We woke up very early this morning and found our taxi driver waiting at the front gate of our apartment complex. He took us to the Gaborone Airport, and we were literally the very first passengers to arrive for any airline. We checked in and went through immigration, and then had to wait for 2 hours before our flight boarded. The terminal was completely deserted except for the two of us until about 20 minutes before the flight. There weren't even any shops to browse through. It wasn't that they weren't open, there just weren't any shops. We couldn't believe it. Even the tiny little Burbank Airport has places to buy food, drinks, souvenirs, etc. Gaborone Airport is an international airport and they have nothing!
We got onto our tiny twin propeller airplane with around 45 or 50 other passengers. It has been awhile since either of us travelled on a plane this small and with propellers. It was a quick one-hour flight to Johannesburg, where we had to pass through immigration, collect our baggage, and then recheck it. We managed to leave Gaborone without any weight restriction problems with our suitcases, but in Johannesburg they made us redistribute the luggage and carry the smallest of our three larger suitcases. It wasn't a huge deal, and all of our luggage reached the final destination--unlike when we flew into Jo-burg 3 weeks ago. We also managed to squeeze in some quick airport shopping in Jo-burg to make up for the lack of shopping in the Gaborone Airport. Dena found some South Africa shot glasses, something she has been looking for since we first arrived in Africa 3 weeks ago. Doug found a Springbok's Rugby shirt, something he has been wanting to buy since arriving, but has been waiting to find a decent price, which he did.
On the flight to Cape Town, we sat next to a young man named Matt, who is a wine-maker in the Cape Town area. He recommended several activities, sights and restaurants to visit while we are in town. He told us about a good sushi restaurant, something we've been craving for weeks, and told us about his vineyard, where they offer free wine-tasting.
After getting our bags in the Cape Town airport, a taxi driver approached us and offered a ride. Actually, he wasn't really a taxi but more of a private driver, running his own business. He wanted us to pay 250 Rand (approximately $35), claiming that other taxis would want 300 Rand. We negotiated down to 210 Rand, and he agreed. During the drive, he gave us some quick social history of Cape Town and pointed out a few sights. He also offered his services for wine tasting tours and a drive through the Cape Peninsula south of Cape Town. We asked for his prices for these tours so that we could compare to other tours once we reached our hotel. The driver's name was William, and he gave us his business card so that we could call him if we decided to use him again.
We reached our hotel, the Westin Grand Hotel, and as soon as we walked into the lobby we knew we would be spending our last few days in luxury. Dena's cousin Ron, who is the head of security for the company that owns the hotel, got us a great discount on the room along with 50% off food and drinks at the hotel. Our room is very nice, on the twelfth floor, and has an amazing view of Table Mountain. We unpacked and organized our belongings and then went to the hotel's travel center to start planning our week. Mandisi, the concierge, told us about several nearby attractions and gave us a lot of brochures. We decided to sit in one of the hotel lounges and create our own itinerary while enjoying a drink. Here's what the schedule is looking like at the moment:
Monday--We'll start the morning with a cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain. When we finish there we will get on an open-top bus for a tour of the city. During the tour we can get out at many museums, historical sites, and other points of interest and stay as long as we want. These busses run every twenty minutes, and our passes are good for the entire day, so we can get onto another bus whenever we're ready. In the evening, we plan to walk around, shop, and find a good place for dinner.
Tuesday--We have a 7:40 tee time at the Rondebosch Golf Course, which is only 16 kilometers away from the center of Cape Town. In the afternoon we've arranged with William, our taxi driver from the airport, to drive us south through the Cape Peninsula, stopping at several sites along the way. The price William gave us for a private tour ended up being less than if we paid for a bus tour with a bunch of strangers. We'll also have the luxury of stopping as long or as short as we want at each of the sites. Some hi-lights of the tour will be beaches along the coast, Cape Point at the Cape of Good Hope, and Boulder Beach, where the penguins all hang out.
Wednesday--In the morning we will take a boat to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for more than 20 years during the Apartheid years. When we get back to the mainland, we plan on doing a bit of wine-tasting, hopefully at our new friend Matt's vineyard. Our evening will be open, so we'll see what else comes up.
Thursday--Our morning is still available if we find something we really want to do. Or we can just walk around and do some last-minute shopping. Our flight back to the good old USA is at 3:30 in the afternoon.
Tonight, we went to a restaurant called Beluga, the sushi restaurant recommended, Matt, by our fellow passenger on the airplane from Jo-burg. We noticed while we were out in the city that this part of Africa has a much different feel than the rest of the places we've visited. It is much more like being in a beach town, like Santa Monica, and more "touristy." Everything is very modern and upscale, although there are other parts of the city that aren't as nice. It's hard to believe we are still in Africa. We know this will be a great way to end our trip and become more accustomed to life in Los Angeles.
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