Hop on hop off

Thursday and we had planned a trip to Robben Island, but Wednesday was a rainy horrible day so all trips to the island were cancelled, this meant that we couldn't get tickets as all sailing were sold out today! Plan B was the hop on hop off bus. There are 3 different tours in CT, we didn't want to do the downtown one as we had seen most there was to see, the table mountain one was out too so that left the blue line or peninsula tour. We caught the bus at the V&A waterfront, just missing the 10:15 bus so we had to wait for the 10:50. On the bus and we were off- the sun was peaking out so it promised to be a good one. The first stop for us was going to be Kirstenbosch Gardens. We arrived after 11 and set off into the beautiful green gardens. You couldn't have a more beautiful backdrop than the back of Table Mountain. We didn't have too much time to spend as the days are so short and we had lots to see. Our first goal was the Boomslang walk- a beautiful wooded walkway that meanders above the canopy and then back down- spectacular views from up there. Next I had to see the protea gardens - of course not too much in bloom being winter, but enough for me to capture the beauty. But this time we were well past lunch, so a stop at the cafe for a bite. The food was so good- we truly have not had a bad meal in this country. Looking at the bus schedule we realized that the next bus was at 1:45 and we didn't want to miss it- so we gobbled down the food and did a quick hike to the front gate to get the bus. 2 hours is not enough to see these beautiful gardens, I'll have to come back.

Next stop was an "informal Settlement" as the townships here are called. This one only has about 15,000 people living here. The area was originally aloted for 500 families, so there is so much crowding going on. It was also originally called Mandella Gardens as it was during his release that this area sprung up. But so many areas at that time were called Mandella something or other so it changed its name to Imizamo Yethu (Xhosa, meaning "Our Efforts"). The settlement has dismal water facilities; there have very few toilets and no sewerage system. The Disa River which runs through this settlement has the highest level of e-coli bacteria that has ever been recorded in South Africa. We were able to walk through the area with a guide who lives there. We could not ever imagine living here and know how lucky we are. We stopped at the local church, were so many people have visited, including Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu to name a few. The local crafters have set up their wares in here too- I bought a wonderful hand crafted necklace. Next stop was an after school care facility. When we arrived the kids came running- they wanted hugs, high fives and to be picked up. They must see so many tourists, but boy were they cute. We spent a while hanging out with all ages from 2- 10. We didn't want to leave. Back on the bus, we did a tour of the Hout bay, Camps bay area. We were too tired to get off the bus, so we noted that we will have to come back tomorrow. The beaches are gorgeous!! We got back to the wharf at close to 5pm. Of course we were hungry. A nearby place caught our eye as a good place to eat- Vovo Telo, the girls and Frank had a flat bread pizza, while I had to have the curry- bunny chow style. The food did not disappoint. Back to the apartment to start the big pack home. Frank and I headed out at about 8pm, for a quick visit to the Crypt. We had passed by the other day and noted that they had live jazz. We thought we would pop in for a quick show. Street parking was a little challenging, parked we walked by the church lot, the guy asked if we were going to the Crypt as this was the secure lot - good to know. We moved the car and went in. We didn't need dinner but sat at the bar - got some drinks and waited for the entertainment. Pretty soon a singer and pianist started singing, one by one the band came on stage- each song produced a new member of the band. The music was great, the back up singers were pretty amazing dancers too. We stayed for about 90 minutes, but then had to leave, as we had to finish packing. We are so sad this is our last night here- we could most def have stayed longer in this city.