Day #2
The paint was a deep red. African art dressed the walls. A twin bed rested in the right corner of the cozy room and parallel to it on the left was a set of bunk beds. A modest bathroom was across the room from the beds. Tucked into each of the twin beds, with drool on their pillows, were three travelers ready to rise and continue the race… “Munna Munna, Mah Munna Mah!” Alan’s robot alarm blared and we were off!
Breakfast sandwiches and three coffees in our stomachs; waters, cameras, extra layers, and snacks (to satisfy my continuous hunger) stashed in our bags; and we were trudging up the hill to the base of Table Mountain. This 3,500 foot mountain provides a stunning backdrop to Cape Town. It overlooks the city and Table Bay and its plateau summit stretches for nearly 2 miles from side to side. Table Mountain was our Day 2 Adventure.
A text from dad that morning said, “I think I’d take the Cable Car.” Sharing this with Chelsea and Alan I commented, “My parents could do this! When they come, I’m making them hike!” Twenty minutes into our ascent up the rocky stairway that was the Platteklip Gorge I uttered these words: “My parents should take the Cable Car!”
The trail was set with rocks – small and large – that required a constant stair stepping motion tough enough to make my butt and quads wish I had taken the cable car as well!
Looking out from our place on the trail, we could see Chapman’s Peak nestled between Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean, the city of Cape Town stretching forever until it touched the water’s edge at the V&A Waterfront, and to our right - Devil’s Peak thrusting its rocky top towards the sky. For the second day in a row, our senses were stimulated in every way possible. The air was warm, the view was breathtaking, and the adrenaline was coursing.
After about two and half hours we reached the summit. Adding another layer, we walked around the top taking in every inch of the blue water, black and gray sandstone, and miniature buildings spread across the floor of the valley below. In the distance – plunked in the middle of the ocean – was Robben Island. This island was home to the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his prison sentence. Cruising up to the top of Table Mountain along a narrow wire was the iconic Cable Car – or what we referred to in exhaustion as the “lazy man’s way to the top.” As the clouds rolled in covering “the table,” the temperature dropped and our stay at the top needed to end quickly! After an emergency trip to the bathroom (I hate my stomach!) and a tasty cup of hot chocolate, we began the trek down the mountain on shaky legs. 
We made it to the bottom in far less time and with much less stops along the way. Turning around and looking back at our accomplishment filled us with pride. As we walked past the queue of tourists awaiting their turn in the cable car, all the sweat, tired muscles, and shivers at the top felt increasingly more worth it. Table Mountain was ours for the day – a borrowed vista upon which we stood and felt wonderfully insignificant compared to the wonders that Cape Town spread before us. 
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