30 minutes into the Atlantic from the shores of Kleinbaai our motorized speed boat came to a halt. The sky was overcast, the water calm, but we were edgy.
A few minutes passed, uneventful, unnerving…
Then suddenly it happened!
The chorus of s-s-h-h-a-a-r-r-k-k punctured the air, and 20 pairs of eyes instantly locked on to the awesome great white as it floated around gauging the bait that bobbed ahead, close to our boat.
Not for long though.
Taking a swift turn, it grabbed the tuna bait, severed the line in a flash as if it was a soft biscuit, and melted away like it never came.
That was just the beginning.
Over the next 40 minutes the sharks came and went, shearing off the baits with majestic ease, sometimes crashing against our boat to get better grips, splashing water all over us.
Scuba gear on, we took turns getting inside the metal cage that was submerged in the water by the side of the boat. And we saw them charging at us, coming within inches from where we stood, neck-deep in the Atlantic.
We were awestruck, spellbound.
Couldn’t ask for more!
This was the penultimate day of our Cape Town trip. And we felt immensely fulfilled that our trip was proving a great success. Truth be told, we enjoyed each day in this southernmost city of Africa, right from the time our visit started…
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After seeing the lions, wild dogs and hyenas at the visiting Kruger National Park we reached Cape Town late evening, flying in from Joburg. It was 10-30 on the Christmas day. And like us, the fellow passengers looked forward to having a great time at this picturesque city.
Cape Town – for those of you who want to know – consistently ranks as one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Famed for the iconic Table Mountain – the oldest mountain (six times older than the Himalayas) on earth – Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by both The New York Times and The Telegraph in 2014.
The elderly lady who drove the cab, a Toyota Fortuner, from the airport took us to the apartment we’d booked on Queen Victoria Street. It was on the fifth floor, standalone and smallish but cosy. What bowled us over, when we woke up the morning next, was the breathtaking view of the Table Mountain from the balcony.
Cape Town is a windy city, and during summer the south-easterly wind often gushes in at as high as 125 kmph – that too on a perfectly clear sunny day! Would you believe?!.
Opposite to where we stayed was the Company’s Garden, a heritage site that also housed the 120-year old South African Museum at one end. Inside the garden on paved roads we jogged and exercised every morning…as if we were locals, not guests for few days.
For 5 nights and 5 days we stayed at the Holyrood Heights (picture below). It is located adjacent to the French Consulate, and very close to the Italian Consulate. Take a 360° view of the apartment in the image below. Drag your mouse on the image to also see the garden opposite, and pretty much the whole neighborhood.
[Image at top courtesy Pietervisser]
Continued to ‘awesome’ Day 1 & 2 in Cape Town »
Continued to ‘awesome’ Day 3, 4 & 5 in Cape Town »
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Meanwhile, as a fellow traveler if you want to shave off costly dollars or rupees from your spending budget, get hold of my uber-cheap travel guide package below.
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