Last day treat

For our last day in Cape Town we decided to treat ourselves to something we both desperately wanted to do; a helicopter flight over the city. Neither of us had been on one before and on both previous trips to the waterfront we were extremely tempted to do it. However, we left it until the last day and it was a brilliant way to see out our time in Cape Town. 

Before we arrived at the waterfront we persuaded the taxi driver to take us to Bo Kaap, an area known for it's beautifully coloured houses. I would have liked to spend a bit more time in this wonderful place but we had to get going to the waterfront. 

Whilst waiting for our flight to be organised we had a last stroll through the waterfront enjoying the wonderful views. 

It was R800 - £53 for a 15 minute helicopter flight which was a good way to spend the last bit of Rand on my cashcard. The company drove us around to the helipad and we had our safety briefing before getting on board the helicopter. Once they made sure we were strapped in and had our headsets on we were off! We were very lucky with the weather again and it was a perfect day. 

The route the helicopter took was down the Atlantic Seaboard to just before Llandudno where it turned round and came back on itself, flying over the edge of the city and over the harbour. As I was on the right hand side of the helicopter I had a view out to sea and Robben Island on the first bit of the trip rather than of the coast line. However, I don't have any great photos of this due to my terrible photography skills but it was amazing to see. My photos from the way back when I was on the coast line side of the helicopter are slightly better so I'll share some here.

I am exceedingly glad that Lou and I chose to do this as it was an absolutely fantastic experience with stunning views across the city and the coast line. Everywhere there was a beautiful sight and it was a contrast of both magnificent natural beauty and the glittering man made city within it's confines. 

After an epic morning we set off to Camps Bay to enjoy the beach and the unbelievably cold sea once more. We ended the day with dinner and sundowners next to the beach before making our way back to the hostel to, in my case anyway, attempt packing. 

Somehow I got it all in my rucksack! Packing Queen. 

So this brings to an end my 9 and a half weeks in South Africa. Moving on was bittersweet because all though I have other countries to explore I have absolutely fallen in love with this amazingly beautiful and often underrated (as a place for gap year backpackers anyway) country. I have had a brilliant time here, caught up with family, had some incredible experiences, seen beautiful places and met awesome people everywhere I went. I cannot begin to choose a favourite place or event as they were all special and I would love to experience my whole time here again. It's goodbye for now but definitely not forever. I'll be back. 

For now, onwards and upwards, to Australia specifically and an 11 hour flight.

Until next time. 

A x

City Sightseeing Bus Tours

Ever since I saw the open top buses driving around Cape Town I knew I wanted to go on one to live up to my tourist dreams. Luckily it turned out that there were two different bus routes you could do on consecutive days so there were two days of bus fun to be had, all for R250 - £17. Along with this we had a free night tour of Signal Hill to watch the sunset thrown in. 

Stop 7 was just at the end of our street so we picked up our tickets on a bus on Wednesday morning to do the Red route. We had seen a lot of the city whilst walking around but it was good to plug in the free headphones and listen to all the information given by the automated recording whilst taking in the sights. There were a couple of stops that we wanted to get off at as we hadn't had a chance to explore these yet and the first one was the District Six Museum. 

District Six is a significant part of Cape Town which is steeped in history. It is an area within the city where, under the apartheid regime in the 1970s, upto 60,000 inhabitants were forcibly removed and the buildings bulldozed. The majority of District Six is still undeveloped land where weeds currently reign as nobody is sure how to proceed with such an important piece of land. The reasons given for the removal was that interracial interaction bred conflict and that the district was a slum, full of immoral activities such as gambling, drinking and prostitution. However, it was believed by many that the government actually wanted to acquire the land due to its proximity of land to the city centre, Table Mountain and the harbour. 

The District Six museum commemorates and preserves the history of the people from this area. It is a poignant tribute to the previous inhabitants and a strong reminder of the issues faced under the arpartheid regime. The museum includes handwritten notes from residents, a large illustrated street map which covers the floor, a tower of street signs from the district, displays of everyday family life in the district and explanations of it's planned destruction. 

Both Louise and I felt that it was worthwhile visiting the museum and it gave us an insight into important aspects of South Africa's history. I believe it is imperative to learn from history and this teaches us tolerance and respect. It is eye-opening and almost unbelievable quite how recent this history was. Apartheid didn't end until 1994; my lifetime. 

 A replica of a typical District 6 room. 

Following the museum visit we got back on the bus and drove round the city, up to the mountain cableway (which was closed due to bad weather, we were so lucky to go up it on Monday), through Kloof Nek and into Camps Bay. We followed the Atlantic Seaboard back to the Waterfront looking at the views whilst listening to the commentary which gave us interesting facts and information about the stops we were at. 

Moaning Minnie the lighthouse which according to the commentary is known for her "deep throaty moan." 

The stadium built especially for the 2010 football World Cup.

The bus took us back through the city to stop 7 where we had got on in the morning. We had a relaxed evening, going out for dinner with Ladina as it was her last night. It was extremely sad to see her go after many fun times together. 

Thursday dawned with wonderful weather again and we took the Blue route bus tour, first stopping at the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Walking around the gardens was an extremely pleasant way to begin our morning. 

After admiring the beautiful scenery we hopped back on the bus to continue our drive round the back of table mountain and heading to our free Constantia wine tour. We went to Groot Constantia, one of the oldest wine estates in the region, where we had a look around the land and indulged in some wine tasting. 

After our wine tasting, which was delicious, we boarded the bus once again to continue the rest of the tour. We passed by one of the townships where you could have a tour, visited Hout Bay again and then followed the coast back to the waterfront passing by Llandudno, Camps Bay, Clifton, Green Point and Sea Point. It is a lovely drive and because we sat and listened to the commentary the day before this time we just sat back and enjoyed the views. 

In the evening we had our free sunset tour with the sightseeing bus company. It was one of the most incredible and gorgeous sunsets I have ever seen and so there are going to be quite a few photos. The sky slowly changed from baby blue to the deepest reds and oranges whilst the swirling clouds ought with them incredible greys and purples as the sun sank lower and lower before disappearing behind the sea. 

Devil's Peak, Table Mountain and the City Bowl just after sunset. 

After a magical two hours we treated ourselves to a trip to Yours Truly, one of the best cafés in town serving gourmet sandwiches during the day and divine pizzas in the evening. Obviously, being the foodies we are it was the perfect end to a wonderful day. 

Until next time. 

A x