I received a few emails asking where Sea Point was in relation to Cape Town. So, I thought a quick geography lesson would not go amiss. I'll start by assuming that everyone knows that South Africa is at the southern tip of Africa (that big, dark continent between America and Australia and south of Europe).
On this map of South Africa, Cape Town is situated at the top of the peninsula, on the Atlantic Ocean. The tip of the peninsula, called Cape Point (marked Cape of Good Hope on the map), is supposedly where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Cape Agulhas has an issue with this. Personally, I don't care. All I know is that if you stand at the very tip of the peninsula, at Cape Point, the view is absolutely breathtakingly magnificent and there is a hell of a lot of sea there!
Hmmmm, I see more and more FARRAGO tours coming up as I look at these maps.
On the map below you will be able to see Sea Point, Lion's Head, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens and Cape Town International airport.
If I put my blog in a bottle, are you likely to get it?
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What happened to yesterday?
In summer it starts getting dark at 8:30pm.
Lion's Head, visible from everywhere in Sea Point.
Hibiscus everywhere.
Lion's Head in the background.
Tomorrow we we take a final look around Sea Point. On Friday we'll spend the day on the beach and on Saturday I am dropping you all off at Cape Town International!
Right, those of you who are still keeping up, we are going to walk today. Remember that it is perfectly safe to drink the water from the taps here. One of the few countries in the world where that is still true. No stops at bars today! Malcolm, NO!
Oops! I forgot to mention yesterday ...
... and we have interesting buildings ...
Frangipani.
Sea Point, in the shadow of Lion's Head.
About Lion's Head: It is our rain forecaster. If there is a cloud on the top of Lion's Head, it is going to rain. The bigger the cloud, the more rain. Today is going to be a perfect rainless day.
We will end the tour of Sea Point with some shopping for the farewell braai (barbecue) we are going to have tonight.
Wood, charcoal, matches, blitz. We're going to braai (barbecue) tonight.
Pineapples, green and red peppers and tomatoes for the vegetarians.
Excellent S.A. wine for everybody.
Plants for Meg.
Does anyone wish to stay on for the extended version of this tour? It will take you to Wednesday and will include less eating and drinking and more sightseeing.
It was fun taking you around Sea Point and I hope you come back soon.
As you leave, remember to put a tip in the jar for your tour leader.
Holy smokes, people, did you need to get so drunk last night? We seem to have lost Malcolm. He's probably still chomping away at his US$3.00 lamb shank at Saul's Saloon. And the rest of you can stop looking so smug, you all look rather pitiful. All this just because beers cost only US$1.00 in Cape Town?
A friendly smile for the FARRAGO group at Cafe Erté.
Some beers or the biggest burger in town?
In Sea Point we cater for all tastes.
Beers at the Village Pub (blue) or lamb shank at Saul's Saloon (pink)?
Tomorrow will be our last day in Sea Point. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the suggestion box. So far the suggestions include birds and plants. We'll try and cover those tomorrow.
Today we hop into cheap mode of transport. US$1.00 will get you a trip all the way into Cape Town Central Business District. We will walk back home from where we get dropped off (I suspect the rikki is going to make a mistake and drop us off in the colourful Bo-Kaap, about 8kms from home.) From there we will just aimlessly perambulate home. No rush today.
Okay, hop in, space for a squashed dozen in this rikki.
Oops, we were taken a tad too far. This is the Bo-Kaap. Ten minutes from home.
Trees down by the beach.
A more familiar supper for anyone?
Tomorrow is Friday, tomorrow we are going to paint the town red. At night. So make sure you have a good night's sleep and have enough hangover medication.
Heavy walking today, wear comfortable shoes. First we'll walk along the beach to the pleasant little courtyard in the Winchester Hotel for breakfast. Keep your US$7.00 ready for a delicious and varied buffet breakfast. Then via a shopping complex to get some biltong (trust me, you'll like it). Then a slow walk back to watch the sun set over the sea.
No, no, we don't litter. Not even on the beaches.
Breakfast at the Winchester Hotel, as promised yesterday.
Americans would call this a "jerky" bar. An expensive delicacy here.
Okay, who brought the darn dawg?
We have not yet gone further than walking distance from home. Get ready for the "rikki ride" tomorrow! Does anyone have any special requests?
Anything specific that you would like to see? Leave a message in the suggestion box and we will do out best to accommodate your wishes.
Hmmm, a bit misty outside this morning. It often happens in Sea Point during both winter and summer. In summer it clears up very quickly, by 9am there is no sign of the early morning mist. So, first we will have a quick cup of freshly brewed coffee at home and then we will go walking through more of Sea Point. We're not going to a bar today, so make sure your flask is full and that you are ready for a good old walk.
One of the misty views from the lounge. More to follow.
Ah, Winchester Hotel. Tomorrow we will have breakfast there.
Yeah, people in Sea Point also read the newspapers.
Odd thing, this flag. To be seen all over Sea Point. I love it!
I am doing my best not to exhaust you. A little bit each day. I hope you are enjoying the tour ....
Today we are just going for a short walk. We are going to find something light for supper and we'll observe whatever else we can see along the road.
Good to see you got your hair done for the shopping trip.
... the kitties need feeding too ... (normally we buy from the vet)
Closed during the day, we'll have to come back later.
A prerequisite in Sea Point: eyes in the back of your head.
Soon the authorities are going to ask me to hand this camera in at a police station. They say I am not allowed to walk around in the streets with a concealed weapon.
Starting today, I am going to take you on a walk around Sea Point.
Gangsterism, sex, drugs, murder, mayhem, brothels, prostitution and protection rackets.
All true. But that is not all.
Despite being a large scale den of iniquity, Sea Point is packed with hidden treasures.
I love and hate Sea Point and during the next week or so I am going to show you why. So, put on your walking shoes, fill your hip flask and open your mind.
We start this walk in the street that I live in (point A on the map below):
This is where we start. Yes, that is the sea in the background.
Part of the problem with living in Sea Point is that there is no off-street parking. As you can see in the picture, it is a nice sunny day so people have all gone off to one of the many local beaches. At 6pm during the week, there is hardly any free parking spaces left on the sides of the street for visitors.
I live in an apartment block on the right of this picture, about halfway down the street. The front of the apartment that I am in looks away from the beach, so no sea views from home. But, there are other views from home that I will show you later in the week.
This street is a dead end at the top (where the picture was taken from), with the result is that there is not much traffic up and down the street. Safe for kitties! (Mind you, I have a small private garden and our cats never travel as far as the street.)
The main shopping street in Sea Point was imaginatively named Main Road, as are many other streets in Cape Town. We will also walk along Main Road later in the week.
Okay, I know that most of you who are aware of the happenings in Sea Point during the past week are eager to find out about the macabre. So we will deal with that first and the rest of the week will be less grim.
Today's stop (now is a good time to take a large sip from that hip flask) is at the scene of the Sea Point gay massage parlour massacre, number 7 Graham Street (point B on the map below.) This is a brisk 10 minute walk from where we started this tour (see picture above) and these sad happenings are currently dominating the headlines of many of our newspapers, news bulletins and talk shows.
Today, while out taking these photographs, I bumped into an old policeman friend of mine who reckons they are very close to nabbing the suspects in this case. But, at this stage the papers aren't saying anything much about what they know and how the case is developing.
The house where the massacre took place.
Do I ever feel unsafe in Sea Point? No. Not ever. Having lived my entire life in a crime-ridden country, I like to think that I have a certain amount of street smarts.
MAP:
Sea Point map - 6 years old and tattered.
Tomorrow we will browse around Main Road and have a look at the odd and quaint shops and people that form part of the rich texture and culture of this little suburb on the Atlantic Seaboard.
IMPORTANT PS: Malcolm, you need to get comments on your site.
