ATOP TABLE MOUNTAIN

SUNDAY 14th NOVEMBER
  Having slept pretty well after yesterday's exertions, I was up fairly early to start packing and then head off for the Red Route bus stop outside the Lord Nelson hotel.  No breakfast today!  Got off to a tricky start when the driver told me his credit card machine had broken down, but after some negotiation he trusted me to pay on the next bus I got after stopping off at the Table Mountain cable car station.  The weather was absolutely perfect, sun shining and not a breath of wind.  The forecast lived up to expectations!

  We travelled through the 6th District which in the '60s had been razed to the ground because it was a resdential area used by various ethnic groups.  Some 60,000 inhabitants were displaced.  The area was partly regenerated as a manufacturing area, but there are still patches of overgrown wasteland where the bulldozers demolished the houses.  We then headed for the financial centre and drove past the Castle which had eluded my previous saunters around town.

   We went through a number of areas that I was already familiar with but the Gold Museum, where apparently you can get a drink with real gold leaf had up to now escaped my notice.  We eventually arrived at the cable car station where a majority of the passangers dismounted.  The view of Cape Town was extensive!

 Reaching the top I was amazed to find that there wasn't a breath of wind on top of Table Mountain, I really had chosen the right day to go up.  In one direction there was a view of Table Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, with an excellent view of the football stadium and Robben Island.

In the other direction was the Indian Ocean with an excellent view of....well loads of ocean!

  All around were rocks and mountains.  I went for about a half hour walk along the top of Table Mountain seaching for McClear Point which is the highest point of Table Mountain - from memory 1075 metres and then it was back to the cable car.

  Then it was back to the bus, where I duly paid my 120 Rand ticket, and a trip down the coastal road back to the harbour.  The butresses on the Indian Ocean side of Table Mountain are known as the Twelve Apostles.  Nobody seems to know quite why, especially as there are 17 of them!

  Note the effect of the south east wind on the small trees on the right of the picture, they have effectively been bent through 90 degrees!  The lighthouse is the original one from the Cape Town Port.  After getting back to the hotel I read on about Nasser's cricketing exploits by the pool, accompanied by a beer.  I then got down to catching up with the blog, during the course of which I spoke to Mark and Jim on Skype.  Now that Mark has got a mike on his laptop, we are able to converse.   

  I learn that he successfully got the job at Imperial College he was after, whilst Sarah has handed in her notice and has accepted the new job she was offered.  Congratulations all round!  And the same goes for our lighting man, Alan, who I am reliably informed performed admirably at the concert in Amersham last night.  Wonders will never cease!

  Worryingly I have had no reply from the accomodation I have booked in Durban requesting that they book a cab to pick me up at the airport.  However as I'm not sure if the new airport is open, and if so if there are two airports in Durban, or only one, maybe it is just as well.  I'll just have to play it by ear.  Anyway I have a cab booked to take me to the airport here for 1.00pm. tomorrow.