Have you ever heard of the term ‘heaven on earth’? Cape Town is the true reflection of this term. It’s a mother City of South Africa, filled with the most surreal experience, making the adventure within the city even more wild yet unforgettable. It’s situated on the far end of Africa with a sharp shape that perfectly fits in like a missing piece of a puzzle.
The first time I visited Cape Town, I was startled that a place could be that picturesque. Beautiful is an understatement. Every part of the city was beyond the definition of the word perfection.
My first day was on the luxurious MSC Splendida, the cruise ship that traveled the waters from Durban to Cape Town. We arrived in the city very early in the morning. While I could not wait to arrive in Cape Town, my eyes could not keep up and I decided to sleep in early.
Read Related: A Journey on the MSC Splendida: Escaping the Ordinary on a Cruise from Durban to Cape Town
I woke up excited as a foggy imagination of Cape Town, running in my mind. I sensed that the cruise ship had docked before I even opened the heavy curtains to my balcony because there was no movement that my body was accustomed to.
My hands found the curtains and I slowly pulled them to the sides as the rays of the sun shone their light to different parts of my cabin room. The sun was rising behind one of the mountains near the port and the sight of it all was more than surreal for my mind. The sky had turned orange and the sounds of the birds chirping on the waters at the port had dominated the port like a morning alarm that alerted us that it was time to leave the cruise ship.
At exactly 10 am, we exited the cruise and walked to the outside of the port. From afar, I could hear the sounds of drums and chanting noises that sang traditional music that I later learned that it was Zulu songs.
A traditional choir gathered a crowd of cruise passengers with welcoming songs that sparked joy as some of the passengers could not hesitate to join them. Along with the other Journalists, influencers, and a team from South African Tourism, we hopped on a bus to the V&A Waterfront Mall in Cape Town for some shopping before the fun started.
The waterfront situated in one of the oldest working harbors, has over 450 retail outlets selling everything from shoes, clothes, books, homeware, leather goods, and jewelry. For about two hours, I allowed myself to get lost in the beauty of the waterfront.
While I was checking out some beautiful clothes at one of the stores, my hands found the wall for some composure as I was hit with a wave of dizziness as if we were still on the cruise and according to Google, it’s bound to happen when one stays on a cruise for a while.
The bus that picked us up at the port and afterwards drove about 45 kilometers from Cape Town’s city center to Atlantis for quad biking in the dunes. Nothing could have prepared me for that experience. We were first divided into two groups and each group was first taught how to ride a bike- with safety precautions.
Being a thrilling exercise, they understood that one could get away from the delight of riding a bike on the soft dunes that covered over 20 square kilometers of the area.
We were lined up and no one was allowed to bike outside of the line due to safety. 45 minutes in and not one person was ready to step down from their bikes as the adrenalin rush had already kicked in.
We afterwards headed to a hotel named the Southern Sun Waterfront Cape Town situated in the city center and prepared ourselves for dinner at the Bungalow Restaurant which is well known to have some of the most exotic views of the ocean view terrace and a great place to enjoy sunsets during golden hours in the city.
A three-course meal and a few drinks later, we were all laughing while admiring the constellations of stars that had grouped in the sky forming a spectacular pattern. The next morning, we were all up and early for a trip to Table Mountain for a full circle trip.
From the moment the bus left the hotel to the minute we were on the highway to Table Mountain, it felt like we were leaving the city behind us with the buildings becoming small the higher we drove up the road.
We got our tickets to the aerial cableway and immediately stepped in when our group was called. Standing on the cableway as it kept going up the Mountain, the cableway was circling, giving the tourists a whole view of Cape Town.
I was entirely speechless by the time we arrived on the Mountain due to not only how small the city seemed from the top, but also how insane the scenery was. The ocean connected itself with the sky, forming a perfect tone of blue that matched the colourful city that lay from afar.
Most tourists’ faces, including mine, were giggling at the sight that seemed too beautiful to be true- and then it just made sense that such a spot is one of the world’s seven wonders. We went around and enjoyed the views. The air we were breathing felt different- like it was much perfectly lighter than the usual oxygen we breathe. It felt good to inhale it and appreciate nature for a good minute.
After a while, we had to get back down for a trip to the west of Cape Town for a wine tour, the wise man said ‘When in wine country!’ and we decided to become the man.
The bus drove for about two hours and it stopped in Stellenbosch Town, at two different wine estates dubbed the Seven Sisters Vineyards and Morgenhof Wine Estate, whose stories made their business more interesting and purposeful.
Both spots shared a course of meals that tasted better with certain wines and it was during this very trip I learned about my love for sweet white wines, which I did not know about before.
At the end of the day, we sat by a fire that was next to a horse riding cable as the sun was setting. Deserts on one hand and a glass of white wine on the other. Stories were exchanged as belly laughter filled the space. A delightful ending indeed.
