The sun
Leaving the chill of Manchester
to the warmth of Cape Town via Paris was one trip I was so looking forward to
for almost a year. It was almost scuppered with the advent of the Omicron
variant when the Southern states of Africa were put on the red list. Were it
not for the fact that I was spending 6 weeks away and travelling through
France, I would have had to cancel my trip.
I love the sun and
make the most of taking in the sun, as you would regularly see me in shorts,
with a half-unbuttoned short sleeve shirt, a seagrass or straw hat, lots of
water to drink, walking more than taking a ride to the Victoria & Alfred
Waterfront or going to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
Obviously, there are
times when I need the shade, some shelter from the direct heat or to cool off
from the warmth. It is strange that of the things we used to do so often in
Cape Town and in Johannesburg, we never visited Häagen-Dazs for ice cream, but
Christmas in the sun can never be beaten.
The sand
Probably everywhere
we could do was green, with grass or other exotic plant life, the sand could
probably be found in the dunes that we once tried to visit but the trip was
cancelled. The tourist activity now boasts electric bicycles or buggies, it is not
what I would feel that confident to do.
Another good view of
the sand can be seen from paragliding and there are many who go tandem
paragliding from Signal Hill to the fields of Sea Point between the main road
and the promenade. Much as Brian would threaten for us to paragliding, I know
it would near happen with his vertigo and fear of heights, to get him on the
balcony takes much Dutch courage, I was surprised when he offered that we go on
the waterfront Ferris wheel after my birthday dinner.
Sometimes, we go to
Camps Bay and walk on the beach, though when we went to the Victoria Bay Beach
near George, it was windy with ferocious white horses, anything but beach
weather. Then we missed out on a place we do love to visit using the City Sightseeing
tour bus, Hout Bay where we could walk in the sand, though we have not.
The sea
I suppose we now
gravitate towards staying near the sea with easy access to the V & A
Waterfront, we are surrounded by water with much to see. The marina there is
occupied with idle yachts, probably a few get to wield their sails if ever,
more they move under motor power.
The fascination is
rarely with the boats but the seals basking in the sun or popping out of the
water, beyond that it is the draw bridge or the swing bridge that lets the
boats out and cuts off passage to the jutting out landscape of the waterfront
and the quays.
For one, we took an
apartment with no obstructive views of the sea where ghost ships might have cruised
at unbelievable knots of speed, but the more glorious view was when MSC Orchestra
came into Cape Town and could not be moored because of the wind, so it loitered
in the bay. What it also heralded was the idea that the pandemic was being put
behind us and what a crowd of passengers we saw trying to board when you saw her
close by, at the passenger’s terminal.
I did not get my feet
wet, not once. How could I have had the pleasure of sun, sand, sea, and sex, in
Cape Town but missed out on ample opportunity to take advantage and commit to
memory the amazing things to cherish. We love Cape Town.