CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - DAY 2 - APRIL 2ND

Having passed the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront during our travels yesterday, we planned to visit the Waterfront on the second day in Cape Town.  The weather, once again, being beautiful, we left our cabin around 9:30 and headed out to the terminal.  Having just missed the shuttle to the Hop On/Hop Off bus terminal, which is at one end of the Waterfront, we jumped in a cab and arrived at the Waterfront in just a few minutes.  The V&A Waterfront is hailed as Cape Town’s shopping and gourmet paradise due to its numerous restaurants, pubs and shops.  I have no idea when it was developed but it is a wonderfully designed area with a marina, aquarium, Cape Town Diamond Museum, food markets, malls, hotels, apartments, amphitheater, Ferris wheel and lots of shopping.  Currency in South Africa is the South African Rand (ZAR) which I purchased at home before we left knowing we’d be in this country for five days. 

Our first stop was the African Trading Company, which I was told by a fellow passenger was an exceptional place for souvenir shopping.  We had been dropped off in front of the Victoria & Alfred Hotel and I immediately asked the concierge for the location of the Trading Company so we wouldn’t be going around in circles.  Again, I have no idea how big the Waterfront is but there is so much to see even if you’re not interested in shopping.  Had we decided to walk from the cruise terminal, which many people had done, there was even a swing bridge that is opened every so often to allow pedestrians to cross the Alfred Basin to get from one side to the other.  

For once, information from a fellow passenger was correct.  The African Trading Company was a shopper’s dream.  There were several huge metal sculptures of big game animals out front, and floors of different items for sale.  Michael made it up to the second and third floors but I enjoyed looking around the first floor where you could buy cellphone covers, hundreds of different little wooden animals, other wood products and baskets, magnets, cottons, purses, bags, carvings – all made in Africa.  I always make sure while I’m traveling that I NOT buy something “Made in China” and I doubt anything in this huge shopper’s paradise was made elsewhere.  

Knowing we’d be out at lunchtime and very well aware of our “bad food karma,” we asked Deb, our destination lecturer, for recommendations for lunch.  I’d seen an entry on her Facebook page of her lunch with Fiona, one-half of the 2 Cool Duo onboard, the day before and her meal looked scrumptious.  She’d told us before we arrived in Africa that we must try “baboti, milk tart and Mrs. Ball’s chutney.”  I confirmed all three with her the night before and she highly recommended the “Karibu” restaurant at the Victoria Wharf mall.  The mall was gorgeous and we met up with our friends, Cindy and Jim, who were also shopping.  It’s a two-level mall with hundreds of stores, including accessories, eyewear, leather, luggage, art, décor, homeware, electronics, banks, books and stationers (yes, real book stores!), men’s, women’s and children’s fashion, health, beauty and pharmacies, jewelry and watches, dentist and doctor offices, restaurants and gift shops.  Pictures in front of one of the fast food restaurants showed a couple of breakfasts – one for 34.90 ZAR which is less than $3.00 and the other 89.90 ZAR which is around $7.00.  Not bad food prices.  Actually, everything was pretty inexpensive in South Africa.

After being misdirected a couple of times, we finally found “Karibu” which turned out to be fantastic!  The inside of the restaurant was gorgeous, the bathrooms were immaculate and the outdoor seating, which we opted to enjoy, gave us a lovely view of the waterfront.  Our chairs at the table had a blanket for lumbar support or could be used to cover us if it got too cool.  Although two ladies at a nearby table had their blankets draped over them, by now, it’s quite obvious I’m never too cold.  (Passengers onboard, while watching different shows in the Cabaret Lounge, will regularly don pool towels or wear their puffer or fleece jackets because it’s too cold, while I’m sitting there very comfortably in sleeveless cotton dresses or tops.  I took three lightweight sweaters with me and I have yet to wear any one of them.)  Michael enjoyed a glass of South African wine and we shared our servings of baboti, which is savory minced meats delicately seasoned but not spicy hot, first rolled in a taquito or lumpia style and then again over rice, chakalaka and putu which is very much like ratatouille over a type of polenta, and peanut and honey chicken satays on skewers.  Deb didn’t steer us wrong and everything was delicious.  And, yes, Mrs. Ball’s chutney, very famous in this part of the world, and served alongside yogurt, was absolutely perfect.   Our waitress, Evidence, photobombed our selfie and was just delightful.  Dessert, beautifully served as can be seen from the photo, was a milk tart.  With a generous tip for our charming waitress, our bill came to only $50.00.  Having had such good luck at the Karibu, our intention was to return the next day for another delicious lunch but ……

We wanted to shop for some rooibos tea and it was suggested we go to the “Woolworths” which is not the same as our old Five and Dime stores.  It not only sold clothing but groceries as well.  I love going into supermarkets to see the types of items that are available all over the world and we not only saw the ubiquitous Nutella but also pickled quail eggs.  I especially like the cover of this cookbook.  There is also a “Pick n Pay” which we didn’t go to but was told it’s another good place for groceries.  On the way to Woolworths, we saw a Seattle Coffee Co., not sure if it’s connected to Seattle at all and, of course, I had to have a beautiful white and black beaded necklace and earring set which was handmade.  

Indaba was also another great store for shopping in another part of the Waterfront and I couldn’t resist a little wooden colorful 5” x 10” 3D shadow box type wall hanging showing three little African style shops.  Hanging outside were children’s clothing and I had to take a photo of a little hippo outfit and lamented the fact I knew no one with a baby for whom I could buy this little outfit – it was absolutely adorable.  

We visited many different stores as we walked along the Waterfront and, in one, Michael found some brightly designed placemats for us.  The salesgirl, Lungelwa, told us “Karoos” is made in Limpopo province in South Africa and is handmade and hand embroidered.  They would be a lovely reminder of our visit to this beautiful city.  Aside from the placemats, I felt it my obligation to help the local economy and was very pleased with our purchases of tea, cotton towels, magnets, wooden bowls, baskets, beautifully decorated candles, etc., etc.  

Walking around the Waterfront, there were lots of watercraft along the Wharf, including some that offered the 2-hour Friday night “Jolly Roger Pirate Boat” cruises offering free welcome drinks, live music and cash bar.  Of course, we asked another tourist to take our photo in front of the frame of Table Mountain and offered to do the same for him.  Street musicians and entertainers were on the Wharf for the benefit of tourists hoping to earn a few ZAR for a day’s work.  I’m always enthralled with the entertainers who paint themselves in silver or gold and stand silently still – I’m never sure if they are, indeed, statues or not until they suddenly move.  Naturally, I threw a few coins in his box in exchange for a photo.  Hard to resist.  A few buskers were sitting, singing and playing instruments in Nobel Square where life-size statues of Mandela, Tutu, deKlerk and Luthuli stand.  

Shopping is hard work and it was already around 5 o’clock and we still had the “Watershed” to walk through, another shopper’s paradise which featured dozens of vendors selling cutting-edge fashions, once-off jewelry pieces and stylish interior accessories, much of which were handmade, all from the best designers the African continent has to offer.  We hoped to return the next day for another fantastic lunch and thought we’d visit the Watershed then, but, we thought again, and said, “what the heck, we’re here, let’s walk through now” still hoping to return the next day for a closer look. 

By this time, with all the colorful leather goods, clothing, jewelry, textiles, shoes, glassware, wall hangings, etc., I couldn’t think straight and we managed to zig-zag our way through the dozens of aisles seeing but not really seeing anything and everything.  By the time we exited, it was past 5:30 and, unbeknownst to us, the shuttle buses back to the pier stopped running.  We met Elliot, one-half of the Cruisetones, one of the duos onboard, and we offered to bring him back to the ship in a taxi. 

While we hoped to return to the Waterfront the following day, the weather turned against us and it rained most of the day.  It would not have been fun walking along the Waterfront and we were very pleased that we did everything we hoped to do the first and second day in Cape Town.  Putting something off – like visiting the Watershed the next day – is never a wise move.  As the old adage reminds us:  “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”  Wiser words have never been spoken – here in Cape Town, and, life, in general.   

I haven’t mentioned much about the entertainment we’ve had onboard.  In 2016, we had a different performer each and every night of the 111-day cruise.  This time around, because of so many sea days (or so we’re told), it’s difficult to bring on so many acts, so the performers that do come on, stay on for more than a week sometimes which means that the same acts perform more than one or two shows.  If they’re good, that’s great, but, if they’re not, it can get very boring. 

In some ports, the ship brings on local artists or folkloric shows for the passengers and on the second day in Cape Town, we had the pleasure of seeing the “Heavenly Quartez” which was comprised of four men from South Africa who performed opera masterpieces to light classics and popular songs featuring Afrikaans, English, Italian and Xhosa.  (Imagine an African Il Divo.)  We were very impressed with their performance and, upon meeting them after the show, I told them I had already written a comment card saying how fabulous they were and they should become regulars on Princess – apparently, this w0as their first appearance on a Princess ship.  They were very pleased and thanked me for my kind words.  

DAY THREE – As mentioned, the weather didn’t make it easy to go out and enjoy our last day in Cape Town but we were very happy to stay onboard and talk with fellow passengers.  It would be a busy evening.  Music with the Cruisetones was at 5 p.m., dinner was at 5:30.  It was necessary to have another face-to-passport inspection with the immigration authorities between 4 and 7 p.m. and the VAT refund people would be onboard between 6 and 8 p.m.  (I had prepared all my receipts the night before.)  We left the ship right before 4 for our immigration meeting and were two of the first passengers to get checked in; changed for dinner; listened to the music for a while; had dinner and went to the VAT desk with receipts in hand only to find a few people ahead of me with loads of bags.  I discovered that the authorities – only ONE official at the desk - wanted to actually SEE our purchases and there was no way I would be able to get everything together in the time allotted. 

On to Namibia…..

MICHAEL’S OBSERVATIONS:  Let me start by saying that my interest in trying new foods is at the zero level.  When asked by someone, “would you like to try such and such,” by initial response is, “no.”  So when we had lunch on the Waterfront, Leona ordered for the both of us and my only selection was a nice glass of wine.  Leona has learned over the last 30 years never to ask, “what would you like to eat?”  Instead, she merely orders and I eat.  This lunch was an absolute delight.  The setting was on the Waterfront with a magnificent view of Table Mountain and, as Leona has commented, our waitress was terrific.  

After our scrumptious lunch, we headed out for some serious shopping.  My favorite place was the African Trading Company.  There are three levels of goods from which you could choose anything from a refrigerator magnet to animal skins.  The most expensive was the giraffe skin at $16,000.00.  The upper level was especially fun because it included photos and descriptions of the craft makers.  Many of the items were handcrafted from Angola and, as usual, I did a lot of window shopping and held back on purchasing.  

We continued shopping at the local Waterfront stores and, quickly, through the Watershed complex.  After a couple of hours, I developed the shopper’s haze which meant things began to blur as I was overcome with beautiful art, jewelry and clothing.  Anyone who has ever shopped for jewelry, especially diamonds, knows what I’m talking about.  After hours of looking, the brain develops a meltdown.  Too many beautiful things.  Luckily, after years of facing this phenomenon, I’ve come to realize, it’s time to head back to the comfort of our room and relax rather than continue and risk impulse buying. 

I remember, as we were heading back through the Watershed, Leona saying, “should we save this until tomorrow?” which I would’ve made my pick, but, instead, she said, “let’s do it now.”  And a wise choice it was because the next day, the skies opened up and when I pulled the drapes back in our cabin, the rain was coming down, reminiscent of Seattle.  I’m so long that I followed Leona’s lead the day before.