Cape Town

For dinner last night, we drove around the coast to Kalk Bay (I giggle every time I say that) looking for a restaurant that had been described by our host. We were told there was a building right on the water, with multiple levels and restaurants on each level. Apparently the restaurant on the bottom has to replace it's windows after every storm, it's that close to the water. We drove around, and happened to find a place that vaguely fit the description. It was 2 levels, with about 5 restaurants in the building, at least 3 of which shared the same menu and kitchen.

The building and decor were extremely sketchy. There is a commuter train from Cape Town that winds along the bay, right next to the water in most places. This building was on the water side, so that we had to cross under the tracks from the parking lot to get into the restaurant. We sat on the lower level, but I poked my head upstairs to look around. The restaurant upstairs closest to the water appeared to just be a glass box mounted on top of the restaurants below. There were 2 other restaurants in behind on the upper level, with a large gap in between so that everyone had a view. The roofs of the lower restaurants (where an upper restaurant didn't cover) were just sheets of corrugated cardboard that almost didn't appear to be fully attached to the structure. Our waiter pointed out the one end of our restaurant was curtained off and not used, because the rain was still coming and going, and the roof leaked at that end.

But damn, that place served the best seafood ever! I had the fish and chips with calamari combo (battered hake), UG had the line fish of the day, bluenose. He wolfed his down too quickly for me to taste. My hake was decent, no bones, good batter, tasty fish. But the calamari was to die for. Perfectly cooked so it wasn't the least bit rubbery. It was called the Brass Bell if you're ever in the area.

This morning, it was a little cloudy, so we decided to go into Cape Town and hit the markets and go up Table Mountain later if the clouds cleared.
The area of Cape Town where the markets are is a pretty little area with British colonial architecture, and lots of quirky, independent shops. Unfortunately a severe lack of parking makes it difficult to spend much time there. I guess most people must stay at a nearby hotel and take a taxi to the shopping districts. The market was disappointing, as the prices were very high. And bargaining was expected, but even then, the prices didn't move very far. I ended up only buying a small wooden hippo, only because I wanted a photo of the girl running the booth with her baby tied to her back.

After leaving the market, we found another building that seemed to be occupied by multiple independent vendors selling similar stuff as the market. Prices here were much better, and I bought a giraffe before UG hurried me out because our parking time was up.

By then, the clouds had mostly cleared at the top of Table Mountain, so we headed over to take the cable car to the top. The crowds were insane, likely because the cable car has been closed for the last 2 days due to weather. It took about an hour to purchase our tickets and get to the top.

Now, living in the moutainous area of Canada, I have ridden my share of lifts and gondolas. I am generally pretty comfortable with them. The Table Mountain cable car has the unique feature of a rotating floor so you get to see every angle as it goes up. The combnation of standing, and not being able to hold on while the floor moves makes this a terrifying ride. At least for me. UG was laughing all the way, making bad jokes like "should we be going down this quickly?"

We then drove home via the western coastal road. We stopped to watch the sunset at a pull out, where a makeshift market was just packing up. I bought a huge wooden hippo partially on impluse. I have been looking for a hippo, and they are everywhere, so I have been looking for a "perfect" one. I had basically decided to just buy one, because I get the feeling I am not going to find a perfect one, and UG is tired of me looking. So the purchase was somewhat impulsive, somewhat planned. I hadn't expected to get one so huge, but she was a great price (we'd rather sell 'em then pack 'em!) and she's unique to most of the ones around.
Once the sun dipped below the horizon, we kept going. To get home, we had to follow a brand new toll road, which hugs the side of the mountain above the shoreline. The road cuts through the mountain in a few spots, with ledges cantilevered out above the road. Again, I am used to mountain roads, but in Canada, we support the tunnel on both sides!

And just as we arrived home, I saw a few penguins wandering down the street. I saw a couple last night, too, on the way to dinner. Apparently they go for walks after the tourists leave for the evening.