Oct 28, 2009 - Cape Point, Whales and Penguins.

This was to be a very long but thoroughly enjoyable day. Betty & Jerry were totally awestruck with the beauty and as always it is such a pleasure touring the Americans to our magnificent Cape Town and surrounding areas. ... Back home in the evening we went to the Cattle Baron Steakhouse to celebrate my niece Michelle’s 30th birthday.This was to be a very long but thoroughly enjoyable day. Betty & Jerry were totally awestruck with the beauty and as always it is such a pleasure touring the Americans to our magnificent Cape Town and surrounding areas. ... Back home in the evening we went to the Cattle Baron Steakhouse to celebrate my niece Michelle’s 30th birthday....

Oct 27, 2009 - Cape Town and our American guests.

After dropping Mom & Dad plus all our luggage off at my sister’s B & B in Cape Town, we climbed back in behind the wheel and went into the center of the city (45 minutes away) to pick up our American friends who had arrived 2 days prior and were staying at the Holiday Inn. ... It was super seeing Betty and Jerry Berndt again! They had escaped the cold of upstate New York and we having escaped the humidity in Florida were all enjoying this spectacular warm sunny weather in Cape Town. ... We discovered that in the 2 days they had on their own in Cape Town prior to us picking them up - that they had already ridden the “hop on hop off double decker bus” and toured the city a couple of times, had visited the V @ A Waterfront and had also gone up table mountain in the cable car. ... As we only have one week with the Berndt’s in Cape Town this did free up our schedule quite a bit. ... We only have 2 more days left in Cape Town and then it’s on to our three week safari…. ...

Oct 27, 2009 - Family and Betty's Bay.

After a leisurely few days in Cape Town with our family playing “catch up”, we took off for Betty’s Bay with my Mom & Dad. ... 90 kms from Durbanville, the suburb of Cape Town where my sister lives. ... Our drive back to Cape Town on the road running alongside the ocean was just gorgeous and even the whales came out to say “bye” to us as we headed back to the city. ...

Oct 16, 2009 - African Moon - Johannesburg

Whew - glad that long flight is behind us. At lunchtime we stepped off the plane in Cape Town (a 2 hour flight) and were greeted my my sister, Cally and Michelle my niece. ... So here we are in Cape Town for 2 nights and then we will leave for Betty's Bay on Monday morning (Mom's 86th birthday) with my Mom and Dad for a 5 night stay at a beach house. ... Just the four of us.Whew - glad that long flight is behind us. At lunchtime we stepped off the plane in Cape Town (a 2 hour flight) and were greeted my my sister, Cally and Michelle my niece. ... So here we are in Cape Town for 2 nights and then we will leave for Betty's Bay on Monday morning (Mom's 86th birthday) with my Mom and Dad for a 5 night stay at a beach house. ... Just the four of us....

Oct 13, 2009 - Last Day

Its quite sad today as this is my last full day in Cape Town, and tomorrow, I begin the journey home, ever the cautious one, I have allowed way too much time for connection so its taking a while longer to get back, but that's OK. ... Its been a lovely sunny day, and first point of call was coffee at the V&A, I was lucky to watch the re launch the ship I had seen last week in dry dock being put to sea, it was brilliant to watch the use of Men, Rope and Capstans, and how they then put the plug back into the dry dock.Its quite sad today as this is my last full day in Cape Town, and tomorrow, I begin the journey home, ever the cautious one, I have allowed way too much time for connection so its taking a while longer to get back, but that's OK. ... Its been a lovely sunny day, and first point of call was coffee at the V&A, I was lucky to watch the re launch the ship I had seen last week in dry dock being put to sea, it was brilliant to watch the use of Men, Rope and Capstans, and how they then put the plug back into the dry dock....

Oct 12, 2009 - Llandudno

I took a drive back west and ended up back via a fantastic drive through the hills, on the Atlantic sea board at Llandudno, a very posh town with a tiny beach.I took a drive back west and ended up back via a fantastic drive through the hills, on the Atlantic sea board at Llandudno, a very posh town with a tiny beach....

Oct 11, 2009 - Baboons!

A online conversation with mum yesterday we talked about wildlife, and whilst I am not doing a safari, I have now seen some more wildlife. Well right the top of cape Point and the journey back to Cape Town, I saw many of these creatures, I am not really a fan of these, but to prove I saw some wildlife here are my pictures of said wildlife. ...

Oct 11, 2009 - Breakfast on The Table

Today was the 'Gun Run' a running race around Cape Town, and the start (first race 0700) and end being the lighthouse a few yards away. ... by the time the car left the car park was full, and coaches could be seen heading up from Cape Town. ... I guess every tourist that comes to Cape Town takes a trip up here, but are they as mad as me, and avoid the crowds and have a quiet breakfast, and writing this journal. ...

Oct 11, 2009 - Cape Town, part deux

My dear friends and family, Thank you for being so patient with me! I realize it has been almost a month since my last blog post, and so much has happened that I have been intimidated to write once more. But here I am to keep you updated on this wonderful African journey that I have been on! I must say that it is in this second half of my trip that I have truly started falling in love with Cape Town. ... I plan on seeing as much as I can before I leave, which I won’t be able to do just because of the infinite possibilities Cape Town has to offer. ... Luckily I grow closer to the people in my program, and I can already tell I am going to miss them all when I leave.My dear friends and family, Thank you for being so patient with me! I realize it has been almost a month since my last blog post, and so much has happened that I have been intimidated to write once more. But here I am to keep you updated on this wonderful African journey that I have been on! I must say that it is in this second half of my trip that I have truly started falling in love with Cape Town. ... I plan on seeing as much as I can before I leave, which I won’t be able to do just because of the infinite possibilities Cape Town has to offer. ... Luckily I grow closer to the people in my program, and I can already tell I am going to miss them all when I leave....

Oct 10, 2009 - Football

I know hardly anything about football, but its clear on this trip where the World Cup is in 2010, South Africa, in Pretoria I saw a TV mast with a huge football attached, if you look on some of the pictures taken in Pretoria earlier in week you can see it on the hill.I know hardly anything about football, but its clear on this trip where the World Cup is in 2010, South Africa, in Pretoria I saw a TV mast with a huge football attached, if you look on some of the pictures taken in Pretoria earlier in week you can see it on the hill....

Oct 9, 2009 - Cape Town

I awoke really early, and the sun was just coming up, after an invigorating shower, I had breakfast looking out to sea. As I walk along the streets to the main shopping areas and the heart of Cape Town, I feel like I did in Auckland, the buildings are a mix of modern, and historic, (colonial) and it all felt clean. ... The oldest part of Cape Town, and the streets have Dutch Georgian houses all painted in bright colours. ... Its a maze of streets, and I will be honest I would not enter alone, so stuck with fringes and open areas.I awoke really early, and the sun was just coming up, after an invigorating shower, I had breakfast looking out to sea. As I walk along the streets to the main shopping areas and the heart of Cape Town, I feel like I did in Auckland, the buildings are a mix of modern, and historic, (colonial) and it all felt clean. ... The oldest part of Cape Town, and the streets have Dutch Georgian houses all painted in bright colours. ... Its a maze of streets, and I will be honest I would not enter alone, so stuck with fringes and open areas....

Oct 8, 2009 - Speechless in Cape Town

My flight was with British Airways, who are a key player operating local routes from Johannesburg, and the route to Cape Town has no less than three different operators, which means that there is a flight almost every 30 mins! I would call the flight roundness and redness. ... Its also sometimes difficult to comprehend how big Africa is, and indeed South Africa, my flight alone from Johannesburg to my next destination Cape Town is two hours! The time actually went quickly, although the food service is reduced to prepacked sandwiches from a well known food supplier and branded so, it’s a sign of the times I guess, we circled round in front of Cape Town before landing. ... From here I had pre booked a car and time for me to drive on African roads, and into Cape Town. ... Its always a gamble what kind of car your going to get, and I was sure this one despite being new, it felt like I was lying on the floor, and my seat inches from the road surface! A noddy car perhaps Actually it was much easier than I had thought, and with some emailed directions I found myself down the eastern side to collect some keys from a letting agent for the apartment I had booked located elsewhere in Cape Town area. ...