Capetown/S.A Trip advice

Always had a fantasy of going to Capetown, and specifically spending days riding on Table mountain, then blasting down to the ocean and swimming then eating like a king,
looks like I could make it happen this x-mas,
any of you lovely Saffas got some solid advice for me and the gf? anything appreciated, cheers mf

Bullet proof vests all round.

thought that was just Jo Burg?
chainbreaker must be out....

Or london...

So much to do, depends on your budget, dec is packed full of tourists and locals. If you havent booked flights/hotels now, id do it soon
Head over to kalks bay, best damn fish and chips. Do the argus route, head round to hout bay. Have breakfast in camps bay.

Or london...

So much to do, depends on your budget, dec is packed full of tourists and locals. If you havent booked flights/hotels now, id do it soon
Head over to kalks bay, best damn fish and chips. Do the argus route, head round to hout bay. Have breakfast in camps bay.

argus route a must- drive? will hire car.
bays bays bays then yeah

^ do the argus route. not sure anyone's ever managed suikerbossie fixed - be the first, let us know how it goes - assuming you live. oh, and don't go to the townships on your own. and leave your brain at home, especially if you're planning on staying around the atlantic seaboard touristy spots.

and hire a car.

preferably go with someone who doesn't drink, they can do the driving while you tank up on free booze on the wine route.

I reckon you could do the argus route on a fixie, granted some of the hills you might struggle with but the route is sexy

thanks for that ^^^^real useful map with distance.
not sure the route will get ridden but the one who never gives up would be straight on it if I suggested it.
anyone else been?

cape town?

oh yeah, for 32 years. great place for a holiday!

the thing you must have asked yourself by now is 'how safe is it?'. what you need to understand and what will become aparant on the journey from the airport to your hotel, is that despite the dismantling of the apartheid regime, long may those responsible for it burn in a particularly toasty corner of hell, its legacy continues to blight the lives of the vast majority of citizens. As such, there are few places on the planet where the difference between rich and poor are as pronounced. you don't need me or anyone else to tell what this imbalance results in or how little there is you, as a tourist, can do about it.

another unfortunate side effect of what was then euphemistcally known as the 'group areas act' is that the vast majority of who are now equally euphemistically known as 'the previously disadvantaged' still live in what we know as 'townships' - whilst these places have developed a vibrant, expressive and rich culture of thier own, in spite of, and mores the point, because of the hardships people forced to live here have endured, it's worth pointing out too that i, and by extension anyone who visits a township must be careful not to belittle what horrors people who lived and continue to live here have endured by viewing it as a post-apartheid theme park - something some of the tour operators are guilty of to be honest. with this in mind, as a visitor (i highly recommend you take a DAYTIME tour to either Langa or Kayaleitsha) you need to respect certain boundaries. don't venture off the proscribed tour and under no circumstances should you go there on own. this may be obvious to you, in which case i apologise for presuming otherwise.

when in the city, you should be as safe as houses. although a lot is made of violent crime in SA, it is statistically quite rare and nine times outa ten, entirely avoidable. use your nut - most of the things you wouldn't do in london apply there as much there as they do anywhere in the world. possible exceptions being: don't get into any of the 'informal taxis (mini bus taxis)' that tear up and down the major strips, or any taxi that isn't booked for you by your hotel (presuming you dont have a hire car that is), don't do townships at night or alone (again) and don't go on the mountain alone or when it's cloudy - you will get lost and fall off the fucking thing or die of hypothermia - happens more often than you'd care to think.

one thing you will notice, especially if you have a car, which is indispensable considering public transport is minimal and taxis expensive, is the profusion of unofficial 'car guards', especially in the more affluent, urban and touristy areas. an unfortunate symptom of rife unemployment - a lot of young people travel to the city to take advantage of the tourist dollar by offering to 'look after your car' while you go about your business. although some people may tell you otherwise - personally, i reckon it doesn't hurt your pocket to chuck a couple of rands in someone's hat, and believe it or not - yer man will actually ensure no one breaks into your car. make of that what you will.

other things to check out while you're there besides the mountain and beaches are a trip to the wine country (google cape wine routes, tho if you do, be mindful of certain wineries that still employ the 'dop' system of payment for their labourers - basically paying workers in second rate, highly alcoholic wine in lieu of a living wage. it has been outlawed however it continues in certain establishments). be sure to take a drive along chapmans peak - 90 percent of all car adverts are filmed there, as well as taking a drive out to boulders beach (just past simonstown - a little slice of colonial heaven if ever there was one) and see the motherfucking penguins yo!

have lunch here if you can - it aint cheap but you won't regret it.

if you're on a budget, it's late and you're hungry, try here.

if you get a chance to catch these chumps playing, go and see. if i find out you didn't i will hunt you dow and go proper township on your ass.

there's loads more to see and do, these are just some that spring to mind. get a guide book, most of em are pretty good these days.

lekker bly, hoor!

^ good advice.

yeah thanks Catfood for great post

no worries. edited now for mahoosive run-on sentences.

sorry for not being a bit more 'yeah it's all colourful natives at play' but it's a place of many contrasts, some good, a lot not so much. if anyone wants that im sure the cape town tourist board will be happy to oblige. still is arguably the prettiest place on the planet and i can't recommend a holiday there highly enough. frankly, the history of the place, as 'unique' as it is, reason enough to go.

oh, and if you run into one A.Marshall, formerly of the fine suburb of Woodstock - tell him i want my fucking fender jazz back.

/waits for 'well why don't you fack orf back then, you forrin!' comments.

Nice one dude! Epic but accurate.

Other thing to remember, when driving, lock your doors (harder than it seems) and when you park you car, hide valuables (and this means almost everything), from sight. Put them in the boot if possible.

Beware the speed traps if/when driving. None of this highly conspicuous orange malarkey we get here, oh no, I got nailed by one that was under camo netting. R50 and no official documents later, I was on my way again.

Depending on your budget, see if you can stay in one of the Airstream caravans on the roof of the Grand Daddy hotel on Long Street. We did last time and it is one of the best views you'll ever get.

Also, everything catfood said.

the 'Afro funk' looks good. unique idea, think if I stayed there it would be a 'pop the question' time!

Other thing to remember, when driving, lock your doors (harder than it seems)

Dont most african cars do this automatically anyway? (well, all the ones i've been in have)

oh, and beware of roaming gangs of wildebeest and gnu's, often found loitering on the streets after dark. the lions and tigers get the most of them but they can be a danger when they swarm. they are easily identifiable by their enormous wingspans, chitonous plating and venom dripping fangs. they can be lured away from loved ones with the tasty, tasty flesh of a slightly less loved loved one.

oh and snakes. as big as a your leg.

The other place I stayed ages ago was the Cape Heritage Hotel, which also has amazing views of Table Mountain from some rooms. Total luxury, with a price to match especially around Xmas. As of 2009 they had 2 amazing restaurants there which were very good value although these things seem to change quickly.

I always tend to blow the budget on the final couple of nights of a trip away and do get funny looks dragging surfboards through the lobbys, but it makes the holiday feel like a holiday. Cape Town is an excellent place to do this away from the V&A.

Sound advice already given by Mr Catfood. Not a great deal to add, last time I lived in CT was in 2001 and the last time I visited was 2008 so I'm sure most angles are covered. It's by far the saver of the large cities in SA and a great place to visit.

There's some great value hostels in town that are in good location and have double rooms with bathroom, TV etc if you're on a budget.

I used to cycle this route as a round trip twice/three times a week.

yoh! geared i presume?

that victoria road taxi rat-run is pretty fucking dangerous, in fact it's the coke addled poesbekers in their beamers caning it about camps bay > clifton that are more of a worry.

oh - and drugs are notoriously cheap there. if you like that sort of thing.

/blame/thank the advertising industry.

Geared indeed,used to do it around 08:00am in order make it into Camps Bay for work at 10:30-ish
It can get a bit hairy but no more dangerous than London's famous London.
Also always loved going over to Blouberg and Kommetjie, the Imhoff farm has stunning views.

i'll bet. pity about that fucking mountain tho - ruins your view of the sea.

Sound advice already given by Mr Catfood. Not a great deal to add, last time I lived in CT was in 2001 and the last time I visited was 2008 so I'm sure most angles are covered. It's by far the saver of the large cities in SA and a great place to visit.

There's some great value hostels in town that are in good location and have double rooms with bathroom, TV etc if you're on a budget.

I used to cycle this route as a round trip twice/three times a week.

thats some quality commute trip there!

Kommetjie is lovely! MF, you can't swim in the ocean, it's FREEZING!