Surfing and sunsets

I am faaar behind schedule, this is only still the 3rd day of Cape Town, while I am already here for over a month. Anyway, day 3 was surfing day and that being said, 9 o’clock was the time to go. We longboarded all the day from our hostel to the train station with cars, motorbikes and busses accompanying us every step along the trip. At the train station, we got a ticket for about 1.50 euros to drive us 45 minutes to the bay. This was supposedly a 1st class ride, how cheap can life be! However, when you think of first class in this train, think of seats that are not totally ripped to shreds and not of nice comfortable seats. The thing is that it was quieter in the first class coupes which is nice. However, every 5 minutes or so, a couple of 2 people walk through the coupe, asking for money from the train-goers. This reoccurring sort-of ritual includes most of the times one blind person and one non-blind person who go stand at the end of the coupe and then start singing something in the trend of ‘we thank Jesus’, or ‘we love Jesus’, not exactly sure anymore. While singing, they start walking to the next coupe and there is a possibility to give money. After we arrived at Muizenberg Bay, you once again realize how beautiful Cape Town is. Longboarding on the streets, next to the ocean, surrounded by the mountain, you value these moments.

The surf was interesting so to say. It had been stormy to day before, so there was no clean break, there were waves just everywhere. Looking at the surf, it could almost be Holland because of the irregular waves all over the place. Luckily, it was possible to catch some waves and ride them for about 10-15 seconds or so. It cost only about 6 euros for a board and a wetsuit for 2 hours of surfing. Being in the water for 2 hours, catching waves and looking at the mountains in the background made everyone so happy and made me realize that this really is part of living life. Not being in your room on your phone or computer, but being out there, going to unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people and doing that while having the best time of your life!

When we came back at about 3 o’clock, it was almost already time to climb Lion’s Head. I had heard from people that it was a steep climb, but I did not expect this. It started quite gradually, but after a while it was more climbing than hiking. There were handles placed in the rocks, so in some ways, it actually was more some sort of a rock climb. On the less steep part of the climb, we saw a guy laying on the ground, covered in blood. I had probably slipped while running up, but it didn’t look good at all. People had already called an ambulance, but that was going to take a long time because ambulances normally don’t need to climb mountains. Reaching the top, the views were amazing. A 360 view of Cape Town, of the Table Mountains and of the ocean. The sun set behind the ocean, so downtown Cape Town will never experience a sunset because the mountains are in the way. Lion’s Head was not only for tourists, it was also a place where locals met up to chill and to engage in activities that were not possible in down town CT because of the presence of the police. The sunset was really amazing, seeing it seemingly sinking slowly into the ocean, an orange glow appeared everywhere around us. And once again, these experiences are impossible to overrule by being in your comfortable chair in your house. As the sun disappeared, the wind rose. With the darkness setting in and the wind roaring around us, the hike down was kind of sketchy. Seeing the lights of Cape Town appearing, I once again experienced to beauty of South-Africa. Today only the beautiful side of South-Africa showed itself to me, and I was so happy to be here!