With a clickety-clack and sea-spray on the windows you'll soon see why the Muizenberg-Simon's Town train journey is one of the best in the country.
Long-board or latté?
Get set for your journey at Knead Bakery in Muizenberg, who make great pastries and even better coffee. If you're feeling adventurous wriggle into a wetsuit and hit the waves with Roxy's Surf School who will have you hanging ten in no time.
Slat my dood
"Slat my dood met 'n pap snoek!" is a classic Cape saying, but you won't find any pap snoek at Kalk Bay Harbour… just the fresh smack of the sea as the boats come in. It's a bit smelly to stash a Stumpnose in your bag for the day, so head to Kalky's on the dock for a great portion of snoek 'n tjips.
Do you speak whale?
By now the first Southern Right whales have just started arriving in False Bay, so hop off at Fish Hoek and stroll the kilometre-long Jager Walk to Sunny Cove for a bit of whale-watching. Pack a flask of coffee, grab a bench and read up about these annual visitors on the informative signboards.
The dock of the bay
Simon's Town is the home of the SA Navy and those great, grey warships certainly look like they mean business. You can get up close and personal with them on an entertaining harbour cruise with the Simon's Town Boat Company. Visit www.boatcompany.co.za.
Take a shortcut
Instead of heading back on the train, take a shortcut to Kalk Bay with the Mellow Yellow Water Taxi. It runs (weather permitting) every hour on the hour from the Simon's Town public jetty, and costs R100 one-way. If you're lucky you'll even meet some whales on the way!
First published in Juice; the in-flight magazine of Mango airlines. February 2010.
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