We woke up Sunday morning very excited to begin our adventure in Cape Town. We had talked a lot about how we liked that we had split our trip up into two parts: the first being the more self-sufficient, throw-on-a-backpack-and-go style, and the second part staying at a lodge where meals and responsibilities are taken care of for us. This first piece reminded us of our honeymoon in Greece, where we did everything ourselves, did lots of research, spoke to locals, and just enjoyed the journey. We were ready to live it up in Cape Town.
*NOTE* - Be forewarned...this is an extremely long post. And not just because I'm long-winded. We did a ton this first day.
We made our way downstairs for breakfast in the hotel, and we were greeted with a quaint dining area with tables set up with cereal, juice, breads, and yogurt. Once we sat down, a server came and took our hot food order, and within a few minutes we had eggs, bacon and tomatoes to go along with our coffee and juice! It was so nice to have breakfast taken care of in the hotel, because then we were able to just head out and go!
We decided that we wanted to spend our first day in Cape Town driving the long eastern coastline and getting a feel for the culture, food, and climate of the area. Having had our first driving experience under our belts, I was confident that I was comfortable (enough) to jump back in the vehicle and navigate on the wrong side of the road without incident (or more importantly, accident). With catch phrases like "inside left" and "wide right" to remind us of how the turns should be negotiated, we ensured a safe driving voyage.
We set out driving south along the eastern coast to go check out all the fun beach towns the Eastern Cape had to offer. Our first stop was Kalk Bay, a small beach town that was lined with some cute coffee shops and small businesses. It's main feature was a harbor and pier where the local fishermen came in from their morning fishing sessions to fillet and sell their day's catch. We got there a little before they arrived, so we walked the pier and took photos of the old boats in the harbor, the sea lions in the water, and some of the day's catch being filleted. It was probably my favorite part of all of Cape Town. The town was quaint, the restaurants were excellent (we'll re-visit this in a couple days), and it had a real local, "homey" feel to it. Kalk Bay alone made us feel like our 30+ hour trek to South Africa was well worth it.
It was in Kalk Bay that we were first exposed to one of the odd features of the Cape Town tourist culture. In our pre-trip research we had read that there might be some confusion between "parking attendants" and "parking watchers." Basically, the struggling economy of Cape Town has forced some locals to become creative in their money-making ventures, and one of the ways they have made some side money is to stand on the street, and when they see a car about to park, they run to the car, do some fancy hand signals like they are helping them park. Then when you get out of the car, they say "We'll watch your car while you're gone to make sure it's safe!" You kind of awkwardly smile and go on your way. When you return to your car hours later, they come running back to the car and say "I watched your car, no one stole anything!" And as they say this, you notice their open hand extending toward you, soliciting compensation for their valiant deed. Let's just say that this will not be the last time you hear about "parking attendants" in this blog post...
Kalk Bay Harbor
Sea lions below the pier
Kalk Bay Pier
It was in Kalk Bay that we were first exposed to one of the odd features of the Cape Town tourist culture. In our pre-trip research we had read that there might be some confusion between "parking attendants" and "parking watchers." Basically, the struggling economy of Cape Town has forced some locals to become creative in their money-making ventures, and one of the ways they have made some side money is to stand on the street, and when they see a car about to park, they run to the car, do some fancy hand signals like they are helping them park. Then when you get out of the car, they say "We'll watch your car while you're gone to make sure it's safe!" You kind of awkwardly smile and go on your way. When you return to your car hours later, they come running back to the car and say "I watched your car, no one stole anything!" And as they say this, you notice their open hand extending toward you, soliciting compensation for their valiant deed. Let's just say that this will not be the last time you hear about "parking attendants" in this blog post...
Anyway, after spending some time in the Kalk Bay harbor, we jumped back in the car and made our way further down the coast and drove through Simon's Town, another coastal business community. This area had many more shops and pedestrians, with lots of tiny shops and interesting store fronts lining the 2-lane coastal road. We just drove through Simon's Town, as we were on our way to one of Julie's most anticipated parts of the trip...to see the penguins of Boulders Beach.
Boulders Beach is a sheltered beach area where a large colony of Africa Penguins can be observed by (paying) customers. We made our way to Foxy Beach, where the observing boardwalks the opportunity to get up close and personal with the penguins. Julie was in absolute heaven, looking at all of the birds flapping their wings, waddling on the beach, and swimming in the ocean. We spent some time taking photos, walking around, and taking in the sights of the beautiful area, and as the afternoon progressed, we started to realize it was definitely time for our next meal.
Penguin gang
Think she's happy?
We jumped back in the car and decided to cut across the mainland a bit to make our way to another popular destination, the cove at Hout Bay. To do that, we entered a windy toll road that took us through an area called Chapman's Peak. And if ever my patience was going to be tested behind the steering wheel of a car, this was that moment. This was the most winding, back and forth, switchback-filled road I'd ever driven...and I had to do it with the passenger side basically dangling over the edge of a cliff! By the time we got to the bottom of the mountain, I realized I might have been a tad stressed, as I realized I hadn't breathed in about 10 minutes and I looked down to see my white knuckles glued to the wheel. Deeeeeeep breath....
A quick break at the top of Chapman's Peak
After the drive of death we made it to Hout Bay, a small cove known for its food and local craft and food markets. On another lunch recommendation from the LP Bible, we stopped at Fish on the Rocks, a bayside fish market that specializes in fish and chips. The best part about this place was that you got to pick the fish you wanted for your fish and chips (fries) meal. Julie decided on the yellowtail, while I went with the hake, a mild white fish. They gave us absolutely insanely huge serving sizes, and did an incredible job of battering and frying the fish without making it ridiculously thick and greasy, and allowed the fish to be the star of the meal. We would both agree later that it was probably the best fish and chips either of us had ever had. We had the food out on a picnic-style, community table overlooking the bay and the peak we had just traversed, and after inhaling the food, we did our best to peel ourselves off the seats to explore the nearby market.
The Hout Bay market was definitely one of the most culturally appealing parts of our Cape Town experience. As soon as we walked in to the massively large circus-tented bazaar, we were presented with some incredible sights, sounds and smells. The local vendors were peddling their sculptures, crafts, apparel and toys, while the music vendors played songs of local South African artists. The food vendor area was by far the most impressive, with an incredible hustle and bustle surrounding the food carts, wine bars, beer taps, and food sampling areas. We saw so many unique types of food and variety of options that, had we not just gorged ourselves on fish and chips, we probably would have wanted to sample everything. The atmosphere was electric, buzzing with locals and tourists alike. Definitely a cool hangout spot.
After tooling around the area a bit longer (and being accosted by a "parking attendant"), we had a nice drive to the western side of the cape en route to another popular beach town, Camps Bay. When we arrived, I was very much reminded of Santa Barbara, with the long beaches lined with grassy areas between the sand and the road. We took the opportunity to slip off the shoes and walk the beaches and tidepools and enjoy the crashing waves on the rocks. After being approached by a couple bold beggars and peddlers, we decided it was time for a drink, and Julie had a place already drawn up right on the coast. We went to Caprice, a nice sunset-special type cocktail lounge with outside seating that looked across the road to the ocean. We sat back and took in all the sights and sounds of this awesome town, including a couple street performances by some locals. Definitely one of those moments where we remembered to take in our surroundings and just breathe.
On the beach in Camps Bay
Drinks at Caprice and the LP Bible that got us there!
And then the fun began.
As I mentioned earlier, the streets were crawling with self-appointed parking attendants with absolutely zero legal authority looking for a cheap way to make a buck. Well, after having been accosted a couple times that day already, we were over it. As we walked back to the street where our car was, we saw the attendant from very far away, and before he saw us. Our car was parked at the very top of this long street, just before a T-intersection where we would be heading next. The attendant was between us and our car, and Julie and I knew that if we passed this dude, he would follow us all the way to our car, then ask for a tip, even though he probably hadn't even so much as looked at our vehicle over the past two hours. So Julie and I made a bold play. We decided to take the long way, divert ourselves to a side street, loop all the way around that T-intersection and bypass the guy entirely. As soon as we got to the top of the street, I poked my head around the corner, saw the guy at the base of the hill with his back to us, and I gave Julie the "coast is clear, let's go" sign. We bolted for the car, jumped in, and tore off straight ahead, never looking back. We beat the system. And we were proud. And just as a final note (I promise) on the parking attendants...how deserving of a tip was he if we were able to steal our own car without him seeing? Justice was served.
As I mentioned earlier, the streets were crawling with self-appointed parking attendants with absolutely zero legal authority looking for a cheap way to make a buck. Well, after having been accosted a couple times that day already, we were over it. As we walked back to the street where our car was, we saw the attendant from very far away, and before he saw us. Our car was parked at the very top of this long street, just before a T-intersection where we would be heading next. The attendant was between us and our car, and Julie and I knew that if we passed this dude, he would follow us all the way to our car, then ask for a tip, even though he probably hadn't even so much as looked at our vehicle over the past two hours. So Julie and I made a bold play. We decided to take the long way, divert ourselves to a side street, loop all the way around that T-intersection and bypass the guy entirely. As soon as we got to the top of the street, I poked my head around the corner, saw the guy at the base of the hill with his back to us, and I gave Julie the "coast is clear, let's go" sign. We bolted for the car, jumped in, and tore off straight ahead, never looking back. We beat the system. And we were proud. And just as a final note (I promise) on the parking attendants...how deserving of a tip was he if we were able to steal our own car without him seeing? Justice was served.
We finished the drive back to our hotel, and showered up before we would go out for dinner. We consulted the LP Bible again, and this time we settled on a restaurant named Gold. It was a restaurant inside a local museum, and was advertised to have some cool live entertainment and good food. After getting the necessary directions via the hotel WiFi, we jumped back in the car and rolled down the hill to find Gold. We found it quickly, and as we walked up to it, we found a big huge oak door that was closed, with a sign that said to use the intercom. Julie buzzed in, a security guard answered, and then this happened...
Guard - "Hello?"
Julie - "Yes, um, we're here for dinner..."
Guard - "Uh, ok..."
(long pause)
Guard - "The restaurant is no longer here. It moved."
Julie (confused) - "Oh, um, ok. What's the new address?"
After some tough deciphering, eventually not hearing the correct street name, we rushed back to the hotel, Julie looked for the new address, and found that the place had relocated close by, so we headed out to the new Gold restaurant. We laughed the entire way to dinner, thinking what that security guard must have thought when Julie randomly buzzed him saying "Umm, we're here for dinner?" Hilarious.
After a really short drive, we found our way to the restaurant, which was tucked away on a small dark road with very little lighting. But as soon as we stepped in, we knew we were about to have a great experience. All of the staff were dressed up in traditional South African dress, headwear and facepaint, and we were immediately escorted up to the second floor of the 3-story restaurant. Now, in addition to the live entertainment, the main reason Julie chose this place was because she found out they serve a special 12-course set meal. Yes, you read that right. Each person gets 12 courses. All you do is sit down, select some wine, and then you don't do any ordering...you just let the food parade begin. Knowing I'd be blogging about this later, I did us all a favor and just took a photo of the menu (sorry for multiple photos, the menu was too large to fit legibly in one photo)...
The first seven courses
The next five courses
Bread, soup and biltong dip
The main entrees
All the food was insanely good. We didn't want any of the courses to end. The soup and bread were incredible, and the samoosas were wonderful. All the meat and vegetable dishes were uniquely seasoned and marinated, and the desserts were a perfect end to the meal. Throughout the insane food fest, we witnessed three live musical performances, where the staff played bongo drums, dances, and brought some guests out to dance with them. All the performances had a story element to them, although being in Afrikaans, it was harder to follow. One show had some odd over-sized puppets with oddly positioned breasts come out and dance, which freaked Julie out. One of the shows had this crazy woman come out with a Tinkerbell-type wand and dumped glitter all over me. Now, for those of you that don't know...I HATE glitter. I hate it so much that I get upset when I get birthday cards with glitter. And this woman just took that and multiplied it times infinity. I was literally sparkling in the restaurant.
Don't do it...
Oh, and then this happened (watch until the end, it's worth it)...
Note the breasts.
Yep, 14-courses meals, glitter, and puppet abuse. This place had it all. And to top it all off, as we left, our waitress offered to paint our faces with South African markings. So then this happened...
Would you expect anything less?
Just another normal night, right?
*NEXT UP* - We head to Cape Town wine country, meet some baboons, have some young drunk companions, and get incredibly confused finding our restaurant for the second straight night.
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