Cape Town Archives - Escapes From The Little Red Dot

SA 2013 Day 15 – From Hermanus back to Cape Town

Posted on August 16, 2013September 27, 2019 by ziyi

Woke up today feeling unwell. The weather outside remained gloomy but a rainbow soon appeared in full view from our room. Attempted to go to the beach for a little walk to see if we could catch sight of whales close by but after reaching the beach in the cold wind, my poor health status got the better of me and we trekked back for breakfast instead. Didn’t eat a lot of the complimentary breakfast, which I thought looked really good and just had African Rooibos tea which was said to aid digestion. As I proceeded back to our room to take a rest, I approached the owners for some digestion pills and that helped improve my situation. Slept for a bit before we checked out the room and headed to town again for some whale watching and pills shopping. The plan was to drive to Oudtshoorn but since I wasn’t feeling too well, we were thinking otherwise. What really changed our idea completely was when we saw the amount of whale activity going on at the same spot we were the previous evening and that got us hooked to whale watching for practically the whole morning!

Rainbow arising from the ocean in morning.

The edge where people climb to in order to get closer pictures.

Famous whale crier of Hermanus blowing the horn to communicate with the whales.

The whales were pretty active today. We wanted to get some pills first and so while walking near to the whale viewing spots, we saw whales coming out of the water. After we reached, the activity then lessened. Just when we thought it ended and started to turn around, the whales came out of the water again. We turned back and again the activity lessened. It was like hide and seek in a mean way. Finally we decided to just leave first, get the pills and whatever we needed from the shops and returned. It wasn’t too bad an idea cause after we returned, we saw whales coming out from the water pretty frequently!

Whale coming out from the water seen from shore.

Sequence shots of whale coming out of water.

Hooked till it was close to noon and by then it was really late. As we need to get into Oudtshoorn for an Ostrich farm visit, 5hrs drive away, we figured it was too late and not a good option, since we need to return to Cape Town the following day early so as to get on the afternoon ferry to Robben Island, it definitely does not seemed like a good deal. Back to Cape Town.

Mountain views on the way back to Cape Town.

Since we planned for a ostrich farm visit, we decided to visit one too, not too far away from Cape Town. Punched in ostrich farm near destination Cape Town into Garmin and we were on our way. Cape Point Ostrich Farm.

The farm was situated at the location close to the Cape National Park which we found really familiar since we were there on the first day of our visit to Cape Town. The drive was really easy, not many vehicles on the road and both road signs and directions from GPS was easy to follow. Conditions of the road was good too. Took about 2hrs to reach the ostrich farm. Thought that there was some restaurants nearby but was not what expected – a simple restaurant at the farm but selling foodstuff from the farm itself. In the end we bought a muffin for lunch as I was still feeling bloated.

The tour ran every hour and we were able to join one soon after. It was a “private tour” in a sense since we were the only people there at the time. A guide from the farm met us at the waiting area and walked us around the farm, explaining what their farm did, how they breed the birds and stuff like that. Along the way, we saw birds of different ages, held in different holding area. Educational for people who were interested in these birds.

The tour was about 15-20 mins. There wasn’t much interaction with the birds and you couldn’t ride a bird there, a little different from those in Oudtshroon. Understood from the guide that it was cruel to ride one anyway and that usually those birds would get injured and often killed after that. Since theirs was a small establishment and they weren’t keen to put the birds under stress, they did not have that. Point taken.

There was bird feed that was on sale at the waiting area which we bought to feed 2 birds that were out in the open fenced up area. They were left there so that they could mate. The wind was really strong but these 2 birds didn’t seem much affected by it. It was really amusing to feed them as they weren’t really smart, especially the male, which did not know how to reach my hand when I brought the feed close to the ground and it was obstructed by the top horizontal wooden log. The female stuck her head between the top and bottom log and managed to pick some feed off my hand. We were told during the tour that these birds weren’t smart and had very small brains, but I guess the feeding experiment showed that the male bird had the smaller one.

Female bird which is not as brightly coloured as the male.

Male bird, bright red beak showed that it was on heat.

We didn’t planned anything else that day and thus we decided to just drive around and stop at places with good views. Weather wasn’t on our side so we didn’t stop any many places either. Revisited Simonstown and parked at a location that was indicated panoramic viewpoint on the GPS. There was a rainbow yet again. We looked out for whales too but didn’t see any. However, as we drove along the shore towards Cape Town, there were some places where we could also see whales sticking their fins out of the water.

We reached Cape Heritage hotel in the early evening and approached the receptionist for assistance since we didn’t reserve a room. She was really helpful and managed to get one room for us such that we did not need to change room for the next night. It was a different one from the first time that we were there, designed differently but just as nice. The only complaint was that it was a just above the pantry and noise from the pantry was really audible in the room.

Had dinner at a Thai restaurant called “Simply Asia” around the corner and had some spicy food which really warmed us up in the balmy weather. The food was ok but a welcome change to the daily western cuisine that I was getting a little sick of. The small restaurant was busy and there was a commotion when someone who didn’t pay for some takeaway left the restaurant. Also enjoyed watching the TV that was showing world athletics games, a channel that we didn’t have in the hotel.

Spacious bathroom with tub and separate shower and double basins.

Back in the room, we went online to look at the options we had the next day if the Robben Island tour was to be cancelled again, which was very likely. We heard news the good weather would only return the following week after we left. That was really unfortunate.

SA 2013 Day 14 – Cape Town to Hermanus for Whale Watching

Posted on August 15, 2013September 27, 2019 by ziyi

Today we checked out the Cape Heritage Hotel for our onward journey to Hermanus. We spoke to the recept on leaving the bulk of our luggage at the hotel since we were coming back a few days later and they agreed! This would have helped us save some costs in terms of fuel since we would be carrying less load on this mini road trip.

We went to the Skinny Legs cafe for breakfast which was a few streets from our hotel. It was a modern design cafe with pretty good food!

After breakfast, we packed a sandwich each for our Table mountain climb from the same cafe and went back to the hotel to wait for our pickup. The company “Around about Cars” sent a vehicle to picked us up to the company which was just around the corner. Gone through the usual procedures which was done pretty quickly, partly because there weren’t many people there and we were soon off with our Nissan Latio equivalent with a GPS. 1st stop was Table Mountain.

Parked near the Platteklip Gorge climb entrance. Misty background was the route upwards.

Reached the climb entrance where there was a parking lot for a few cars. We stayed in the car for some 15 mins to observe the weather, hoping that it would really change for the better. But the cloud did not dissipate for as long as we waited so we decided to take a risk and tried climbing. After all, there were just steps and should not be too difficult.

View of the city from the parking lot. It was one of the better times during the bad weather.

Signboard of the Platteklip Gorge entrance.

So we started going upwards. The weather was really cold but we wore enough to keep us warm. The steps were easy but a little slippery. Started climbing for about 10mins and was stopped abruptly. The flight of steps had a stream of water gushing across it and we weren’t able to cross it and thus had to make a U-turn.

The little stream on the left interrupted our climb.

On the way down, we noticed a group of 3 locals also attempting the climb. We told them about the stream but they appeared unhindered and continued on. I supposed they were going to go for it. Upon reaching the car, we did not see the group coming back down so I guessed they really made it through. It was also a wonder how they managed to get up to the entrance in the first place as it was a really long walk up! Salute to these experienced walkers!

Punched in the next destination, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, an Unesco heritage site. This was part of our contingency plan since we did not really know if we could do the climb. It was not too far away from Cape Town and also en-route to Hermanus so it was not a bad idea.

Intro signage at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

We also read that the garden had a nice collection of flowers and a lovely view of the city with the Table Mountain as the backdrop. It was not far off from expectation if not for the misty weather that plagued the city view and the Table Mountain. And it was still winter but there were still some flowers in bloom.

And of course, we were there to look for the National flower, King Protea.

King Protea - about the size of the hand. — King Protea – about the size of the hand.

Walking around the garden didn’t take too long. For one, we weren’t exactly flower people and two, there was not much flowers due to the season. But it was a refreshing view from the city or the safari.

A duck family with ducklings waddling behind.

Our lunch place where there is a pond and the mountain view. But it was cold too!

The garden was split into various sections, we chose some to visit and also attempted to explore a route that led to Skeleton gorge, which we didn’t know any details about it and later gave up as it looked like an never ending route up to Table mountain. Had a coffee at the cafe in the gardens before it started to drizzle and then left the gardens during the periodic stop of the rain.

Yellow Crane flower, known as Mandela's Gold — Yellow Crane flower, known as Mandela’s Gold

So we began our road trip towards Hermanus. The route was straight forward and driving on the highway was really easy. The initial plan was to take a boat trip out to sea for whale watching but it was also cancelled due to weather. So we decided to just do the whale watching from the shore, as many had claimed that the whales were close to shore for our viewing pleasure.

Clouds covered skies most of the time with the occasion rainbow that brightened the drive.

Short 1.5hrs of driving and we reached the Hermanus Beach Villa and checked into a Grotto suite on the 2nd floor that had a good view of the ocean. We were told that some whales were seen really close to the shore while the owners were preparing breakfast at the ground floor. That really got us excited. We stayed in the room for a while watching out in the far but did not manage to see anything. Then we went to Hermanus town where there were higher chances of whale sightings, as told to us by the lodge owners.

Town was just a 10 mins drive away. Parking was easy since there are many parking lots available. There were already some people near the stone shores looking out at the whales, and soon enough we could already see some parts of the whales when they surfaced for air!

Again, although the whales were not too far away, it posed a challenge for my camera without a good telephoto lens. We had to depend on digital zoom.

A shot of some parts of the whale surfacing.

Stayed for at least an hour just watching these water mammals in sea was really amusing. Though it was really windy and cold, we can’t help but had our eyes glued to the ocean just so that we didn’t miss any actions. Would have spent more time if we could but the sun set and we went to the nearby Burgundy restaurant for dinner. Tripadvisor was accurate on this, the food was excellent!

While at dinner, we took the window seat so that we could try to see some whales during our dinner. And then we caught a glimpse of whale jumping out of the water, once. The waiter who was staring outside witnessed the whole event and informed us but it was too late already. That’s wildlife, nothing is planned and luck was all we had.

After dinner, we drove back to the lodge for our overnight stay. The temperature was really cold and so was the room. The helpers brought some some warm water bags to be placed under the sheets to provide warmth for our sleep, that made the stay so much heart warming too.

SA 2013 Day 13 – Cape Town City Tour

Posted on August 14, 2013September 27, 2019 by ziyi

This day began with bad news over breakfast. The morning tour to Robben that we booked was cancelled due to bad weather and it was informed to us via SMS. It was a real bummer as we were looking forward to visit Robben Island to know more about the history of Africa and the former president Nelson Mandela. Furthermore, we had also arranged the guide to do a transfer for us to the harbour and he had on the other hand, have his wife do this transfer while he had to attend to another group of inbound tourists. As soon as his wife arrived, we informed her about the information and she immediately called the guide. There were several exchanges on the phone and soon she left and he came for us, to carry out the afternoon activity, which is the Cape Town half day city tour.

Again there were some grumblings on why we did not inform earlier but still we proceed with the tour. Got in the vehicle and we were taken around the city in the freezing Cape Town morning.

Easily the oldest building in Cape Town, Castle of Good Hope, now a musuem. Not much of the castle left though.

English style building that resembles Big Ben

After a while, we got off at some street to walk around. We were brought to a piece of the Berlin Wall given to Cape Town as a gift.

Piece of Berlin wall at St George's mall — Piece of Berlin wall at St George’s mall

Then we proceed towards the Company’s Gardens, we were introduced to one of the cathedral where Nobel Prize winner Tutu used to preach.

2nd oldest building in Cape Town, once a slave lodge, refurbished as a museum.

The gardens had a collection of plants (though we were not sure what) and some statues. Some interesting old plants and various plants were also found here, brought to Cape Town long time ago from Asia.

Oldest tree in the gardens, currently requiring man made supports.

After the gardens, we were driven to Green market square for a little walk.

One of the old buildings with English architecture at the square

After the city tour, we were driven to signal hill where a panoramic view of Cape Town can be seen. It would have been better if the table mountain wasn’t covered with clouds.

Another popular natural landscape in the form of Lion's head — Another popular natural landscape in the form of Lion’s head

The next stop was Bo Kaap, where the Cape Malays stayed in the past. The pastel coloured buildings were the highlights of this visit.

Indicates the number of shots it has fired. Our visit was the 65164 times

The Noon Day Gun was really a impressive culture that was practised for ages and was the longest running of cannon firing in the world. The cannons were also original with slight modifications to auto firing that was linked to the time station so that the cannons fired off at exactly the correct time.

There were 2 guns side by side. If one did not managed to fire, the other one goes off. The guns were fired alternatively. After the flag raising and an introduction to the history of this custom and the workings of the cannon and the auto ignitor, we were counting down. And the shockwave felt after the “boom” was fantastic!

Smokes followed the bellow of the cannon

This concluded the half day tour and also our meeting with the guide. We were dropped at V&A waterfront for lunch and to spend the day since there wasn’t anything planned for it. We were supposed to get a refund from the ticketing counter in the Robben Island museum also at the V&A waterfront, for the reservation made online. We explored the places for a little after lunch since we didn’t do it the other night since it was late already and in the day, the waterfront was a really big place to look around.

A ferry entering the habour. A movable passenger bridge rotated away for the ship to enter.

The museum was just across the ferry crossing. There were a few tourists who wanted to visit Robben Island. Unfortunately, there weren’t any ferry services on that day. Even if there was, the tickets were way too hot to be still available for counter sales, which was why we bought it in Singapore before arrival. Talked to the sales rep and informed that we wanted to try to visit again on the coming Saturday, hopefully if the weather could improve.

Inside the 3 storey Robben Island museum

Nice little quay side that kinda reminds me of boat quay in Singapore, though nicer

We walked around a bit. There was a tourist center which we visited for advise on climbing the table mountain and was told that the cable car going up the top of table mountain was closed for maintenance. However, we could still try to climb but require a taxi at least to the bottom of the Platteklip Gorge route climb. The time required was 4hrs and at that time, it was a already late so we had to forgo the idea. At this time, we were already considering to change some of our itinerary to spend more time in Cape Town and postponed the garden route to another time.

Saw 2 garnets fighting for fish a the harbour

While walking around the harbour, we finally got to witness the flat top of the table mountain as some of the clouds start to move away from the top. There we finally got the shots that we wanted, with help of some other tourists who were also busy taking photos themselves.

There was a place where there is a collection of food such as crepes and ice-cream and we thought we would have our dinner. Just close by was also a collection of handicraft shops that we bought a couple of towels with customised designs and keychains made from buffalo skin where names could be etched together with the wildlife design that was on the buffalo skin. The gifts for family and friends back home were all settled there and then. Took some photos before sunset, where there was also a rainbow seen from Nobel square before dinner and back to the hotel for some renewed planning.

While back at the hotel, the first thing we did was to cancel the booking for the 3 days garden route driver, informing him of our change in plan. Then we looked up vehicle rental and booked online for a vehicle. These 2 days in Cape Town gave us much confidence in the security of the city and also its drivability and we had no doubt that the car was the way to go explore Cape Town. Then, we also made a booking for an accommodation over at Hermanus which wasn’t in the plan previously since we wanted to stay further away in Kysna instead. We had to forgo the costs of the accommodation at Kysna since it was to late to cancel it already. Finally, we hoped again that the weather becomes better.

SA 2013 Day 12 – Full day Peninsula Tour to Cape point and penguins

Posted on August 13, 2013September 27, 2019 by ziyi

After a comfortable but slightly noisy windy night, we awoke to welcome the freshness of the morning and of experiencing of a new location, Cape Town! Breakfast wasn’t included and it was just next door at the Awestruck Bistro that we found lovely breakfast.

Before leaving the hotel, we received a call from the guide who was supposed to meet us at our hotel at about 830am, dispersing the confusion that we had the previous night due to the delay in our flight. Our hotel was pretty close to the tourist information store, and there was a good amount of information in the form of brochures and a helpful personnel to advise. We had booked most of the stuff back in Singapore and thus was not willing to change unnecessarily. A skydiving trip was really enticing but we were told that it was unlikely since the bad weather was going to stay till after we left. Bad luck! Went back to the hotel to meet the guide, who obviously wasn’t really impressed with our lack of communication and he requiring to wait for us 2hrs in the airport but still, we agreed on some form of compensation and we were good to go.

As we embarked on our journey to first stop on the Peninsula Tour, we were greeted with scenic landscapes of the lovely Cape Town. The weather was fine and we were hopeful for an enjoyable tour since bad weather would really dull the photos.

Some clouds, mountains and the ocean. Shot from the vehicle

The wind was blowing all the sand from the shore onto the buildings

After some 20mins of driving, we arrived at a jetty that we would be taking a small ferry out to seal colony. We were informed that it was going to be choppy and thus brought along all the warm clothing that we had for the trip, at least we should be protected from the winds.

Waited for a while as the ferry was still out from its earlier trip. There was a visit from one of the seals at the harbour and it seemed like it was used to visiting as it went pretty close to the deck and a local kid was feeding it.

We boarded the ferry and went to the front section where there were seats. Leaving the harbour was fine as the waters were still not that bad. Once out, the waves started crashing onto the stern and often water splashed inwards. At one point, the assistants had to make everyone move and take shelter at the back. It was really choppy and luckily we did not have a late heavy breakfast or we would have had Merlions on the ferry. Soon we arrived at location where we can see an island made of rocks and seals, some 50m away.

An island of seals in front of an overcast backdrop

The trip out was not entirely interesting as we had previous experience of similar trips elsewhere. And it would have been definitely better if not for the choppy sea. The ferry left the dark clouds behind as we went back on land and continue towards Chapman’s peak.

Chapman’s peak presented to us a panoramic viewpoint of Hout’s bay, and coupled with that short period of good weather that was on offer, we took it all in, in awe.

Lovely Hout's bay from Chapman's peak — Lovely Hout’s bay from Chapman’s peak

After spending time enjoying the scenery, we moved along the scenic mountain side drive towards the boulders penguins. Along the way, we passed by nice little towns like Simon Town. It was an English town from days of past and evident in the Victorian architecture in the some buildings design.

Moving along the main road and then into a side road to the home of the Boulders’ penguins some 15 mins later. The guide dropped us, provided us a time of return and instructions to get to the penguins entrance, walked some 200m, paid the entrance fees and went in to one of the most beautiful places there was! A sanctuary for both penguins and penguins lovers!

This place provided a natural habitat of the birds to live, close to the ocean where they feed. There were elevated wooden pathways slightly above the ground for humans to walk on by, yet so close to observe these birds in the habitat. And these birds have the most awesome of views for their living space, envy!

Awesome view of the beach from their habitat

Whatcha staring at? Shot while standing directly above it

Penguin with a human made artificial nest

As usual, we took longer than planned and went to meet up at the Seaforth Restaurant, walking distance from Boulder’s entrance and had our lunch there. Typically crowded since it was the nearest restaurant, with a nice sea view while you dine. Food was ok, tad bit slow due to crowds but no drama.

Proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope. It was about an hour’s drive from the penguins. After some driving, we reached the famous sign that indicated the Cape of Good Hope location. Of course, I got the touristy photo of it. There were some tourists, but we arrived early and so only one tour bus was around. Queued and got a good shot of the sign.

On the way towards the sign, we saw some wild ostriches. And shot a picture of a ostrich feeding beside the ocean, one of the few chances to see something like that.

After the sign photo taking, we moved on to more awesome panoramic landscapes by going to the old lighthouse atop a mountain. Took the funicular up to a station and continued to climb some steps until we reached the lighthouse location. Breathtaking, in terms of the exercise and the views. But thoroughly enjoyed it. Again, time was given to meet up and we took too long, snapping photos of the landscape and the lighthouse and also spent some time shopping at the souvenir shop.

Lighthouse with a bunch of other tourist

It was a 2hrs drive back to Cape town. Though it was still early, we were keeping to the time of the guide, since he was paid for that day tour only. This was something I did not really appreciate but I understood it anyway. Through this trip, I knew I could do probably do a self drive, and Cape Town really gave a different feel in terms of safety as compared to Joburg. Cape Town was really doable in terms of getting around in a car. I would have more flexibility in spending time if I had chose to drive.

At about half past 5pm, we were back at the hotel. Informed about the time for meetup the next day and the guide left. Didn’t have the opportunity to look around and so we did that. The hotel had the oldest vine in its garden and we had a look at it. There was a rooftop jacuzzi but the weather was freezing cold to be enjoying it there. Retired to our room for a short rest.

From our room, we can barely see the Table mountain. So I went out onto the streets to see if I could capture a better view. At that time, I wasn’t really comfortable with the security of the streets, so I moved quickly and all the time with my camera hidden underneath my windbreaker. After moving several streets away from the hotel and trying to get a clear shot of Table mountain, I gave up and took a shot. There were just too many buildings along the way and there was the cloud table cloth that shroud the mountain.

At night, we requested the hotel to get us a cab to V&A waterfront. Wanted to go for dinner and V&A seemed like the place to go. This is a previous dockyard converted into a shopping arcade. It seemed like the biggest shopping area in Cape Town but was nothing impressive if you come from a shopping city like Singapore where even mega malls were sometimes boring. Searched around for a restaurant that sold seafood as we were looking for a butterfish that someone recommended in the Safari that we should try in Cape Town, but to no avail. Settled for seafood platter instead. It was so-so.

Shopping arcade that offered a wide range of products

It was a drizzling night and it was cold. We did not venture outside for fear of our lives (so we thought) and nothing much in the mall either. Took a cab after the dinner and back to the hotel we went. Slept in hope for better weather, but the shuttling window panes reminded us otherwise.

SA 2013 Day 11 – Zimbabwe to Cape Town

Posted on August 12, 2013September 27, 2019 by ziyi

Today we fly back to South Africa, Cape Town via Joburg. It was a long way down and the whole day was expected to be spent on flying. Our transfer picked us up at the lobby after our check out and our vehicle pass through the bridge over to Zambia. Gone through the customs and travel into Livingstone town which we missed on the first day while heading to Botswana. Small town with repainted old style building, pretty but nothing much. It was at most a 30 mins drive to the airport.

Soon we were back at the small airport; with a line already waiting for check in. While waiting, went over to one of the little shops selling stamps and got myself a souvenir, with some Zambia currency. There were 2 flights during that morning but only one gate. We found ourselves a seat and waited till when it was time to board. It was then the earlier flight started to board. We had a bad feeling that our flight was going to be delayed and so subsequently missing the connecting flight. We flew off 1 hour late.

Small and crowded waiting area at LVI airport

Upon reaching Joburg, there was a long queue at the immigrations. As we exit the arrival, we rushed towards the BA counter to ask for a another flight and a free pair of tix for Cape Town, as it was their flight that was late and we missed the connecting because of that. It was another hour before the flight but as we boarded the plane, there was a technical issue that held the plane back for another hour. I wanted to call the airport transfer at Cape Town to postpone to a later time but as I searched my reservations emails, there were no mobile number stated and the internet chose to fail on me too. By the time we arrived at Cape Town, we were 3hrs later than planned and I also received an email from the guide that mentioned that he had waited for 2hrs but we did not turn up. Still I didn’t have his mobile so I returned the email and took a cab straight to our hotel. The biting cold was back after avoiding it for the 5 days while we were in Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Reached the Cape Heritage hotel without drama. Welcomed the nice and warm atmosphere within the hotel, with really friendly staff to help us check in. We absolutely loved the deco, modernity within history. The room we had was really beautiful with a nice tub and huge toilet! A great place to rest albeit the many unfortunate events that took place earlier. Had to worry whether the guide was still gonna come pick us for the guided tour the next day but was tired from all the hassle. Went to bed after the bath.

Beautifully decorated room that is for chilling and internet

Night was cold and the wind kept shaking the window panes. As we slept, we hoped for better weather the next day but knew that the forecast was showing otherwise.

SA 2013 Day 6 – Panaroma route back to Joburg

Posted on August 7, 2013September 27, 2019 by ziyi

The last day with Tydon included the transfer back to Joburg through the Panaroma route. The name suggested pretty views which we were clearly in favour to the long boring road which brought us to the safari on the first day but we were sure it wasn’t going to last a good 4 hrs. Packed, loaded up the vehicle after breakfast and we were on our way out of the safari. First stop after some 30mins of driving and we were at the Lisbon Falls. It was pretty small area where there was a deck overlooking the falls. The guide told us that the falls resembled a pregnant woman bathing in the pouring water. Spent probably just 15mins max and we were on the road again.

Another short drive and we reached Blyde River National Park where we could find the God’s window. There was some nice relaxing walk up to the top where the view was excellent.

Superb view from the top of the national park

View from God's window — View from God’s window

So much for the Panorama route. We proceeded to a town of Graskop where we were brought to a Curio shop where they sold “things you normally won’t want in your bedroom”, according to the guide. These include African masks that could be as large as 2m in length and other sorts of sculptures! True enough, we did not buy anything other than a wooden keychain.

After shopping, we stopped by a pancake shop that served one of the nicest pancakes there was, and not to mention, a great variety of them. This satisfying lunch was served in a modern deco cafe warmed up by a fireplace, a welcome escape from the cold outside. After lunch, it was another 2 hrs back to Joburg.

Caramel and creamy chicken and mushroom pancakes

Checked in back at the City Lodge in Joburg airport. We were given a slightly different room and this time, it came with a bathtub with a huge shutter gate that opens to the bedroom.

We decided that we should visit Emperor’s palace tonight since there weren’t many choices and shopping malls weren’t the best places for dinners. Walked over to shuttle bus stop at the ground floor and hopped onto the free shuttle heading for the Emperor’s palace. Paid a bellboy some tips and he took us straight to the front of the queue. There were a lot people who were heading to the Emperor’s Palace direct from the airport and while they needed to load up the luggages, we easily boarded the mini bus and got ourselves seated. By the time the door closed, there were guests standing, packed to the door already.

The Emperor’s palace had 3 hotels of varying luxury and costs. The bus stopped in all 3 hotels and we were told to get off at one of these hotel to get to the food court, linked by a walkway. This place had a lot of eating places and we simply chose one. Walked around abit after dinner and return via the same shuttle bus at the hotel entrance.

Nicely designed food court with various cafe and restaurants

Made belief street with european flavour

Rested early so as to prepare for our flight out to Zambia the next day.