Noordhoek Beach is a five-mile strip of white sand which is bordered by cliffs that stand tall on the Atlantic coast. . The cape peninsular which is about fifteen miles to the southwest of Cape Town is supposed to be one of the nicest places to be on earth. At about four I the afternoon, you should just look at the overcast sky and follow trails on horseback. Go through large and small dunes and wetlands that lead all the way to the coast. There is a long-beaked Hadeda ibis which is also called the Egyptian geese. These are waded together in fresh water and the stream is then swollen and becomes apart of the natural rain system over here.
The horses make the whole experience here even more thrilling. They break into a trot and then a canter. Just as you reach the beach, which is speckled with driftwood and big strands of kelp. Later in the distance, you would be able to see a huge perpendicular cliff that soars high above the sea. This has a green flank that is cut mostly by the fabled Chapman peak drive. This happens to be one of the world’s most famous and most heart stopping stretch of asphalt anywhere. The sir over here is quite thick and the seagulls and cormorants with the black oystercatchers are all part of the natural beauty of this place.
As you watch a huge seagull that soars high in the air and you could see a clam in the birds’ beak. Later they drop the clam on the sands and about twenty-five times later the bird finally succeeded in opening the shell. And then the bird finally ripped into the flesh of the Clam.
When you go farther on, you might get see a dark form that moves in the sand. This is probably a seal in its dying days. The injured or dying seals usually wash up on the shore all the time. There is nothing that could be done to help these seals. The seal wags its flippers and then just lay still. After careful observation, you might see its head flopped up and down. It would be a good idea to look away and go about your business.
There a certain wild nature to Cape Town that you may not find anywhere else. The big blue sky, the massive, rugged-Canyons, the jagged sandstone and granite, all of these rising over the icy south Atlantic tip of Africa.
There are penguins that waddle across the white sandy beaches. And you can see any elands just roam around on the dunes.
You may even spot the occasional baboons that swoop down from the forests and end up ripping open cupboards and closets in search of food.
Cape Town has an overwhelming visitors experience with a large scale landscape and the feeling it gives you of innate remoteness. This place happens to be an agoraphobic nightmare. There is a patch of wind-whipped land which is at the mountain which is at the bottom of the world. This could be a dream destination for any nature enthusiast.
Cape Town also has another side, which had Dutch colonists who actually settled down in Constantia Valley about three hundred and fifty years ago. These colonists were determined to make natural miracles happen. They covered a fertile basin that was pretty much sun drenched with vineyards; that is where the grapes for some of the best wine in the world, are grown.
The many beach communities like the Kalk Bay is reminiscent of Massachusetts. This is a funky mix of a nice version of Edgar town with a new rough-edged New Bedford which almost hugs the coat. You would be able to see urban poverty which consists of most tourists and a lot of while Cape-Townians as them come to see it pass by on the way to the Cape Town international airport.
There are squatter camps of the cape flats. Where about ten thousand immigrants from many impoverished rural areas; live among shacks which are beside the canals, that overflow with a lot of raw sewage. This makes for make-shift bars and Shabeens. All this is then filled with alcoholics and people who are unemployed.
This city is a large mix of culture, class, geography and all this could be quite exhilarating as well as unsettling. While you discover Cape Town between the year two thousand and five and two thousand and seven; it would be a nice cheap place to have an experience of. The ouster of president Thabo Mbeki, who was here, just came along with the many troubles that have been happening here in Zimbabwe. It also has a worldwide economic crisis that has pushed the South African rand to the lowest level here in almost five years.
Due to the high inflation rate in South Africa, the prices have gone up quite considerably.
It is possible to even stay in a very good hotel room, rent a car, eat a good few meals at a good restaurant and even go hiking or mountain biking on some of the world’s most magnificent mountain reserves. All this in a very controlled budget of about three hundred US dollars. If you are budget conscious then Cape Town is completely the hardest to beat.
When you do arrive in Cape Town in the middle of November, it would be the southern hemisphere in the summer. You could decide to go splurge for a few nights and you could stay at the Constantia which is on the historic wine route in Cape Town. There are elegantly furnished suites that are laid out around lawns and bamboo gardens. There’s breakfast on the patio which faces the rugged Steenberg Mountain which is basically a private mini swimming pool in the courtyard of almost every room. In fact, it is quite easy to feel quite guilty here; mostly because of the shameless self-indulgence. The Constantia is quite Luxurious and it is a well-suited base from where you could discover the city.
When you are out on your first afternoon here at Cape Town, you could set out for the food barn which is in Noordhoek. This in fact is quite a prominent example. The culinary evolution in Cape Town has undergone many changes throughout the years. You could drive from Constantia all over to Ou Kaapse Weg which is the old road in Afrikaans.
