Day 17 – Hitting the Final Notes

I’ve planned this trip in some shape or fashion ever since my trip last year to Cape Town was ceremoniously cancelled before it started – losing out on the trip as I didn’t have requisite blank pages in my passport. South African Airways gave me a deal to keep the value of the ticket (with change fee) and re-use it within a year. In the end, this was a blessing in disguise, instead of an incredibly crunced 4-day vacation (6 when counting travel) in 2017, it became a two-week, three-weekend odyssey to all corners of Africa, with actually one more day in Cape Town than I would have had last year.

Given the time that was put into the trip, I was expecting to be somewhat sad for the impending end by the time I reached Cape Town, escalating towards being despondent by the end (today), dreading having to leave this paradise and going back to work. Nothing worse than a trip ending. But somehow, I don’t really feel that way. On the positive, happy end, it could be because I feel fully satisfied with this trip, or even maybe some maturity in a way where I more fully appreciate things in the moment instead of always racing past to their inevitable end. On the negative end, maybe it is because having to pay for yourself on vacation for two full weeks gets mentally expensive, even in countries where the current currency rates are favorable.

Whatever the reason, I woke up on this final day ready to go back home, but not before doing a few more lasts in Cape Town, whether it be the last walk to the Waterfront, the last look (with pictures) of Table Mountain, the last meandering walk through the Waterfront, the last Milk & Honey, the last meal (probably at City Grill or one of the more commercial Waterfront restaurants with un-blemished views of Cape Town). For each of the lasts, I’m mentally adding a ‘for now’ to each one. I will be back. Be it in two years, five years, or twenty years returning with kids & the like. Honestly, if Cape Town was not a 15-hour flight plus another 2-hour flight away, I would probably come back every year.

I woke up around 9am for the second straight day, a very adult way of spending a weekend. My day would basically consist of full meandering, hitting all spots I already did on this trip or in past, but playing the hits works some times.

First was breakfast at Vovo Telo, which is a great location with really nice, light food that doesn’t get too filling. Basking in the clear weather is always nice as well. Then, I took a walk down the pier to the end, getting increasingly better and better views of more of Cape Town behind it. The weather has been extremely hot for Cape Town standards the last few days, a bit of annoyance to me who prepared for it to be windy and pleasant if a bit chilly, but instead has been calm and at times overbearing. Going down the pier finally gave me some wind to work with, which was a nice welcome surprise.

Following one last stroll through the V&A Market, this time going to the fish market as well, and one last stroll through The Watershed to see if there were any nice coasters hiding in one of the stalls I may have overlooked. That then led to one final Milk & Honey stop at Mithcell’s, getting a table with a Table Mountain view, which honestly is one beautiful image with no diminishing returns.

Finally, was the last meal, this time at City Grill, a place I went to twice in 2013 (the second time after not getting my reservation at Miller’s Thumb), and once in 2016, I think for my last meal that time as well. The food is good, if a little commercial (aka no brilliant Homespun-esque plating), with nice African choices. A clean way to have one last meal here with some uniquely African foods.

These past two weeks simultaneously went really quickly and really slowly. It seemed like just yesterday I was wandering around Cairo having reached after a marathon series of flights. On the other hand, I feel so disconnected to work (timed it nicely where I was between projects), and to the goings-on in the US, being able to escape the sham that was the Kavanaugh affair, but also missing the start of the baseball playoffs.

One of my main hopes was that for the long haul flight back to New York, that South African Airways would update some of their movie selections. That sadly did not happen, though it did give me the opportunity to watch Erin Brockovich and Rocky for the first time (yes, not proud to admit either one of those facts). The flight was quite good for a capper to the trip, having a seat empty next to (actually had the whole row of four empty, but someone understandably took the outer seat on the other side. South African Airways’ food was good, the drinks were flowing regularly (just like the flight down to Joburg, there were sandwhiches and drinks available throughout), and all the while it kept me entertained enough to not remember that this incredible trip was ending.

In the end, this was a meticulously planned trip that started because of a terrible aborted trip. It was an outcome that resulted in seeing a ridiculous amount of ancient history, of floating down the river that served as a cradle of civilization, visited the place that may start to overtake Madrid as my number 1 favroite international city (probably need another trip to Madrid to test that out fully). Trips like these are rare; this alone was my longest tourism-based trip since my Round The World trip five years ago. I am lucky in many ways, to be able to go on a trip like this, to be in a job where I have the requisite leave, to have a love of travelling instilled in me years ago to make a trip like this appealing. And most of all, I’m lucky that my trip to Cape Town, a too-stuffed four day trip, was cancelled.