Stellenbosch and the Winelands

I enjoyed this part of the trip a lot. And for someone who would probably pass out after a sip of wine, that says a lot. 

The route was very picturesque, with stops for wine tasting, a feast of authentic South African food, and a bit of shopping in the quaint town of Stellenbosch.

Most would say that starting the tour with the wine tasting would be perfect. I couldn't agree any less. And so while the group started the wine tasting, I lagged behind and took pictures outside.

But then I saw the guide and discovered a new found interest in wine. hahaha. The guide KIND OF looks like Tom Cruise in person, the photo doesn't do him any justice. 

Ok, so the first part of my post is useless. I really don't like wine. haha

And here's a place that I truly loved. Moyo, Stellenbosch.

It allowed me to get a taste of the African Culture and a taste of their delicious cuisine. I also got a feel of how warm these people can be. To top it off, we got to experience all this amidst a beautiful African landscape.

This is the sight that greeted us the moment we stepped out of the car. Isn't it beautiful? 


And then we were met by one of the hosts of Moyo. He's a REALLY tall guy, I don't remember his name. Hmm... But he's as tall as the tree house behind him (exag). haha

We then headed to the dining area where our hands were washed at the table. 

Each of our faces were painted with beautiful patterns. 

Then it was finally time to eat. To say that it was a feast would be an understatement. 

There were several stalls such as this, with pots and pots of African dishes. Oh I ate so much, each bite would fill your mouth with a burst of flavor that would leave you asking for more.  


The experience doesn't end there. As we ate, the people of Moyo continued to entertain and educate us as they danced and played wonderful music on the stage.

After the eating and the dancing, we headed out to check the tree house. If you're with a small group, you can actually opt to eat there. 

Our time at Moyo was about to end, but the day was far from over. There was still so much more of Stellenbosch to see.

It was finally time to explore the Stellenbosch City Center. Our guide kept telling us that he would only give us 30 minutes to explore and do a little bit of shopping. Of course this was impossible.

There I am, already carrying mom's big purchase for the day, an ostrich leather hand bag in a beautiful shade of turquoise.

Words to live by. Yes?

I completely fell in love with this place and I would have loved to stay longer to see what's beyond this street. 

But it was time to head back to lovely Cape Town, our home for the past 7 days and I couldn't be any happier. It had been a long and beautiful day, but I couldn't wait to get some much needed rest!

I hope to see you again someday, Stellenbosch!

On Top of Table Mountain!

One tourist spot that Cape Town is best known for is Table Mountain, a flat topped mountain overlooking the entire city. Tourists would have to ride a cable car in order to get to the top, however they would always stop the cable car operation if it's  too foggy. 

We all had our fingers crossed, and thank god we were lucky because the cable cars were fully operational! Yay!

My excitement was short lived because as soon as we reached the mountain and the door opened, I felt a blast of freezing cold air. Brrrr. Hahaha I was wearing a summer dress, sandals and mom's leather coat (my life saver). 

I looked so stupid. I asked the guide what the temperature was, and he told me it was 9 degrees. Ha-Ha. After this trip, I learned never to leave the country without checking the weather forecast.

Oh dear Sun, please stay and keep me warm.

And it did... for about 5 minutes! 

We spotted a cafe on top of the mountain and decided to get a hot cup of coffee inside, as well as a little snack to keep our stomachs full. We still had a long day ahead!

You won't believe how good it felt to get inside a heated room with a hot cup of coffee and the smell of warm, freshly baked bread after nearly freezing outside. 

But then it was time to go! Next stop, the tour of Stellenbosch and the Winelands!

The Peninsula and Cape of Good Hope

We spent our next day touring the Cape Peninsula.

First stop was Hout Bay, a seaside village located a few minutes away from the central business district of Cape Town. 

That's Hout Bay Harbour. I have no idea what they feed their dogs, this one looks like a bear!!! haha

Tourists who visit Hout Bay also get to treat themselves to a little souvenir shopping. 

Everyone headed straight to the stall selling Ostrich Eggs. Each Ostrich Egg is beautifully hand painted with images that would best represent South Africa. 

Stalls and booths selling small trinkets, accessories and all types of wooden figurines may also be seen right beside the harbour.  

It was a very windy day, and I wasn't prepared for the weather.

There I am in my sun dress and sandals while everyone else was bundled up in layers and layers of clothing (I borrowed the jacket from my mom). I looked so cold and out of place that our guide asked me if I would want him to get me a pair of pants. Haha

The sun started shining again as we made our way to Cape of Good Hope. We thought we saw a whale as the car passed by the ocean, so we  decided to stop for a few minutes to take some photos and catch some sun.

And then the day just started to get colder and colder. OH NO!!! 

Cape of Good Hope is said to be the south-western tip of the African Continent. 

We decided to have lunch first before proceeding with the rest of our Cape of Good Hope tour.

The prawns in South Africa are the freshest, juiciest and sweetest tasting prawns that I've 

ever tried. During our 7-day stay in Cape Town, I would always check the menu for prawns and order it immediately. I was never disappointed!

That's Dane. He's a taxi driver in South Africa, and he volunteered to tour our entire group for one whole week. He's AMAZING!!! He made sure that everyone's sightseeing request was fulfilled, AND he made sure that we ate at the restaurants that are favored by the locals.

 

This baboon sat on the road to bid us goodbye as we headed to our next destination...

 BOULDERS BEACH to see the Penguin Colony! I never imagined them to be so tiny!

South Africa is DEFINITELY amazing.

Hop On-Hop Off Tour, Cape Town

Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places I've ever set my eyes on, and taking the Hop On-Hop Off Tour around the city was one of the best decisions we made during this trip.

The nearest pick up spot was the Cape Town International Convention Center, it was only 10 minutes away from our hotel so we decided to walk. There's a bus that would pick up tourists every 20 minutes and we had already decided to take the Blue Mini Peninsula Tour by the time the bus arrived.

There I am with the titos. I insisted that we stay on the top deck to better see the different sights of Cape Town. I think I left them with no choice. haha

Beautiful Cape Town.

We had to choose among the different stops for places that we really wanted to see because we only had a few hours to spare before meeting up with the rest of the group. Everyone agreed on Camps Bay, a quaint suburb lined with shops and restaurants on one side and a beach on the other.

Sitting on the white sand in the perfect beach outfit-- a pair of jeans and a cardigan. hahaha we were told that no one/hardly anyone swims on this beach because the water is freezing.

We then proceeded to the other side to check the stores, and to get a quick bite before the bus arrives to bring us to the next stop.

We didn't have enough time, and so I settled for a Nestle Crunch Bar. And OHMYGOD. South Africa has the best tasting Nestle Crunch Bar that I've ever tried. It's so creamy that it just melts in your mouth. I'm not exaggerating, I ended up buying around 15 bars to bring back home.

And then it was time to go. We saw this car parked across the bus stop, and I thought this was going to be our ride back to the convention center. hahaha

One important thing to know is that it's very cold and windy in Cape Town. I left Manila with the impression that it's always hot and sunny in South Africa. I didn't even bother to check the weather forecast. I packed a bunch of short pants and sun dresses and I was freezing the entire time!

The trees in this area are leaning that way because the winds are always so strong and they would always blow in that direction. Woops.

We didn't have enough time to check out the other spots because it was already time for lunch at Panama Jacks. They have the best seafood platters here! It is definitely a must try if you're a huge fan of fish and shrimps. YUM!