Cape Town Day Hikes: The India Venster Route (Revisited!)

1 Comment / Day Hikes, Hike, Hiking / By

Tweede Nuwe Jaar Hike

2 January 2023

Reaching for the stars... in India... 😀

Here We Go Again

When I said we must do India Venster again, I had no idea how soon I would be doing it.

 

While on The Otter Trail, our Mona Lisa (she of the enigmatic smile) asked if we would do it with her.

 

I could not refuse. Who can resist that smile?

 

Plus, I wanted to see how my upper body would hold up this time.

 

(I still have both arms, thankfully!)

New Year's Shenanigans

Loved Up!

We were only 5 pax to take on the Indian Window on Monday 2 January 2023, fresh off The Otter Trail.

 

I was happy to keep the group small. Smaller groups move faster.

 

It was going to be a scorcher. This time we took the more orthodox route by starting at the Lower Cable Car station. It was 6am and the car wasn’t riding yet.

 

We started nice and easy. The walk to the contour is a proper warm up.

 

Several groups passed us, mostly visitors with local guides.

 

We had no hurry. It was a holiday, after all.

 

Traditionally the Tweede Nuwe Jaar (2nd of January) was a public holiday and the day the minstrels (coons… is that politically correct?) come out to play. 

 

I marvelled once more at how popular this route has become. I’m not sure if I was comfortable with that.

 

I may suffer from a weird kind of cognitive dissonance, where I am fiercely proud of my hometown and her many wonders, and never hesitate to shout her praises.

 

While jealously guarding her treasures, wanting it to keep them to myself but also show them off at the same time.

 

I guess I’m OK with everyone wanting to come to Cape Town to enjoy all there is to do in our beautiful city. I just don’t want them to come here to do them.

 

Makes no sense, right?

 

Someone should create an app where tourists (local and international) can visit Cape Town virtually, without coming here …  they must just send us their tourist dollars. I kid, I kid, I kid!

 

I welcome the tourists and visitors, but I also can’t wait for the end of the holidays, so we can have our roads, our beaches and our mountains to ourselves again. But our local economy thrives on tourism, and we strive to always be gracious hosts. 

 

This is why I love Cape Town winters. Too rainy for the swallows. 

Cape Town Welcomes You

The Window

Holding Hands

Before long we were at the window and took some photographs.

 

This time there wasn’t a line.  

 

BasheRush of course had to show us all up with her acrobatics!

 

Isn’t she gorgeous!

Isnt She Gorgeous?

The old farty couples’ poses are positively sedate in comparison.

 

Happy hikers, happy homes 😀

We Need A Bigger Rock

Scramble Up!

Checkit!

I did not take many pics of the scramble… my multi-tasking skills are severely compromised when my sweaty palms can’t grip on a chain or staple.

 

Those smiles though, hey!

Happy Hikers!
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Cable Car Ride

Checking Our Hydration Supplies

When we got to the top of Platteklip gorge at about 9.45am, it was blistering hot.

 

We were all low on water. It was much hotter than even we had expected. We decided to take the cable car down.

 

I did not fancy another hour shlepping down Platteklip in the heat, without water. My knees thanked me.

 

While the cable car may have been the easier option down, it was not the quickest.

 

Every tourist in Cape Town must have been at top of Table Mountain. According to the lady at the ticket office, the queues to come up were four hours long.

 

The Tailor kindly treated us to ice cold, refreshing slushies while we may or may not have offended some American tourists in the line with our sweaty BO.


This photo of Cape Town Central is courtesy of Tripadvisor

12 Rescues Over The NY's Weekend

A word of caution:

Western Cape government search and rescue teams also responded to 17 incidents over the New Year weekend, of which nine were on Table Mountain. WSAR spokesperson David Nel said they had assisted in at least 12 rescue operations across the province between December 31 and January 2. “Of the 12 incidents, at least nine rescue operations involved tourists. A total of 14 tourists, local and international, were assisted by WSAR over the New Year’s weekend. “Among the rescues, only three did not occur on Table Mountain and teams were called to Platteklip Gorge on three separate occasions for patients struggling with the higher temperatures,” Nel said.

Cape Argus

We have many extremely competent local guides who can take you on any route you want to on our beautiful mountains.

 

Please reach out to Fatima Sait if you are a visitor, or even a local with no knowledge of our trails.

 

Fatima is an experienced and accredited guide. 

 

One of the rescues was on Blinkwater Ravine, a trail that has been closed for a very long time. A local guide would have known that and advised the visitor not to use it.

 

Another group of tourists, including small children, got lost and ended up on Blind Gully.

 

Rule of thumb, if a trail name ends in, ‘Buttress’, ‘Gully’, or ‘Ascension’, even ‘Gorge’, please don’t do it if you are not an experienced hiker and/or don’t know the trail.

 

Please come prepared for extreme weather, make sure you have enough water and the appropriate clothing.

 

It was very hot on 2 January 2023. We made the right call, for us, to take the cable car down.

 

We just did a strenuous hike on a blistering hot day.

 

The African sun is not a lady to be trifled with.

 

Please exercise caution when hiking, especially in extreme temperatures. Heat stroke is real and can be fatal.

Signs of Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion

Tips To Avoid Heat Stroke

• Exercise early or late in the day. Avoid the heat.

 

• Hydrate Often. And then some more

 

• Take as many breaks as you need

 

• Wear loose, light weight clothing

 

• Protect your skin with sunblock

 

• Stop if you feel dizzy or faint

 

• Have snacks on hand in case your blood sugar drops

 

• Have local emergency numbers programmed into your phone

 

Click this link for local emergency numbers and tips on what to pack for a hike.

 

Welcome To Cape Town

Pic courtesy of Kaapse Klopse Karnival Assosiasie

Under Table Mountain, big and blue

Cape Town welcomes you

 

(Taliep Petersen)

 

Monday 2 January 2023 was also the traditional day for the minstrel’s parade.

 

For more on the historic significance of the minstrels in Cape Town and their cultural importance to the coloured community, please click on this link.

 

NB: The word ‘coloured’ is not a pejorative term but describes a mixed-race group, descendants of indigenous Africans, slaves and/or indentured labourers who procreated with European settlers. 

 

“Mulatto” would be another word to describe us. 

Welcome To Cape Town

Come Join The Party

Put On Your Dancing Shoes

Cape Town’s Number One

 

(Taliep Petersen)

It was the perfect day to view Cape Town in all her glory.

 

Blue skies. Windless. Cloudless. Hot as Hell.

 

Yep.

 

Perfect day to park off on Africa’s most iconic, most-visited tourist attraction; one of the world’s natural wonders, and marvel at how blessed I am to call this place home.

Sources:

 

https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/cape-minstrels-origins-and-evolution-tweede-nuwe-jaar-second-new-year-cape

 

Tips to Avoid Heatstroke and Heat Exhaustion (rush.edu)

 

With special thanks to:

 

Kaapse Klopse Karnival Assosiasie

((1) Kaapse klopse Karnival Association | Facebook)

 

Jimmy De Kock

(https://youtu.be/K1vObFde_fk)

Like and Subscribe to his channel. 

 

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