Travel to South Africa and Mozambique: Cape Town 2 – Arabs and Bulgarians in South Africa
The entire route of the trip to South Africa and Mozambique, as well as useful tips, information and costs, you can read Here.
BACK TO THE PREVIOUS TRAVELOGUE: Cape Good Hope and Penguin Beach
Table Mountain or not quite
On my second day in Cape Town, I had planned to take a hop-on hop-off bus to tour the city and get to Table Mountain. Table Mountain (if we were to translate it literally :)) and Lion’s Head are among the top attractions and offer an exceptional view of Cape Town. Just as Rio de Janeiro is nothing without the mountains and the Christ the Redeemer statue nearby, so it is with these mountains in Cape Town.
Unfortunately, the forecast for that day was not good at all - mostly cloudy with rain. There was no memory of Table Mountain - they were all hidden in clouds. Unfortunately, they stayed that way all day until sunset, when the sun came out for a while. I repeatedly reviewed the online cameras on the Table Mountain site and there it displayed zero visibility at the top. The lift was, of course, stopped all day. Otherwise, for information - tickets on the lift to the top cost one-way 240 R = BGN 24 (regardless of in the morning or afternoon), and two-way until 1 p.m. – 420 R = BGN 40, and after 1 p.m. – 340 R = BGN 35.
with a remarkable bus around Cape Town
Hop-on hop-off bus runs from 8:30 to 17:30. I had booked it here. There are 3 route lines (red, blue and purple) and all three are included in the ticket ie. One can choose which sights to explore and then transfer to one of the others. The purple line is very short and only passes through 4 wineries, which, in addition to wine, are also popular for the beautiful landscape around. The connection to the purple line takes place at the 1 Hout Bay Main Rd stop. The winery for which I received a recommendation to see is called Constantia Glen (one of the stops on the line). Another landmark (on the red line) is the botanical garden at the foot of the mountain - Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.
Also, not only was there the opportunity to ride on 3 different routes, but the price included 2 free walking tours, or rather for voluntary tipping of the guide at the end of the walk. One tour I also joined was next to the Bo-Kaap district in the heart of Cape Town from 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. with a starting point at the stop of 81 long St., and the other to the village (ghetto) Imizamo on the blue line as here was required a pre-order and the tour is conducted with a person from the local community.
The Stadium and the Harbor
I did the red line first. It was raining outside, it was terribly wet and cold, and nothing looked attractive enough to make me get out of the warm bus. Finally I decided to get off at the Green Point stop next to the lighthouse. Very close by, there is a lovely green park with playgrounds and a lake with blooming lilies; Also extensive green areas for various sports - football, rugby, cricket. Nearby is the iconic Cape Town Stadium, which is on every panoramic card. The stadium is DHL and was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. It is also often used for Soccer and Rugby tournaments. Live is nothing special, except that there were few dubious guys circling around.
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From there, I continued on foot toward the harbor area known as the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. I walked past the Ferris wheel and the V&A Mall and fell in love with the atmosphere of the surrounding square—a place full of people, music, a pink café, an amphitheater, a huge sign with the city’s name, and various thieving birds that tried to snatch the sandwich I was eating right out of my hand, attacking from behind. Just so you know, in South Africa, it’s more likely that birds or baboons (see the previous travelogue HERE) will cause you trouble than the local people. There was also a puppy adoption center nearby. The large hall called “Water Shed” was a “Hand-made” location—a place with numerous little shops selling handmade figurines, statues, cups, plates, pillowcases, toys, jewelry, and just about everything else you can imagine. There I saw the so-called African spoon—a spoon with no bottom.
Arabs and Bo-Kaap neighborhood
Then I took the bus to Long Street head office. From there, at 14:00, a free tour started to the nearby and exotic-looking Bo Kaap district. The first stop was the Cape Heritage Hotel, in whose courtyard is the oldest vine in the southern hemisphere, dating from 1771, which still gives about 20 liters of wine annually.
Bo Kaap is famous for its brightly colored colorful houses. During my visit, some of them had inscriptions in support of free gas in connection with the military conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Mostly Muslims live in the neighborhood and has a Turkish (Ottoman) influence. There is also the first mosque in South Africa, built in 1794. Until then, the country was entirely Christian. Overall, the neighborhood didn't seem particularly safe for a single woman.
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Then, taking the bus again (the blue line), I passed by the Botanical Garden, various wineries, “The World of Birds,” and Monkey Park. At the transfer stop for the wine line (the purple one), a group of people got on; they’d clearly had a bit too much wine, because they were way too loud and laughing uncontrollably.
I was impressed by the village of Imizamo Yethu, which looked like a ghetto with a population of 33,000 compared to the appearance of the surrounding towns and villages. All the houses there were actually sheet metal shacks. A short stop at Hout Bay followed with time for beach photos with the clouds hidden in the clouds and welcoming my last South African sunset on the beach at Camps Bay.
Bulgarians are everywhere
That evening I had an arranged meeting with a Bulgarian woman - Yanitsa, whom I know from the travel site - Magellanci (see here) and her friends, with whom they tour South Africa together. Our meeting was in the Zest restaurant, where, notice (!), the chef was the Bulgarian Pavel and separately another Bulgarian presented us with the menu and served the dishes. The good thing about the menu was that there is an option to choose a whole or half portion, and in this way one can try more different dishes.
Here's what I ordered:
- Salad: Zest salad - Greek salad with feta cheese, avocado and olives
- Appetizer: Wood baked sweet potato with ricotta, olives, fresh basil and edible flowers.
– Main: Springbok fillet (a mountain jumper – something between an antelope and a gazelle) grilled with roasted parsnip mousse and figs.
– Dessert: Chocolate delicacy with Hazelnut ice cream.
Each plate was beautifully arranged in appearance, and the food was terribly tasty. The prices were like in a restaurant slightly above middle class in Bulgaria, but it was definitely worth it! A great end to an unforgettable trip. I recommend the place - see the restaurant's website here.
For 2 full days in Cape Town, I saw many interesting places, but unfortunately there is no time left for:
- Visiting the huge colony of penguins in Stony Point Penguin Colony - located about an hour and a half away from Cape Town
- A kayak tour of whales
- Joyce Meyer Ministries' office is Cape Town
- Surfing Lesson – Although I hesitated due to year-round icy ocean water
To the next travelogue –> Return to Europe
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