The Table Mountain

I didn’t know what to expect weeks before my trip to Cape Town in South Africa.  I had mixed emotions and like what I normally do before traveling, I lower my expectations.

I did my research about South Africa. I looked at pictures, read its history and browsed some personal experiences of people who have been there in the internet.   With only a week to go around Cape Town, I did my usual top 10 list of  where to go, what to do and which ones must see.  Table Mountain ranked number 1 on my itinerary which I based on the many personal accounts of people from travel sites and blogs.  What I read excite me.  The Table Mountain grew on me as the day drew nearer to my trip to Cape Town.

The Table Mountain is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, I have been to the 2 others on the list (Underground River in Puerto Princessa in my country the Philippines and Halong Bay in Vietnam).  The Table Mountain definitely deserved its spot in this prestigious list though (I believe) there are just so many that should have been included or the list does not just consist of 7 (make it 12 or something!).

This captivating mountain which I found absolutely remarkable and nothing like I’ve seen before became the backdrop of my stay in Cape Town.

The Table Mountain as seen from my hotel room made my every morning in Cape Town truly awesome.

The V&A Waterfront is a prime tourist area in Cape Town. The Table Mountain makes the waterfront even more picturesque.

One blogger wrote, “it is a mortal sin to miss the Table Mountain”.. I didn’t want to commit such sin, so off to the top I go.

On top of the world, I mean the Table Mountain overlooking the stunning Cape Town and the Atlantic Ocean.

On top of the Table Mountain overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

The Table Mountain as seen from my seat on board the Emirates Airlines. I surely left my heart in Cape Town.

Cape Town is probably one of the most beautiful cities in the world and South Africa is on my top 7 list of the world’s most picturesque countries.

Africa: The Big Five

One of the highlights of my recent trip in South Africa was a visit to a wild animal reserve about 2-hours away from Cape Town. Africa is known for the Big Five game animals though I always thought that the giraffe should be on this list but the lion, buffalo, leopard, rhinoceros and the elephant completes the list.  And after this ‘wildlife’ tour, I wanted to include even the zebra and the hippos.

The term big 5 was coined by hunters and not because they are all big literally (of course the elephant is huge), but because they are the most difficult animals to hunt and the degree of danger involved.  The big 5 are believed to be among the most dangerous yet very popular for big game hunters. Which I hope is no longer a popular past-time for hunters !

Africa now uses the Big 5 for marketing purposes, thus my collection of key chains and ref magnets after the tour aside from the wonderful photos I took.  The Big five animals can be found in South Africa, Botswana, Congo, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia and Uganda.

These Big 5 however can be found from the Aquila Private Game Reserve, http://www.aquilasafari.com

Dubai, Dubai !

Dubai is probably the city in the world that I’ve seen the most but have never actually been. I took this aerial shot while on board a flight to Cape Town, South Africa. I want to think that I’ve captured it well. I really hope to be able to step foot in the streets of Dubai soon. That would be wonderful.