The V&A is a very, very good hotel. They really look after you here. Rooms and beds are huge and the bath runs in record time. Choccies left on the pillow at night, plenty of bottled water and a free half bottle of champagne are nice little touches. The maid's room is a few doors down from us so if we're short of coffee or anything we only have to knock and they're happy to supply us. We're drinking a lot of coffee in our room - we're finding ourselves tired (if not jet lagged) and the caffeine helps!
Woke at 7.30am today - great sleep. Breakfast here is really good. There is a cold buffet and I've had a good look round it - there is nothing you can't get! I keep wanting to try one of the oysters (they nestle on a bed of ice next to a huge platter of smoked salmon and an ice bucket of champagne) but at 8am I can't really face it. I generally find myself drawn to the "healthy section" (I know, amazing isn't it!) where I get yogurt, granola and fruit. Then I go back and treat myself to a bran muffin. Or banana bread. Or wonderful brown bread and honey. Occasionally I share some of Roy's "unhealthy" muffin. He is most often drawn to the pastries/muffin section - he found the most incredible custard tarts there! By the time our waitress asks us if we want any hot cooked food, we're stuffed full and decline. I also grab a couple of "Energy Bars" and apples on the way out, to keep with us during the day for emergency snacking.
So, today is the day we climb Table Mountain. Notice I say "climb" and not "walk".
I approached this with a positive attitude and a determination not to let it beat me - I knew it was going to be really tough. My pre-holiday diet/training regime was a pretty poor effort. But I had said that I would walk up Table Mountain and I did.
I think I only slipped up and used negative language (either out loud or in my head) once or twice on the way up. Only a few hundred metres in to our walk up, my head was already thumping and I felt physically sick. I kept myself going by taking frequent rests and plenty of water. And by telling myself that soon, the huge boulders and steep, steep trail, would change to a nice smooth path and a gentler climb. They didn't.
About two thirds up, I was resting when a local guy came past us on his way down. He stopped for a chat and was telling us that he'd set off at about the same time as us, had already been up to the top, had lunch and a good walk round and was now on his way down. In fact, we were constantly being overtaken by fitter walkers. Some of whom were wearing only flip flops!
At no point on the path is there any smooth walkingl. It is 3kms of rocks, boulders and big stones and the trail goes steeply up the Platteklip Gorge.
After a record 4 and a half hour climb (it is supposed to take 1.5 - 3 hours) we finally reached the top. Success! All I could think was "if I can achieve this when I am so unfit, imagine what I could do if I WAS fit".
http://www.tablemountain.net/visitor_info/hiking/platteklip_gorge_to_upper_cable_station.html
At the top, we had our "picnic" of energy bars, apple and bran muffin, and walked around the various viewing points. Our descent was by cable car - thank god it was running today. 4 hours to ascend, 4 minutes to the bottom by cable car.
http://www.tablemountain.net/
We didn't get down until 4pm so decided to take a short drive. First up Signal Hill, for more great views, and then along to Camp's Bay, where we had sundowners in a bar. Back to the hotel along the beach road (Clifton and Seapoint) and arrived there about 7pm.
Dinner tonight was at Baia, a seafood restaurant. Nice place - big comfy seats and we had a window seat on the upstairs terrace, so a good view over the waterfront. We shared calamari in garlic sauce to start. Then Jan had Kingklip (fish) with pesto, mediterranean veggies and tomato rice. Roy had Kingklip with chorizo, potato, veggies and rice. I had cherry and pecan cheesecake and Roy had Pear, ginger and almond tart with honeycomb ice cream. Bottle of Graham Beck Sauvingnon Blanc. Excellent.
We rounded the evening off by watching the seals fighting on a jetty in front of the Table Bay Hotel - quite funny! So noisy and argumentative. Then we strolled back to the hotel - slept soundly tonight after the day's exertions!
