Captivating Cape Town

It is inevitable that one will be fixated on Table Mountain when one is in Cape Town.  It is named such because it looks like a table and is now one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature (along with our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan).

Part of the Table Mountain National Park, the mountain is known for its wide variety of flora including Cape fynbos and protea, the national flower of South Africa. Many of the roughly 2,300 species found at the Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula range are endemic to the area. The mountain’s vegetation is part of the Cape Floral Region protected areas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A view of Table Mountain, one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

One can hike up the mountain but I chose to take the cable car going up, where there are amazing views of Cape Town, Table Bay, Robben Island and the Twelve Apostles Mountain Range. Also found there is the rock hyrax or dassie, a tiny creature that is said to be the closest living relative of the elephant.

After visiting Table Mountain, we checked in at the quaint More Quarters hotel, whose rooms are all facing the streets! It was a beautiful set up and its breakfasts were to-die-for. I also had a wonderful view of the Table Mountain from there.

Some of the flora found in Table Mountain.

We visited the vibrant Victoria & Albert Waterfront or V&A, a complex filled with shops and restaurants. This is where we had our first dinner in Cape Town at the Life Grand Cafe, which is situated in one of the oldest buildings in the area.

The next morning, we took a scenic drive towards Simon’s Town where the South African Naval Base is located. It is a popular place near False Bay for penguin, dolphin and whale watching.

Anton and Ros Potgieter of Cape Town Water Bikes.

Some tourists kayaked around False Bay to see penguins swimming but we opted to try water bikes buoyed by two inflatable floats. It was fun and I did get close enough to the penguins but two hours of this just wore me out. It was a wonderful experience, though! Ros and Anton Potgieter run Cape Town Water Bikes (www.capetownwaterbikes.co.za), the only one in South Africa. Make sure to make a reservation in advance as they have a limited number of water bikes available.

Before heading back to Cape Town, we passed by Constantia, also a part of the Table Mountain range, for lunch. I highly recommend my favorite South African fish called kingklip, one of the lightest and tastiest fishes I had.

Water biking in Simon’s Town.

In Cape Town, we also visited the famous Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, which houses art from all over the African continent.

We had time to spare before dinner, so we went back to the V&A Waterfront for more shopping. Another area worth checking is the V&A Food Market for local Cape Honey or those amazing South African pies and nougat.

A statue of Nelson Mandela at Victor Verster Prison.

Cape Town is known as the most cosmopolitan city of South Africa with a thriving food scene. We went to one of the most-sought-after restaurants in Cape Town — Fyn (www.fynrestaurant.com) with its famous chef Peter Tempelhoff. Its excellent food, definitely worth trying, is composed of local and seasonal produce cooked with heavy Asian influence.

Another must-visit is the Truth Coffee Roasting, named by The Daily Telegraph as the “world’s best coffee shop.” I tried the interesting “Sunrise Espresso,” which had coffee, condensed milk and a shot of orange juice. Its regular coffee was excellent, too. 

A vibrant day at Victoria & Albert Waterfront.

We then headed towards Kayamandi, a suburb of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, to get to know more about local South African life. When we arrived, school children sang for us.  We also visited coffee shops and barber shops around the area.  We did a little more sightseeing and shopping in Stellenbosch before heading to Paarl to stop by Victor Verster Prison, where Nelson Mandela spent the last two years of his life in jail. This is also where he wrote his book Long Walk to Freedom. 

The roads in Paarl were lined with vineyards and beautiful wineries including the beautiful Delaire Graff Estate owned by the jeweler Laurence Graff. We headed to the stunning Avondale Wine Vineyards, which looked like it came out straight from a provincial French garden.

Protea, South Africa’s national flower.

Also located in Avondale is Faber (avondalewine.co.za/faber/), a must-try restaurant. Chef Dale Stevens studied under several well-known and respected chefs in South Africa and now runs Faber. He has his own garden where he picks seasonal vegetables and mushrooms to incorporate into his flavorful dishes. Meals here are paired with Avondale wine.

For our last night in Cape Town, we moved to the newly opened AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront by Marriott. It was a walking distance to the venue of the 20th International Cape Town Jazz Festival.

Ishikawa rice, raw tuna, white soya; rice-smoked duck breast, fermented pear, liver cremeux; ocean trout, carrots and truffles; and Cape Malay squid ‘somen’ by chef Peter Tempelhoff.

Before heading to dinner and the concert, I went to the local supermarkets to buy African coffee, some spices and biltong, a South African jerky. I also bought elephant hair bracelets and wooden carvings.

For dinner, we went to one of the most exclusive hotels in Cape Town called The One & Only. Inside the hotel are restaurants like Nobu, Isola and Reuben’s, where we had our dinner. I had South African oysters and grilled scallops and kingklip with creamy lemon butter sauce. 

Avondale Wine Vineyards at Paarl.

After our divine dinner, we went to the jazz festival, which was quite popular with locals and tourists alike. Too bad I didn’t have the energy to stay the whole night to catch Chaka Khan, who was slated to perform at 2 a.m, as I had to leave for the airport at 5 a.m. 

Cape Town is definitely one of my favorite cities in the world. It was my second time there and everything I did on this trip was different from what I had done before. The city has so much to offer and I am certain it has more things (and restaurants) for me to discover when I visit again next time.

(For more information, visit www.southafrica.net.)

At the 20th Cape Town International Jazz Festival.