Actually, this adventure began yesterday when we drove to Table Mountain, thinking we would take the cable car up to the top and hike around a bit. Wrong. There had to be two million people waiting in line at 1400, and the wait was estimated to be about 3 hours. Color us gone. We were advised to purchase tickets online, show up early, and the lines would be manageable. So, this morning, we departed at 0700, arrived at Table Mountain at 0750, and, indeed, found the waiting much more to our liking. One can hike up and or down Table Mountain. Right. We took the cable car both ways and hiked for hours, but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. The ride up didn't take long, the bottom of the circular car rotates, and everyone gets a chance to take pictures and marvel at the scenery. Fortunately, the weather cooperated, and we found ourselves following one of many paths atop the mountain. Two hours later, we found ourselves following just one path atop the mountain; we had missed our turnoff and ended up hiking, one might say, just a wee bit more than we had planned. No water, no snacks...nothing except rocks and fantastic scenery. Our hike took us past MacLear's Beacon, at a height of 1085 meters. We returned down the mountain at about 1200, all of us agreeing that it was a wonderful experience and well worth the admission price. For lunch, we continued down the hill to Rafiki's, a local spot for food and libation, and had good food at good prices. We stopped off at the Longbeach Mall to pick up a few items, and returned to Infini a bit tired but ready for more adventures. A bit of history here. Table Mountain is alleged to be at least six times older than the Himalayas. From an informational brochure handed out on the mountain, to date more than 23 million people have taken the cable car ride. Each car can carry 65 people, and has a load carrying capacity of 5200 kg. About 800 people an hour ride the cars! The rotating cars (as mentioned above) are also in use in Switzerland and Palm Springs, USA. The aforementioned obviously facts for your next trivia games....
Pic: The clouds form and dissipate quickly. Matt & Sue with, from left to right, Lion's Head, Signal Hill, Cape Town and the Harbor behind them.
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