Category: <span>Cape Town</span>

Published January 7, 2011

Slangkop Lighthouse

I have been wanting to get some pictures from Kommetjie beach for ages, and the wonderful wind-free day yesterday was a perfect opportunity to head down to the beach to watch the sunset.

Slangkop lighthouse provides  lovely focus for photos, so here is my interpretation. Slangkop lighthouse is on the edge of Kommetjie, which is a small village in the South of Cape Peninsula. According to sunsetbeach.co.za, the lighthouse was built in 1919, so it is almost 100 years old. At over 100 feet tall, it is the tallest cast-iron lighthouse in South Africa, and it can be sean from 60km away.

The lighthouse was closed at sunset, but it is open for visits during the day, so perhaps I will pop in and take some day-time photos.

Cape Town

buildings cape town lighthouse scenery sunset

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Published January 6, 2011

Wednesday evening sailing

Yesterday it was:

1) a very hot day
2) the last week of holidays for many people
3) a Wednesday

This can only mean one thing: a bumper Wednesday evening cruise at False Bay Yacht Club. I counted over 30 yachts out on the water enjoying the wonderful weather. I was stuck in my car, but how I would have loved to be out there.

Cape Town

cape town false bay sailing simons town sport

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Published January 1, 2011

Kalk Bay Harbour Wall and bad meal at Brass Bell

The morning started very wet and rainy, but it cleared up into a surprisingly lovely day. The upside of this is that the beaches were almost empty, and I was able to enjoy a couple of hours in Kalk Bay.

We had lunch at an old established venue, the Brass Bell, where I have had many wonderful meals. Alas, they did not have a good start to the year. The starters were great, but after they arrived the restaurant clearly was too busy for the kitchen, and the mains were a disaster. Some did not arrive, most arrived late, some were burnt, and some were undercooked. I must note that my tuna steak and Lois’ pizza were the only good main courses. The food took over an hour to arrive, and what did arrive only did so  after  several complaints (note that we had booked a table).

In their defence, the manager was very good at accepting our complaint, and gave us about a 75% discount on the meal (I think we only ended up paying for the starters). If I do not remember this as such a good restaurant, I certainly would not go back, but they did try to make amends, and yes I will give it another chance, but not when they are so busy.

Cape Town

brass bell cape town food and drink kalk bay restaurants

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Published December 30, 2010

Mr Grumpy

Cape Town

aquarium cape town fish

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Published December 29, 2010

Diving at the Cape Town Aquarium

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Ragged Tooth Shark

Today, my brother and his wife arranged to go scuba diving in the shark tank at Cape Town Aquarium. I don’t have a scuba certificate, so I was unable to dive, but I went along with my camera, and I managed to get a couple of nice shots in. If you have some free time, pop down to the Aquarium, the exhibits are remarkable, and they have a fantastic selection of marine life, and plenty of activities for both little and big people.

By the way, even though the sharks look (and are) very scary, last year only 9 people worldwide got killed by sharks.

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Turtle – Great A’tuin

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Swimming in the aquarium

Warning, we got there at 9am and it was empty. But by 10:30am, the queue was outside the door and around the corner, so best you get there early. Full details and costs etc are here.

Cape Town

aquarium cape town sea sharks turtle

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Published December 21, 2010

Body boarding at Melkbos

I spent that afternoon on Sunday at a Braai with friends in Melkbos, and while I was there I managed to sneak away to the beach for a few minutes. The weather was perfect for body-boarding, and the waves were full of people enjoying the sun and thrill of the sport.

It is a long time since I was last on a body-board, but looking at these folks enjoying the water make me very tempted to find a board and join them.

Cape Town

beaches cape town scenery sport water

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Published December 20, 2010

Panamanian shipwreck in Blouberg

I can’t give too much information about this ship, but from what I can gather, it is a Panamanian coal ship, originally with 30000 tons of coal onboard which ran around in October 2009, and is still there.

It is literally a stones throw from the beach, and you can see the many kite-surfers in front of and around it.

Does anybody have any more information?

Cape Town News

beaches cape town kite surfing scenery ships water

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Published December 19, 2010

I’d like to be under the sea…

…in an Octopus’ garden in the shade. Or at St James Station. This eccentric little restaurant has been running since 2005. They have a small and simple menu, but the food is always good and always freshly made!

The restaurant is in part of the old station building. Although it is not a Beatles Tribute restaurant, or anything so cheesy, they unashamedly take a lot of their inspiration from the Beatles, with pictures of the Beatles making appearances all over the place, including on the wall and in the menu.

Pop in if you are in the area; you will have a wonderful experience. By the way if you are feeling poetically inspired while eating, just ask for a black marker and find a space of wall. The walls are covered with quotes and comments from the various patrons over the years.

Cape Town Food and Drink

cape town food and drink restaurant restaurants st james the beatles

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Published December 16, 2010

A carrot a day

A carrot a day keeps the doctor away. Well at least that is what I was always told as a child (ok so it should be an apple a day). But I was told that carrots are good for your eyes, and my blind wife loves carrots, and they didn’t seem to do much good for her.

Fresh Organic Carrots

However, there is nothing to beat fresh fruit and vegetables, especially organic vegetables. And what better way to enjoy organic vegetables than to have them delivered directly to your door? I have just signed for a great business in Cape Town called “Gannics”, and they deliver a fresh box of organic fruit and vegetables every week directly to your door.

Organic Vegetables, ready to be grilled

Today I received my first box and I am very impressed. We received lettuce, gem squash, patty pans, carrots, bananas, potatoes, asparagus, fresh beans and onions. I received a little bit of everything; and it should just about last a week. They are excellent quality; I am very impressed, and hope that more people support them.

By the way, they will also take away your old newspapers when they deliver a fresh box.

Cape Town Food and Drink

cape town food and drink organic vegetables

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Published December 14, 2010

The Cape of fire

You need three things to create a huge veld fire:

  1. lots of wind
  2. plenty of dry bush
  3. a hot summers day.

This explains why Cape Town has a huge fire problem in the summer months. Many of them are caused by the whims of nature, but believe it or not, many are deliberately started. Often by arsonists, and sometimes even by children wanting the entertainment of the helicopters and firetrucks.

This is not the first time that I have photographed a fire in Cape Town, but the first one this year. This shot was taken at the intersection of the R300 and N2; both major roads in Cape Town. The wall in front of the flames is about 7 feed tall, so I guess the flames are over 15 feet.

(yes this was taken through my car window with my happy-snappy, so sorry about the resolution)

Cape Town News

cape town fire road scenery

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