Table Mountain and African Disney

On our third day in Cape Town, we went to Table Mountain because the sun had finally decided to shine. If you go up Table Mountain when it is cloudy, you can't see anything, so we had been waiting for a sunny day and boy did we get it! Kristin talked me into hiking up the mountain and I was a little concerned, being in flip flops and carrying now water, not to mention the fear for my safety that we had heard about, but I'm so glad I went! The views were absolutely amazing and the exercise was just what my body needed. I guess this hike can be quite dangerous at times with muggings and such, but on this beautiful Saturday, there were tons of people all around us while we hiked. Almost at the top, there was some water streaming down the rocks and I had to take the opportunity to try to add some moisture to my system - yummy!















At the top, the views were incredible. You could see as far as your eye could go in all directions. There was a beautiful blue sky, beautiful blue water and one of the prettiest cities in the world. The island that you can see in one of the pictures is Robbin Island. We didn't have time to make it there, but this was where Nelson Mandela, among many others was exiled and imprisoned. While at the top, I was temporarily turned into a dassie. However I got turned back before heading back down in the cable car. Once back at the bottom, I had to catch a picture of these beautiful trees with the peak in the background. I don't know what kind of trees these are, but they were beautiful and all over on our trip. If anyone knows, can you please leave a comment here to help me out? I searched, but wasn't able to find it. We also went and saw a view of Table Mountain that explains why it's named as it is - cool!























We next went to a couple of wineries out past Shan's house and they were great! The wine is so different than the wines that we are used to in California - it was great to get to taste them and bring a little home. They have a blend found only in South Africa currently called Pinotage - yummy!











That night before we left the next morning for travels away from Cape Town, John and Shan took us to this AMAZING restaurant called Moyo. We later read a review that said it was like an African Disney World. I liked to see it more as a view of some of the older culture of the tribes in South Africa, but I guess it was pretty touristy nonetheless. The restaurant was wonderfully put together with tents all over, mixed in with beautiful trees and lights, etc. etc. When we were seated at our table, a women came up and offered us a bowl of rose water to wash our hands - it smelled so good! She also came around and painted our faces in the way that their tribes would paint their faces during special occasions, like weddings. Our server was a very nice guy from Malawi. In South Africa, they refer to the rest of Africa as "up into Africa" and this guy was more how I would have pictured an African than most of the people we met in South Africa. Funny how our perceptions come to be what they are. I had asked for a typical South African drink, so John asked our waiter and he brought me this really yummy drink made with Amarula, which is a liquor common in South Africa. It is made from the amarula fruit that elephants eat in the wild and then mixed with cream and tastes a lot like Bailey's Irish Cream - my drink was great! Nancy (who is my angel) found her own angel at this place as well. Nancy, Kristin and I played around with hats and being goofy and these are always pictures that I have to share. In finality, I want to show Shan and John and say that they were the most wonderful hosts ever! Shan went out of her way to take us to see all of the best things and took good care of us. John took all of us girls out for a great night on the town and I so appreciated it all. Thank you guys SO MUCH!
















































Definitely the best part of Moyo was the music and performers. This is what I think of as Africa and it was really cool to see. I don't know if this type of music and dance is still very common there or whether the development and Westernization has made it less common, but I loved it.