South Africa Travel Part II: Table Mountain, Malay Quarter, Castle of Good Hope, A & V Waterfront

January 24, 2017 by admin
Filed under: A & V Waterfront

South Africa Travel Part II: Table Mountain, Malay Quarter, Castle of Good Hope, A & V Waterfront

(continue from South Africa Travel Part I)

Day 2 Sunday, 27 November 2016

Table Mountain, Cape Town

Table Mountain is one of the seven Nature Wonders of the world. Its top is flat with a height above 1000 metres above sea-level. It is made up of many layers of sandstone.

Table Mountain is one of the seven nature wonders of the world

Choo Chaw & wife at the lower cable station of Table Mountain, Cape Town

Formation of Table Mountain

About 460 million years ago, rivers flowing from the north of South Africa deposited many layers of sediments in the south, continuously, forming a high land. Those sediments under constant high temperature and pressure fused together to form sandstone. Owing to constant weathering and erosion, the high land is reduced to a flat-topped mountain which is now known as Table Mountain.

Formation of Table Mountain, Cape Town

Cableway

To go to the top of Table Mountain, visitors have to use Cableway of 1200 metres in length. At the Lower Cable Station(363 metres high), we boarded a cable-car that could carry 65 passengers and rotate 360 degreex for spectacular views of Table Mountain, Cape Town City and the surroundings.

Lower Cable Station(363 m) is connected to the Upper Cable Station(1069 m) by a 1200 m long-cableway

Cable-car that brings tourists to the top of Table Mountain, Cape Town

Table Mountain Upper Cable Station that is 1 069 m above sea-level is seen from the ascending cable-car

Long, thick cables used for pulling and releasing cable-car

The spectacular view of the city of Cape Town as seen from the moving, rotating cable-car

Rock Climbers

On the way up to the Upper Cable-Station, we saw some adventurous people climbing up the rocks to the top of the mountain.

Two adventurous climbers climbing up Table Mountain as seen from the moving cable-car

Another mountain-climber was sighted by the Malaysian tour group in a moving cable-car

Spectacular Sights of Cape Town Landscapes

The cable-car took five minutes to reach the upper station(1069 metres high). When we reached the top we got off the cable-car and were awe-stricken by the spectacular sights of the Cape Town landscapes.

Choo Chaw & wife on top of Table Mountain enjoying the spectacular views of Cape Town

Souvenir Shop

The top of Table Mountain had sparse vegetation growing among weathered and eroded sandstone rocks. A souvenir shop built of sandstone was sited in the middle of the top.

Sparse vegetation growing among the sandstone rocks

Weathered and eroded rocks on top of Table Mountain

A souvenir shop on top of Table Mountain is built from sandstone rocks.

Tourists

On top of the mountain, many tourists were seen enjoying the sunshine, fresh air and breathtaking views of Cape Town City.

Many tourists enjoying themselves on Table Mountain

Malaysian tour group leader, Pek Yee(R), and Cape Town tour guide, Cindy(L), enjoying sunshine and fresh air on Table Mountain

On top of the mountain, we, too, enjoyed the awesome sights of the city, Table Bay, Atlantic Ocean, Lion’s Head, Signal Hill and Devil’s Peak.

A breathtaking sight of Cape Town City

A spectacular view of Lion’s Head and Signal Hill, and their surroundings

Robben Island

There is a significant but small island in Table Bay located about 7 km off the coast of Cape Town City. Known as Robben Island, it served as a prison for about 460 years before it was closed down as a political prison in 1991 and criminal prison in 1996.

Nelson Mandela(1918-2013)

The former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela(1918-2013), was imprisoned in Robben Island as a political prisoner for 18 years(1964-1982).

In 1999 it was declared as a UNESCO Heritage site. Since then it is a popular tourist attraction.

Robben Island where political and criminal prisoners stayed in the olden days

South African Bank Notes

In 2012 South African Reserve Bank printed the fifth issue of five new bank notes in denominations of 10. 20, 50, 100 and 200 rand. On the obverse of each note there is a picture of Nelson Mandela in memory of him as the former President of South Africa who abolished the infamous apartheid law in 1994. It had segregated the White from the non-White for more than a 100 years.

On the reverse of each note there is a picture of an animal, e.g. a picture of rhino in 10 rand note, elephant in 20 rand, lion in 50, water-buffalo in 100 and leopard in 200. These five animals are in “Big 5” that are associated with the animals in the South African National Parks.

All the 5th. issue of the South African bank notes have a picture of Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa

All 5th. issue of bank notes have pictures of animals in “Big 5”, e.g. leopard on a 200 rand note.

Clifton

Looking down one side of Table Mountain, I saw a small beach-town known as Clifton. It has one of the best beaches in the world. Most of the people who live there are wealthy White people.

Clifton has one of the best beaches in the world. Many wealthy white people stay there.

Signal Hill

At 4 p.m.(South Africa time), we left Table Mountain by Cableway and went to a nearby hill of height 363 m known as Signal Hill. It is another ideal place to see the whole of Cape Town City, Lion’s Head, Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak and Table Bay.

Choo Chaw and wife on Signal Hill

Signal Hill(350 m high) is another good place to see the city of Cape Town and landscapes.

Signal Hill as seen from the top of Table Mountain

Cape Town Stadium

Besides, we saw a large stadium, Cape Town Stadium, which is near the city waterfront. It was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and has hosted South Africa Sevens Rugby Tournament since 2015. Local people want it to be demolished as they consider it to be a “white elephant”.

Near the stadium is the A & V(Alfred & Victoria) Waterfront that is a tourist popular place. It has more than 450 outlets for shopping drinking and dinning.

Cape Town Stadium, A & V(Alfred & Victoria) Waterfront and Table Bay Harbour can be seen from Signal Hill

Cape Malay Quarter(Bo-Kaap)

After spending 20 minutes on Signal Hill, we went down to a place known as Cape Malay Quarter or Bo-Kaap. The streets in this place are cobble-stoned and houses are brightly-coloured. They are inhabited mostly by Muslims who are descendants of the Muslim slaves brought in by Dutch East India from Malaysia, Indonesia, Ceylon and India during the Dutch colonial rule in the East. The present dwellers do not speak the languages their ancestors used. They speak Afrikaans and English, too. But they still follow their ancestors’ Malay culture.

Houses are brightly coloured, streets are cobble-stoned and inhabitants are mostly Malays and believe in Islam in this area, Cape Malay Quarter.

Houses are brightly coloured, streets are cobble-stoned and inhabitants are mostly Malays who believe in Islam in this area, Cape Malay Quarter.

A mosque in Cape Malay Quarter

Some roads in Cape Malay Quarter are covered with asphalt

Some roads in Cape Malay Quarter are now covered with asphalt

Castle of Good Hope

Then we went to see a fortress, Castle of Good Hope, in the city. It was built by Dutch East India Company between 1666 and 1678 when there was tension between Netherlands and England. Originally, it was built on a Cape Town coast. As the land was reclaimed later, it was relocated inland where it can be seen now.

Castle of Good Hope, a fortress built by Dutch East India Company between 1666 and 1678 to prevent attack from England

Choo Chaw and wife outside Castle of Good Hope, Cape town

Stunning Table Mountain

When we arrived at the fortress, a concert was to be held soon inside the fortress. So we spent a few minutes outside the fortress looking at it, instead. From the fortress we could see the stunning Table Mountain in the distance.

A stunning view of Table Mountain in the distance as seen from Castle of Good Hope

A & V Waterfront

Then we went to the waterfront of Cape Town where tens of millions of tourists flock there to shop, eat and drink, every year. This place is known as A & V(Alfred & Victoria) Waterfront that has over 460 outlets.

A pictorial map of A & V Waterfront, Cape Town, showing the location of Victoria Shopping Centre

Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, a popular shopping place in Cape Town

Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre

On arrival at the place we visited a large shopping mall, Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, and spent an hour browsing the outlets.

Main entrance hall of Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, Cape Town

Jade Court Restaurant

Later, we went to a Chinese restaurant, Jade Court Restaurant, to have dinner. It was our first meal in South Africa since we arrived there. The restaurant was several kilometres away from the Cape Town City. It was in a large building known as Imperial Terraces sited by a small lake, Tyger Waterfront Lake.

Imperial Terraces housed a Chinese restaurant, Jade Court Restaurant, that Malaysian tour group had dinner, their first meal in South Africa

Jade Court Restaurant was by the Tyger Waterfront Lake, Cape Town.

Southern Sun Hotel, Cape Town

After the delicious dinner, we went back to the city and checked in at a hotel, Southern Sun Hotel. We stayed at the hotel for three nights as we had many places to visit in other nearby places.