First few days

The first few days in Cape Town have been great.

Day 1: I arrived no problems and not even the incoming fog at Edinburgh airport could stop me from jetting out. I discovered that the guest house I booked is a real find (Rose Lodge) though I'm not actually staying in Rose Street, but in the owner's other guest house up the road at Wale Lodge in Wale Street. It's in the Malay quarter and is pretty groovy with it's brightly coloured houses (you'll have to wait for pics as they're in my camera and guess what I forgot!) and it seems like every day a new film or commercial is being shot across the street. My room is fab, with a great bathroom and comfy bed and it's very central.

I decided on the hop on hop off tourist bus the day I arrived as sitting on a bus and going around the town seemed like a great way to start. I went on the red route to start and went past Table Mountain - I didn't go up as it's one of the things that Tracy and I plan to do together when she picks me up tomorrow (Sunday) - then all around via Camps Bay and back into town. I stopped off at the Aquarium and played with anemones, which was fun. I then got onto a blue bus and went off around by Kirstenbosch, Constantia and got off at World of Birds (a bit dowdy to be honest) and then back into Cape Town via Hout Bay and Camps Bay (again). At this point I decided to upgrade my ticket to cover the next day as I wanted to go to the vineyards at Constantia, but didn't have the time.

I finished off my day at a very upmarket Italian restaurant on Wale Street and then walked back to my guest house to sleep soundly.

Day 2: I met up with Lisa King, the woman who I buy shoes off on the internet. It was great to spend time with someone I've been communicating with for 4 years. She took me down to the V&A Waterfront and had coffee and met some pals of hers and then I scooted off for my bus trip to Constantia (by this time I knew the spiel pretty well and now feel I can almost give the guided tour myself), where I had a very leisurely lunch and wine tasting at Beau Constantia, which was lovely. It took 2 hours by which time I only had the time to get back on the bus and head back to my room to spruce up to go for dinner with my niece's husband, Barry - my niece actually jetted off to the UK the day I arrived as she has a wedding to go to - and we had a hilarious evening at Societi Bistro, with more delicious food and more wine.

Day 3: I went to pick up a pair of boots at Lisa's store not too far from where I'm staying and ended up having a coffee at La Petite Tarte, a cafe I'd been recommended close by. Bizarrely I got talking to the owner (a gay guy), who gave me a lift back to my guest house and invited me to have dinner tonight with him at his cafe along with his Brazilian partner (don't worry, I'll report all). From then I was picked up by my mother's friends (who are nearer my age than her's) and zipped off to Kirstenbosch Gardens for another leisurely lunch (with wine) followed by a walk around the gardens and then back to theirs for coffee and chat til it was time for me to get back to get myself ready for tonight.

So you can see... apart from being on buses I've spent a lot of time chatting, eating great food and enjoying the wine and no doubt more of all to come!