CAPE TOWN - Got 48 hours to explore Cape
Town? Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors
get the most from a short visit.
FRIDAY
6 p.m. - Kick off your stay with a Long
Island tea cocktail at Café Caprice (37 Victoria Road, Camps
Bay, +27 21 438 8315), enjoying a gentle sea breeze a stone's
throw from the sandy beach and its swaying palm trees.
Frequented by the city's beautiful and trendy, if you're lucky
you might rub shoulders with celebrities like singer Robbie
Williams or actor Leonardo di Caprio.
7:30 p.m. - Hop in a sedan taxi plying its
trade in the inner-city or call Rikki's (0861745547) to book a
ride in one their brightly-liveried traditional London cabs and
cruise to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Also situated at
the V&A is Nelson Mandela Gateway (+27 21 4134217), where you
can buy tickets (150 rand p/p return, usually six tours a day
ending 3 p.m. daily, including Sundays and holidays) to visit
Robben Island Museum and see the cell which held South Africa's
first black state leader for 26 years. The island is a World
Heritage site and a former leper colony.
10 p.m. - Jazz lovers might try the lively
entertainment at Manenberg's, one of the city's top jazz venues
specializing in South African jazz popularized overseas by
artists such as pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and trumpeter Hugh
Masekela. Join other jazz aficionados at 105, Clocktower
Precinct or call +27 21 4215639.
SATURDAY
9 a.m. - If the weather forecast is hot and
sunny, hire a car for the 40 km (25 mile) ride to Boulder's
Beach, stopping along the way to watch the whales cavort in
False Bay, before arriving at your destination and mingling with
penguins. Or stay in the city centre and soldier on towards the
Castle of Good Hope (Buitenkant and Strand streets), a
pentagonal fortification built by the Dutch between 1666-1679
and South Africa's oldest surviving building.
10 a.m. - Trundle slowly across Buitenkant
street and make your way towards the centrally-located Green
Market Square, where you can haggle with traders selling a wide
selection of Africa's arts and curios. Pick up an exquisitely
carved chess set, hand-made sandals or decorative beaded
necklaces at reasonable prices. Along the way pass the classic
music venue City Hall (Darling Street) and the Mutual Heights
residential complex.
12:30 p.m. - Hop onto a taxi and make your
way to the historic Bo-Kaap or Cape Malay district, where many
of the predominantly Muslim residents are descendents of the
slaves captured in Indonesia and Sri Lanka during the 17th and
18th century. Visit the Noon Gun restaurant (273 Longmarket
Street, +27 21 4240529), a family-run establishment which
arguably has among the best views of the city and Table Bay. In
a strictly non-alcoholic setting, sample their delicious
home-made victuals, such as "koeksisters", a sweet-tasting donut
and "samoosas" - a triangle-shaped pastry filled with chicken,
meat or vegetables.
2 p.m. - Roll back to the CBD and go shopping
in Long Street with its excellent book shops, bric-a-brac stores
and designer clothing outlets. Visit the Turkish baths at the
top end of the gently inclining road if you have the inclination
for a steam detox or book an unforgettable shark-cage diving
trip at Homeland Shuttle and Tour Operations (+27 21 4260294.
307 Long Street, a few meters ahead of the Turkish baths).
7 p.m. - It's impossible to visit a port city
without eating seafood. For a sumptuous dinner where diners
create their own deep-water delights from an emporium of sushi
and seafood, try the Codfather in Camps Bay (37 The Drive, +27
21 4380782). Tickle your tongue with a platter of grilled
crayfish, king-sized Mozambican prawns and octopus.
10 p.m. - Remain in the city centre and
tackle Long Street after hours when it transforms into a heaving
mass of hedonistic club-hoppers. Visit Zula Sound Bar (194 Long
Street, +27 21 4242442) for deep djembe beats, techno pulses or
live bands. A plethora of clubs along the city's main dance
artery will reward even the most jaded clubber. Alternatively
take a taxi southward for more thumping bass at the vibrantly
bohemian atmosphere of Observatory suburb.
SUNDAY
10 a.m. - Go even earlier to beat the
expected throngs heading for Table Mountain, the flat-topped
range which has been hulking over your presence since your
arrival in the city. Take a 10 minute trip by cable car (www.tablemountain.net)
or +27 21 424 8181 for info) with its rotating floor ensuring
visitors a 360 degree view of the city. If you have the energy,
walk to the 1,086 meter summit via one of the numerous hiking
trails, such as the strenuous Platteklip Gorge route.
12 p.m. - Take a taxi along the Atlantic Seaboard to the
Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, situated between Camps Bay and
Hout Bay, and unwind in the tranquil setting nestled at the foot
of the mountain and overlooking the ocean. Try a head-to-foot
massage in the glass-roomed spa situated further up the
mountain, where African-mined crystals are combined with
products containing some of the area's rich unique "Fynbos"
(literally fine bush) flora, to create a truly invigorating rub
down. And if you have the time, watch a magnificent sunset as
the blazing orange orb sinks over the horizon. -Reuters
