A Visit to Cape Town, South Africa

Author: S. Duffy Russell
Released 18 July 2005

SAAD Falcons Hockey Team Champions
(L to R, kneeling) Jay Jay Engelbrecht, Andrew Carroll, Lloyd Schluter, P. J. Roberts, Morgan Ashford
(L to R, standing) Coach Duffy Russell, Quihen Marais, Collin Russell, Lester Henson, John Brown, Dillon French, Daniel Malan, Coach Keith Brown
Photograph Contributed by S. Duffy Russell

For a recent tournament, the SAAD Falcons hockey team traveled to Cape Town, South Africa for some healthy competition and first-class sightseeing that will take your breath away.

On June 26 - July 1, 2005 the SAAD Falcons participated in the South Africa Under 16 Cape of Good Hope Hockey Tournament in Cape Town, South Africa. They won the championship with a 6-0 tournament record, and also won a challenge game, 4-0, against the Cape Town All-Stars.

SAAD Falcons Chairman, S. Duffy Russell says,

"The tournament was a terrific showcase event in a facility at which we often dream of playing...it was first-class! The hotel was great and players simply walked across a parking lot to the games! The tours were fantastic. We saw Cape Point and the beautiful coastal scenery of South Africa, Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated), World of Birds, the Cape Town Aquarium, the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, Canal Walk Mall, Table Mountain with its spectacular scenic overlooks, and many more sights. The coaching staff and families flew to Port Elizabeth and visited the Schotia Private Game Reserve, Addo Elephant Park, the scenic Garden Route of the southern coast of South Africa, Hermanus for whale watching, Tsitsikamma National Park, Monkeyland, Knysna for a dinner paddleboat cruise, and much more.

Visiting Cape Point
Photograph Contributed by S. Duffy Russell

Our first trip took us down the western Cape coastal road for scenic views of Table Mountain, the 12 Apostles - a spectacular rock formation, Camp Bay, Hout Bay – a fishing village where we shopped, saw seals and visited World of Birds, to Cape Point – the farthest southwestern point on the African continent. There we took the funicular (rail train) to the lighthouse on the mountaintop for spectacular views of False Bay.

Table Mountain

A View of Table Mountain
Photograph Contributed by S. Duffy Russell

Cape Town’s entire landscape is defined by Table Mountain, a huge flat-topped mountain that seems to rise from the sea. The entire city is at the foot of the mountain. Table Mountain is one “don’t miss” excursion with a cable car ride to the top. We had a beautiful, clear, sunny day, and the views from on top were spectacular! Walking pathways are everywhere with scenic overlooks on all sides. Abseilers were dropping off the top along a sheer drop of hundreds of feet. From the top, we could see the entire western coastal road that we had driven earlier.

We returned to Cape Town via the eastern peninsula coastal road through Simon’s Town and had a great dinner at the Brass Bell restaurant. We were reminded of how treacherous the ocean is when we were told of three great white shark attacks in the past few days/weeks.

World of Birds

The 12 Apostles
Photograph Contributed by S. Duffy Russell

At World of Birds near Hout Bay, we walked in the cages with the eagles, flamingoes, owls, parrots, and every imaginable bird. It was a real close encounter. In the same area, we entered the squirrel monkey cage, whereby they have a tendency to jump all over you and try to remove any jewelry or loose items from your pockets! We saw snakes, mongooses, and all kinds of other animals, too. At Hout Bay, we were treated to a show by two lazy seals that decided to hang out near the boat wharf. I think they were looking for a handout of some fish.

One of the highlights was a trip to the Cape Town Aquarium, a fabulous living ocean museum.

Monkeyland

During the trip after the tournament, we saw baboons in the road everywhere. The baboons are aggressive and tourists are told not to feed them or get too close. At Monkeyland, we entered a 30-acre enclosure that housed monkeys of all descriptions – vervets, gibbons, Kapucheans, lemurs, etc. As we walked with our guide, monkeys swung from the trees overhead, and we had to be careful not to stand underneath them too long (for obvious reasons)! We were told the Monkeyland enclosure has an electric fence, not to keep the monkeys in, but to keep the baboons out. Aapparently, they eat the other smaller monkeys.

Winelands

The parents left the players at the hotel and casino complex for one afternoon and enjoyed a short drive to the Winelands, including stops at in Stellenbosch at J. C. Le Roux, Van Ryn, and Spier. The wine country is beautiful with rolling hills framed by mountains.

Robben Island

Lester, Dillon, Andrew, Jon and Collin Visit the Nelson Mandela Photographic Exhibit
Photograph Contributed by S. Duffy Russell

The ferry ride to Robben Island was a nice chance for some of us to catch up on our sleep with a short power nap. But the short ride of 10 km was over too quickly. One of the interesting things about Robben Island is that the tour guides on the island are all former inmates. We took a short bus tour around the island and were shown a pit where the prisoners were forced to break rocks forever…a sad thought. Then Siddiq Levy, a former inmate, led us on a tour of the prison. He spoke about life at the prison…their food, living conditions, lack of bedding, harsh weather, censorship of letters and limited contact with the outside world. But he also spoke of guards who were caring and kind, and his message was one of enlightenment and forgiveness. I think everyone was moved by the experience.

Victoria and Albert Waterfront

View from the Lighthouse at Cape Point
Photograph Contributed by S. Duffy Russell

One of our favorite stops was the beautiful Victoria and Albert Waterfront. Wow! The shopping was unbelievable, and restaurants were everywhere. At night the place really comes alive with people walking the boardwalks. There were boats, mall areas, and an amazing complex of beautifully designed tourist localities. We had a great rib and steak dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening. At the V&A Waterfont, we donated 5 Rand to the local economy to see a snake exhibit in a mobile trailer…pythons, cobras, rattlesnakes, and more. No handling, thank goodness!

Canal Walk Mall

On a rainy day, we visited the fabulous Canal Walk Mall, a huge mall only a few miles from the Casino. The mall has great stores, two major cinemas with lots of theaters, a massive food court area, and shops until you drop.

Schotia Private Game Reserve and Addo Elephant Park

Schotia Game Reserve
Photograph Contributed by S. Duffy Russell

We visited the Schotia Private Game Reserve and the Addo Elephant Park. As it was off-peak season, we were treated to very personalized service for the game drives, meals in an African boma – a wooden enclosure for protection from the animals, and private housing. We took a morning game drive before breakfast, another after breakfast, and another at night using spotlights - the animals’ eyes are like flashlights - all in a special game-viewing Land Rover. We saw lions, elephants, warthogs, water buffaloes, ostriches, countless species of birds, wildebeests, impalas, giraffes, zebras, Hartebeest, monkeys, and lots more. On one occasion, we were unable to get to our house because a 5,000-lb. white rhinoceros was grazing in front! Apparently, he doesn’t like cars or people too close to him.

Garden Route

Coastal Beauty of Tsitsikamma Park
Photograph Contributed by S. Duffy Russell

Returning to Cape Town, we drove along the Garden Route – the southern coast of South Africa. We entered the Tsitsikamma National Park, and we were treated to spectacular views of the coastal mountains during lunch. One of the highlights of the trip along the Garden Route was a stop for a paddleboat dinner cruise on the Knysna (pronounced Nisna) lagoon. It seems we had the entire boat to ourselves for a private dinner party. We all had a great evening cruising along the huge lagoon and looking at the lights of the city.

Hermanus and Whale Watching

Hermanus is a small fishing town that was the site of whale hunting for many years, but is now the site of whale watching. As with anything, it’s a bit of “hit or miss” when looking for whales, and we missed (the peak time is July-August). Apparently the giant Right whales swim into the bay and jump to everyone’s delight. The coast is beautiful and we saw the old whale landing area where Right whales were brought ashore for processing.

After a comfortable night’s sleep in the "Russell Hotel", the next day we visited the Heads – a scenic overlook pass into the lagoon that is marked by twin massive rock formations. We stood on the cliff and could see for miles!"

Aramco Expats