Well my 1 and only full day in Cape Town was threatened with a rainy start so i had plans to just get myself on a train, get out of the way of the general busyness and explore but fortunately the sun shone so Sue and Ray suggested a walk in the forest of Tokai! This is a large Arborteum with 1000's of trees from all over the world! it was a very relaxing walk and I was pleased to get some exercise having not done too much in the way of walking recently! We had a coffee stop in the forest but i didnt get my carrot cake as the person before me had ordered the last piece - i think they only had 1 piece to last the whole day because the place was not very busy!
We dropped Ray off at work then Sue and I came home and I had a relaxing couple of hours chatting to Sue's mum and i think i dozed off in the sun briefly too!
At just before 4 after complicated arrangements with cars and keys etc Dillon and I set off towards Lions Head - a mountain next to Table Mountain 2195 feet above sea level.
Kegan and Desi eventually met us and we set off up the mountain! I knew it would be hard, that was one reason why Ray didnt join us as he had done it before and had been challenged by it and after his bronchitis recently there was no way he was going to risk it! It was an easy gentle meandering climb for a while and then we hit the metal chains and footholes to climb up the sheer rock face! I would like to point out at this point that we are not in the UK where there is health and safety and rules and regulations! All there is is a sign saying - you climb up here at your own risk! that's Ok I can do climbing - i take GB girls climbing - whats the difference?? Ok - here there is a sheer drop behind you down a good 1000 feet - there are no harnesses and you are on your own, no one is B-laying for you at the bottom with a rope! Luckily Dillon has quite strong hands and he is actually a rock rabbit and can literally scale a sheer rock face with his hands! Through many a danger, toil and snare we made it to the summit in time for a glorious sunset and to see the whole of Cape town and its environs light up! the mountain overlooks Table Mountain and Signal Hill and overlooks the waterfront and the views were breathtaking. It was also chilly - no one had really warned me about this but the wind was coming right off the Atlantic and when the sun went down it was very chilly to the point that I was physically shaking - partly with cold and partly with adrenaline after the walk and also totally due tohe fact that i had no idea how i was going to get down this mountain in the dark!
We ate our snacks and cracked open a bottle of Champagne and sat and chatted for a while before making our descent! Fortunately dillon had a couple of tops too as i only had a 2nd t-shirt to put over my vest. I didnt bring any warm clothes to Africa because from experience you dont need them and i always thought i could borrow them if needed but forward planning was not good at this time!
I did however have a torch with me which i was very proud of but then i discovered that climbing down the sheer rock face of a mountain carrying a torch is not ideal as i needed all my four limbs to hang on to! Fortunately the boys had head torches and they had done this before so their advice was - go slow and spend a lot of time on your bottom and just jump down to the next level! Good advice becuase i made it! We diverted from the chains and metal footholes area on a slightly longer diversion but also slightly safer in the dark route! About 12 people were following us so we put all our trust in Dillon to find the way down (foolish if you know Dillon). The views goign up and down were stunning but i knew if i looked while i climbed it would not be good and especially on the way down - you knew that one metre to the right is a sheer drop so staying close tothe mountain, not getting blown by the wind (which incidently is howling round the house as I write) and not diverting off course are the priorities!
We made it down eventually having seen the moon come up - an almost full silver moon, lighting the whole sky and along with the lights which light up Table mountain at night and the stars in the sky including the Southern Cross made an ethereal picture which you can only capture in the memory! No camera can every capture that moment!
With jelly like legs we piled into the car and all agreed that a MacDonalds was necessary so we parked (illegally of course) and can you believe it, we ran across a road to get a burger! I am not sure i am goign to be able to move my legs tomorrow - running across the road was interesting in itself as i am not sure still if my legs are connected to my body in any way!
Armed with our burgers and chips we headed to the University campus (??????) and entered (illegally uner the trespassers will be prosecuted (or was that persecuted?) sign in order to climb (more steps) up on to a monument to eat! We had a story ready if we were stopped that Kegan was a uni student out on Parole and he wanted to take his mother (me) to his special place for his last supper before he was put back in prison!
We finally made it home to Ray and Sue who on seeing us said 'Wow you look tired'. that was a couple of hours ago! I have just been looking at my photos and relishing the memories that today has stored in my head! Last year i climbed Table Mountain and looked at lions head and said :'I really want to do that' and this year i have done it! i am eternally grateful to Dillon and Kegan and Desi for taking this old lady (yes i am old enough to be their mother) on an adventure! I need adventures especially in Cape Town which is the City of Adventure for me. So much to do and see and so little time to do it in.
Tomorrow is my last day here - We have just booked tickets to go on an open top bus tour around the Cape Peninsular so that will be fun - I have seen most places by car or bike now but a morning on the bus will be fun - we are taking Calum as Sue looks after kegan and Desi's son on a Friday - he is 3 and cute and will enjoy being on a bus i hope!
I am falling asleep now! Fortunately i slept pretty well last night - well enough not to hear the torential rain that apparently came down! I hope to do the same tonight! tomorrow I have to pack again and begin the long trip home, bringing to an end a wonderful month and the end of an era I think!
I am hoping to bring a team out to Lesotho next February so i will not be doing this trip alone for a while again and then i will probably try and fly straight to Maseru or at least Bloem in future so as to make it easier on other people and my pocket! I will be saying goodbye to people tomorrow for the very foreseeable future so tomorrow will be a sad day in so many ways.
I would love to come back here on a holiday at some point though although i am pretty sure Steve would not be in favour of doing the mountain climbing adventures that i have been used to on my trips here!
We will see - the past is gone, the future is not yet here but the present needs to be dealt with and at this moment I need to sleep and rest some weary muscles and bones and see how much skin i have left on the rocks of lions head!
A bientot my dear freinds until later on today for me - it is actually 1 am here now!
Whoops! night night and see you back in England soon ........
Jenny x
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