Four Highs and Two Lows – South Africa (Part 1)

It is time for a recap of South Africa with highs and lows. In the categories of best Mountain Top; Signal Cannon; Aerial View; and Bridge as well as Sea View; and River View, here are my picks:

Mountain Top: Predictably, I am awarding the best mountain top view to Table Mountain given its grand presence protecting the city…..and its cable car. I definitely hiked up some mountains earlier in my life, complete with tent and sleeping bag sometimes. But that is less appealing these days, so a cable car is just fine by me! The summer wind can be very strong in Cape Town, and besides blowing over deck furniture and shaking the windows, it can also cancel the cable car. With my schedule and the cancellations, I was getting down to the last few days to reach the summit, so I went when I got the chance…..when the table cloth (the cloud cover unique to Table Mountain) was spilling waaaaay over the edge. Per the photos, the view was, shall I say, left up to the imagination. At least we didn’t have to wait in line!?

Signal Cannon: Since 1806, the various merchants in Cape Town as well as all sailors nearby, could know it was noon based on a cannon being fired. The ‘signal’ was both the sound and the smoke of the cannon. It seems in 1902, the cannons were moved to higher ground on Signal Hill, as they had been quite loud for people in town. When clocks became more common, the South African Navy’s Lion Battery still maintained the tradition, and fired at noon in remembrance of their fallen and of those who have survived. Today the signal is done with a blend of history (gunpowder) and new technologies (electronic fuses.) I heard that when the long standing cannoneer with twenty years of service submitted his retirement notice, many people worried that it would disappear. But after an application process, a 40-something naval officer happily accepted the duties just in September 2019. When I arrived shortly before noon, he gave an educational talk including a demonstration of loading one of the cannons, while the other cannon was already prepared for the signal that day. Then he gave all of the spectators orders to retreat a good, safe distance away just prior to the countdown and the mighty blast. I recommend at least wearing earphones if not true ear plugs! And even if you miss getting there for noon, it is still worth taking in the view of Cape Town from the Noon Gun station.

Aerial view: My visit to the Noon Gun wasn’t my only venture to Signal Hill. The Northwest side of the hill is a favourite for paragliders – the adventurous ones who run off a mountain with a parachute filling with air behind them, and lifting them into full flight. It looked so graceful and peaceful, and I imagined the view being spectacular. So. I signed up for a tandem paragliding flight! Tandem = I would do little more than catch a ride attached to a professional pilot – a title that reinforces that flight is truly involved! The first reservation was cancelled because of fog. The second reservation was cancelled because of dangerous winds. The third reservation was the charm. It’s not an adrenaline rush like bungee jumping or skydiving (so I’m told). It was indeed graceful and peaceful, and the view was spectacular, but the visceral experience of being suspended quietly in the air was truly amazing. It was an audible Wow moment! When my pilot offered to do some tricks, I was game – and it was a surreal feeling of being on a roller coaster with no rails, looking at the sky and then looking at the sea – woot! And eventually we finished the descent, setting down smoothly on the beach front, on our feet, with huge smiles!

Bridge – Cecil Rhodes had a vision for a railway line from the Cape to Cairo. This meant building a bridge across the Zambezi River somewhere. Seemingly for greatest dramatic effect, he requested a location very close to Victoria Falls, “to catch the spray” even. I find it fascinating to consider how a bridge, in interior Africa, could be built in 1904, with dimensions somehow sent to England where a design was engineered. Then every piece of steel was fabricated – IN ENGLAND – and shipped around the cape to then travel by rail and eventually be meticulously assembled 128m in the air. The quality of the design, craftsmanship, and installation of the Victoria Falls Bridge was proven by an assessment done one hundred years later, in the early 2000’s, determining that the bridge is performing well (noting that in 1904, locomotives were lighter and much slower, and automobiles weren’t a consideration – so the bridge has some speed and weight restrictions on it these days.) The real thrill was being able to walk not just on top of the bridge, but below the deck on the catwalk! Complete with safety harness and carabiners (just out of extreme caution?!) I followed our guide as we casually strolled on the perforated steel walkway, with a clear view of the gorge below – if I looked down. Many years ago, my first ‘real’ job after university graduation was working on bridges with Canadian National Railways, and so I really enjoyed reminiscing and being surrounded again by rivets and cables and the wonder of engineering.

And a couple ‘lows’:

Sea View: Cape Town is surrounded by the sea, and a wonderful way of experiencing the water is on a kayak. One beautiful, sunny morning, we spent a couple hours kayaking near Granger Bay. It was lovely to be surrounded by glimmering water, looking up at the stunning mountain profile of the city, and relaxing to the repeating sound of lapping waves. We went in search of wildlife, and indeed encountered some dolphins! And I even captured a brief moment on video, I’m happy to share for just a taste of how magical the whole expedition was.

River View: A safari on land is, of course, special. But I now understand that pairing it with a safari on water is extra special. Water is essential to life, and therefore, rivers are integral to animal patterns. Hippos prefer being submerged in water; crocodiles are sunbathers and swimmers; and others come to drink and wash – including elephants, impala, Cape buffalo, and a lot of birds! Be it a daytime cruise, a sunset cruise, or both, I say it’s worth it!