colors in the Joburg airport

Passing through the Joburg airport is always fun. I get a kick in browsing through the different tribal arts in display in the duty free shops, from beadwork jewelry to yarn needlework tapestries to carvings.


the Out of Africa duty free shop showcases a giant Nelson Mandela statue



a closer look of the 7 foot Mandela- all done in beads!


I have not gone out in Johannesburg although I was able to stay in Capetown for a week way back in 2001. Too bad that Filipinos need a visa to get inside the country so we opted not to get out of immigration and just spent the few extra hours inside the OR Tambo airport.


South African tribal dolls are popular souvenirs



a trio of colorful dolls


In between some crucial work I needed to finish in my notebook and relaxing, I had an enjoyable time with my camera.


a tapestry at the South African Air Baobab lounge features panels of yarn needlework



one section of the tapestry depicts drinking



another features what seems to be an arrest of a colored man by white officers: a political statement?

scaling Table Mountain

Rubber shoes are not meant for mountain-climbing but I sensed an opportunity of a lifetime and I was not about to let the chance pass. Midway in a weeklong conference I was attending in Capetown, South Africa in 2001 was a break and among the choices of day tours, the option of climbing the famous Table Mountain leapt out flagrantly. Problem was I brought no hiking shoes as I was traveling light. With resignation, I knew I’d just had to give this a go, sensible footwear or not.


at sea level, Table Mountain appears flat at the top

The kickoff point of the hike was the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. Lying on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, the park is reputed to be one of the top three most visited botanical gardens of the world and definitely one of the most beautiful too. Not a shabby place to start any hike I say.


dramatic and unusual plant forms dot the Kirstenbosh National Botanical Gardens



a steep ridge along the peak of Table Mountain

In another life, I always picture myself as a mountaineer. I am relatively tall for a Filipino, reasonably fit, lean in frame although I am not in anyway a competitive hiker by any figment of the imagination. Gladly, I acquitted myself quite well in the climb. I did not turn an ankle, ran into any mean creature (South Africa has some poisonous snakes) and even managed to stay ahead of the pack. Panting I was at the end, but I did not get dead-weary. Sure, my legs went sore the next day but as adult decisions went, scaling Table Mountain was a no-brainer.


rugged rocky terrain characterizes the peak



a lake in Table Mountain



a wooden ladder trail for hikers



a foot bridge allows crossing over a small creek



abandoned antique equipment are still littered in parts of Table Mountain


The trail probably rates between easy to moderate. Which was all good as I still needed my pair of shoes for the remaining days of my stay in South Africa. Worn out they did become but I would not complain. The panoramas on the apex of the mountain were breathtaking. One thing needs to be said though. From below, Table Mountain appears to be a horizontally flat table. On top, the peak was jagged and there was no obvious plateau. The knife edge appearance of the mountain is definitely just perspective.


a view of Capetown from the Table Mountain



a dramatic scene that can be as viewed from the peak of Table Mountain



the Table Mountain as seen from the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, Capetown, South Africa

to the ends of the earth (er, Africa), part 2

continued from to the ends of the earth (er, Africa), part 1

When the street sign finally read Cape Point Road, everybody became more animated. We definitely were approaching our final destination already.

But first, we were treated with the beautiful meadows of Cape of Good Hope Reserve of the Cape Peninsula Park. Windswept, rugged, with scarcely any thickets of trees, the reserve is an extraordinary terrain of rich and diverse fauna and unique flora. An integral part of the Cape Floral Region Protected Region, the reserve is recognized and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site for the outstanding diversity, density and endemism of the flora, rated as among the highest in the world.

Collectively characterized as Fynbos vegetation, the flora include proteas (South Africa’s national flower), restios (Cape reeds), ericas (heaths), daisies, irises, lilies, pelargoniums (geraniums) and freesias. The tour guide cum driver bragged that the reserve is more heathland than Scotland, known as the “land of heather”, for the park has about 600 species of flowering heather (Ericaceae). I guess she is right. Scotland, after all, only has 4 and the rest of the world has 26.


silver heather along the Circular Road near Cape of Good Hope, South Africa


As we pushed towards the Cape of Good Hope, our car made several more stops. Endemic wildlife were roaming around the reserve. We chanced upon wild ostriches. We were told though to be careful with them as they are known to occasionally chase and peck the unsuspecting tourist. When one particularly large ostrich elegantly stooped to drink water from a puddle by the road, I quickly took a snapshot.



cool relief in a parching hot day on the road, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa


What really are considered more dangerous are the troops of territorial cape baboons. These chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) live in social groups, often numbering near 50. Together, these animals can be aggressively dangerous especially those whose behavior have been modified by frequent feeding by tourists. Well meaning generosity could easily make baboons more dependent on man whom they may see as a source of food. The basic protocol is, when approaced by baboons, seek the protection of your car and roll up the windows. Today it is illegal to feed baboons to ensure that they stay self-reliant in the wild. Sadly, baboons that have been conditioned to receive food from humans may have to be destroyed.



unnerved by the territoriality of one of the baboons, tourists locked themselves inside their car by the road, near Cape of Good Hope


Finally, we came to the end of our journey. Cape of Good Hope, like any cape, is a strip of land projecting into a body of water. But this is no ordinary cape.

There are two false myths associated with the cape.

One, the Cape of Good Hope is the meeting place of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. This is not true. The real juncture is Cape Agulhas. However, the Cape of Good Hope does witness the meeting of two of earth’s most contrasting water masses- the cold Benguela current (west) and the warm Agulhas current (east).


at Capepoint, South Africa
a beach trail at Capepoint


The second misconception is the Cape of Good Hope is the southernmost tip of Africa, hence the misnomer end of the earth. In the Middle Ages, this may impression might have stuck, as explorers coming from the Atlantic Ocean probably saw the protruding cape as the edge of Africa. In reality, the tip, again, is Cape Agulhas.

Notwithstanding the reality checks, the Cape of Good Hope and Capepoint – the two are the west and east end of the Cape Peninsula –are breathtaking. As Sir Francis Drake aptly put in 1580, it is “the most stately thing and the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth”.

Among the points of interest at the well-developed cape peninsula are two navigational beacons named after the two Portuguese explorers whose expeditions opened the Cape sea route to the East, Bartholomew Dias and Vasco da Gama. Other attractions include tidal pools, whale watching, shipwrecks, a funicular named after the Flying Dutchman, a restaurant and the ever present visitor center and shop.


Capepoint Peak lighthouse, South Africa


Winding up the tour, I could not help but do what I almost never do, pose. I am used to traveling alone so by habit, I took up photography not to immortalize my mugshot in personal postcards but to capture the beauty of the scenes that I have been lucky to see, and share them to family and friends. This time though, I gave in and asked a fellow tourist to take a picture of me at the good old Cape of Good Hope.

Why not, when I am already at the end of the earth? (Not really, but that is close enough for me.)




For Cape tours, check out classiccape.co.za. Today, the tour charge is R525/person exclusive of cablecar ticket vs R285 in 2001. Tours depart from Capetown 09:00 and return 17:00.

to the ends of the earth (er, Africa), part 1

My first travel to the continent of Africa was way back in 2001. Destination: Capetown, South Africa. Seven years have passed – this was three digital cameras ago – I can still remember them vividly.

To say that I was excited was an understatement. I attended a week-long conference which fortunately afforded me about 2 days of free time. For sight-seeing, my choices were made even before the trip.

On top of my list was to go to Cape of Good Hope. Many a times in school did I encounter this tip of Africa, whose discovery was vital to the opening of a route to the Far East during the Age of Exploration. To be there, to stand on the “edge of the earth” where the Flying Dutchman used to reign (again, this was in 2001, before the Pirates of the Caribbean lorded over the box office) would be a dream come true.

True enough, the Cape Peninsula/Cape Point day tour I chose did not leave me wanting.

Leaving Capetown at around 9AM, the south road route was spectacular. The 70 kilometer ride took me around the rugged natural coast.

First in the itinerary was the majesty of Chapman's Peak Drive, with its spectacular view of roiling seas and white beaches.


boats leaving for Seal Island at the Mariner’s wharf


Then the drive took a turn to a series of beautiful white beaches along the western arc of False Bay. We stopped at several points. One particular promontory in Camp’s Bay gave us a jaw-dropping view of the famous Twelve Apostles peak.


the Twelve Apostles peaks, as seen from Camp’s Bay

As we went further south, I could not help notice that along the hilly banks are houses of the rich and fabulous. The year 2001 was a little more than 5 years after the lifting of apartheid so despite the affluent projection of the city – there definitely was that Mediterranean feel all throughout the route – you could still sense a palpable economic divide among the white Afrikaners and the black majority.

Crime rate must be high. The villas definitely were fully guarded, with high walls and electrical fences. Signs of “Armed Response” were all over the place, which meant that a private protection agency provides immediate assistance to the household within minutes of intrusion. Vehicles are likewise under a similar 24 hour protection from hi-jacking. In fact, to facilitate helicopter assistance, cars also are painted numbers on their roofs for quick tracking. Coming from a developing country like the Philippines where crime is also an issue, I shook this off nonchalantly.



houses along Boulder Beach are typical of the affluent residences along False Beach

The coastline of False Bay boasts of seemingly endless white beaches, with names like Muizenberg, St. James and Kalk Bay. The water temperatures were not to my liking though. It was February, the height of summer, but the surface temperatures were in the low 20s centigrade. That cold I could not stand so never was I tempted to dive in.

Africa is in your face all throughout the drive. There were stops to show us an ostrich farm, heather meadows and troops of baboon.



an ostrich farm at the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve


What impressed me most, as far as animal showcases were concerned was the detour at the Boulders Beach Coastal Park in Simon’s Town for the world renowned colony of African (Jackass) penguins (Sphensicus demersus, so named for the donkey-like cry they make when on land.


a waddling colony of penguins at Boulder’s Beach, Simon’s Town, South Africa


This was my first time to see real penguins in their habitat and what a habitat they chose! Of all 16 species of penguins spread in only 28 sites in the world, it is these penguins which uniquely inhabit a public beach where people also frequent. While these birds are almost totally adept at sea, spending long periods in the waters to feed on pichard, fish and squid, they are clumsy on land.


more penguins at Boulders Beach, False Bay, South Africa


True enough up to the 1970s, these penguins were vulnerable to human exploitation and predators. In the last 30 years though, they are now protected by the Southern African National Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (check out sanccob.co.za) which is considered to be among the most successful sea bird rehabilitation centers in the world. Protection of their breeding grounds in the beach is stipulated by law. In fact, signages all throughout Boulder’s Beach indicated how far-reaching the safeguards, even to the point of humor.


a sign at Boulders Beach which made me smile

Next, the conclusion: Cape of Good Hope and Capepoint

For Cape tours, check out classiccape.co.za. Today, the tour charge is R525/person exclusive of cablecar ticket vs R285 in 2001. Tours depart from Capetown 09:00 and return 17:00.