Cape Town - Day 1

Today was supposed to be our day diving with the great white sharks.  The season normally runs through mid September. We received an email three days ago informing us that sightings had dropped off significantly and in the past week they've had three days with no sightings.  Locals inform us that orcas (killer whales) have been attacking the great whites and driven them from the area.  CJ is now 0 for 2 on attempts to cage dive with great whites.

The 12 Apostles Hotel provides complimentary shuttle service to Camps Bay and the Cape Town Waterfront.  There is a sculpture garden of South Africa's four Nobel prize winners.  Table Mountain is masked by cloud cover today.

 

 We have an excellent seafood lunch, explore a very good crafts mall supporting the local economy quite admirably and return to the hotel for a great view of the mountain from our balcony.

We arrive at the bar too late for seating but the fellow who checked us in the previous afternoon recognizes our dilemma and arranges for the dining room to allow us the use of their patio a half hour before they open. We have it to ourselves and once the sunset pictures are taken they show us to our table a half hour before the opening of the restaurant.

 

 

The picture above is of the phenomenon known at the Table Cloth cloud descending on Table Mountain.  Part of the 12 Apostles is in the foreground.

Bad luck with shark diving but good fortune with the hotel's schedule.  This evening is the monthly wine dinner.  We have a good time sampling excellent food pairings and six wines from Kanonkop, the first winery of Pinotage. The chef describes his dishes with great passion and detail.  The winemaker is equally passionate.