A recent trip to Cape Town saw me needing to get from Rosebank to St James and that my choice of transport were either e-hailing service, bus or train.
There was much discussion between my family and me as to what was not only safe, but cost and time efficient as well.
I ruled out a bus, as I felt that the traffic in the morning might turn it into a time wasting exercise. The e-hailing service at around R170, I deemed to be too expensive.
Hence the only option was the train. I went to the Southern Line website and saw that there were two trains that suited my departure time. I also noticed that the fares varied from R4.00- R14.00
I walked the short distance from where I was staying to the Rosebank station, where I discovered that ticket sales on the station platform were not possible due to load shedding.
A voice from deep inside the darkened ticket office said “Don’t worry, you can buy a ticket on the train…it will cost you R8.00 to get to St James”!
I only had to wait a few moment for ‘my’ train to arrive and it was on time. Something that is relatively unheard of on the African continent.
However, it was a good omen for the journey that lay ahead.
It seems that the trains heading into the city are jam packed, and I witnessed that as one passed by as I stood waiting on the platform.
By comparison, the one heading towards St James, my destination, was relatively empty.
This journey was to be an eye-opener for me and it shows just what can be achieved when a City is managed correctly.
Kudos to all involved to get the Southern Line back up and running in the mammer that I experienced.
One of the things that I had been ‘warned’ about was the fact that I would have to keep an eye open for each station as no announcements were made on board.
How wrong THAT source of information turned out to be. Not only was each station clearly announced, in English, well before arrival, there were also LED signs in each carriage that gave the same information.
As you can see from my image, the carriage that I rode in was spotless as were all of those I could see from my seat.
There were guards posted in each carriage to make certain that all the commuters were safe.
And I suppose the biggest surprise for me was the ticket collection.
Not only was I able to buy my ticket on the train without any issues, but one of the staff with the conductor was carrying a bag with change should you want to pay in cash.
I had a R10.00 note and I was courteously handed my R2.00 change as we concluded the transaction.(As an aside, I was fully expecting to be told that change was unavailable)
Well done to the Southern Line and all that worked on the train that I rode on that morning.
The train was not only clean inside, it was spotless on the outside with no sign of graffiti to be seen.
This was true of all the trains that I saw during my walks on the two days that I was in the Southern suburbs.
My final destination…St James station looking coastal in shades of blue and white.
As with all the stations that I passed during my relatively short ride from Rosebank to St. James there was a visible security presence to make commuters and tourists feel safe and secure.
My memories of these subways was that they used to be dark, dingy and smelling of urine. On this trip the ones that I used were relatively clean and the overwhelming smell was that of disinfectant.
Someone asked me how often they were cleaned, and I was not able to answer that question. To my untrained eye it looked liked there are regularly maintained.
The main road seems to be the bible belt of Cape Town as this was just one of the many churches that I walked past during my 2-day stay in the area.
The stretch of road from Muizenberg to Kalk Bay is home to churches from many denominations as well as a synagogue and mosques.
In case I was uncertain as to where I was.
And it was not covered in unsightly urban art.
My destination…Sonnekus Boutique Hotel & Bistro at 88 Main Road.
The café style seating on the veranda spills over into the garden and there was only a short window when all the tables were unoccupied.
A steam punk coffee machine. I had never seen one like this before, until I found out that the Olympia Café in Kalk Bay has one displayed on the wall behind the counter.
The front door that leads in the reception area.
Turn right at the front door will take guests down a short passage to the dining room.
This table caught my attention…
Up a couple of stairs and turn hard right to get upstairs to the accommodation.
This is what i found hidden behind the window that could be seen in the previous photograph.
Off the main hallway, I found this quiet and secluded seating area. If you visit, have a look at the artwork on the wall on the left.
But a word of caution if you are a royalist and thought that Queen Elizabeth II had done a good job, then you might be somewhat taken aback by the large portrait of her blowing a bubble with some gum.
Once you have made it safely across the road, you have a short subterranean walk to get to the beach and the ocean.
And this is the vista that guests are rewarded with.
Although I have lived in Johannesburg for the past 48 years, I was born and lived in Port Elizabeth until I was 25. I do miss the smell of the ocean and the constant changing views that it offers.
Although the property has been around for a while it was recently taken over and has had a refurbishment of note… but don’t take my word for it. Click on the logo above to be directed to their website.
Looking for a reliable shuttle service while you are in Cape Town? Looking for someone who is reasonably priced and ahead of schedule? The I have done your homework for you! Check out this company that used when I was in Cape Town recently to get me back to the airport. Click on the logo to be directed to their website.
For those that were not aware, there is an extension to the Travel & Things Blog in the form of ‘In conversation with‘ a YouTube channel hosted by David Batzofin and filled with a plethora of interesting interviews with a variety of people.
To visit the channel, click on the ‘In conversation with’ image above.
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and may not be used without permission.
For this trip I decided to leave my professional Pentax equipment at home in order to be able just to carry hand luggage onto the FlySafAir flight.
All the images where shot on a Samsung A32a that is almost 3 years old. I was astounded by the quality of the images, especially in low light conditions.
