New Year's Eve in Cape Town

Thursday 31.12.15

We arrive at around 7:30 am and are delighted with a very quick entry and friendly passport control officers. There is no customs control and so we head towards the main hall, where there are supposedly ATMs and SIM cards. The bank ATMs do not accept debit cards or only dispense about 2,000 rand (about 120 EUR). So we line up multiple times at the ATM and withdraw 2,000 rand multiple times. The mobile phone stores are still closed, so we cannot buy SIM cards and instead make our way to our apartment. The taxi wants 270 rand to Somerset Road 39.

Hilary and Jen are already waiting with a fresh bouquet of roses on the dining table and lots of tips for us! That's really great! They write down notes with the best restaurants in the area, write down their Wi-Fi access code for us, and show us the apartment. What a view!

The huge terrace faces Table Mountain! The apartment has three rooms, with one bedroom serving as the study and the sofa bed in the next 4 nights will not be my friend (hard, with a groove in 2/3 of the sleeping surface). Except in the living room, there is no air conditioning and we expect temperatures of 37 degrees.

After Hilary and Jen have gone to their friends, we walk to V&A Waterfront, find a restaurant with space for us, and enjoy delicious, affordable food with a view of the water and people. We stroll around this corner along the water and enjoy the colorful souvenirs that are available here.

Before we go back to the apartment to get some sleep before the New Year's Eve festivities begin, we go to the Vodacom store next to our apartment and try to buy SIM cards. But that's not possible without a passport. So first, we have to get the passport. I get a data SIM card with 3 GB for 249 rand (about 15 EUR) for the tablet and leave my mobile phone without a South African SIM card. The Spar supermarket on the ground floor has a great selection of groceries and we get water and yogurt before trying to rest in our apartment.

Given the scorching temperatures and lack of airflow, this is hardly possible, the sun shines directly into my small room. Well, hopefully it will cool down tonight.

We walk back to the Waterfront around 7:00 pm, where we meet Anja, Philipp, and another 9 guests from their bed & breakfast. Quite funny - we don't know anyone and now we are celebrating New Year's Eve together. The Waterfront is crowded in the meantime. Masses of people from dressed up to elegant to casual leisure look - everyone is having a great time and looking forward to the New Year.

Anja has reserved a table and we have one right by the water! The menu today has 3 courses and costs 990 rand, much more than we will ever spend on something comparable in the coming weeks. But the quality and quantity are not to be criticized, we have fun with our table companions Semmy, Axel, and his three daughters from Swabia and the English people sitting behind us.

The live music is great and there is a fantastic fireworks display at midnight! There is no other fireworks in Cape Town and the V&A Waterfront organizes this with a special permit.

It's unbelievable how this year has passed. A year ago today, I was sitting in my apartment in Wellington, New Zealand, embarking on the journey of a lifetime and now I'm in Cape Town. I think I want to celebrate New Year's Eve in Berlin next time!

So around 1:00 am we leave our cheerful group of people and walk back to the apartment. Off to bed!