Day 39
Disembarkation
It’s bittersweet, innit? On the one hand, I’m excited to get off the ship, stretch my legs, and spend a few days in one of my favourite cities in the world. Lots to see, lots to do, lots to eat! The day greeted us with a nice sunrise, too. You know how when you were a kid, you drew a sunrise with rays coming out of the sun? I think it’s the first time I’ve actually seen those in real life. Very nice!
On the other hand, I’m sad to be leaving behind new friends, baggo teammates, trivia teammates, choir buddies, and all of that. Some of the crew became friends as well and I’m sad to see them sail away and leave us behind.
But focusing on the positive, we had one last tour today and we saw some really nice scenery. We saw a bit of the city through the windows on the bus. Cape Town is like many of my other favourite cities, blending the old with the new.
We saw the parliament building, which is nice, but not being used at the moment.
The reason it’s not being used at the moment is because there were a fire a few years ago and the renovations aren’t yet finished. Not by a long shot.
We saw the Grand Synagogue
The South Africa Museum is in a nice building, with a planetarium attached.
The main thing about the gardens, though, was the gardens.
There were a few really impressive trees, like this giant rubber tree.
…and this even more impressive Norfolk Island Pine.
There was a standoff of epic proportions played out in real time. The dog eventually got his way while letting the guy think that he won.
Eventually, Winston (our guide) led us back to the bus.
Along the way, there were lots of cute squirrels who thought we must have some food to hand out.
There were even a couple of albino squirrels!
And some cute ducks
Then back in the bus and off to the back side of Table Mountain, a part of Cape Town I’d not seen before. It’s stunningly beautiful.
Then off to the hotel. The room is nice, but we already miss our cabin on the ship.
Popped down to the hotel restaurant for a quick bite and OOOOOOOOO!!!!!! HALE YEAH!
I love bobotie. (very rough pronunciation) buh-BOER-tee
Rob makes a really good one. It’s a bit like a shepherd’s pie, but with some apricot jam, raisins (or sultanas), nuts, a touch of curry, and covered with an egg custard instead of mash. It’s one of my favourite dishes. My excitement was quickly quelled when I tasted this one, though. It had obviously been made well in advance and then microwaved before serving. The egg custard was like rubber and the filling was very dry. Le sigh.
The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is just a 5 minute walk from the hotel, so we headed down there for a look around.
Since we’d gone into the big mall yesterday, we decided to poke around some of the other shops. Eventually found our way to a nice, hangar-like building full of artisan crafts and clothing.
I found some really fun shirts. I liked five or six of them enough to get excited. I could feel Rob behind me, hoping that they didn’t have any of those in my size.
They didn’t have any in my size. Le sigh.
It’s probably for the best, as you could wear something like this in Cape Town and nobody bats an eye, but wearing this in Calgary would look like cosplay.
Back to the room for a bit of unpacking, then a short walk to a neighbouring hotel to meet up with Aussie besties Doug and Heather, where we hopped a cab to Mama Africa, a wild, over-the-top restaurant.
I’m not exaggerating when I say over-the-top. Here is the door greeter.
The watch and runners really complete his outfit, dontcha think?
He’s not the only one, though. Here is the hostess and some of the wait staff.
The place itself is a riot of traditional stereotypical African decor, made to look like you’re in a thatched roof hut. Our waitress had earrings in the shape of the African continent. Another woman offered to paint our faces with tribal markings (we declined). There’s a live band in the back room.
I know what you’re thinking, and you have every right to think it. “Ewww. Tourist schlock. Tacky decor, catering to tourists who want something ‘exotic’, nothing is authentic, and the food is probably terrible.”
And while everything but the food is debatable, the food defies all expectations by being really good. Rob and I had come here on our last trip in 2019 because we were told that this was the place with the best bobotie. It was also our introduction to malva pudding (a sort of African tres leches).
Looking at the online menu, neither of those things were on it anymore. I’m happy to say, though, that the bobotie was on it now, with a note saying ‘back by popular demand’. They make it with ostrich, raisins, apricot jam, curry, and a light egg custard on top. It was a bit on the sweet side, so I mixed in some of the savoury rice and topped it with the spicy sauce from the little bowl, and it was pretty much perfect. I was a happy boy.
Doug also had the bobotie, Rob had tempura prawns, and Heather had a crocodile steak, which she likened to swordfish. Yes, crocodile steak. You can also get zebra, springbok, kudu, eland… and also beef, chicken, prawns, and vegetarian dishes.
Forgot to mention, since many of the items on the menu are eaten with the hands, they come by with some lemon water and a bowl so you can refresh your hands before you eat. I include the picture not so much for that, but for another look at the decor.
The wine was really nice. It’s a pinotage (an exclusive-to-South Africa varietal that Rob and I both fell in love on our last visit) from a winery in Paarl, a town just past Stellenbosch in the wine region. I hope we can find a way to get it when we get back to Canada.
A quick ride back to the Doug and Heather’s hotel, some heartfelt goodbyes, and Rob and I walked back to ours for a nightcap at the hotel bar. We sorta made a habit of espresso martinis after dinner whilst on the cruise, so we decided to see how well the hotel made them. They were very good! We have to get back in the habit of settling the bill before leaving, though!
It was a good day. Nice scenery, good food, good wine, good friends, all in one of my favourite cities in the world.
