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American Spirit II - Day 334; A 1/2 Day Tour in Cape Town and Table Mountian; Saturday, December 6, 2014



Up at 5:00 AM. My right leg still hurts a lot. Joel gets up at 6:00 AM. Breakfast is at 6:55 AM and consists of eggs, potato, bread and fruit of apple or orange.

Our half day tour starts at 8:00 AM. We're picked up in front of the Aquarium. Vlado, Jack and Marco from Civetta II; and Brian and Lucy from Folie a Deux, join Joel, Jeanine and me for the tour. We have our own 11 person van for the tour, instead of taking a crowded bus. At the same price as taking the crowded bus because we've loaded the van with so many people.

Our first stop is Table Mountain. We arrive there at 8:40 AM. We go there first on the tour because the wind is low in the morning and the cable cars only run if the wind isn't to strong; and to beat the crowds. Each cable car holds 65 people. The cable car service to the top of the mountain started in 1929, when the cars carried 18 people. That number was increased to 23 people in 1961; and 65 in 1996. Once the wind hits 30 kilometers per hour, the cable cars stop operating. The floor rotates one time 360 degrees on the way up to the top of the mountain. Table Mountain is 1,085 meters or 3,560 feet high. The base of the cable cars can hold 4,000 liters (1,056 gallons) of water to help stabilize the cars in high winds and to provide water for the visitors at the top of the mountain. The cable length is 1.2 kilometers and weighs 18 tons. Unlike going up a ski slope, there are no towers along the way with rollers for the cables. Just one tower at the base of the mountain and one at the top. This is because the angle up to the top is about 70 degrees. A very steep cable run.

After we leave Table Mountain, we drive to the Malay Quarter of the city, where buildings are painted different bright colors. The Dutch originally lived in the homes.

As we drove along our guide explained that South Africa is divided into 9 provinces and that Cape Town province is the only one not controlled by the ANC (African National Congress) and is the most productive province with the lowest unemployment rate. January 2nd is a big holiday, much like our Mardi Grass in the US. Its a day when in the past the slaves were given the day off and paraded around town with painted faces so that their owners couldn't recognize them. Tourism is the biggest industry in Cape Town; and the northern provinces get most of their wealth from mining. The top income tax rate is 40%; and the tax year runs from March 1 to February 28. The start of the 'slave' day commenced with the ringing of a bell and ended with the ringing of the same bell. There are also 9 tribes in South Africa.

We drove to the East Indian Company gardens; then to the South African Museum, which is like a mini Field Museum in Chicago. Very well done. We spent 45 minutes there, but in order to do the visit justice you need at least a half day. We'll try to return there later if we can. This museum also has a planetarium in it, which operates only on weekends.

There are 12 national museums in Cape Town, including the Slave Lodge, which our guide said is a must see. He also recommended we go to the 'District 6' museum which deals with apartheid in South Africa.

Next we drove by the open air 'Green Market,' where stalls are set up selling various tourist like items. Then we drove by a fort built in 1667; then City Hall where Nelson Mandela gave his famous Freedom Speech in 1990.

Our guide also said that the British wanted Cape Town to be a convict colony, but were dissuaded in doing so by a British aristocrat named Aderly.

Our last stop was at the Diamond Works, where we were shown how diamonds are cut and valued. This demonstration also include a presentation dealing with Tanzanite, a rare mineral used in jewelry. According to the person giving us the presentation, tanzanite is a good investment, with a return of 20% per year, because there is only one working mine in the world now, and that mine will 'run out' in 10 years.

We were back in the V & A Waterfront area at around 1:30 PM. We went to lunch at MacDonald's in the mall; then rode a large ferris (?) wheel.

We were back at the boat at 3:03 PM, and took naps from then until 5:00 PM. Dinner at 8:00 PM consisted of blackened steak cooked on the grill by chef Joel; baked potato; and corn on the cob.

In bed between 10:30 PM and midnight.

Brian Fox

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