Tabletop Mountain without a tablecloth!
One of the most fun things about this trip is going to sleep with the sound of the sea whooshing by and then waking up as we enter a new port and marvel at how our little world has changed.
Capetown was a remarkable change. After we left Namibia we cruised down the western coast of Africa with the sights of the desert in our heads. We were just far enough off shore to see only the ocean. Not even very many ships, with the exception of the occasional giant container ship.
When we opened our eyes in Capetown we were staring squarely at Tabletop Mountain from our balcony. This mountain really looks as though someone has used a chainsaw to cut off the top 1/3 and left it flat and straight. The locals say when the mists come and hang across the top that the ‘tablecloth’ is on and that also a dramatic view. We saw it both ways. Watching the clouds roil over the top is mesmerizing. You believe the clouds will fall all the way to the bottom of the mountain but they never do. They just magically evaporated before our eyes when reaching a certain level down the rifts and sides of the mountain.
One thing that had happened by the time we reached Capetown was that we were decidedly tired of all food on the ship. We decided to hire a car with a driver and go exploring and to eat anything but ship produced stuff.
So off we left as soon as we cleared immigration – which is a process made magical by Cunard most of the time. As we had already cleared in Namibia we moved through the terminal and found out driver holding a sign and a great car at the ready. Driving is a summertime job for our driver. He lives in Johannesburg and has a degree in business economics but like lots of young graduates cannot find work in his field. So in the winter he drives big trucks long distance and in the summer he makes money driving tourists like us ‘until he finds work in a bank’.
As we drove out from the city to see the outlying areas we passed mile after mile of mountain bays whose roads are filled with beautiful expensive homes and condos. Open air restaurants stretched for miles. Most were across the road from the beaches which have huge expansive shores with white surf breaking from half a mile out. Very, very beautiful, but watch out for sharks.
We ended up in a little town called Simons Town, which was very small and very local but pretty upscale local. Our guide took us to an outdoor on-the-dock restaurant in the harbor and left us to enjoy what we were afraid would be pretty average food. Not so!! We ate local delicious fish (kingfish) with fresh veggies, crusty bread and fruit whose taste we will always remember. Musicians set up just down the dock so we had wonderful food, music and sun.
With out guide talking politics we meandered back to Capetown, using some back ways but being careful in certain areas which were obviously problems. Crime in Capetown is pretty bad. There are lots of gated communities but we heard stories of how cars are stolen by the use of cranes which are used to pick cars up from driveways and lift them over the walls! Wouldn’t have thought about that!
And so back to the ship.
Capetown was a two day port so we had the next day to explore. This time we jumped into a cab and hit the local harbor area (the V&A) for a while. A very, very well-developed hotel, retail, restaurant area with an amphitheater where a concert was taking place. Again we were looking for off-ship food and found a great place for wonderful sushi and other good stuff. A little souvenir shopping and lots of people watching over coffees/teas as we watched people from all over the world who have gathered at the bottom of the African continent. Such fun.
And did I mention we saw penguins and seals on the beach? We did.
QM2 2018 World Tour 