After a bumpy but exhilarating ride back from Robben Island aboard the catamaran I decided not to return to the ship but to search out and take one of the two Hop-on, Hop-off bus routes. After a bit of a meander through the V & A Waterfront complex (Of which more in later postings) I eventually found ‘Stop 1’ and opted for the Mini Peninsular Tour that would take me up and around the lower part of Table Mountain and the Devil’s Peak to the Botanical Gardens at Kirstenbosch, through the fashionable suburb of Constantia, the Imizamo Township, Mariners Wharf - a distinctly smelly experience – and then back along the Atlantic coast via Camps, Bantry and Three Anchors Bays. A two-and-a-half-hour tour in brilliant sunshine so thank goodness I put on plenty of sunblock although I noticed at dinner in the evening that my right arm was distinctly more colourful than the left!
After a brief tour of the city centre the bus climbed steadily out of the city underneath Signal Hill and the Devil’s Peak to the West of Table Mountain and past the Newlands Cricket Ground to the Botanical Gardens at Kirstenbosch. I have seen the gardens on TV and it would have been great to hop-off here and spend some time but it was already 2.00pm and although I could have caught the last bus I decided that 2 hours was insufficient time to do justice to this famous garden – so that will have to be added to the ‘secondary bucket list’ of places to visit again – a list that is rapidly becoming longer than the main list!
Another interesting fact is that this heavily forested area was also home to lions, elephants and other game, but with deforestation to supply wood for the early settlers, much of the game was wiped out, as too were many of the native trees. Today the area is dominated by non-native pines and is part of a National Park that stretches down to the Cape of Good Hope (Cape Point). A recent plan to remove the pines and replace them with native species has created much controversy since any trees replaced will take many years to establish and mature destroying what for some has been pleasant wooded area.
The next stop was the Imizamo Yethu Township (See photo), a colourful spot where again if you have the time and inclination you can be taken on a guided tour and even stay a night – just one of the many ways that the inhabitants are contributing to, and earning a living, from tourism.
At this stop a number of colourful ladies boarded the bus with their children clearly prepared for a picnic or so I thought. When we got to the beaches on the Atlantic side of the Mountain it became clear that they were using the Hop-on – Hop-off bus as a convenient way to reach their destination - public transport being rather sparse. It made for a very happy and cheerful ride for the next 30 minutes and the children were all well dressed and well behaved.
On leaving the Township a stench reached my nostrils that proved to be from the Mariners Wharf at Hout Bay. It is renowned for snoek fishing and canning but certainly not a place for lingering!
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