Cape Town South Africa

South Africa now has a single emergency number which can be dial from land lines. 107. Dialling this number from any Telkom phone will give you access to South African Police Rapid Reponse Units, the Metro City Police (very effective in the central business district), Medical Emergencies, Ambulance Services and Fire Emergencies.

If you have a cellular phone that you rented, you can dial 112 on any network and you will be connected to your emergency service.

For international students wanting to do language studies in Cape Town, there are various options. UCT (University of Cape Town) offers some really great courses for international students. Click on the ‘International’ link in the menu for your options. Language studies tend to be the most popular courses (allthough UCT offer a big range of alternative courses) and especially with German students (”sprachaufenthalte capetown“) wanting to enjoy the Cape Town summer while studying. There are lots of establishments that offer accommodation for international students around Cape Town, which we’ll be listing soon.

Cape Town coastal residents have been treated to great shows of whale viewing for the past month or two. Reports have widely been made and whales have been spotted right around the coast, with recent whale viewings in Blouberg Strand, Sea Point, Camps Bay and many more. With the Hermanus Whale Festival in full swing, it is still the best place to watch the spectacular whales from, with it’s elevated viewing points.

Day trips are going there all the time, just enquire from your nearest Cape Town tourism information point (the V&A Waterfront has a tourism information desk)

The festival ends this coming weekend (2nd of October 2005).

Blaauwberg House is situated in old Blouberg Strand (Blaauwberg Strand), close to ‘Ons Huisie‘ restaurant, a national monument and great summer restaurant. This self-catering accommodation is located walking distance (about 50 meters) from the beach, with stunning sea views of the Atlantic Ocean and long white beaches and promenades (towards Table View) for daily walks or bicycle rides.
Blouberg is about 15-20 minutes drive from Cape Town and about 45 minutes from Cape Town International Airport. This location is perfect for families (sleeps 2-6 people) wanting to spend a week in Cape Town, out of the buzz of the city, yet close enough for daily excursions to Cape Town and it’s surrounding areas.
Visit Blaauwberg House for your Blouberg self catering accommodation needs.

Decadence Couture, something special and unique for your personal space. Visit Wilja Reitz in her studio by appointment and she will design and hand-make a special lamp, cushion or hat amongst other items. Decadence products can also be seen at the showroom at Wunders at 428 Sir Lowrey rd observatory. Email Wilja for information at decadence@telkomsa.net.

While travelling, one sometimes want to keep up your excersize routine. Visit your nearest Virgin Active for a total body workout. In Cape Town you’ll find Point (in Green Point, next to Sea Point) and Long Street (central Cape Town) gyms. Visit the Virgin Active website for exact directions. There are also a number of smaller private gyms in Cape Town, which will be listed here soon.

There are a few low cost flight operators in South Africa. The first that comes to mind is Kulula, which have built a very nice brand for themselves. Everything on the planes are pay as you go, so no free meals and drinks, but they are priced very reasonably on the planes. They fly all over South Africa and you can book via credit card online. If you’re in Cape Town and want to break away for a weekend safari, check them out now!

If you need information about film studios and where to find crew based in Cape Town, visit Film Maker. It’s a Cape Town based venture that supports the film industry and it has the most comprehensive database of suppliers and advertisers within the filming industry in Cape Town.

Clifton is South Africa’s most famous beach for sun bathing. It’s tucked away between the beautiful icy blue sea (it’s cold all right!) and the Clifton residential area. The best of all is that it is shielded against the South East wind which is Cape Town’s prevailing summer wind, which makes it great on all sunny days.

TIP: Go before 10am, because parking can become hard to find. Also stock up on sun cream as you’re bound to go full roast.

The water temperature is around 12 degrees celcius, with small wave size, so it’s safe to swim. There are also life guards on duty. Also make sure you have some “Grenadella lollies”, which are probably the most famous ice cream on a stick in South Africa.

Location: Clifton is located between Camps Bay and Bantry Bay on the Atlantic seaboard, about 10 minute’s drive from central Cape Town.

Stellenbosch is located about 45 minutes drive from Cape Town, right in the heart of the Cape Winelands. With many prominent wine estates, producing world class wine, a few wine tours are definately on order, high on your priority list when visiting Cape Town. Many estates also offer to ship your purchases to any destination in the world, to save you the effort of having to lug around boxes of wine. Be sure to ask.

There are quite a few prominent wine routes which you can tour through and it’s best to make a day of each. The Stellenbsoch Wine Route is the most famous, and also has the best estates. The Durbanville wine route is closer to Cape Town and also offer some great wines. Then there’s the Helderburg wine route, which is located between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, which is a continuation of the Stellenbosch Wine Route. Have a look at WOSA for more information.