Day 4: Vineyard tour
We start our day passing the most vibrantly coloured houses I have ever seen. This is the Cape Malay area of Cape Town. Its occupants are the descendants of slaves from Malaysia, Indonesia as well as other areas of Asia and Eastern Africa. Our guide tells us that his ancestors came from Malaysia.
Then we begin our journey to the Stellenbosch Winelands east of Cape Town. This takes us past an unfinished highway that hangs in mid-air. Construction of the highway halted because a shop owner whose establishment stood in the way of the bridge would not give permission for the construction to continue. The shop and owner have long since gone but, the highway still remains unfinished.
Our first stop is the Simonsig Estate. The founder of Simonsig, was the first producer of Méthode Champenoise in South Africa when he made a sparkling wine named Kaapse Vonkel. It has a great taste and is at a great price, too.
Our next stop is the luxurious Delaire Graff Estate. It is surrounded by a high electric wire fence and gated entrance with guards. The views from the Estate are stunning.
The food in the restaurant is equally stunning.
After lunch we return to Cape Town to take a boat and tour of Robbens Island–one of the places where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner. However, by now we are running on South African time and we are late in arriving. We miss the boat!
Instead, two of us decide to visit the District 6 museum we had passed the other day while on our city bus sightseeing tour. We arrive with only a few minutes to look around before the museum closes.
Street signs from the destroyed District 6:
