FLASHBACK #62: Wild In South Africa (Days 15-16)

Day 15 – February 26th – Cape Town

Today would be my last full day in South Africa. This amazing trip has gone soooo quickly. Where did the time go? I woke up at 6am, again at 7am and then finally got out of bed at 8am. The sun beckoned from behind the lowered curtains and I forced myself to wake because, baby, I had plans!

The morning was spent sunbathing, with breakfast consisting of a ham and cheese sandwich with coffee and a cereal bar on the roof garden. A parade was due to start from Somerset at 12 noon so I headed out towards Alderney Street via the Strand and then turn right towards Wale to where the road naturally curves. At that corner stands the Houses of Parliament and St. George’s Cathedral. I decided I would wait for the parade to pass this point, but in the meantime, I wandered off short distances and saw a statue of Queen Victoria standing in the impressive grounds of the Houses of Parliament.

Nearby, I noticed a statue of Jan Smuts on the corner of Alderney and Wale. Born in 1870 in South Africa, a young Jan Smut travelled to the UK to be educated at Christ’s College in Cambridge. Upon his return to South Africa, he became State Attorney of Johannesburg and a member of Paul Kruger’s government.

As an opponent of extreme nationalism, Smuts argued that South Africa’s future lie in cooperation with Britain. In 1917, David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of Great Britain, invited Smuts to join the Imperial War Cabinet in London where he soon obtained a high reputation and was an influential figure in devising Allied War Strategy.

When the Armistice was signed on 11th November, 1918, leaders from 32 states agreed to attend a Peace Conference in Paris on 12th January, 1919; Smuts worked closely with Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, in advocating a League of Nations and returned to South Africa after signing the Treaty of Versaille in 1919.

We soon became Prime Minister, but lost power in 1924. He returned as Deputy Prime Minister (1933-39) and became Prime Minister again in 1939 until 1948. He worked closely with Winston Churchill during World War II and was the only man to sign the Peace Treaties at the end of both World Wars. He died in 1950.

The parade was obviously delayed, but when it arrived at 12.30, it bought along gay boys and girls dressed to impress. Amid the carnival atmosphere, the small procession of some ten to twelve vehicles were decorated in all the colours of the rainbow and those on board adorned feathers and scarves and all things camp. After the parade passed, I proceeded along Spin and Corporation Streets and onto Darling Street where the unmissable colonial-styled Town Hall stood.


In front of the Town Hall stands, to my surprise, a very imposing statue of Edward VII – you couldn’t help, but think how these statues must have antagonised the locals in those days. And after everything that had gone on in South Africa, I was surprised that the statues were still there.

Nearby was the Castle of Good Hope, but I didn’t have time for serious sightseeing. I doubled back on myself back onto Darling Street and, on Alderney once again, I walked along part of Government Avenue and took the recommended detour through Company’s Gardens.

On this warm Saturday afternoon, the gardens were full of people relaxing on the grass. I passed a statue of Cecil Rhodes, founder of the De Beers Company which, in 1891, owned 90% of the world’s diamonds. A sickly son of an English parson, he was elected prime minister of the Cape Colony.

Rhodes was a favourite of Queen Victoria. He believed in the concept of empire and dreamed of ‘painting the map red’ and building a railway from the Cape to Cairo which would run through British territory all the way.

Rhodes was successful in establishing British control in Botswana and the area that was to become Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe).

Rhodes was forced to resign as Prime Minister after it emerged that he personally encouraged an expedition into the Witwatersrand, the site of a fabulous reef of gold near Johannesburg, with the intention of causing an uprising among the foreigners.

After his death in 1906, Rhodes’ reputation was largely protected by his will which devoted most of his fortune to the Rhode’s Scholarship which still sends winners from the Commonwealth and other countries to study at Oxford University.

From the Cecil Rhodes statue, I headed towards the Delville Wood Memorial commemorating those South Africans who died during World War I. At the end of Company’s Gardens, I took Grey’s Pass onto Organe Street then walked down Long Street.

Long Street was a mish-mash of architecture. On one hand, there was a spattering of Victorian/colonial buildings. On the other hand, the buildings were very art-deco in style, very similar to those in Miami; the pastel-coloured buildings continued until I reached Rose Street which was nothing special, but up-and-coming since it was boarded up with a number of developments in progress.

When I reached the Strand, I turned left and took Loader back onto Waterkant. My toes were burning as if blisters were forming so it was a good thing that my apartment was nearby. I took a break, downing an Ice Cold Diet Coke on the roof garden. It was just after 2pm and I was thoroughly exhausted already!

It was an intensely hot, sunny day. I stopped through Jarvis Street where a Pride Street Party was being held. I wasn’t overly impressed as it wasn't really my thing so I headed down to – and along – Somerset then took Ebenezer which takes you all the way to the Victoria & Albert Waterfront.

Calls for greater public access and wider use of Cape Town’s historic harbour started in the early 1970’s. In 1988, the landowner established a wholly-owned subsidiary, the Victoria & Albert Waterfront Ltd, to redevelop the historic docklands. What you now see is the result of more than three decades of planning and development.

Luxurious residences, countless eateries and shops for everything you can think of is how I would sum up the V&A waterfront. It was BUSY! I walked and walked, happily taking another 100 photos or so! I bought some fridge magnets before hunger set in. There was only one thing for it, something I had tried to resist for too long: KFC! After some KFC, I treated myself to some frozen yoghurt at Marcelo’s which was another first for me after the cream soda!

I wandered around the busy malls, not looking for anything in particular. The atmosphere was littered with laughter and live music from the public Amphitheatre. It was already 5pm and I hadn’t bought Bree a present yet. I went into many shops and, in the end, I spent an hour in this South African Arts & Crafts Store.

I finally settled, to the relief of the store’s assistant, on a South African style rug. It would look nice on our bed, I thought. It was tasteful and decorative. Very Bree, I thought. I was pleased that I finally found something! I have noticed, as I get older, that I am much more discerning and demand, as a consumer. It was time to head back to Waterkant, I think!

The minute I left the Waterfront, I got lost. I headed back via the City which took more than an hour. I got home about 7pm and, by this time, my feet were on fire! I ran a bath and laid in the bubbly water for what seemed like ages before giving my feet a good scrub!

After a deep shave, I started to feel human again. On the roof terrace, I sipped a bacardi and coke. It was my last night in South Africa and I was alone, but I felt more content from the things I had seen and done than lonely. I had missed Bree, however, so I gave him a call. It was lovely to hear his voice, something that wouldn’t have been possible just four years ago prior to the implantation of my bionic ear.

Part of me contemplated staying in for the night. I had stayed out quite late last night and I would be happy to just stay in, finished off the bacardi and watch TV. Instead, I popped out about 10.30pm and went to a nearby bar. Like last night, the music was really good, although I didn’t get talking to anyone. I was back at the apartment and in bed by 1.30am.

Day 16 – February 27th - Cape Town to Johannesburg to Paris to Helsinki

I woke up at 8am, the sun attempting to infiltrate the room as per usual. I made some ham and cheese rolls and coffee and enjoyed the views from 137 Waterkant's roof garden for the last time. I knew it was -15°C in Helsinki these days and the thought made me shudder! Of course, I looked forward to returning to Bree, to Finland, even to work! God, I must be sick!

I look forward to planning my education, knowing that I had passed my last Marketing Exam! Yay! But, for now, I could forget about real life. I sent Kalie and Wia a text message, inviting them for coffee before we left; they were already on their way!

I grabbed a shower, finished packing and tidied up the apartment. Kalie and Wia arrived at 9.30am. We drank some coffee before I checked out and we headed off for one last drive! We spent the morning touring the Table Mountain / Camps Bay area, taking in some wonderful beaches.

We couldn’t get as far as Cape Horn because I had an internal flight to catch to Johannesburg. We got to Cape Town airport in good time and I treated Kalie and Wia to a thankyou lunch at Spur’s Restaurant.

I tucked into the huge Spur’s Streak House Ribs followed by Cream Soda. Kalie and Wia stayed in the restaurant while I attempted to check in since the check-in desk had not yet open when we had first arrived.

The was no problems with Kulula, the budget airline I was taking to Johannesburg; my case, containing two bottles of bacardi, weighed more than 25 kilos! After returning to the restaurant and settling the bill, we said our goodbyes and I made my way to the departure lounge.

I felt that as quickly as I had arrived in South Africa and been reunited with Wia, I was leaving her again. In the departure lounge, I felt numb. The fun had come to an abrupt stop and the job of getting home had now started.

My flight left on time at 3.30pm and Cape Town drifted away as did the mountains, the sea, and the dry Cape Flats. How I enjoyed Cape Town, the fairest place I had seen in South Africa.

The plane touched down in Cape Town at 5.30pm and my onward flight to Paris was at 9.00pm; the time went very quickly. I set about reclaiming the VAT on my purchases, making some phone calls, checking-in for my Air France flight and yet some more tax free shopping; I bought two litres of Vodka for €17 and a gorgeous hardback book on South Africa!

The flight to Paris left on time and, after a four hour wait there in the early hours of the morning, my flight to Helsinki departed. I slept most of the journey home and, when I landed, one thing was for sure: it was bleedin’ cold!