wareontheglobe south africa

Thali Restaurant, Cape Town: Excellent Indian Fare!

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I first went to Cape Town back in 2015, and I really wanted to eat at Chefs Warehouse, a no-reservation restaurant Anthony Bourdain had raved about on one of his shows. We sadly missed Chefs Warehouse on that trip, and the original is now closed. BUT (!!), the owners have expanded their empire and opened several restaurants since in and around Cape Town. I obviously looked into them and discovered that one is an Indian restaurant, one of my favorite cuisines. Named Thali, which is a complete Indian meal with numerous dishes, I made it a mission to dine there on our extended trip to Cape Town.

Thali menu.

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Eating Our Way Though Cape Town, South Africa!

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As Dan and I are preparing to return on safari next month (verrry exciting!), I am finally finishing up my posts from our last safari trip in South Africa. This post reviews a delicious food and history tour that we took through Cape Town, South Africa. The tour was truly great and a highlight of our time in Cape Town! If you cannot make the tour, each spot is worthy of a visit on its own.

Cape Town from Table Mountain.

And quick back ground, Dan and I spent almost two weeks in South Africa, spending five nights on safari near Kruger National Park and four in Cape Town, one of the two most beautiful cities I have ever seen (the other being Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). In Cape Town, we toured Cape Point, went on a wine tour in Stellenbosh, and spent the better part of a day on a food tour exploring Cape Town’s city center and Bo-Kaap neighborhoods.

Dan & I in Bo-Kaap.

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A Tour Of Cape Point – A Must Do In Cape Town!

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On Dan and my trip to South Africa last year, we ended our grand vacation with a day of activities on the Cape Peninsula. This was the second time that Dan and I have done a tour of this area and, in my opinion, its one of the very best things to do in greater Cape Town. The natural beauty is outstanding, and I feel like one would miss out if this area was not visited. A lot of people do this type of tour on their own with a car, which is certainly doable, but we liked having a guide and the biking portion. In any case, this is a review of what we did on our most recent trip.

PICK UP FROM HOTEL

Our morning started with a pick up at our hotel around 8:00 AM.  Our guide showed up on time in a white van with several heavy duty road bikes pulled behind. Very intense. Luckily, we had eaten breakfast at the hotel, as we would not have lunch for a looooong while (although this was the tour, not lack of food or restaurants en route).

Our trusty van for the day, along with our bicycles.

DRIVE DOWN THE CAPE PENINSULA

After pick up, we began the gorgeous drive down the Cape Peninsula, which runs along the coast and is absolutely stunning.  We did not stop for photographs due to time constraints, but I took some shots from the van. If you are doing this drive, Muizenberg is a good place to stop, very popular with surfers. Its also home to those adorable multi colored beach huts that you see in pictures! You can see surfers in the back ground of the second picture below if you look closely.

A gorgeous drive down to Cape Point.

Muizenberg Beach in the background. If you look closely, you can see SO MANY SURFERS (the little black dots).

BOULDERS BEACH AND SIMON’S TOWN TO SEE PENGUINS!

After about 40 minutes on the road, we reached Simon’s Town, South Africa. Simon’s Town is small town south of Cape Town proper on False Bay. Simon’s town is practically known as a prominent South African Naval base, but for tourists, its home to Boulders Beach! Boulders Beach is part of Table Mountain National Park, and its home to so many adorable African penguins. We parked our car in Simons Town and walked about 5 minutes (straight walk) to Boulders Beach. We paid the fee to enter (around $8.50 USD) and walked out to the beach to see the African Penguins! And we saw so many, including baby penguins that had not yet lost their brown fur! We also saw a few Dassies, or little brown mammals (similar size to a rabbit) that are close related to the elephant. Who knew?! We spent about 30 minutes at Boulders Beach watching the penguins. I would note that guests must stay on raised platforms and cannot touch, interact with or feed the penguins (they bite, and there is a fine involved if caught).

Simon’s Town – its very pretty. I would love to spend a weekend here.

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Airport Lounge Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, Johannesburg (JNB)

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After our lovely visit to Newark’s Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in February, I was totally excited to visit Virgin’s Clubhouse at the Johannesburg, South Africa International Airport. In fact, it was the only thing getting me through the depression of going home, LOL.

Happy in Cape Town, South Africa the day before departure.

ENTRANCE TO THE VIRGIN ATLANTIC CLUBHOUSE.

Despite a number of lounge options in Johannesburg’s international terminal between Priority Pass and our American Express Plaitnum card, we heard that the Virgin Clubhouse was the nicest and went promptly there (after a little shopping in the Out of Africa shop!). The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is located on the second floor of the international terminal, just a bit further down from the aforementioned Out of Africa store. We took the elevator up. Checkin was quick and consisted of presenting an American Express Platinum card and boarding passes. I particularly loved the flower wall at the entrance.

Entrance to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, Johannesburg from inside the club.

Said flower wall! Small, but mighty cute!

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A Splendid Saturday On The Franschhoek Wine Tram!

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After fully recovering from Covid in Cape Town, South Africa (a wild story!), my husband and I had a few Covid-free days to explore the area before flying home. We took advantage and signed up for a South African activity that I have been wanting to do for a long time – wine tasting on the Franschhoek Wine Tram! This article shares valuable information for those planning their own Franschhoek Wine Tram tour, whether from Cape Town or not!

FRANSCHHOEK TOWN

Of initial importance, the Franschhoek Wine Tram visits wineries in and around Franschhoek, South Africa (not Stellenbosch town). Franschhoek is a small town, originally founded by the Dutch, a little over an hour outside Cape Town that is famous for its wineries and gorgeous scenery. Franschhoek very close to  Stellenbosch (and part of the Stellenbosh municipality), another popular wine town in Cape Town. Tourists visit Franschhoek to taste wine and visit the downtown area, and they come as both day trippers from Cape Town and those staying a few nights. Franschhoek, like Stellenbosh, is filled with cute bed and breakfasts, shops, cafes, and restaurants that and could easily occupy a few days. We only had one day, so it was a day trip from Cape Town for our visit!

Gorgeous Franschhoek in the South African Fall!

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