Hey, Charlie...wanna go to Table Mountain?

As we flew into Cape Town we had an incredible view of Table Mountain from above the clouds. As we descended, however, we were surrounded by so much fog that neither one of us even saw the runway until the plane touched down. Thankfully, the fog dissipated as we made our way to the city centre, where we were staying.

Our taxi driver was really great - he told us that Cape Town is very safe (emphasising that it is much safer than J-Burg) but warned us to never let our credit/debit cards out of our sight lest someone copy them, etc. Good advice. One of the first things we saw as we were leaving the airport were thousands of tin shacks in tightly packed quarters along the highway. Our driver told us that the shacks are being replaced by government housing, which we saw a little further down the road. We asked if the South African government takes care of its citizens and he said - rather emphatically - that yes, it does. Interestingly, that night on the news we saw a story about a block of government houses which had been sitting empty for nearly a year while bureaucratic red tape prevented the installation of proper plumbing and electricity. As a result, the families who had been promised the homes were continuing to live in the tin shacks while their new homes were vandalised and used by squatters. Additionally, we saw a story about NGOs defrauding the South African people by doctoring paperwork related to the distribution of food. Their phony records indicated that 10,000 people were being fed each day by registered organisations while the real numbers were closer to 2,000. Such a shame...

Our time in Cape Town has been outstanding. The people are wonderful, and the sites are absolutely stunning. On our first day we passed out as soon as we hit our hotel - 30+ hours of travelling will do that - but were fortunate enough to do some exploring in the afternoon. We came across several open-air markets where we were able to purchase some artwork for our future home. Woooot! We also found a great bar where happy hour drinks were two for R19 (about $3 Aussie), so that was definitely a bonus. Long Street in Cape Town is a really cool mix of boutiques, bars, and old buildings. The storefronts - with the exceptions of the bars & cafes - all have little metal gates in front of them, which the shopkeepers control from their desks. Therefore, you have to be buzzed into the shop, and, in some cases, buzzed out. The few shops which do not have this feature have multiple employees/security stationed throughout. Additionally, police and public safety officers are very visible in the streets - on our way to our hotel we saw about 20 police officers on horseback.

On Thursday we went up to Table Mountain which was gorgeous! The cable car cabs rotate 365 degrees so you don't miss any of the stunning scenery. The weather has been sensational since we arrived - warm enough to wear shorts in the daytime, and cooler at night. South African winter = awesome. Once we reached the top of the mountain we set off on a 2+ hour trek to Maclear's Beacon, which took us clear around the top. After we left the immediate area surrounding the cable car station there was no one around - just us and incredible views of the entire city and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. (We didn't make it over there, but an Irishman on our tour told us you can't really just go and walk around - everything is highly structured and you don't get a lot of time to explore.) As we walked around Table Mountain the fog started to lift and we were able to see the mountains surrounding the entire area which was really incredible. If you ever find yourself in Cape Town, be sure to spend some time up there.

On Thursday evening we met our group for the first time. Most people are only travelling as far as Vic Falls, so we'll see who jumps on after that. The group is largely European, though there are a few Aussies and two Americans. Interestingly enough, the tour leader is American - from Indiana - the driver is from the U.K. (but also has an Aussie passport), and the cook is from Kenya. They seem like a great crew and we're looking forward to getting to know them. (We're also comforted by the fact that most of our fellow travellers have also quit their jobs to get out and explore the world.)

We're preparing to leave Cape Town in the next hour - woooot! We've been having some trouble with posting pictures, but we'll see what we can do the next time we have Internet access.  

Hope you are well!