Second-from-last day

aloe vera
Originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

Was spent first climbing 800 meters to the top of Table Mountain, with clear views over Cape Town City Bowl. A steep climb up the rocky kloof, past the colourful fijnbos, including aloe vera's like these (from Yemen). A great sense of achievement having reached the top, where we chatted with others who we had seen on the way up. Taking plenty of stops, we made it in one hour and a half, making it one of the shorter, bnut no less interesting climbs. The highest vwould have been Debre Bizen in Eritrea and the climb to the village on the Omo tour, both of which were 2.5 hour climbs. And then there were the climbs on donkeys and mules, but these do not count!

The view down the Cape along the Twelve Apostles was blanked out by localised mist so we could look only down at the City Bowl, Robben Island, the suburbs/townships out to the east and Blouwbergstrand to the north. I have been very disoriented here in Cape Town where the sun and moon both rise from what I instinctively think is west, but is, of course east. Getting to the top helped undertand the lie of the land a bit, but it took a good long study of the map back at the car to work it out completely, and still it feels wrong.

Back down by revolving cable car, which we took to preserve our knees. Apparently there is a great new and widely used drug to help repair damaged cartilege, so if it works, we may climb down the next time we are here.

Then a salad lunch on Kloof Nek road, before driving round the Lion's Head, through Camp's Bay and back to Sandy Bay where we spent the afternoon. Today, totaly clear and very hot, we sat/lay on the rocks and occasionally immersed ourselves in the refreshingly cool and clear waters of the Atlantic Ocaen. Our friends Nigel and Tuomo joined us and we related our respective adventures since thet dropped us of in Tsumeb about five weeks ago. Nigel confirmed that the co-editor of a book recording stories the San tell, in their words, Alison White, is the person we met and enjoyed the company of at Nick and Abi's wedding, over four years ago. A small world. He also confirmed our thoughts about the San/Bushmen and how sophisticated their knowledge is of nature and the envirionment, such knowledge helping them survive so wel the last 30,000 years. Was good to see them, but they are busy chaps and did not stay too long. No dolphins topday, but plenty of healthy sea-weed and brightly coloured anenomes, and again, the amazingly beautiful shaped and coloured rocks/boulders... we were on the one shaped and sized like a whale.

Back here in Cape Town, time for a little internet, before a good dinner at the Nose!

Tomorrow, we have a full day, as we fly out after midnight... so time for Kirstenboasch Botanical Gardens and some book buying if we are not already overweight. Still no craft purchases! What self-control, eh?