We had this trip planned for some time, but with so many things going on, we weren’t entirely sure we were going to go. I did try to change the flight last minute, but when British Airways quoted me five figures just to rebook the outbound flights, I decided it was better to just make it work. A few days before leaving, we booked what we thought was one apartment, but it turned out to be another. It looked like the same place on Booking.com, but was much cheaper on Airbnb, our preferred option. Although it was in the same block, the apartment was smaller, lacked the 360-degree views, and had some questionable reviews. I could almost hear my father’s voice saying, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!”
On flight day, I was up early for the 6:30 AM train to St Pancras. It had been a long time since I’d been on a packed commuter train into the city, and I had forgotten how uncomfortable they could be. Thankfully, I didn’t have to endure many rush-hour trains during my working career, so I’d never really gotten used to it. From St Pancras, it was the same “sardine can” experience on the tube to Marylebone. Thankfully, the return journey to Huntingdon was a breeze. After a quick turnaround, we grabbed our luggage and headed to Heathrow T5, courtesy of Gerry. After some great service from BA, we boarded our 12-hour night flight to Cape Town. I managed to get about six hours of sleep, but Rachel always struggles to sleep, whichever cabin she’s in.
We landed on a beautiful morning in Cape Town. From the moment we touched down and left the plane at 8:00 AM, everything went smoothly. We breezed through immigration, picked up our luggage, cleared customs, got local SIM cards (which normally takes 45-60 minutes), and even grabbed cash from the ATM—all in under an hour. It was by far the quickest and smoothest airport experience we’ve ever had, and every person we encountered was genuinely happy to help. It was a great start to our adventure. Our hosts were kind enough to let us check in earlier than planned, which was an added bonus.
We decided not to rent a car for our first week in the city, as everyone uses Uber. After a short five-minute wait, we were on our way in an Uber heading toward “Die Waterkant,” a central area with great views of the city. After a few days of rest in the apartment (which was fine), we began exploring. We started with the bustling Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, full of fantastic restaurants and entertainment. It was fun to stroll around the area, soaking in the sights and enjoying the tourist crowds. Cape Town is a sprawling city, with busy streets and street theatre at nearly every corner.
The following day, we took an Uber out to Camps Bay, a small but beautiful white sandy beach nestled between the 12 Apostles mountain range on one side and Signal Hill on the other. We’ve visited quite a few city beaches on our travels, and this one definitely ranks among the nicest we’ve seen.
Dream Chasers 