Archive for South Africa
OMG – It’s so beautiful here in Cape Town!
Posted by: | CommentsI woke up to a gorgeous sunny Saturday, on the February 17th and I still could not believe myself that I am now finally in Cape Town! The heat from the sun was definitely a pleasant change from the cold, grim and wintry Europe.
I had my shower, grabbed breakfast, packed my small bag with the camcorder etc and dashed out for a quick stroll by the sea. It wasn’t that far from the hotel. Walked out, crossed the road, walked for 2 minutes or so and here I was by the small park overlooking the gorgeous Atlantic Ocean. I took slow big breaths. The air is so clean. I just felt so calm here..
Here is my Cape Town video intro (Taken at a place called ‘Sea Point’):
I then walked along Beach Road (its a long road leading to Waterfront) when I saw Robben Island from a distance. The taximan from yesterday told
me all about this island and it all has to do with Nelson Mandela. This island was the place where he was imprisoned for well over 20 years. The tickets to the island is very restricted and you may have to book at least 3-4 days in advance during peak times. The ticket I wanted was no longer available of course. Its a bit dissapointing but looking back, I really didn’t mind as it gave me another reason to come back 
It took me another 10-15 minutes or so to reach Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or normally known as the V&A Waterfront) and I must say that I was truly impressed with this place. Hotels here are really posh. I should’ve stayed here! Its got the views and everything. So guys, don’t make the same mistake I’d made. If you like things proper, then this is the place to be. It is filled with life, activities and fun. In fact, they’ve got a huge mall as well. Truly remarkable.
I bought a special electric plug here in the mall because our normal UK plug just would not fit in the socket. It didn’t cost that much. Equivalent to 10 quid or something.
Most importantly though, as I exited the mall, I saw this imposing view. I was in awe. Couldn’t say a word.
If you did watch the video, you would’ve seen the big navy ship moored by the pier. Simply gorgeous.
There was a sudden group of people who was peeking over the pier to watch something. Me being the curious one decided to join in as well. To my surprise, it was…
Seals!! But this time it was different. They were tanning themselves. It’s like being in a free tanning shop. Bless them. LOL..
People are everywhere here and there are loads of tour companies doing trips on catamaran, helicopter rides, and trips to see the ‘Great White Shark’.
I’ve always wanted to experience the Great White Sharks at sea and witness the creature in front of me. But again, it was all fully booked. Darn….
Anyway, I walked along the Waterfront and I saw this group of old men playing catchy tunes..
The Waterfront is indeed a hot spot for tourist. I can understand why. I mean, look at this.
Wasnt’t that great?
Good music, great environment and wonderful people. I mean..what more could you ask for right?
Let me tell you one thing I love about travelling. It gives me the key to delve deeper into one’s culture and
experience new things that are sometimes beyond imagination. Things that you simply could not predict. Things
that you never thought of being able to experience and yet through travelling, it opens up the door for you.
In fact, you feel better inside and your mind starts to freshen up. As a result, you operate better and great new ideas begin to flow.
C’mon, you have to agree with me on that one…. especially if you run a business
So, if you’re sitting at home and feeling bored or had enough with work with your boss breathing down your neck, then
call up your travel agent NOW and join me and have a great holiday..
Together, we can make the world a better place.. Hehehehehe
OK, enough of my yapping B-), time to watch another video with overly excited tourists onboard a catamaran heading towards the mystifying sea tour voyage
As the weather here started to heat up, I decided to go for more quick strolls. I went to the souvenir shops and other
local shops here. I am not always a souvenir shopper because I find some of them a bit tacky…C’mon you guys have to admit that some of the stuff you find in these shops are like – ‘Oh God, I’m not wearingthat!’
It was just in time when I was on my way back that I saw this bridge moving. It was nothing special but I thought – What the heck, I’m going to show you anyway…
As I was crossing the bridge, I heard this really beautiful guitar music emanating in the air. It reminded me of someone so I had to find a place to sit. It was getting hot anyway. So, might as well
The guitar was played by a busker but I tought he was really good. He played it with great style.
Anyway, here’s another video for you…
I had booked for a Cape Town city tour in the afternoon and it was getting late. I must get back to the hotel early to get a quick rest and recharge the camcorder’s battery.
I had decided to walk back to the hotel the same way I did this morning but as I was walking past a bus stop – a bus came along and stopped.
I asked one of the local lady here if the bus was going to my hotel and she said yes. I then cheekily asked her if she could ring the bell when it was close to my stop. Again, she said YES. Yippee.
She was a nice lady and I didn’t know where I was going anyway and the last thing I want was to get lost in an area I knew nothing about. Yikes.
The bus fare was nothing. It was equivalent to 2o pence or something. Its cheap
Here are some of the pictures I took this morning.
I’m Finally Here In Cape Town, South Africa :-)
Posted by: | CommentsThe flight from Frankfurt to Cape Town was nothing to worry about. The journey went real smooth all the way.
However, we did encounter mild turbulence during the flight but hey I am not the one whos complaining – you’d expect that anyway. One thing for sure though, – it was definitely far better than flying in with that twin turbo prop plane I was on while en route to Frankfurt.
Big Relief!!
Ok now, before you say. ‘Ambar is a chicken – He’s got issues’.
Hahahaha, well you may have a point there but firstly, allow me defend myself
I have no issues with any planes. I’ve flown tens of thousand of miles each and every year with no problem. However, I just do not like the idea of a ‘FAN’ flying a big object. Even for a very short distance. I am pretty sure that it’s safe but its just that weird feeling I have in the gut that makes me feel quesy :0
Ok, I know I am just being a bit dramatic there but you’ve got to admit, this blog would be so boring without me being dramatic. Drama is my second name…. LOL.
Anyway, I sat next to a nice German lady on the flight and I told her about the story of my travels to date. She was hooked. She couldn’t believe that I’ve travelled the far north of the world and now that I was on my way to the southern part of the world. Bless her Hehehehe
I gave her my travel blog address anyway. I hope she’s reading this now
She did also tell me about the beauty of Cape Town. Her story was so graphic that I was in awe. She bought a house in Cape Town recently with her husband. It’s like a holiday home for them and they fly to South Africa every chance they get.
That made me think, ‘Gosh, is this all true?’. It sounded too unreal to me.
I slept a few hours later and I kept the excitement to myself.
About 10 hours and a few minutes later, the plane landed at the Cape Town International Airport.
As I exited the airport, I was greeted by this friendly chap who asked me if I needed any transport to the hotel. I said yes. He then showed me to his taxi counter where I bought my taxi ticket.
To my surprise, the guy is a Malay. For your information, I am a Malay myself and both of my parents are from Malaysia. This got me excited. He’s a Malay Cape Town. Born and bred. I’ve never met a Malay from South Africa. He did try to speak Malay to me but it had a weird accent to it. I guess its a mixture with Afrikaans accent. Hahahahaha. It didn’t matter to me anyway cause I thought it was rather cool to meet another Malay who are not originally from Malaysia/Singapore
The view as you leave the departure area of the airport was breathtaking. I wasn’t sure if it was part of the Blue Mountain but you can see quite clearly how beautiful it was. This got me excited
Weather was just nice. Very Mediteranean. Sunny with a slight breeze.
The journey to Cape Town did not take that long and we passed by an alarming number of shoddy homes in the slums. I felt really sorry for the people living in there. Apparently, the gap between the rich and the poor are quite significant in South Africa. Hence, the significant number of crimes going on in the country.
That didn’t matter to me as after a 15 minutes or so, I saw the Blue Mountains and the shoreline of the beach. Yippeee. Its goooorrrrrggeeeeeoooussss!
I stayed at this hotel called the Ritz. Sound posh doesnt it but it is not a posh ritzy hotel. It sits by the foot of Blue Mountain and has a rotating restaurant at the top which made me decide to stay here.
Room was okay and as usual I laid in bed and immediately went to sleep.
