Jeju Island is a so stunning that it has been named one of the new seven wonders of the world. Even with the manipulative bosses we had living on the island was positively dreamy. I still remember how the clothes we left to dry on the working balcony would smell of orange blossoms from the grove next to our apartment building. The mountain, the waterfalls, the beaches, and the friendly and generous beautiful people made the whole experience almost fantastical. Yet, my South African coworker was thoroughly unimpressed. Now that I have visited his home city of Cape Town I understand why.
You know what else is one of the new seven wonders of the world? Table Mountain. Originally called Hoerikwaggo, or Mountain in the Sea, by the indigenous Khoisan people of the area Table Mountain National Park is completely surrounded by the city which makes it immensely approachable. It also makes people vastly underestimate how treacherous hiking up the mountain can be. Particularly with the mercurial weather and the thick cover of clouds that can completely obliterate vision at times capping the mountain. On top of the natural hazards of mountain hiking there are the human hazards that can come with city living.
We took the cable car up. This, too, was included on our City Pass. Otherwise we would have paid R360 each and 180 for the kid though going after 1:00/13:00 takes 60 and 80 rand off respectively. There are also discounts for students and seniors and kids under four are free. If the equivalent of 20 bucks per adult seems a bit steep in a place where the average yearly salary is under thirteen thousand dollars you are right. But, according to one of our friendly Uber drivers, Cape Town tries to balance this out by offering a lot of the tourist sites free to locals during their birthday week. Which is pretty cool, if you ask me.
We were there during shoulder season and the lines to the cable cars still took a good half an hour. During the ride up the windows on the cable car are open which was a bit unnerving as I lifted, and held on tightly, to my squirmy 4yo but they do offer absolutely spectacular views. We were fortunate that the famous tablecloth which had cloaked the mountain on the two previous days had dissipated. It was a clear day and from the top of the mountain we could see forever.
The Table Mountain Café has food and beverages including, snacks, kid treats, full meals and the ubiquitously available wine. There are not enough tables to accommodate the crowds and the lines can be overwhelming. Also, the place itself is a bit underwhelming. It kind of reminded me of a really nice bus station café while I was expecting something more like a café you would find in a museum. The views, however, are fantastic. There are also snacks at the WiFi Lounge.
The top of Table Mountain is unsurprisingly flat, and the paths are very easy to stroll along. Walls are low, there are gaps, and at a few places there are no walls at all so, once things get back to normal in a few weeks or months, remember to keep an eye on reckless littles.
Meanwhile, stay home, travel virtually, and send cyber hugs. Hoping you and yours stay safe and healthy.