September 18
We arrived in Cape Town last night for a one-week “holiday.” The trip was uneventful but not without a bit of stress. We intended to bring only carry-on luggage. The restrictions are much greater here than in the USA. Our bags had a combined weighted 25 kg. Their limit is 7 kg per bag so we had to check them. All the way from Lilongwe to Cape Town we wondered if we would see our bags with ALL of our clothes, medicines, and toiletries. But all is well. The bags came off the belt on schedule.
A giant of a man named Zane picked us up at the airport and drove us to the Acorn House, chatting all the way. Our ears will have to adjust to a new rhythm of speech. Since it was about 9:00 p.m. we had a lovely view of the lights of the city. Along part of the way we could see the harbor and the beauty of the lights reflecting off the water.
The Acorn House is a lovely guesthouse set in the Gardens district of Cape Town on the lower slopes of Table Mountain. It is cool here and a fire was going in the sitting room when we arrived. Rooms are delightfully furnished with antiques and our room has a small sitting area outside. Even though it is nearing the end of winter here in the southern hemisphere, there are lush flowers and plants. At the rear is a clear view of Table Mountain, and the city and harbour below us from the front porch. Our original plan was to spend a few nights here then drive part of the Garden Route and take a room along the way before coming back to Cape Town for the night before our departure back to Lilongwe. With the delightfully hectic pace of the last four weeks, we made the decision to stay put with day outings from Acorn House. There should be some hiking, spring flowers to see as well as whale sightings possible along the coast, as this is the season for the Right whale.
After a good night of sleep we started our day with a lovely breakfast buffet of fruits, breads, cheeses, meats and more , with hot options also available. Sue especially relished the French press coffee with hot milk. Breakfast may be the big meal of the day. Our host, Beate, has been so attentive and helpful. It is a gorgeous day and she said that today will be the best day this week to go up Table Mountain on the cable car. It is to be warm today then winter is to pay a return visit which probably means that the temperature will get down to the high 40s and low 50s. We expect to enjoy the cool since October and November promise to be hot in Malawi.
Cape Town promises many delights to enjoy …another new African adventure.
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