It's just one of those things, you can't take your eyes off of. Wherever we were in the city, I wanted to know what the view of the Table Mountain looked like from a different angle. Unless it was completely covered by the clouds, it was truly a spectacular sight to take in and I'm sure the locals never tire of it either.
Don't only stand below it, looking up, get on top and look below!
Well don't just look at it, go to it! I was so excited to get on top of Table Mountain to see the views, that I hadn't thought much about the how we're getting up there part. I knew we were going via cable car, but the day we headed up there to the ticket station, there was a huge race going on. People were running around it's base and up and around it's paths. If you're a dare devil and an in shape one at that, I would highly recommend getting a guide and hiking to the top! There are plenty of companies that offer this.
Once at the top (however you decide to get there), just stop for a moment. Don't take your phone out for a selfie, don't grab your friend to keep walking around the corner to see another vantage point, just....look. Look to the ocean, peer out to Robbens Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. Let your eyes drift back to shore and take in the view of the Cape Town Stadium, which was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Then look at Lion's Head, which for some reason I keep calling Dinosaurs head...oops. Though I know why, because the rock on the mountain reminded me of the dinosaurs that had sailbacks. Fun Fact: You can hike Lion's Head also!
It was the perfect day. The weather was spot on, not anything stronger than a soft ocean breeze. It was serene standing there, looking down at the city and everything so still around and below us.
I was on the back side of the mountain, walking slowly, taking the view in and I will never forget looking down the path and locking eyes with this guy, photographed above. I shrieked, yell-whispered over to the person closest to me in my group. You know what I mean by yell-whisper, wanting to be quiet so I didn't scare away the creature, but actually yelling with excitement. As it turns out, I wasn't the first person to see one of these little guys. They are referred to as a "Dassie"- one of the most unbelievable facts about Table Mountain’s Dassies is that they are the closest related relatives to Elephants. Despite the enormous difference in size between the two, research has claimed the dassie is the African elephant’s closest living relative. I. Kid. You. Not.
On really good days, both sides are clear and you can look down the coastline on the other side of Table Mountain. Unfortunately we missed it, maybe even by just a couple of hours, but I have this feeling that I will be back someday!