If the weather in Cape Town this week has given us any indication, winter is on it’s way and our beautiful, sunny days are numbered. That sounds a bit sinister, doesn’t it? Soon the rain will be bucketing down outside and the wind will howl, along with the kids, about how bored they are.
It goes without saying that, when you wake up to blue skies and no wind, your best bet would be to get into a car and go exploring. We headed to Hout Bay after church on Sunday and forked out the R40 to go via Chapman’s Peak. We went hunting for a bank first because we thought it might be a ‘cash only’ deal, but we we assured by the toll booth attendant that they do accept credit, cheque and petrol cards (as long as no PIN number is required).
You can actually enjoy a lot of the Chapman’s Peak views before you have to pay (from the Fish Hoek side) and it’s fairly easy to turn around up to a certain point. Simply pull over at one of the viewing points, take a gazillion pictures and then turn around and go back the way you came. Since we wanted to have lunch in Hout Bay, we paid the toll and stopped as often as possible. It really is the most gorgeous stretch of road.
We headed towards the harbour and made a beeline for the fish and chips shop. The line was nearly out the door so I sent Anton and the kids off to find and secure a table outside. Once the order was placed, the food was ready in under 5 minutes and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the table had recently been wiped down.
The food wasn’t anything to write home about but it was warm, and filling and not too badly priced. The drinks however are ridiculously expensive (R16.00 for a 340ml soft drink) so I will bring our own, next time. Once we had eaten our fill, we headed for the ice cream kiosk for something cold, while we walked along the pier.
I was surprised at how clear the water was and we had great fun watching the seals frolic in the water. On the other side of the pier, the water was so clear, we could see loads of jelly fish! The kids couldn’t wait to splash in the waves, although they were a little freaked by the number of jelly fish they could see.
We headed back to the car fairly soon after a bit of splashing, as the kids were afraid they would be stung and everyone was getting a bit hot and tired.
We are really spoiled for choice in Cape Town. There is never a reason to be stuck at home when you can explore places like Hout Bay and Kalk Bay, walk along the Promenade or hang out in Green Point Park. None of these places will cost you a thing and you and the kids will enjoy the fresh air and the chance to see something other than what is projected on TV.
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