DAY 3 - CAPE PENINSULA IN A VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE SIDECAR
Overnight: Southern Sun, Cape Town
Riding a Vintage Motorcycle Sidecar Cape Town winters can get cold and wet. A North Western wind was expected to bring in the rains from Saturday to Tuesday. But thanks to an unexpected Northern wind, I woke up to a perfect Wednesday morning. Kevin from Cape Sidecar Adventures showed up at my hotel at 8 am sharp with Vicky, a vintage CJ750 from the '70s. Kevin was a large man in his early 60s with a short white beard. The route that Kevin had charted out took us through Camp Bay, Back Oven, Chapmans Peak, Hout Bay, and then the Constantia Valley between False Bay and Table Bay, Sun Valley, Snakes Head Lighthouse, Cape of Good Hope to Cape Point. He handed me a black and white leather bomber jacket and an open face helmet. I put on the jacket, strapped the helmet and braced myself in the sidecar. "The fishermen are a notoriously superstitious folk. They don't know this wind," Kevin said as he kick-started the bike. Vicky roared to life, and vroom, we were hurtling out of the city. Sunlight on my face, and a little bit of dirt in my mouth, we rode through the country side past various bays. We stopped at fishing marinas where showmen showed off their pet walruses. We took a break at an ostrich farm where a cute store sold egg shell lamps and novelties. Country homes sported high fences and signs on gates that read 'Protected by City Bowl Armed Response'. The roads were lined with 'Beware of Baboons' boards (I remember seeing a Nat Geo documentary on this one). Wood cutters cutting down alien vegetation along the roads waved at us vigorously. I am guessing motorcycles on the road were a rare sight for them.
Where the Two Oceans Meet Soon, roads cut out of the country side and skirted along the Atlantic seaboard. The green waters belonging to the Atlantic Ocean were a gorgeous view and washed up a white surf to the shores of Table Bay. In the Table Mountain National Park, wild ostriches ran across the roads. Riding onwards, we reached the Cape of Good Hope. Now there was a misconception that Cape of Good Hope was the southern most tip of African continent where the cold Benguela current met the warm Agulhas current. The southern most point is actually Cape Agulhas and the currents meet somewhere in between of Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas. Nevertheless, I made sure I took of picture of me with the signboard. Another short ride down south, we reached the Cape Point - a promontory at the tip of Cape Peninsula. A funicular took me to the view point on the top. It was a unearthly experience to see the Indian Ocean collide with the Atlantic. A restaurant, aptly named Two Oceans, sat perched on one of the cliffs. We walked in and I ordered the Pirates Platter while Kevin got a humble pasta. The food was delicious. Mine came with two king prawns, mussels, steamed line fish, calamari, rice, fresh lime and more. After lunch, we took a gorgeous scenic road along the deep blue False Bay of Indian Ocean. Enroute, we stopped at the nesting grounds of African Penguins on Boulders Beach near Simon's Town. More riding took us northward back to the city. We entered Cape Town as a pale orange sun began to slide down behind the trees along the highways. It was a gorgeous day well spent. There was more beauty than what could be absorbed by the eyes in a day.
Home · Day 4
Tags: Adventure Sports, Africa, Wildlife
Overnight: Southern Sun, Cape Town
Riding a Vintage Motorcycle Sidecar Cape Town winters can get cold and wet. A North Western wind was expected to bring in the rains from Saturday to Tuesday. But thanks to an unexpected Northern wind, I woke up to a perfect Wednesday morning. Kevin from Cape Sidecar Adventures showed up at my hotel at 8 am sharp with Vicky, a vintage CJ750 from the '70s. Kevin was a large man in his early 60s with a short white beard. The route that Kevin had charted out took us through Camp Bay, Back Oven, Chapmans Peak, Hout Bay, and then the Constantia Valley between False Bay and Table Bay, Sun Valley, Snakes Head Lighthouse, Cape of Good Hope to Cape Point. He handed me a black and white leather bomber jacket and an open face helmet. I put on the jacket, strapped the helmet and braced myself in the sidecar. "The fishermen are a notoriously superstitious folk. They don't know this wind," Kevin said as he kick-started the bike. Vicky roared to life, and vroom, we were hurtling out of the city. Sunlight on my face, and a little bit of dirt in my mouth, we rode through the country side past various bays. We stopped at fishing marinas where showmen showed off their pet walruses. We took a break at an ostrich farm where a cute store sold egg shell lamps and novelties. Country homes sported high fences and signs on gates that read 'Protected by City Bowl Armed Response'. The roads were lined with 'Beware of Baboons' boards (I remember seeing a Nat Geo documentary on this one). Wood cutters cutting down alien vegetation along the roads waved at us vigorously. I am guessing motorcycles on the road were a rare sight for them.
Where the Two Oceans Meet Soon, roads cut out of the country side and skirted along the Atlantic seaboard. The green waters belonging to the Atlantic Ocean were a gorgeous view and washed up a white surf to the shores of Table Bay. In the Table Mountain National Park, wild ostriches ran across the roads. Riding onwards, we reached the Cape of Good Hope. Now there was a misconception that Cape of Good Hope was the southern most tip of African continent where the cold Benguela current met the warm Agulhas current. The southern most point is actually Cape Agulhas and the currents meet somewhere in between of Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas. Nevertheless, I made sure I took of picture of me with the signboard. Another short ride down south, we reached the Cape Point - a promontory at the tip of Cape Peninsula. A funicular took me to the view point on the top. It was a unearthly experience to see the Indian Ocean collide with the Atlantic. A restaurant, aptly named Two Oceans, sat perched on one of the cliffs. We walked in and I ordered the Pirates Platter while Kevin got a humble pasta. The food was delicious. Mine came with two king prawns, mussels, steamed line fish, calamari, rice, fresh lime and more. After lunch, we took a gorgeous scenic road along the deep blue False Bay of Indian Ocean. Enroute, we stopped at the nesting grounds of African Penguins on Boulders Beach near Simon's Town. More riding took us northward back to the city. We entered Cape Town as a pale orange sun began to slide down behind the trees along the highways. It was a gorgeous day well spent. There was more beauty than what could be absorbed by the eyes in a day.
Home · Day 4
Tags: Adventure Sports, Africa, Wildlife