Despite feeling tired from the lack of proper sleep for 2 nights we gave ourselves 30 minutes to get showered and ready to hike up Table Mountain. Paul had read it was about a 2-4 hour hike up and then we could get the cable car down to be back at the hotel for 5 pm to pick up the hire cars!!
The walk was long and steep but well worth the effort. At the bottom there was a man wanting to tell you more about the mountain and sell you water – for a price but apart from that we were pretty much by ourselves. Five of us started up the mountain (about 1000m ascent) and the path was good although turned into large stone steps as we got higher. The rocks in the gorge (Platteklip gorge) we went up were pretty impressive too – but not what we had come to South Africa to look at.
 On the way into town from the airport looking at Table Mountain |  |
 Hazy view across Cape Town |  |
We were lucky with the weather it was about 20 degC and clear, although there was a lingering pollution you could see over the city making the photos look hazy but apart from that it was so still.
In the end the gorge walk took us just two hours and so we walked on up to the highest point for another view. Wow!
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The cable car down was decidedly easier than walking but it was a little hairy at the top!
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After picking up the hire cars and signing all the paperwork – we had 5 4x4 which looked like long wheel based pickups but with a cab at the back – we all gathered in the bar to sort out dinner arrangements. That night we went to the Waterfront area of Cape Town, a short walk from the hotel, and it was really pretty down there. We ate at the Den Anker and I had some langoustine and a rock fish – Kingklip.
After our large fill and walk I was certainly ready for my bed! The next day we would be driving into the field to start the business end of the trip.
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