As promised yesterday here is the blurb on Table Mountain. This is an interesting geological feature. The mountain got its name for two reasons: it is as flat on top as a table and is flanked at each end by a peak (like chairs at each end of a table); and there is the tablecloth. Table Mountain and all the mountain chain it is part of are protected National Parks and Nature Reserves. No flower picking, digging, plant harvesting, seed harvesting or disturbing of wildlife... especially no hunting. Poaching has an official penalty of thousands of rands more than the value of the skins, pelts, horns, bones or other parts of the animals. However, I was told the story of one group of 3 poachers who were 'mistakenly' believed to be about to shoot at conservation officers and got themselves shot up (one died of his injuries). Don't know how true that is but the story teller seemed like a reliable source.
The tablecloth is a very unusual cloud formation. When the moisture laden cool air blows over the land from the cold Atlantic Ocean it slams into the back side of Table Mountain. A cloud forms along that backside, moves up the mountain and spills across the table (plateau) and then 'falls' down the other side. From the Cape Town side this looks like a tablecloth hanging over the edge. I took a few photos of it and some are already posted if you are interested in seeing what it looks like. This cloud is extremely dense and comes with some pretty wicked winds. So, when the weather is such that the cloud can be predicted or the wind is particularly strong (same winds that blow 10 ton boulders off Chapman's Peak) the mountain is closed and no one is allowed up it, not even hikers. It is too dangerous because of the winds and zero visibility. The cablecar is, of course, closed when the winds are high even if there is no cloud. But there is rarely one without the other.
The day I went up to Table Mountain was a gorgeous day. I timed/planned it perfectly. Like many places in coastal areas, the weather in Cape Town can change rapidly and almost without warning. I got up one morning, I was staying at Tom's B&B, and decided that in spite of the cloudy, overcast weather I would follow through with my plans to go on a Big Red Bus (double decker bus) tour of the city. The original plan was to use the bus to first go up to the lower cable station on Table Mountain then tour the city stopping in Sea Point to find Johan and a guesthouse/B&B/backpackers. As it happened I had to change my plans due to the inclement weather.
After breakfast I walked down to the SA Jewish Museum to catch the bus at the regularly scheduled stop there. The Museum was closed because it was Saturday (Jewish sabbath) so I just waited for the bus. The bus tour took us all around the city, into the notorious District 6, passed the Parade and all the Museums. It was a good commentary and the guide was knowledgable. We climbed Table Mountain but the weather was still quite cloudy so the tour continued on after a brief stop. We went through several high-priced neighbourhoods along the coast passing the Twelve Apostles Peaks. When we got back towards town I asked the driver to drop me close to the Tourist Info Centre in Sea Point.
There I found, as Tom explained, two huge internet services (not true cafes just big rooms full of computers) and the info centre. The info centre was more of a tour booking service and did not help much for accommodation. So I walked along Main street a few blocks to find Cafe Erte. I told the nice young fellow at the bar that I was looking for Johan and he said I had found him. I introduced myself and he was thrilled to know that I was a friend of Wendy's and asked how she was, etc, etc. I said I was looking for an inexpensive but nice place to stay and he suggested the Stonehurst Guesthouse up the street/hill a couple of streets (blocks) and I went up to book a room. The manager, Roy, a regular at Cafe Erte, answered the door and invited me inside. He took pity on me and gave me a nice room at a good price (R300/day incl breakfast). I booked it for 4 nights starting the next day, Sunday, and bid him gidday.
Back to Cafe Erte, where there are computers, for lunch and an email check. While finishing the email I noticed the sun coming out. So I finished up and headed back to the bus stop where I waited about 20 minutes for the next tour bus to pass and hopped back on. Stayed on, passed the end of the tour and continued on to Table Mountain. By the time we got there the winds were down to a light breeze and there was not a cloud in the sky (see the lovely photos) so up the cable car I went. I spent about an hour and a half up there before riding back down to catch the last Big Red Bus back into town. The driver could only take me to the town centre info office so I had to get a taxi up the hill to the Gardens where Tom's B&B is.
So, about Table Mountain. What a magnificent place. The scenery and sweeping vistas are out of this world. There are marked trails from which one must not stray. This is to protect the flora and fauna. The scrub that is trying to grow on this plateau is challenged enough by the strong winds as are the creatures that call the mountain home. There are gorgeous lillies, bromiliads, succulents and other flowers everywhere. The dominant colours are white, reds, oranges and yellows. Not much pinks and no violets or blues that were in bloom while I was there. The scrubby little bushes and shrubs are course, tough and brambly. Not much there could be regarded as a tree.
The animals were fun. The little dassies (pronounce dossy) was my favourite. Following is an encyclopedia excerpt about them: Hyrax...(h´rks), name for rabbit-sized mammals of Africa and SW Asia comprising the family Procavidae. Although rodentlike in appearance, hyraxes are hoofed mammals, or ungulates (see Chordata), most closely related to elephants and sea cows. The hyrax, also called coney, has a squat, furry body, with short slender legs, short ears, and a short tail. It has small hooves on its toes, and moist padded soles that cling to steep surfaces by suction, making it an excellent climber. There are about 14 hyrax species, classified in two genera. The genus Procavia includes the ground-living species, sometimes called dassies. Dassies are rock dwellers and live in colonies of up to 50 animals; they are found especially in deserts and hills. Hyraxes feed on seeds, fruit, and leaves, and in large numbers can be serious agricultural pests. They are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Hyracoidea, family Procavidae.
Now you know more about dassies than you ever thought you would, right. Well here is what I saw... cute little furballs that lay on warm rocks in the sun cleaning themselves and climb around the bottom of scrub trees eating the leaves and flowers. They seemed to know they were safe from harm and protected so had no fear of people. They could be approached quite closely and did not seem to care. I was as close as 3 feet taking pictures and they barely paid me any heed. There were even babies in one of the bushes and the Mom did not seem to mind the 5 or 6 people standing around making silly billing and cooing noises at her babes.
There is also a bird in SA that likes to live in the protected zone. It is the Sunbird. A small, delicate looking bird that is very much like a large hummingbird with its irridescent colouring of blues, greens and violets in its wings. It even has a srtonger patch of colour, which varies, on its throat. The beak is long and needle-like for getting deep into the throat of a flower and it has a slight hook down. The Sunbird seems to have a strong preference for the nectar of the lillies. They also fly about in a similar fashion to hummingbirds. For more details visit http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/animalsplants/data/m0049147.html
There were many wonderful things to see and explore on the mountain top and I took several photos and a movie so please check them out when they are posted.
Posted by gailene at February 17, 2004 12:06 PM