Day 2!!!
After the HOHO bus trip, we had some idea where are most of the attractions are and which ones we would like to visit. But any visit would not complete if without the visit to the most visible feature of the town....Table Mountain.
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| View from the apartment |
We took the Red route HOHO bus all the way to the cableway station at Table Mountain National Park. We opted to go early to avoid huge crowd at the station towards the afternoon. To avoid long queue when buying ticket, we purchased online (website) although still have to queue to board the cable car. Check the schedule because different season or time of the year has a different time of the first car up and last trip down.
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| Lion's Head mountain and Signal Hill |
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| Walking towards the cable car |
The cableway has been in operation since 1929. There are two cars and each can carry up to 65 passengers per trip. Each trip lasts about 5minutes and the floor of the car rotates 360degrees. So don't be upset if you didn't get the best view in the car. It turns slowly and you'll have tons of picture opportunity, I promise and the Table Mountain is one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
From the site and for this part of the season, the first trip up is at 8.30am and the last one at 6.00pm and the LAST trip down is at 7.00pm. Please be aware, the management of the cableway has the right to shut the operation if the weather condition does not permit to travel up the Table Mountain. It can happen... So I urge you to check the website for latest info before you go to Table Mountain.
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| info from the cableway website |
The journey up was breathtaking! With the slow rotating cable car floor, it revolved 360degress giving shutterbugs like me to take as much pictures to my heart's contend. I have to admit, I am a trigger-happy sort of photographer still, unlike my peers back home in Malaysia.
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| View of the lower cableway station |
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| the rotating cable car floor |
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type of rock that made up Table Mountain..also
locate some hikers on their way up the mountain.. |
At the top of the Table Mountain, the view was spectacular. Subhan'Allah (Glory be to Allah). It was beyond my imagination to be in Cape Town, now on top of Table Mountain....to live in Africa!
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| Camps Bay and Clifton Bay |
It was sunny and the temperature was comfortable enough. There are trails that would guide you to different parts of the mountain. Approximate time taken to reach/explore the area were also included and the type of animals you most likely encounter there.
Not far from the station, there's a group of dassies (rodent like animal) but are closely related to elephant than mouse. They roam freely around the area but please do not feed them.
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| a pair of dassies |
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| top cableway station, note the jumping dassie |
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| trails at the top of the Table Mountain |
The weather condition, at best (during our visit) was unpredictable. It was sunny at one point and suddenly you lost quite a lot of visibility when the clouds move in. But the plus side to this is, the wind from the Table Mountain keeps the city cool and free from smog.
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| before.... |
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| after.... |
I have to admit that the moment we set foot on Table Mountain, I lose sight of Madam and the children. There's a lot to look, pictures to take and enjoy the atmosphere. The pathways are clearly marked and at certain vantage points, there would be some infos about the mountain or about SA.
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| pathway on the mountain |
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| plaque at strategically located areas |
There are flowers too on top of the mountain apart from the colourful moss on rocks and some small trees. They boasts 1470 species of plants in an area of only 57square kilometres.
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| moss of various color |
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| aloe vera plant |
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| White Arum Lily flower |
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| Cone bush |
What I did was to cover as much area as possible. We agreed earlier to meet at the Table Mountain cafe at about 12pm. The furthest I got was at an area which I took the picture below. It was a straight all the way down and overlooking Devil's Peak.
We had light lunch at the cafe and afterwards went to the station to take the cable car down to the other station below. Next would be the Two Oceans Aquarium and the HOHO bus would take us there, but on a longer route. We will pass again the bays and beach area until we alight at Victoria and Alfred waterfront.
Onwards!!!
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| cableway top station |
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| the old cab |
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Table Mountain as the New 7 Wonders
of Nature plaque |
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| some of the inscription on the stone memorial |
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