Lost lot of pictures for now

*click on images for slightly larger view*

Noah's Ark













Noah's Ark













Spider...



















Cape Town from table top mountain







Robben Island Prison



















Seascape













Noah's Ark











Landscape



















Noah's Ark

More Pictures

*click on images for slightly larger view*

View from Chapman's peak







Penguins!













Feeding the babies













Penguin Beach



















Sunbathing!













Mwaah!



















Cute little baby



















Grooming time













Building a nest?













Robben Island Prison

Pictures

*click on pictures for slightly larger version*

Table Top Mountain from Robben Island



















Table Top Mountain from Robben Island













Table Top Mountain from Robben Island













Wide Open Sea













Family Photo

Cape Town Taken From Table Mountain













Waterfront Harbour



















Table Top Mountain from Boat










Table Top Mountain from Boat






Table Top Mountain from Robben Island

Table Mountain

13 July 2008

Last night I actually went into the “heart” of Cape Town, more precisely the Waterfront. It’s a… shopping mall, restaurants, attractions, seaside resort kind of place that is in the shadow of the famous table mountain. It was the first time I’d actually seen the mountain this visit and, it looked like it always does, flat. Did some shopping and am quite royally broke. Not really but if I tell myself that I’ll stop buying things. Although the Waterfront is the best place to buy souvenir type gifts, but not crappy ones actually nice ones, type of things I’d even by for myself.

Anyway my up time today has been cut short but here are a few taster pictures to look at (all still un-edited).

Late Night Shopping 10 July 2008

10 July 2008

I’ll be honest; I’m not the hugest fan of shopping or shopping malls. Sure I love doing it with my other half but otherwise I’d rather not be caught near a mall.

Now coming from Ireland where the biggest mall is smaller than Hillcrest, Canada was a nice change. Multi-story large shopping malls are interesting places even for the males in the world. But, after going to one of the local malls here, I feel truly sorry for the people shopping at Eaton, Vaughan and the like.

6 Stories, 4 “arms”, each nearly as long as Eaton with many smaller arms, and 2 Theatres right in the centre, one upstairs another downstairs. Oh and cool glass elevators so you can look at people milling about as you go up and down. Sure I’ve never been down half of the lanes but I’m sure there are loads of great stores to check out.

The areas I did get to see were quite nice, with a very broad selection of shops; I personally believe it is impossible not to find a store to your likely, unless you are so special that we aren’t good enough for you.

The one thing that they are missing is a nice food court. There are lots of nice places to, café’s, restaurants, bars and such forth but only a very small “food court” with only 5 or so places to get food from. Slightly disappointing if you like going to food courts and having the choice they offer, but personally I don’t miss it that much as the food at the “normal” places is much better quality, ample selection and equally priced.

Talking about food, I’ve eaten food from all over the world (not quite but more places than most people) and the food here is probably one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Sure maybe I’m biased, but I’ve never tasted such nice Calamari ever. Okay most countries don’t even sell it but still. And of course after dividing everything by ~8 the prices are quite pleasing. Oh and that’s not taking the drinks into account. Apple-/Grapetiser, Granadilla, Cream Soda, Savannah Light (drinking age is 18 so :p) to name but a few. There’s no mountain dew or… Tomato juice, but to heck with them, you guys really don’t know what you’re missing.

Anyway, talking about food is making me hungry. Calamari and a Savannah Light are exactly what the doctor ordered. Gosh I can be mean…

Whiskey

7 July 2008
Whiskey, more commonly called Shorty, is a crossover between a purebred Scottish Terrier and purebred Jack Russell. Rather odd combo to say the least. The little guy is truly little but with an attitude 10 times his size. I mean his belly is barely off the ground yet he takes on Sheba, a German Sheppard about 10 times his size. Also you have to see this little dude jump! He can reach close to my waist if you get him to jump with a treat or something of the sort.

He’s very much a freak of nature, and that’s not taking his digging habits into account. The once pleasant garden is covered with so many holes that besides making the garden look bad, you have to look out for as you could seriously fall into them. Well at least up to about knee high, my knee height that is. And trust me it’s not pleasant stepping into a puddle and then realizing it’s actually a hole full of water and mud.

Anyway tomorrow is the first day, besides the market, that I will actually be heading out to a shopping mall/centre, so that should be interesting.

Farmers Markets, Good Food

5 July 2008

Today, amid the constant down pour of rain, I headed over to one of the many local farmers markets. It’s been quite a few years since I went to one last and I must say they beat any market back home in Toronto. The selection of food at this place was just amazing, and I’m a very picky eater. Yet there was a wide selection of things for me to try; from fresh pastries; to boerevoorst (sausages) and milk tart. Sure half of it is only found in South Africa but its good stuff that should really be available in the rest of the world. Oh and the chocolate here puts Canadian chocolate to shame. And that’s not even taking the price into account, dividing everything by 8 is quite pleasing I’m sure you would agree.

Going past the food section the crafts section, which is a new addition, was found. Personally nothing of much interest, either tacky hand bags or old women’s jewelry (pearls and the like) but there were some nice African carvings which had little hidden draws in them to put jewelry or other small items.

Which, oddly, reminds me; South African TV is becoming more and more western by the day. Sure they have their local shows, but add breaks are just as frequent as, and probably longer, than ours, and they have the annoying ads. Cell-phone ads, text nonsense to 123nonsense for expensive free stuff, and such other crap are constantly on. Oh and they of course they have their ringtone adds as well, they’re so annoying I just stopped watching TV. Also how many kids can even afford to have a cell-phone never the less waste money on such garbage? And, guess what’s showing on TV right now? A South African version of “Are you smarter than a 5^th grader?” Yes, that painfully annoying show. The host is weird and trying way too hard to be funny, the contestants are very nervous over lord knows what and the theme song is worse than the Canadian or American one. Just shows you what globalization is doing to the world. Cape Town use to be so different and I guess parts still are, but it’s hard not to see the constant influence of the western world creeping in slowly but surely.

Finally, apologies for the lack of pictures, again. Forgot the camera at home as I slept in till 1200 by accident and had to rush out as the market closed at 1400.