Call of Africa - Cape Town, Babylonstoren and Okavango

[amaroo]

Do not dally - probably the most fascinating place on earth IMHO. Go once and you won't be able to stop. It's more addictive than heroi_.

It's on the list...

 

[Milboo]

V&A is very Darling Harbour like in many ways. Make sure you go further around, there is an awesome warehouse of lots of different food stands etc. Tucked down the back is a guy who only sells roast pork with mash and greens. For a whole $5! Best pork I've ever had.

And Den Anker on the wharf does a nice meal and range of beers.

And agree on the sentiment how Africa pulls you in and you can't but wait to go back.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I have just been reading about the food warehouse - sounds like a fun place to visit on a wet day, so will be heading out shortly. We have just spent a couple of hours going around all the artwork in the hotel - what an incredible collection dating from the 1800s to contemporary.

 

[Milboo]

There is a fine art shop in the Alfred Mall, near the V&A Hotel entrance.

I picked up a gorgeous pencil drawing in there of a baobab tree with a little baboon under it.

the coffee place just inside the entrance to the food place was damn good.

 

[love_the_life]

Robben Island was a very moving place for us to visit, even though it was 10 years ago now. Hope you do get there. At present in JNB at the IC Sandton Towers. Young Dr LtL is checked in for her QF flight home and we have a couple of days here. Flew back from Sabi Sand earlier this afternoon. Weather here in JNB is lovely - hot and sunny at present.

 

[love_the_life]

To follow on from Mirboo I bought a gorgeous pewter cheese knife at a little shop at the waterfront. I still love it and use it almost daily. It has a running cheetah as the handle. I want to see if I can find something similar here as gifts.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Robben Island was a very moving place for us to visit, even though it was 10 years ago now. Hope you do get there. At present in JNB at the IC Sandton Towers. Young Dr LtL is checked in for her QF flight home and we have a couple of days here. Flew back from Sabi Sand earlier this afternoon. Weather here in JNB is lovely - hot and sunny at present.

Weather is looking good for Monday, so fingers crossed for Robben Island and the cable car. How was Victoria Falls (and where is your trip report ). We saw some very pretty things down at the Waterfront and looked in the art shop as well - very nice. Too tired to make any shopping decisions - hopefully when we come back. I keep on seeing things I want to buy for the girls

 

[love_the_life]

There are so many good TRs for Africa I wondered at whether to do one. I think I will post a retro mini report when I get back home at the weekend. Both the &Beyond lodges were great, both quite different in atmosphere. Zambezi Sun Hotel in VF was good, not 5 star but for the price fine. We did visit Royal Livingstone for coffee and thought it looked lovely. A combination of booze in the club lounge here and tiredness means my fingers keep hitting the wrong letters!!!!

 

[Flying mermaid]

There are so many good TRs for Africa I wondered at whether to do one. I think I will post a retro mini report when I get back home at the weekend. Both the &Beyond lodges were great, both quite different in atmosphere. Zambezi Sun Hotel in VF was good, not 5 star but for the price fine. We did visit Royal Livingstone for coffee and thought it looked lovely. A combination of booze in the club lounge here and tiredness means my fingers keep hitting the wrong letters!!!!

But none of them are your trip reports - i love getting different and unique perspectives Glad you enjoyed the Zambezi Sun - loved the whole complex . My fingers are not coping either, as the result of jetlag and sharing a really nice bottle of red . Have a safe trip home!

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

Do not dally - probably the most fascinating place on earth IMHO. Go once and you won't be able to stop. It's more addictive than heroi_.

Couldn't put it any better myself.

And with the AUD taking a massive hit against just about every foreign currency at the moment, ZAR is outstanding value for money, once you arrive in South Africa/Namibia.

 

[Milboo]

Couldn't put it any better myself.

And with the AUD taking a massive hit against just about every foreign currency at the moment, ZAR is outstanding value for money, once you arrive in South Africa/Namibia.

Except that in South Africa, the quality lodges all charge in USD!

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Except that in South Africa, the quality lodges all charge in USD!

And the not so quality ones too.

However the trick is to stay at the places the South Africans stay at and not just where Internationals dominate and then ZARs rule. And not just the room rate, but at the bar too!

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

Except that in South Africa, the quality lodges all charge in USD!

I have come across many lodges charging Euro before come too come to think about it.

Yes, I agree paying in foreign currency other than ZAR is not beneficial at the moment.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Except that in South Africa, the quality lodges all charge in USD!

Not all of them do e.g. Camp Jabulani, which is a superb lodge with excellent environmental credentials, charges in ZAR. Also Mala Mala will convert to ZAR 6 months before your stay. However I ageee on the whole that most of the lodges you want to stay at seem to be in US$ and not just in South Africa - it is the same in Botswana and East Africa. They must be making such windfall profits given the devaluation of African currencies against the US$.

We are enjoying the currency in Cape Town- yesterday it cost a whole $6 to Uber from the waterfront to where we are staying in Bantry Bay

 

[Flying mermaid]

Some pictures of the food selection in the SLOW lounge - just fantastic for a domestic lounge and full bar and good showers as well.

Then Mr FM's meal on the plane - mine came out blurred. Good friendly service as always on Comair and the luggage came out very fast and prioritised as well. It did in Joburg coming off the Qantas plane, so I am coming to the conclusion that Australian baggage handlers just like destroying the priority baggage system

 

[Flying mermaid]

The waterfront is actually a functional area with a dry docks and small vessels in for repair

 

[Flying mermaid]

We really enjoyed the food markets and had some gourmet samosas. I have never got used to the pastry used in the ones you get in Australia - so nice to get the ones I like. Some random photos from around there.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Nobel square with statues of South Africa's 4 Nobel Peace prize winners. Luthuli, Tutu, de Klerk and Mandela. Luthuli was President of the ANC in the 50s and 60s and although many people will not know of him, he can hold his own with his companions in that square.

Other pictures around the waterfront - the beautiful yellow building is a hospital.

The Clock tower is where the Robben Island tour departs so hopefully will do that on Monday.

From the waterfront we used Uber to get back to the hotel. Our hotel driver had been concerned that we didn't want to be picked up and worried that we might get the wrong type of taxi, but he seemed to think Uber was 100% safe.

 

[Flying mermaid]

By the time we returned to the hotel, I was starting to droop. We sat by a fire in the lounge and drank lots of tea to keep awake until dinner. The staff are incredibly attentive and you hardly sit down and they are checking to see if they can get you anything.

 

[Flying mermaid]

We need to make sure we try some other restaurants but in our current jet lagged state the hotel restaurant worked fine.

Canapes in the lounge
Dining room (with some of the beautiful art)
smoked salmon pre-starter
Pork loin starter
Aubergine starter