cape town, south africa

lucky to be the 1st ex-sinkie to be parachuted, oops, flown in after apartheid was lifted. cape town police and "others" were waiting for me at airport in civies. my partner, a louisiana native, arrived later. they understood my amerisinglish but they struggled with my partner's deep louisianan drawl. got whisked away to their hq, and was shocked to see antiquated call center and equally antiquated equipment. but chicks at the call center were all young, in shape, blond and in uniform. the whole cape town police department needed an overhaul as they were no longer just keeping peace but fighting crime. and crime, especially violent ones, spiked the day after apartheid was lifted.

to be continued....

Camping here for more.
In those days, it is cheap to travel to SA

Here are some of the things that you can do in Capetown.

1. Visit ostrich farm ( quite interesting )

2. Table mountain

3. Go to Cape point where the Indian and South Atlantic oceans meet.

4. Visit a township if you want to see how they live.

5. The waterfront ( esplenade ) is also quite an interesting place to spend some time

1 through 4 are best done with a guide who can also recommend some other places to visit.

For food try the family restaurant SPURS. They have good food including steaks at very reasonable prices. If you like your steak rare then you'd better make sure the waiter understands you very well otherwise you'll get something like medium rare.

Ocean basket is good for their seafood and of course there is Nandos.

For the more adventurous guys you can try game food like zebra, ostrich etc etc.

the police in cape town then were mostly white. they had black cops prowling the "colored" neighborhoods and districts, but their numbers were insignificant. after apartheid, droves of criminals arrived in cape town from inland and started jacking up carjackings, kidnaps, robberies, rape and murder. was reading the papers next morning and saw the news about a couple getting shot in their car on their way out of cape town. the police captain told me that was the 1st murder outside of town for a long time. he had strong jaws and a stout build. afrikaan white males are more manly and rugged than those of english descent. you can tell from their jaws, skin tone and bones. descendants of farmers, hunters, trailblazers vs. children of academics, civil servants, colonial aristocrats and weakly soldiers. over a hundred years ago, the british were no match man-for-man against the dutch farmers and settlers. most of the police officers in cape town were afrikaans. but they were afraid and uncertain. they were deep in their guts, as they admitted to me, fearful of the blacks.

to be continued....

eatshitndie said:

... t chicks at the call center were all young, in shape, blond and in uniform ...

to be continued....

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got peekture anot? ... otherwise very dry leh ... :o

po2wq said:

got peekture anot? ... otherwise very dry leh ... :o

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will have to scan them first. meanwhile, you can pcc.

eatshitndie said:

the police in cape town then were mostly white.

to be continued....

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Is the V & A waterfront too touristy, worth a visit?

Did you visit the townships?

How is Cape Town different from Jo'burg, in terms of security & livability?

neddy said:

Is the V & A waterfront too touristy, worth a visit?

Did you visit the townships?

How is Cape Town different from Jo'burg, in terms of security & livability?

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the v&a waterfront is a must. touristy but chic. had my 1st taste of springbok steak in one of the many uniquely south african restaurants. that's restaurant row and shop till you drop place for 1st timers. plus the beautiful backdrop of the table mountain so close by. suggest a brunch or lunch there on an outdoor patio so you can breathe the fresh crisp ocean air, soak under the warmth of the sun, and watch the fog rolls over the mountain like a tablecloth in slow motion. plus it's a busy hangout for good looking folks.

spent some time outside the city at wine country towns such as paarl, stellenbosch and franschhoek. they reminded me of napa and livermore, so it felt like home. their wines are pretty good, with huguenot influence, especially franschhoek, which means french corner. for old cape dutch architecture, visit the township of stellenbosch.

also make day trips to hout bay over the table mountain from the city, fish hoek, gordons bay, and pringle bay. since pringle bay and betty's bay are closer to antarctica, you may chance upon migrating penquins nestling on the beach. the view from gordons bay to fish hoek and simon's town is majestic. blue ocean with an emerald backdrop. reminds me of monterey bay.

jo'burg is a crime pit compared to cape town. moreover, the mediterranean climate in the cape makes it worthwhile to live there. was told by my police escort that madonna bought a large mansion by the bay in 94 when elections were held. not sure if she still owns it. security and safety improved during the world cup, and cape town can be considered south africa's most desirable city to live in and retire today. there will be occasional and random violence in all cities. cape town is no exception. 2 sap cops, one of them female, were shot not too long ago in cape town. the female officer died while the other is in intensive care. in jo'burg, that will not be an occasional occurrence but a daily event.

Have never been to Cape Town, can only share some pictures I found on the Internet. I'm surprise that it actually looks much modern then I expected.

Helicopter view of Cape Town. See that big stadium there?

V & A Waterfront

I love this remarkable Table Mountain in Cape Town. One can take a cable up the top of the mountain and this cable car is rotating and you can see the surrounding in all directions as the cable car ascends. Once you reach the top, the strong wind can blow you off the table top!!! Literally blowing you off!!! The wind is very strong and the top is flat!!! From the top of the table mountain, you can have a wonderful view of the town below and you can also see the deadly Cape Of Good Hope. Simply majestic and magnificient view from the top. It's awesome and you wonder how beautiful South Africa can be, despite all the political upheavals and all the racial issues.

If only everyone on earth can live in peace. The world has so much to offer, so much to see and so much to cherish and enjoy before we all pass on....Cheers to all travellers!!!

kopiuncle said:

I love this remarkable Table Mountain in Cape Town.

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Yes, Table mountain is awesome!

It was windy when I was last there. And I saw this cute animal, the Dassie.




The locals told me of how you can tell whether the storm is coming from the "table cloth (clouds) covering the Table mountain"

How do travel safely in the Cape Peninsula ?


I want to visit Stellenbosch.

There was a scenic drive down the peninsula called Chapman's Peak Drive which was closed due to rockfalls and poor maintenance. Not sure if it is re-opened.

eatshitndie said:

spent some time outside the city at wine country towns such as paarl, stellenbosch and franschhoek. they reminded me of napa and livermore, so it felt like home. their wines are pretty good, with huguenot influence, especially franschhoek, which means french corner. for old cape dutch architecture, visit the township of stellenbosch.

also make day trips to hout bay over the table mountain from the city, fish hoek, gordons bay, and pringle bay. since pringle bay and betty's bay are closer to antarctica, you may chance upon migrating penquins nestling on the beach. the view from gordons bay to fish hoek and simon's town is majestic. blue ocean with an emerald backdrop. reminds me of monterey bay.

jo'burg is a crime pit compared to cape town.

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Jo'burg is a sad story of a city overrun with migrants. My co-worker used to work in De Beers and had many stories to tell, but he is a busy man. He gave me a power point converter for SA but no chance to use it yet. :o

So far, I have not heard anything good about this city.

Looking forward to more info on the Karoo and the east coast.

And when you are in Cape Town, don't forget to pay a visit to the Seal Island - it's a beauty of nature which is unforgettable...Those thousands and thousands of seals are found here on this little rock!!!...It's a geological magic!! A grand testimony of the ecosystem here in Cape Town. The seals are blessed with a peaceful refuge...but it is also a curse because they attract the Great White sharks too!!!

So life is a balance - a fine ecological balance. You multiply in abundance but you also get killed and annihilated.....Nature is a great leveller....






You can in fact come very close to the island of seals...but not too near because of the rocks...sometimes, if you are lucky, you can even catch glimpses of the sharks!!!The dense population of fur seals at certain times of the year attracts the seal's main predator, the Great White Shark. Seal Island provides unique opportunities for those who wish to observe attacks by White Sharks on Cape Fur Seal and to observe social interactions amongst both species. The island is well known for the interesting way the sharks grab their prey: They come up from underneath and literally launch themselves out of the water with the seal in their mouth. It has been shown that if the seals enter the "Ring of Death" (where the sharks circle the island) on the surface instead of at the murky bottom, they will be picked off by the faster and more aggressive Great White.

Thank you for the photos.Very nice .Thank you.

Don't forget the gold mines...Go in and have a nice gold digging experience...



the Voortrekker Monument - the great battles and the early whites who fought and gained victories which have been surrendered...



...the Cenotaph...God's gift to the white settlers...God's blessings to the early settlers...



brave Voortrekker women folks and children...women was power...



Union Buildings....



South Africa is an interesting country...many wonderful places with a rich history...the brave early white settlers and the many great battles with the Zulus...

the fearless Zulus against the colonialists ....the bloody battle of the blood river...

the fearless Zulus against the colonialists ....the bloody battle of the blood river...


wow ! wow ! wow !

I love the earthquake!!! at Sun City...it's so real and so funny!!! But I still prefer Singapore's RWS and MBS

The African sunset over the African grassland....a tribal dance ....an african dinner and a wonderful African experience......A very joyful and hardy people,gentle and friendly in many ways. Enslaved and impoverished for centuries, the Dark Continent is waking up and joining the world of nations - as a proud people, rich in history and rich in culture.





Your choice of game meat...certainly not for vegetarians...









The Dark Continent is opening up but Tourism has also brought along its adverse effects.....on the people and on the cultural heritage of a wonderful ancient people.