Every city has its iconic structure or vista, and Cape Town is no exception. It is Table Mountain National Park and its cable car to the top with its commanding view over the entire city and all that surrounds it. This is certainly one of the most popular things to do in Cape Town and waits can run hours. Another challenge are the notorious winds that buffet the Mountain, making the journey downright challenging if not dangerous. In fact, when we get to the top, there is a huge sign warning visitors that if they hear a very loud horn while on the mountain, they are to make their way to the cable car immediately - yes, immediately! But I get ahead of myself . . .
We have been blest with an absolutely perfect day for our ride and, amazingly, very few other tourists have decided to go at the same time. We've bought our tickets in advance so we are whisked to the front of the line and only wait through one car-load before making our way onto the tea bag looking thing that holds 65 people and, frankly, just looking at it makes my knees knock! To my fear of heights I can now add fear while dangling hundreds of feet over rocks in a thing that looks like a giant upside down cartoon bubble!
I'm sure there's an engineering or physics term that describes this system - but, put simply, one goes up while the other goes down. And here comes our very own teabag!
We're loaded into the teabag (far fewer than its 65-person capacity I'm happy to note), and it makes its way up the mountain. That's our shadow as we ascend.
And then suddenly, the floor starts to move!!! I'm clutching a metal bar that begins dragging my hands to the left (I quickly let go of the bar), and I'm standing in front of an opening with only three metal bars and a metal plate that comes up to my knees between me and certain death. These cars are called 'Rotair' and they make a full 360 degree rotation while in their five-minute ride. I think the operator said something about the moving floor but maybe it was in Africaans . . .
We're headed for that peanut-sized hole atop that huge pike of rock.
Turns out this wee hole is the gateway to a rather large installation complete with a restaurant, gift shop and wi-fi.
And the views are breathtaking, gobsmacking, spectacular - not enough big words to describe!
Just off to the side of Tim's head is Robben Island, infamous as Mandela's imprisonment for decades.
And remarkably, there are a whole series of hiking trails on top of the mountain - you could spend the whole day up here.
Another incredible view! That's Cape Town on the lower right, nestled up to the mountains, Lion's Head, looming over Cape Town's ocean-front suburbs on the Atlantic Ocean. and Robben Island in the upper right.
And now for the ride back to the bottom. I think I'm prepared - made that ascent without needing an adult Pampers - but the ride down may be even more death-defying. Those cables to the left are for the car that's ascending while we're on the way down.
OMG - are those cables actually tethered to anything or is this some sort of diabolical optical illusion???
Help - I can't even see the 'bottom'!!!! That ribbon at the bottom is actually a line of busses and cars in the parking lot!!
We're nearing terra firm and the 'up' car has just about reached the peanut hole. Can you see it??
And next to us the famous Devil's Peak lazily huffs out some smoke . . .
I have to take a photo of the 'works' or, in this case, where engineering defies gravity several hundred times a day!
Was all this only five minutes up and five minutes down?? Hard to believe . . . well done, Table Mountain Cable Car Company!! And congratulations Table Mountain on being named one of the Seven Nature Wonders of the World.
We have been blest with an absolutely perfect day for our ride and, amazingly, very few other tourists have decided to go at the same time. We've bought our tickets in advance so we are whisked to the front of the line and only wait through one car-load before making our way onto the tea bag looking thing that holds 65 people and, frankly, just looking at it makes my knees knock! To my fear of heights I can now add fear while dangling hundreds of feet over rocks in a thing that looks like a giant upside down cartoon bubble!
I'm sure there's an engineering or physics term that describes this system - but, put simply, one goes up while the other goes down. And here comes our very own teabag!
We're loaded into the teabag (far fewer than its 65-person capacity I'm happy to note), and it makes its way up the mountain. That's our shadow as we ascend.
And then suddenly, the floor starts to move!!! I'm clutching a metal bar that begins dragging my hands to the left (I quickly let go of the bar), and I'm standing in front of an opening with only three metal bars and a metal plate that comes up to my knees between me and certain death. These cars are called 'Rotair' and they make a full 360 degree rotation while in their five-minute ride. I think the operator said something about the moving floor but maybe it was in Africaans . . .
We're headed for that peanut-sized hole atop that huge pike of rock.
Turns out this wee hole is the gateway to a rather large installation complete with a restaurant, gift shop and wi-fi.
And the views are breathtaking, gobsmacking, spectacular - not enough big words to describe!
Just off to the side of Tim's head is Robben Island, infamous as Mandela's imprisonment for decades.
And remarkably, there are a whole series of hiking trails on top of the mountain - you could spend the whole day up here.
Another incredible view! That's Cape Town on the lower right, nestled up to the mountains, Lion's Head, looming over Cape Town's ocean-front suburbs on the Atlantic Ocean. and Robben Island in the upper right.
And now for the ride back to the bottom. I think I'm prepared - made that ascent without needing an adult Pampers - but the ride down may be even more death-defying. Those cables to the left are for the car that's ascending while we're on the way down.
OMG - are those cables actually tethered to anything or is this some sort of diabolical optical illusion???
Help - I can't even see the 'bottom'!!!! That ribbon at the bottom is actually a line of busses and cars in the parking lot!!
We're nearing terra firm and the 'up' car has just about reached the peanut hole. Can you see it??
And next to us the famous Devil's Peak lazily huffs out some smoke . . .
I have to take a photo of the 'works' or, in this case, where engineering defies gravity several hundred times a day!
Was all this only five minutes up and five minutes down?? Hard to believe . . . well done, Table Mountain Cable Car Company!! And congratulations Table Mountain on being named one of the Seven Nature Wonders of the World.
