Yesterday was a beautiful day in Cape Town – clear skies,
mid-70s, no wind and if that wasn’t perfect enough – it was a Saturday. I took
the opportunity while I had the chance to do something I haven’t done yet. I
bought a ticket to for the cable car up Table Mountain.
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| Table Mountain Cable Car |
It’s probably the best 185 rand (about $20) I’ve spent on an
experience here. The views from the top were absolutely incredible, and the sky
was totally clear the entire day. It took less than 2 minutes to ascend the
more than 1000 feet to the top and the cable car rotates as you ascend so you
get to see out of the car from every angle as you go up. My ears were popping
as I got out, and it was easily 10-20 degrees cooler at the top, but everywhere
I looked was an amazing view. I had the entire morning and afternoon to walk
around the top, get food and just relax and take in the beauty of Cape Town.
Although I’ve extended my stay here by 5 weeks, over the
past two weeks I’ve been feeling the pressure everyone else feels of leaving
soon and needing to finish up everything on my Cape Town to-do list. There
isn’t anything specific I haven’t done yet except for Table Mountain, but as
the days rolled by, the weather has quickly changed from sunny clear days to
rainy, cloudy, and cold. I’m not sure why I doubted co-educators at last year’s
symposium, but for some reason I pictured Cape Town’s fall/winter seasons as
‘nothing’ compared to what we have in New England. Needless to say: I sorely
underestimated the weather. I was getting worried I’d miss going up Table
Mountain because I had missed my chance and taken the weather for granted, when
yesterday rolled around…
Looking at what I’ve done with my time here now, I don’t
regret anything. I was lucky to get a perfect day in late April to go up Table
Mountain, but also delaying my trip to the top helped me appreciate it more.
When I climbed Lion’s Head, got above the cloud line, and looked down on the
city and over to Table Mountain, I thought I was almost level with the table
top – but looking at Lion’s Head from Table, it was clear to me that I was much
higher (at least it seemed that way). In the end, I’m glad I waited for Table
Mountain because it feels like the perfect ending to my trip. I was able to
look over Cape Town and see sights I recognized and reminisce about all the
things I’ve done and all the places I’ve been.
Everything is now complete on my to-do list and I’m happy to
say I feel okay if I really had to leave Cape Town at the end of this week. The
amazing part is, that I am here for another five weeks.
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