After 30 hours of travel time, including an 8 hour nap in the Zurich airport, we arrived in Cape Town.

Thinking we had only a couple days in the city before our bikes arrived, we stayed local and explored Cape Town proper. It is a breathtaking city situated in a bowl below the iconic Table Mountain and opening out to the coastline. Lucky for us, there is an extensive network of trails around the city that are accessible from the downtown hotels. Our first evening, we found our way up Signal Hill and to the summit of Lion’s Head. We were rewarded with stunning views of the city and an ocean sunset as we descended back to our hotel.

I have to say, the South African’s really know how to build some exciting trail systems. Most “hikes” I would classify more as climbs with a few tree roots, chains and rickety ladders to help you ascend the more questionable sections. However, we did see a woman climbing a steep rock section up Table Mountain carrying her purse and rocking a pair of gold studded stilettos with seemingly no issues. Maybe she knows something I don’t?

Just an extra note here for all those mountain biking enthusiasts out there, you may want to look into taking a trip to Cape Town and the surrounding areas. 

Table Mountain was our next climbing objective. Similar to Colorado, the weather in Cape Town can turn in an instant from blue skies to rain, wind and snow with no warning. Those were the conditions we found on the summit of Table. Let’s just say, it made the experience memorable!

A few days after our arrival in Cape Town, we received the news that the shipment of our motorcycles was delayed and we would be spending at least another week without wheels. So, we decided to rent a car and experience more of South Africa while we waited.

First order of business, visit the penguins in Simon’s Town and eat an incredible seafood dinner (Thank you Suzanne and Merry for the birthday gift!!!)

Next on our list, check out the local paragliding scene…

We packed our paragliders for this trip and will be riding with them through Africa so of course we are always looking for a chance to use them. We were hoping to fly the coastal sites in Cape Town, but the conditions were not in our favor so with a tip from a local pilot, we headed to a site in Porterville and booked a few nights at the highly recommended Flyer’s Lodge. What an incredible experience! The flying was world class, the people we met were even more wonderful and the cooking was “joyous”.

Chris, getting flying tips from a world champion hang glider pilot and South African distance record holder (580km).