Ramblings of a Much Younger Man

It would be very easy for me to sit back now as my older brother moves into third gear and beyond with his blog postings and let him do all the work but I feel that a touch of education is needed as much as entertainment.

You will now be able to recognise our two distinctive styles, mine more descriptive and informative while big bro is punchier, nay funnier but continues to report on activities that happened days and days ago because of the time it takes to craft his dispatches.

So I thought tonight I would bring you a touch more upto date on what we have been doing and perhaps more relevantly on what we have been eating.  It's scary when I think about it and particularly when I look at the pictures.

We summitted Table Mountain on a truly beautiful day and although Linda and I have become a touch blasé about this experience, it being the third time we have been on the top, it was terrific to enjoy this occasion with Stuart and Terri.  Big bro was so excited that I had to ensure he visited the men's room before embarking the cable car to ensure that there were no accidents on the journey up! Fortunately we had a dry run to the 1086 metre summit.

Table Mountain has been named as one of the seven natural wonders of the world and it is easy to understand why when you stand below it.  Awesome is an understatement and its dramatic look is only enhanced by Devil's Peak to the East and Lion's Head to the West.  The feature that you don't want to see when heading to the top is the orographic clouds which produce the "table cloth" that the mountain is famous for.

The views for us were stunning as we looked out over Table Bay towards Robben Island and then turned 180 degrees to look down the ridge of mountains towards the Cape of Good Hope. It would have been difficult to choose a finer day.

We then headed to Chapman's Peak Drive which is a must for anyone visiting Cape Town.  Chapman's Peak is a mountain to the west of the Cape Penisula and whilst the road that runs from Hout Bay to Noordhoek is relatively short, it is incredibly spectacular as it clings to the vertical cliffs hundreds of metres above the Atlantic Ocean. It was closed for a number of years following a fatal rock fall and was only reopened in 2008 following a vast amount of money being spent to make it more secure.

And finally onto our diet here in South Africa.  We are trying to eat moderately but when you wander around the local supermarket inspecting the fantastic array of products on display, it is hard to pass by without thinking we must sample that! And so over the last three days we have had steaks, sausages, spare ribs, chicken, ostrich and tonight some delicious Kingklip fish.  Big bro did make me laugh about my T Bone having its own post code. However, my reaction was to stick a Union flag in it and claim this new territory for Queen and Country!

All this incredible food of course being washed down with divine reds and crisp whites. The beer isn't bad either.

We have been getting some exercise incidentally as we visit the local golf driving range and big bro has been trying to teach me his two best shots at present, the snap hook and the wicked slice! I am trying hard to perfect in time for my return to golf at home.

Enough for me for now.  Kirstenbosch botanical gardens beckon tomorrow.