Hiking up table mountain and the first surf lesson

Woke up early as always ( Still adjusting to African time) and was up at the breakfast room by 7.30 am. The lady making breakfast was held up due to traffic and breakfast began slightly later. The weather was perfect today, sunny and bright and I decided to head up table mountain. Finishing breakfast at around 8 plus, Leah called a cab for me and I was at the Platteklip Gorge trekking path  ( as recommended by Leah) around 8.45 am. After some slight delay since the cab driver did not have change, I started off on the path at 9 am.  The weather was really nice and I could move up at a decent pace. Coming from a country which is very humid, the sun without the stickiness is such a relief.

Along the way, I met up with 2 german physicians who were here for a conference and we chatted all the way up. The trail pretty much winds up through the gorge and the view of Cape town was simply stunning. Naturally the higher we went the better the view.

The trail itself was clearly visible and some points which were too steep had wire fencing erected. Most of the trail was boulders and rocks. The trail doesn't change along the way but the view does get way better. We stopped by occasionally to catch our breath before proceeding on towards the top. The hike up does require some level of fitness and preparation but can be done with regular intervals of rest and recuperation as well.

We took about 2 hours to reach the top and decided to hike up towards Maclear's beacon, about 45 minutes one way. I had to be back down for my surfing lesson, to be picked up at Capetown's backpackers at 1.30 pm and it was a risky choice but I agreed anyway. We took what was shown as an alternative path towards Maclear's beacon but which was very enjoyable. The path basically skirts around the sides of the plateau and has several "blow off" points as we put it, or points where people could be blown off the top. The views along this path were definitely worth the choice and we took several pictures along the path.

The journey back or the direct route back to the cable car station was so much shorter then the alternate path and I had to say a goodbye to my two companions as I had to take the cable car down. It was nearly 1 pm and I had 30 minutes to rush back. The cable ride was about 105 rand. The queue seemed intimidating at first but the cable car had a pretty big capacity so it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. The ride down was pretty quick and the base of the cable car rotates as it moves down so it's possible to have an all round view of the scenery.

Got a cab at the base of the cable car station ( This is also where the red bus station is located ) and rushed back to the backpacker's just on time. Matthew from Stoked School of Surf (http://www.stokedsurfschool.com) came about to pick me up and we visited a few other places, picking up people before heading out to the coast for the practice session.

Matthew taught me and another student and for a beginner with no experience, the lesson was simple and easy to understand. The coaches were very friendly and easy going as well and Matthew as well as michelle ( the owner) have been surfing for 10 years. Both were very encouraging of the efforts we made and quick to point out ways to improve. It was a tiring and gruelling 2 hours of playing in the cold water. Definitely fun !

Personally I would have wanted to go for a few more lessons but unfortunately I would not be staying in Cape town for so long. Had a nice chat with michelle as she went about dropping me back at Capetown backpackers.

Dinner was at Kauai (http://www.kauai.co.za), a shop selling really healthy fare. This was my second visit and I tried their Thai wrap. Its a hearty meal comprising of brown rice, nuts, carrots, lettuce and much more tasty morsels all in a wrap. I liked the fact that it was so healthy with minimal oil. ( No french fries here ) The previous wrap I tried was the Mexican wrap and that was good as well. Perfect for vegetarians or the health conscious.

It had been a long day and the next day I had great white shark diving planned !

Time to get some rest.