lazing away. I'm no animal expert but it does seem that Seals have a rather uncharacteristic acceptance of humans - they're perfectly happy just lazing around on man-made structures and boats.
Hout Bay Seal Watching
After that washout we head over to Stellenbosch. Of the two main wine routes we feel this one is better - nicer scenery, a proper Town with restaurants, curio shops, etc - and most importantly for us, more activities for the non-drinkers! Of particular note is the Spier Wine Estate, which offers up an Eagle Conservatory, Picnic Area (they also supply the picnic baskets), a hotel and spa, and a couple of restaurants.
Eight Restaurant at the Spier Wine Farm
The Eight restaurant on the farm offers up a great selection of starters, mains and desserts, with most of the ingredients coming fresh from one of the many farms around the area.
Black Pig (Kurobuta?!?) at Eagle Encounters
We mull the idea of paying a visit to the spa but decide instead on visiting Eagle Encounters (also on the Farm grounds). Eagle Encounters is primarily a conservatory - taking in Eagles, Falcons and other birds of prey which for various reasons came into human possession. The team then tries to rehabilitate these birds, train them to fly and hunt with the eventual aim of releasing them back into the wild. Some birds can't be released (example they were too young, or too injured): these get to live out their lives here.
African Fish Eagle at Eagle Encounters
Your R 50 (SGD 5.71) entrance fee goes a remarkably long way. In addition to viewing the few dozen birds in their enclosures, you also get to watch the handlers teaching some of the birds to fly, pet a porcupine, and watch a secretary bird try to kick a fake snake to death.
Secretary Bird at Eagle Encounters
There's also a mini petting zoo of sorts with a bunch of surprisingly chill owls, and for a nominal extra fee you also get to take photos holding one of the eagles - these birds are huge up close.
Twiggy the Owl at Eagle Encounters
We then head back to Cape Town and visit the colourful neighbourhood of Bo-Kaap. This area of the city has been dubbed the "Malay Quarter" after being the residence area of choice of many of Cape Town's Indonesian/Malaysian-descent peoples. The area really doesn't have much draw other than these colourful houses - it is an actual residential area after all.
Colourful Malay Neighbourhood of Bo-Kaap
It's around here when the clouds clear up a bit so we're finally able to catch a glimpse of Table Mountain! The winds are still near gale-force level so the aerial cableway is still closed, but we still need to do the touristy thing and take some selfies with one of the New Seven Wonders of the World!
At the foot of Table Mountain Aerial Cableway
I've got a snaking suspicion these yellow frame box things are sponsored by Nat Geo :)
Table Mountain from Signal Hill
Dinner was a simple affair - some frozen foods from Woolworth's Food, cooked/heated up in the oven and on the stove back in the Service Apartment. Five days over in a blink of an eye!
The stellenbosch wine estates around Cape Town, South Africa, can be perfect wedding venues for brides looking for a combination of history and beautiful scenery.
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