南非 South Africa (非洲 Africa 1)

世界的盡頭 繁華的背後

旅程重點 Highlights

- 非洲最南的世界盡頭和好望角

- 桌山

- 羅本島 - 曼德拉的監倉

- 南非種族隔離博物館

- 最好吃的牛肋

- 免費加遊: 法國巴黎

- The southmost tip of Africa and Cape of Good Hope

- Table mountain

- Robben Island - Mandela's cell

- Apartheid Museum

- Top 3 beef rib I have ever tried

- Bonus: Paris, France

Tips: Europe offered a few connections from other continents to Africa, but it took 7hrs for me to fly to Europe from North America and 11 hours to fly to Africa from Europe, so I made the transit a 24 hours stop to visit the city and take some rest.

行程路線 Itinerary & 基本資料 Basic Info

(這是非洲之旅的第一部份, 之後兩站分別是維多利亞瀑布和坦桑尼亞動物大遷徙, 詳情請查閱相關網誌)

(This is the part 1 of the African adventure, next 2 destinations were Victoria Falls and animal migration in Tanzania, please refer to the corresponding blog posts.)

進入 Flying into: Cape Town, South Africa/ 離開 Departing from: Johannesburg, South Africa

[景奇的行程=不走回頭路 / Kingkei's itinerary=no back and forth]

Bonus: Paris, France [1 Day]

(1) Cape Town, South Africa [2.5 Days]

(2) Johannesburg, South Africa [1 Day]

Tips: In order not the repeat the same transit stop, I picked flights from the Air France-KLM group, so I stopped by Paris on my way to Africa and Amsterdam on my way back, which means two different extra stops in addition to the African trip!

• 衣: 南非在南半球, 季節與北半球相反, 但它距離赤道不算遠, 屬於亞熱帶。沿岸的城市有海洋調節, 所以全年溫差不算大。八九月是冬末初春, 白天很涼快, 一般人穿長袖衣服和外套, 上桌山需要多穿一點。 Wear: South Africa is located in south hemisphere so the seasons are opposite of north hemisphere. It is not far from the equator, with sub-tropical climate. Cities in the south were along the coastline, so the weather is not extreme throughout the year. We went in August-September time, which was their late winter. It was still chilly during the day, people typically wore long sleeves with a few thin layers during the day, thicker jacket would be needed at the top of the table mountain.

• 食: 在兩大城市裏, 有很多高水平的選擇, 特別不能錯過來自本地的新鮮海鮮! Eat: In the two big cities that I visited, there were many high quality food options. Seafood was caught fresh locally, so its a must have!

• 住: 有很多國際品牌但並不便宜, 反而非連鎖的新酒店當中有很多華麗舒適又便宜的選擇。 Stay: Many options from those famous hotel groups but they were expensive, however there were some new hotels with decent qualify and reasonable prices.

• 行: 南非算是以治安並不好而聞名的旅遊國家, 但在大城市內的主要景點還是可以的。開車和uber是比較安全的選擇, 但也有個別的地區是無論以任何交通工具都不該進入的, 步行的話, 絕對不能行經任何僻靜的地方。在南非長大的朋友告訴我不少駭人聽聞的事故, 而罪案率正是很多人離開南非的原因。 Transportation: South Africa is known for its crime rate among all the tourist countries, but in general the tourist attractions are safe. Driving and Uber are the safest options, but still there are a few area in each cities you should not visit regardless of transportation used (e.g. armed robbers would stop your car even if you drive). If you are on foot, you should only visit crowded area. Friends from Africa told me many horrible experience, and crime rate was the reason why many emigrants decided to leave.

Day 0 巴黎 - 熟悉的景點 - 四大惡人 - 班戟與地道法國菜

航機在上午到達巴黎, 我在機場酒店訂了房, 這個安排能讓我先放下行李, 和翌日能稍為不用那麼早起床。這是我第三次來到巴黎, 對上一次來時只有現時一半的年紀。巴黎的景點相信不用我特別介紹, 我聞說聖母院失火, 便到了聖母院看一看, 然後又到了著名的巴黎歌劇院, 老佛爺百貨, 凱旋門, 香榭麗舍大道等。

The flight arrived in Paris in the morning. I booked a room at the airport hotel, so I could leave my luggage in the hotel, and didn’t have to get up as early the next day. This was the third time I visited to Paris. I was only half my current age when in my last visit. I don’t think I need to introduce any attractions of Paris here. I heard that Notre Dame was on fire not long ago, so I went to Notre Dame to take a look, it was actually not as bad as I thought. Then I also visited the famous Paris Opera, Galeries Lafayette, Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysées etc.

我個人很愛吃法式班戟, 來到巴黎怎麼可以不試, 所以午餐我千里迢迢來到巴黎首屈一指的班戟店吃班戟, 當時是一個上班日子的的下午三時, 附近幾條街上都幾乎都沒有行人, 但當我轉入這條小巷時, 就已經遠遠看見巷中有一大堆人, 走到近處發現都是在這家店外面排隊的人。我點了一個火雞肉法式班戟, 份量不少, 夠吃一頓午餐, 班戟外脆內軟, 口味的確很好, 配料的份量也十分充足, 算是不枉我一場來到。

I really like French crepes, so I went all the way to one of the best crepes restaurant in Paris for lunch. It was 3pm in the afternoon on a weekday, there were almost no pedestrians on the few streets nearby, but when I turned into this alley, I saw a large number of people queuing outside this store. I ordered a savory crepe with turkey. The portion was large enough for lunch. The pancake was crispy outside and soft inside. The taste was really good and well worth the visit.

這裏分享一個在巴黎火車站被四大惡人"打劫"的經歷, 我當天坐了好幾程火車, 每次都以信用咭買單程票, 在晚上最後一次入閘後, 穿過幾條隧道, 還未到月台, 突然遇上一堆沒穿制服的流氓查票, 我口袋中有今天用過的四五張火車票, 他們一一檢查後說全部都不是有效車票, 我不敢百份百確定我有否因為太多車票和零錢而正好違失了最新買的車票, 但由於我是以信用咭購票, 所以我立刻以手機檢查信用咭紀錄並給他們看我的購票交易, 但他們拒絕看, 並堅持要我立刻付款50歐元, 並恫嚇我說不付款便會報警, 由於我信用咭有購票紀錄(除此之外, 沒購票又如何能進入閘內), 所以我毫不心虛, 立刻同意報警, 但沒想到卑鄙的他們卻讓我站在那裏等了45分鐘, 然後告訴我警察需要幾個小時後才會出現, 唯一的方法是付款, 我發現他們根本不敢報警, 而是想以禁錮來迫我付款, 於是我要求前往警署報案, 但那幾個流氓人多勢眾以武力攔著不讓我去警署, 並把我禁錮在火車站內強迫我付款。最後我迫不得意付款才讓我離開, 但因為被禁錮個多小時, 我想去的法式餐廳已經關門。我決定不再坐這破火車, 改坐Uber前往其他餐廳及回機場。我錄下了那些流氓以武力不讓我前往警署並以禁居方式強迫我立刻付款的片段和對話(雖然他們一直試圖遮掩我的鏡頭, 掩面或迴避鏡頭), 亦選擇以信用咭付款以追查那些流氓到底是不是鐵路公司的人員。

回到酒店後, 我立刻打電話給信用咭公司要求他們終止我被強迫付款的交易(或與對方交涉)並追查對方是何人, 但信用咭公司聽完整件事後以金額太少為由, 直接把金額退回給我, 以節省調查所需的人力物力。這個被禁錮付款的事情, 雖然沒有直接金錢損失(除了最後改乘Uber回酒店的錢) , 但卻浪費了幾小時的寶貴旅遊時間, 和錯過了在巴黎唯一一餐晚飯, 而最後也沒法查清對方來歷。我在全球去過50+個國家還是第一次遇上這種情況, 在此強烈聲討巴黎鐵路系統, 不管他們是真的請了一堆流氓來查票, 還是任由流氓在他們的地方搶刧, 也不能接受, 而巴黎也列入我的旅遊黑名單, 在此呼籲大家不要前往如此對付遊客的地方, (可能你在巴黎未曾遇上這種經歷, 我之前兩次在巴黎也沒遇過, 但可能只是幸運, 並不代這種事不存在。)在這裏只能說在人生路不熟地方, 遇上這種事情必需鎮定面對, 別因怕麻煩而被嚇怕(譬如他們恫嚇我要報警, 其實只是欺負遊客不敢惹麻煩, 我理直氣壯而同意報警, 他們反倒心虛不敢報警, 而說警察幾小時內不會來), 但在安全受到威脅的情況下錢財畢竟是身外物, 破財擋災總比受傷害更好。最後大家又覺得右圖中這幾個沒穿制服在火車站攔路, 又不敢面對鏡頭的四大惡人像鐵路公司職員嗎?

Let me share an experience of a train "robbery" in Paris. I took several trains that day. After entering the gate for the last time in the evening, in the middle a tunnel I came across a few person checking tickets, however they were not in uniform but looked like gangsters instead. I had four or five train tickets of the day. They checked one by one and claimed that all of them were not valid. I wouldn't say for sure that I didn't accidentally dropped the most recent one given I had a few tickets and many coins, however I immediately pull out my phone to check the credit card record and show them the ticket purchase transaction, but they refused to read it, and insisted that I have to pay 50 euros immediately, otherwise they threatened to call the police. Since I had the purchase transaction record so I wasn't worried (in addition, how could I enter the gate without a ticket), so I agreed to call the police. However they instead let me waited there for 45 minutes, and then told me that it would take a few hours for the police to show up, while my only way out was to pay 50 euros. I then realized that they actually didn't dare to call the police at all, but instead wanted to scare me into paying. So I asked to go to the police station to report the crime, but the gangsters literally blocked me with force from going to the police station and confined me in the train station to force me to pay them money immediately.

At the end, I was forced to pay in order to leave. Because of this illegal confinement of more than an hour, the French restaurant I wanted to go was already closed by the time I got out. I decided not to take this messed-up train, and instead took Uber to go to another restaurant then back to the airport. I recorded clips of how the gangsters blocked me from going to the police station and forced me to pay immediately (although they tried to cover my camera, hide their face or avoid the camera), and also chose to pay by credit card in order to keep a record of who I paid. After returning to the hotel, I immediately called the credit card company and asked them to block the transaction (or investigate the payee). However, the credit card company considered the amount was too small to they just returned the amount to me to save the resources required for an investigation. Although there is no direct monetary loss (except for the money to go back to the hotel by Uber at the end), it wasted several hours of my precious travel time, and missed my only chance to go to the restaurant I liked. This was the first time I encountered such situation in more than 50 countries around the world. I strongly denounce the Paris railway system, whether they really hired a bunch of gangsters to check the tickets, or let the gangsters to rob tourists in their place. Paris was also blacklisted, I hereby recommend everyone not to go to Paris which treat tourists like this (You may have never had such experience in Paris, and me neither in the last two visits, but it may be just lucky, and now we know that this kind of crap exist in Paris). What I can say is that in places you are unfamiliar with, you must deal with such situation calmly, and don't be scared of trouble (for example, they threaten to call the police, but in fact they just used this to scare tourists and didn't actually dare to ask the policy to come), but of course when safety is threatened, money is after all not as important. Now, do you think these gangsters in the picture on the right who were wearing uniforms and were blocking the road at the train station, yet avoiding camera, were really Paris train staff?

由於被四大惡人浪費了許多時間, 我被釋放時已經是十時許, 大部份餐廳已經關門, 我坐Uber趕到僅有還未關門的餐廳當中一間評分不低的小店, 雖然不是甚麼豪華法國菜, 但他們的地道菜式也非常特別。其中一道非常地道的法式炖鍋用料有蛋和我最喜歡的鵝肝, 既特別又好吃, 價錢只是8歐元。另一道鴨片質感適中, 味道也不錯, 只是配菜卻沒有甚麼特別, 價錢是合理的16歐元。吃完晚飯後, 我便直接乘Uber回機場酒店休息。

Since that 4 bastards wasted a lot of my time, by the time I was released it was around 10pm, and most of the good restaurants had closed. I took Uber and rushed to a small restaurant with great reviews among those that were still opened. It was not the French cuisine fine dining, but their authentic dishes were also very special. One of the very authentic French dish was a organic egg cocotte that contained my favorite foie gras. It was unique and delicious. The price was only 8 euros. The other dish I had was a duck fillet with sauce of the day, the texture was perfect and the taste was good, but the side dishes were not very special. The price of 16 euros was very reasonable. After dinner, I took the Uber back to the airport hotel to rest.

Day 1 開普敦 - 鴕鳥林羚晚餐 - 悠閒看直播

在巴黎的機場裏面有一個不能錯過的地方, 就是Ladurée的馬卡龍, 我買了兩打帶上機上慢慢吃。經歷了前後兩程長途飛機, 我終於到達了開普敦。前往好望角的最佳方法是開車, 所以我們第一天便去租了車, 之後順便開到了港口附近的海濱區。這裏有巨大的購物商場、餐廳和娛樂場所以，位置就在桌山山腳，毗鄰海港, 非常受遊客歡迎。海港遊和前往羅本島的船都在這裏出發, 所以我們第二天還會再會回來。我們選了一間看到桌山的餐廳, 吃的是烤肉大餐, 當中還包括了之後幾天會見到的鴕鳥和扭角林羚。遠遠看往桌山, 山頂還真是如桌子般平坦。

There is one thing you should not miss in the Paris airport: Ladurée's macarons. I bought two dozen and to bring along with me onto the plane to eat. After two long-haul flights, I finally arrived in Cape Town. The first day was a slow one, I rented a car since its the best (or only) way to go to Cape of Good Hope, and then drove directly to the waterfront area. It was a huge shopping and entertainment area at the slopes of Table Mountain, next to the harbour. It was very popular with tourists, because of the high density of shops, restaurants and amusements. Harbour tours and trips to Robben Island started from here, so we would come back to here next day. We chose a restaurant with Table Mountain view and had grilled meat for dinner, which included ostrich and kudu which we would meet later in this trip. Looking at the Table Mountain from far, the top of the mountain was really as flat as a table.

Tips: The attractions are spread-out so the best transport here in cape town is by car, otherwise you will need many legs of Ubers and in particular, to join a tour to the cape peninsula. There are many car rental companies at airport or in town. It may be difficult to get an automatic transmission at the rental company so you should make reservation. You drive from the left so its different for the tourist from Hong Kong. There are no self serve gas stations, the station attendants will fill it up for you.

在開普敦可以找到很多著名國際酒店品牌, 但一般比較貴, 我們選了一間比較新的公寓式酒店, 位處市中心, 十分方便, 房間簡潔而舒適, 而且價錢極為相宜, 絕對是非常推薦的選擇。當時正值中秋, 我出發前正追看在瑞士舉行的羽毛球世錦賽, 來到南非正好沒了時差, 房間有七十多寸的智能電視, 晚上回去一邊吃香港帶來的月餅一邊看決賽直播, 感覺這種節奏的享受才算是度假!

You can find many famous international hotel brands in Cape Town, but they are generally quite expensive. We chose a relatively new apartment hotel, located in the city center, which was very convenient. The room was simple and comfortable, and the price was very reasonable, so it was highly recommended. It was around Mid-Autumn Festival and I was following the Badminton World Championships in Switzerland before the trip, there was a 70-inch smart TV in my room, when we went back, it was the perfect time to eat mooncakes and watch the live broadcast of the final since there was no time difference. I felt that this was a real vacation!

Day 2 開普敦 - 埃塞俄比亞餐 - 南非企鵝 - 世界的盡頭 - 好望角 - 海鮮餐

這天早上在市內閒逛時經過一間很有特色的商店, 陳列了各種各樣的東西, 包括工藝, 雕塑, 布料, 書籍等, 進去看看後發現原來是一家埃塞俄比亞餐館, 人在非洲, 便選擇在這裏吃早午餐。我們點了傳統的埃塞俄比亞餐, 當然少不了埃塞俄比亞的國菜英傑拉薄餅, 那是一種以當地獨有的畫眉草發酵而成的麵餅, 有獨特的海棉質感。另外必定要嘗試的是埃塞俄比亞的傳統文化: 咖啡儀式。埃塞俄比亞的咖啡儀式是該國的一種核心文化習俗。當地每天都有供應咖啡的慣例，主要是為了與親戚、鄰居或其他訪客聚首一堂。

When we walked around the city in the morning, we passed by a very distinctive shop. It displayed a variety of things including handcrafts, sculptures, fabrics and books. We went in only to find out it was an Ethiopian restaurant. Being in Africa, it seemed to make a lot of sense to try it out, so we stayed for brunch. We ordered the traditional Ethiopian meal which came with the Ethiopia’s national dish injera bread. It was a sour fermented flatbread with a unique spongy texture, traditionally made of Ethiopia's teff flour. Another must-try was the Ethiopia’s traditional culture: coffee ceremony. Coffee ceremony of Ethiopia was a core cultural custom. There was a routine of serving coffee daily, mainly for the purpose of getting together with relatives, neighbors, or other visitors.

下午的行程都在開普半島, 坐火車只能從開普敦到西蒙鎮, 卻不能到好望角, 所以最好的選擇是開車. 否則你必須參加旅遊團。在開普敦到處能找到一天團, 但時間上很多限制, 而且浪費時間, 小半天的行程整天才能完成。Boulders海灘是我們的第一站，它是西蒙鎮附近的一個十分受歡迎的海灘，並以四周的巨石而得名。從海灘上，您可以看到福爾斯灣, 這海灣和海灘因為是非洲企鵝的棲息地而聞名於世。二十年前第一批企鵝來到這些海灘, 隨著時間的推移, 越來越多的來自周邊島嶼的企鵝遷居至此，數量增加到3000多隻。企鵝並不會留在海灘, 偶爾會偷入鄰近的後院。儘管它們每年吸引數十萬遊客和收入, 當地人卻認為它們對居民構成威脅。其實，你可以在周圍的任何海灘上免費看到企鵝，但當中一個私人海灘是由桌山國家公園管理以保持適合企鵝居住，並需要收取入場費。我們決定付錢進去，在外面和裏面都看過後, 我覺得在私人海灘上的企鵝更集中，如果你想同時看到很多企鵝，那麼這個價格還是值得的。八月是繁殖季節，所以我們看到很多企鵝坐在洞裡的孵蛋。

We headed to the Cape Peninsula in the afternoon. Train service only takes you to Simon's Town from Cape Town but not the Cape of Good Hope, so the best option is to drive, otherwise you will have to join a tour, which is available everywhere in Cape Town but is not very flexible. Boulders beach was our first stop, it was a popular beach near Simon's Town, which got its name from the large boulders surrounding it. From the beach, one has views over False Bay, the bay and the beach was world famous for its colony of African penguins. The first penguins came to the these beaches two decades ago, then more penguins from the surrounding islands immigrated over with time, so their number increased to more than 3000. The penguins do not stick to their beach, but like to go on safari, and can occasionally be found in neighbouring backyards. The locals actually consider them to be menace to the inhabitants, despite they attract hundreds of thousands of tourists and income every year. In fact, you can see the penguins on any beaches around without having to pay any fees, but the penguin's private beach is managed by Table Mountain National Parks to keep the penguins around, and in return, an entry fee is charged. We did both and I would say the penguins were much more concentrated on the private beach, thus worth the price if you wanted to see a lot of those. In particular, August was the breeding season so we saw a lot of penguins sitting on their eggs in holes.

非洲企鵝 (又名黑腳企鵝, 斑嘴環企鵝或公驢企鵝)生活在非洲西南岸, 是瀕危動物。牠們的胸部有黑紋及黑點, 每一隻黑腳企鵝都有個別的斑點, 彷似人類的指紋。牠們眼睛上有粉紅色的腺體, 用以散熱。非洲企鵝的鳥喙比漢波德企鵝的更尖。牠們黑白分明的顏色是一種偽裝：肚腩的白色是逃避水底下的狩獵者向上看的偽裝，而背上的黑色則是逃避上空的狩獵者往下看的偽裝。我在閱讀這些資料時, 在資料牌時下面正好有一隻企鵝冒出頭來, 和資料牌上的照相映成趣。

The African penguin (also named black-footed penguin, cape penguin or jackass penguin) is a endangered species of penguin confined to southern African waters. They have a black stripe and black spots on the chest, the pattern of which is unique to each penguin, like human fingerprints. The sweat glands above the eyes cool the birds' blood by allowing increased blood flow to release heat. The beak is more pointed than that of the Humboldt. The African penguin's colouring is a form of protective colouration known as countershading. The white undersides of the birds are difficult to spot by predators under the water, and the penguins' black backs blend in with the water when viewed by predators from above. When I was reading the information board, a penguin appeared right under the board, which looked exactly like the photo on the board.

好望角是開普半島面向大西洋沿岸的一個岩石岬角, 常被誤認是非洲最南端, 分隔了大西洋與印度洋, 但其實好望角距離非洲最南端的厄加勒斯角還差約150km。事實上，船隻經過好望角後便開始轉向靠東行駛多於向南，因此如右圖所示, 它被標誌為非洲大陸的最西南端。

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, which separate the Atlantic and Indian oceans. However if you check out the map, it is actually 150km northwest of the southernmost point of Africa, which is Cape Agulhas. In fact, the Cape of Good Hope marks the point where a ship begins to travel more eastward than southward, so it is identified, as shown in the photo, as the most south-western point of the Africa continent.

1486年，葡萄牙航海家Bartolomeu Dias帶著探險隊從里斯本出發, 尋找一條通往東方的水道, 當船隊航行至大西洋和印度洋交界的水域時, 海面突然狂風大作, 幾使整個船隊幾乎覆没, 最後巨浪把倖存船隻沖到一個無名岬角上, 此艦隊終得以倖存。Dias遂將此地名命為“風暴角”。1497年, 另一位探險家Vasco da Gama率領艦隊經好望角成功駛入印度洋, 帶著黄金, 絲綢和希望回到葡萄牙, 國王約翰二世會將"風暴角"改名為“好望角”。1652年, 荷蘭殖民地統治者 Jan van Riebeeck在好望角以北约50公里的地方為荷蘭東印度公司建立了一个補給站, 而此站經過年開發後終於成為了今天的開普敦。

In 1488, Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to reach the cape, he named it the "Cape of Storms" after they got hit by heavy storm. In 1497, it was renamed by John II of Portugal as "Cape of Good Hope" because Vasco da Gama opened a sea route to the gold and silk in India and the East and brought back great optimism. In 1652, Dutch colonial administrator Jan van Riebeeck established a resupply camp for the Dutch East India Company some 50 km north of the cape, which eventually developed into Cape Town.

車子經過大閘收費亭後, 能一直駛至好望角, 和好望角東邊約2公里的開普角, 你也可以選擇步行來回。舊的燈塔建在小山上而不是開普角的最南遄, 船隻看見燈塔後可能會過早轉向, 加上大霧會遮蔽燈塔, 所以, 近年, 開普敦當局修建了一座更近於海岸的新燈塔。在停車的地方有纜車接送遊客上小山, 但人龍很長, 其實山徑也就長750米和爬升100米而已, 所以我們決定步行登山, 到了山上的纜車站繼續往前另外750米, 經過燈塔走到開普角的盡處, 看到無盡的大海。然後我們又到了好望角, 站在石上感受一下當年把船隊吹至這裏的巨風。

After passing the gate where we have to pay, the car can be driven all the way to the Cape of Good Hope, and the Cape Point, which is about 2km east of Cape of Good Hope, you can also opt to hike back and forth the two points. The old lighthouse at Cape Point was built at the top of small hill rather than the tip of the Cape Point, so it was seen 'too early' by ships, causing them to round in too early and approach the tip too closely. The foggy conditions also prevail at the higher levels, making it invisible to shipping. Therefore a new lighthouse was built at a lower elevation closer to the tip. At the parking lot, there was a cable car sending tourists up the hill, but the line was very long. In fact, the trail was only 750m long with 100m elevation. So we decided to hike up the mountain. After arriving the cable car station on the mountain, we went on for another 750m to pass the lighthouse and reach the end of Cape Point, where we saw the endless sea. Then we went down to the Cape of Good Hope, and climbed up the rock to feel the huge wind that sent Dias and his team to this cape.

據說大閘關門時還沒離開的話會被罰款, 所以我們六時一過便趕緊離開好望角, 像賽車般在蜿蜒的山道上極速飄移, 六點半前離開了大閘。驅車回到市內, 選了最頂級的餐廳晚飯, 這家餐廳位於一座大廈的頂樓, 一邊能看到市中心的高樓大廈和我們的酒店, 另一邊能遠眺昨天去過的海濱區和大西洋。

We were told we would be fined if we did not leave before the gate was closed, so we left the Cape of Good Hope a little past 6pm, drifting on the winding mountain road like a racing car, and reaching the gate before 6:30pm. In the evening, we returned to the city and picked a top restaurant, which called themselves the finest dining in Cape Town, for dinner. This restaurant was located on the top floor of a building. We could see the high-rise buildings in the city center and our hotel on one side, and overlook the waterfront and the Atlantic Ocean on the other side.

餐廳以海鮮為賣點, 生蠔是他們的頭號推介, 我們當然不會錯過, 這裏的生蠔來自西岸, 中等大小, 又鮮又嫰, 絕對不能錯過, 要不是點了海鮮拼盤, 一定會再來半打。海鮮拼盤有烤龍蝦, 烤蝦, 煎魚和魷魚。這裏的龍蝦是南非西岸(或稱開普)龍蝦, 屬岩龍蝦的一種, 肉質滑嫰, 但我個人更喜歡北美大龍蝦大口大口吃肉的感覺。這裏的魚是非洲南部以魚線釣的魚, 而不是漁船以網捕的魚。由於都是海鮮, 我們又加了牛扒調劑一下口味, 還配上兩個配菜。吃完以上的菜式後, 其實已經很飽, 卻忍不住又加上一個甜品法式燉蛋伴以各種莓果, 那層焦糖厚薄適中, 脆而不黏, 燉蛋不會過甜, 和莓果的鮮味互相配合, 十分美味。

The restaurant was known for its seafood, and they specially recommended their oysters, so we wouldn't miss those. The oysters were from the West Coast, which were medium in size, they tasted fresh and tender, so they were definitely the must-have. If we didn't have the seafood platter and the steak lined up, we would definitely order another half a dozen. The seafood platter included grilled lobster, baked shrimp, fried fish and squid. The lobster served here was the Jasus lalandii, which was the South Africa's West Coast (or Cape) rock lobster. While the lobster meat was smooth and tender, I personally liked the species of American lobsters more as I enjoyed a big mouthful of meat to chew. The fish served was line fish, which was the Southern African fish caught by lines rather than nets. Since the above were all seafood, we added a steak to round out the meal, in addition to two side dishes of vegetables. After finishing them all, I was actually quite full, but I couldn't resist adding a dessert of Crème brûlée served with seasonal berries. The layer of caramelized sugar was moderately thick, crispy and not sticky, and the custard base was not too sweet, which went well with the fresh berries, overall it was very delicious.

Day 3 開普敦 - 羅本島的曼德拉囚室 - 登桌山而小天下

這天我們一早起床, 開車到海濱區的碼頭, 趕上前往羅本島的船。羅本(Robben)島是桌灣位於開普敦以北, 布勞伯格斯特蘭德海岸以西的一個島嶼。 "Robben" 是荷蘭語中海豹的意思，所以它基本上就是叫海豹島。令該島聞名於世的是, 被囚禁在這裏的政治家和律師曼德拉 (Nelson Mandela), 他在種族隔離制度垮台和多種族民主登場之前被監禁的27年中有18年就是被監禁在這島上。曼德拉出獄後被授予諾貝爾和平獎, 並於1994年當選為南非總統, 成為該國第一位黑人總統。此外, 羅本島另有兩名前囚犯陸續當選為總統, 而其餘的囚犯也大多數是政治犯。

We got up early in the morning and drove to the waterfront to catch the ferry to Robben Island. Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, north of Cape Town, west of the coast of Bloubergstrand. Robben is the Dutch word for seals, so it basically means Seals Island. The island was most famous for the imprisonment of political and lawyer Nelson Mandela on the island for 18 of the 27 years he served imprisoned before the fall of apartheid and introduction of full, multi-racial democracy. Mandela was subsequently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was elected in 1994 as President of South Africa, becoming the country's first Black president. In addition, two other former inmates of Robben Island have been elected to the presidency, and in general, the prisoners were detained here for political reasons.

我們參觀了島上的監獄遺跡, 也就是現在的羅本島博物館, 當中包括最高安全級別的囚室, 飯堂, 墓地, 工作場, 軍隊堡壘, 清真寺和燈塔等, 由於羅本島孤懸海外,荷蘭殖民地總督Jan van Riebeeck下令晚上在山頂點燃巨大的篝火, 為免荷蘭東印度公司的船隻晚上看不到而撞上此島, 直到後來此燈塔建成為止。除了燈塔之外, 最著名的要數曼德拉的囚室, 和他曾經勞動的採石場。導遊介紹採石場時說曼德拉因長年被迫在採石場工作, 眼睛受到石灰的嚴重影響, 淚腺不能擠出眼淚, 所以在他的晚年, 並沒有哭過。這時我想起搖滾樂隊Beyond的歌曲光輝歲月, 該曲是為紀念曼德拉在南非種族隔離時期為黑人所付出的努力而創作, 當時國內媒體報導，曾經有中國外交的官員，將光輝歲月的歌詞念給曼德拉聽，曼德拉聽後而流淚了, 現在想來, 不知是時間有別還是報導有誤。這天的天氣不算很好, 但我們在島上岸邊還能看到遠處的桌山。

We visited various historical sites on the island that form part of the Robben Island Museum, which included the island graveyard, the disused lime quarry, the army and navy bunkers, canteens, workplaces, mosques and the maximum security prison etc. Due to the maritime danger of Robben Island and its near waters, Jan van Riebeeck, the first Dutch colonial administrator in Cape Town ordered that huge bonfires were to be lit at night on top of the highest hill on the island. Later the bonfires were to be replaced by the lighthouse we saw. Other than the lighthouse, the most famous site was Nelson Mandela's cell and also the lime quarry. When the tour guide introduced the lime quarry, he mentioned that Mandela was forced to work in a limestone quarry. His eyes were adversely affected by the limestone that tears were never produced again, so in his later life, he never cried. At this time, I thought of a song by famous rock band Beyond, which was written to commemorate Mandela’s efforts for the blacks during the apartheid period in South Africa. Back then Chinese media reported that a Chinese diplomatic official read the lyrics of the song to Mandela and Mandela shed tears after hearing it. Now after what I heard from the guide, I wasn't sure if there was some time difference or the report was fake. The weather was not the best this day, but we were still able to see the Table Mountain at the coast of the island.

參觀結束後，渡輪將我們送回開普敦海濱，行程共3.5小時。我們連續吃了三頓大魚大肉, 突然想試一下這裏的亞洲餐, 便在前往桌山的路上找到一間越南菜館。我們點了一碟泰式炒金邊粉, 一碗越南牛肉粉和一碗冬蔭湯, 當然不太地道, 但也中規中矩, 最少令我感覺廚師應該是個亞洲人。吃完後我們便繼續動身, 朝桌山進發。

After the visit, the ferry sent us back to waterfront of Cape town, the trip last for 3.5 hours in total. We had three big meal in a row with meat and seafood, as a result we were suddenly craving for Asian cuisine so we decided to try the Asian food here. We found a Vietnamese restaurant on the way to Table Mountain. We ordered Pad Thai, a Pho and a bowl of Tom Yum soup. It was not very authentic for sure, but was quite satisfactory to our stomach, and at least I felt that the chef must be an Asian. After lunch, we set off and continued to head towards Table Mountain.

桌山海拔超過一千米, 由於其頂部異常平坦且可以俯瞰開普敦半島, 因此桌山成為了南非的一個著名的旅遊景點。峰頂的平原由西南往東北, 長達三公里, 兩邊是懸崖, 非常獨特。桌山的山頂很平坦, 是因為它曾是向斜地層, 也曾是山谷的底部。最上層由極硬的石英岩組成, 據說曾因地殼下沉或海面上升而被海水淹蓋。

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain with over 1000m of elevation. The main feature of Table Mountain is the level plateau approximately 3km from side to side, edged by impressive cliffs forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. The mountain owes its table-top flatness to the fact that it is a syncline mountain, which was once the floor of a valley. The uppermost layer, consists of extremely hard quarzitic sandstone, was believed to have arose in deeper water, either as a result of subsidence, or a rise in the sea level.

這時正下著毛毛雨, 我們到達半山的吊車站時, 職員告訴我們山頂的能見度是零, 並不建議我們上山, 但我們當晚便要離開開普敦, 所以也別無他選, 只能硬著頭皮上去。天氣好的話, 亦可以選擇爬山而上, 從纜車看下去, 這條"Kloof Corner Ridge"登山路線後半部份幾乎是畢直向上, 需要攀緣鐵索向上爬, 只適合爬山高手, 從正面登山還有另一條路徑"Platteklip Gorge", 這條路徑從兩個"桌子"之間的峽谷登山, 雖然不是畢直而上但也非常陡峭, 當天天雨路滑, 並沒看見任何爬山者。平坦的山頂經常被山嶽雲覆蓋, 當東南風把較冷的空氣吹上山坡後, 濕氣在那裡凝結, 形成所謂的“桌布”雲, 覆蓋左桌子, 今天也不例外, 我們沿著山頂走了一圈, 山頂被"桌布"雲籠罩, 能見度只有十米左右。不過當我們走到前山重要景點時, 天公造美, 一陣北風突然把雲吹散, 給了我們大約二十分鐘的拍照時間, 足夠拍下了開普敦全景和大西洋的照片!

It was raining in the afternoon, when we arrived at the cable car station, the staff told us that the visibility on the top of the mountain was basically zero and suggested that we should not go up. However since we were leaving Cape Town that night we didn't have any alternative. If the weather was nice, there was this trail "Platklip Canyon" that allowed you to hike up but the last part was basically vertical up and even required to hang on a chain. Another trail went up along the canyon between the two "tables", although it want not straight up, but still quite steep. The trails were slippery on the rainy day, we did not see any hikers. The flat top of the mountain was often covered by orographic clouds, formed when the wind from south east sent the colder air up the mountain, where the moisture condenses to form the so-called "table cloth" cloud. This day was no exception. We walked around the top of the mountain, which was covered by "table cloth" cloud, and the visibility was only about 10m. But when we reached the important photo point, wind from the north suddenly cleared the sky, giving us about 20 minutes of photo-taking time, enough for some great photos of the panoramic view of Cape Town and the Atlantic Ocean!

從桌山下來, 我們驅車前往Bo-Kaap小區, "Bo-Kaap"在南非荷蘭語中的意思是“開普敦之上”。這是一個前種族隔離區, 位於市中心的Signal Hill斜坡上。該區最大的特色是其色彩鮮豔的房屋和鵝卵石鋪成的街道, 歷史上一直是一個多元文化社區, 並擁有南非最密集的1850年前建築群, 是開普敦現存最古老的住宅區。這附近的Auwal清真寺被認為是南非建立的第一座清真寺, 建於1794年英國第一次佔領開普敦期間。我們在這裏拍照, 又參觀了一些本地商店。

Leaving the table mountain, we drove to the Bo-Kaap area. "Bo-Kaap" means "above the Cape" in Afrikaans. It is a former racially segregated area, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city center. It is known for its brightly coloured homes and cobble stoned streets. The area is traditionally a multicultural neighbourhood, the area contains the largest concentration of pre-1850 architectures in South Africa, and is the oldest surviving residential neighborhood in Cape Town. The Auwal Mosque in this neighbourhood is recognized as the first mosque established in the country. It was constructed in 1794 during the first British occupation of the Cape. We took some photos here and visited some local stores.

我們的下一站, 也是最後一站, 是好望堡。它是歐洲人在南非建造的第一座軍事基地。堡壘最初位於桌灣的海岸線上, 隨著土地開墾, 堡壘搬到了內陸。17世紀, 荷蘭東印度公司建造了這座城堡作為總督官邸。在第二次Boer戰爭期間, 城堡的一部分被用作監獄, 而牢房一直保留至今。現在好望堡是南非現存最古老的歐式建築。離開的時候, 我們經過了開普敦市政廳。

Our next and last stop in Cape Town was the Castle of Good Hope. It was the first bastion fort built by Europen in South Africa. Originally located on the coastline of Table Bay, following land reclamation, the fort moved inland. In the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company built the Castle under the order of their commissioner. During the Second Boer War, part of the castle was used as a prison, and the former cells remain to this day. It is now the oldest existing European building in South Africa. On our way out, we passed by the Cape Town City Hall.

看完市政廳後, 我們結束了在開普敦的行程, 便直接驅車前往機場還車, 離開市區的路上有點堵車, 但過了一半之後便開始暢順, 還車的手續十分簡單, 我們在候機時還有足夠的時間吃頓晚餐。機場有五六間餐廳, 當中一間是海鮮連鎖店, 我們吃了一頓亞洲後, 又動了心思想吃海鮮, 於是便在決定在海鮮連鎖店Ocean Basket解決晚餐。我們叫了非常豐富的海鮮拼盤, 有蝦, 青口, 魷魚, 墨魚 和魚, 還要了一盤生蠔和一砵青口, 吃海鮮當然要配白酒, 於是我們點了一瓶白酒版的西班牙水果酒。食物花了好一陣子才到, 倒是夠時間吃完, 但最後半瓶酒卻要一口喝乾, 然後暈乎乎的上飛機睡覺, 對比起全球各個機場的餐廳, 這間餐廳的水平算是非常高。

Leaving the City Hall, we drove directly to the airport to return the car. There was a traffic jam on the way out of core area, but it started to get smooth after getting out of the city. The procedures for car return was simple. There was enough time after check in for dinner while we waited for boarding. There were five or so restaurants in the airport, one of which was a seafood chain store. After having an Asian lunch, we were in the mood of eating seafood again, so we decided to grab dinner at the seafood chain Ocean Basket. We ordered a very heavy seafood platter, including prawns, mussels, squids, cuttlefish and fish, and also a plate of oysters and a bowl of mussels. Seafood obviously have to be accompanied by white wine, so we ordered a bottle of white wine version of sangria. It took quite a while for the food to arrive, we had enough time to finish it, but had to finish the last half bottle of wine in one sip, and then to get on the plane half dizzy. Overall the level of the food in this restaurant was definitely on the top quarter compared to the restaurants in other airports around the world.

當晚, 我們選擇了機場的酒店休息, 我們會在這裏連住兩晚, 那便有一整天在約翰內斯堡市區觀光, 而且不用攜同行李前往市區, 之後一天早機也不用太早起床。

After we arrived Johannesburg, we chose to stay at the airport hotel. We would stay there for two consecutive nights, so that we would have a whole day to do sightseeing in Johannesburg without having to bring the luggage to the city, in addition, we didn't need to get up too early the day after to catch the morning flight out.

Tips: They are many flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg, taking a 8pm flight and having dinner while waiting for boarding save two-third of a day (e.g. if you get dinner in Cape town, go back to hotel, and go to the airport next day, by the time you settle down in Johannesburg and ready to start your trip it will be in the afternoon already). And the dinner is just as good. This is a very efficient way to maximize the day time spent on sightseeing rather than transportation.

Day 4 約翰內斯堡 - 憲法山 - 種族隔離博物館 - 最簡陋的塔頂 - 最美味的牛肋

約翰內斯堡是南非最大的城市, 它是南非和非洲其他地區的經濟中心。部份人口非常富有，但其餘人口非常貧窮, 導致它成為世界上犯罪率最高的地方之一。富裕的人居住在保安森嚴的大宅中, 而貧窮的人居住在落後的地方。所有資料搜集都說約翰內斯堡治安奇差, 徒步走在路上非常危險, 即使在白天, 也應該避免狹窄的街道或橫巷。城市設計是以汽車為主, 公共交通幾乎不存在。租車或 Uber 是最好的選擇。無論是開車還是步行, 有些地區是絕對不能進入的。我從約翰內斯堡長大的朋友那裏聽說他曾在駕車被截停, 然後被槍指頭, 被搶走了手機和現金。約翰內斯堡並不是出名的旅遊城市, 無論是當地長大的朋友還是旅行資料都不太推薦, 但既然已來到了南非, 反正順路, 並不想錯過, 不過逗留一天兩夜, 便已足夠。

Johannesburg (my friend from South Africa called it Joburg) is South Africa's largest city, it is the economic hub of South Africa, and the rest of Africa. Part of the population is very rich but the rest is very poor, which led to one of the highest crime rates in the world. The more affluent live in houses with a high level of security, whilst the less affluent live in undesirable housing conditions. All research say walking around Johannesburg is unsafe and scary, even in day time, narrow streets or pedestrian sideways should be avoided. In general, it is a city built for the car, public transport is virtually non-existing. Renting a car or Uber are the best options. Some areas are absolutely No No whether you are in a car or by walk, I have heard from my friend from Johannesburg about how his car got pulled over and he got a gun pointing to his head for his cellphone and cash. Johannesburg is not very popular as a tourist city. It is not recommended by my friends who grew up there, nor by other travelers. However, since we were here in South Africa already and it was on our way, we wouldn't want to miss it no matter what, but a whole day and two nights was totally enough.

Tips: We arrived Johannesburg at night, had 1 full day here and departed with a early morning flight on the day after. Booking at hotel at airport allowed us to rest early the day we arrived and slept in a bit on the departure day. In addition, we didn't have to carry our luggage into the city. Small trick like this made good use of time and made travel much easier!

我們坐Uber由機場酒店出發往市內, 司機故意繞道, 結果花了更多時間, 然後價錢也被提高了, 幸好在向Uber投訴後, Uber只收取了原本報價。

We took Uber to our first destination, the driver went on a detour and went around the city, end up it took much longer and he charged us much more, good that after complained to Uber we were only charged the original quoted price.

我們的第一站是憲法山, 它位於臭名昭著的舊堡監獄建築群Braamfontein的東邊。這裏有一部份是法庭, 一部份是博物館, 一部份是藝術畫廊, 是一個值得參觀的有趣地方。入場是免費的, 但我們選擇了付費參加導遊帶領的參觀團。一位導遊帶我們穿過為收容黑人囚犯而設立的牢房, 這些牢房曾經人滿為患。導遊介紹了囚犯的日常生活, 特別是曼德拉在這裡的經歷, 並帶領我們探索該地區復雜的歷史以及囚犯遭受的屈辱和不公正待遇。我們還參觀了女子監獄, 憲法法院和舊堡。

Constitution Hill was our first stop of the day, it located in downtown on the eastern edge of Braamfontein, the site of the notorious Old Fort prison complex. The South African Constitutional Court set around the infamous Fort prison was a interesting place to visit - part courtroom, part museum and part art gallery. Entrance was free but paid guided tour was offered, which we opted to pay for. A tour guide walked us through the overcrowded cells that were established to house black prisoners. We went through the daily routine of a prisoner, in particular what Nelson Mandela experienced here, and explored the precinct’s complex history and the humiliations and injustices to which its inmates were subjected. We also visited the Women's Jail, the Constitutional Court, and the Old Fort.

我們的下一站是種族隔離博物館, 這是約翰內斯堡必看的景點。這裏和憲法山一樣, 以豐富的資料和訊息展示了種族隔離的興衰。第一個展覽是憲法的支柱, 其中包括為南非憲法所載的七項價值觀中的每一項而設立的支柱：民主, 平等, 和解, 多樣性, 責任, 尊重和自由。入口設計非常特別, 我們需要根據隨機生成的門票上的指示選擇兩個不同的入口之一: 一個給白色, 另一個給非白色人, 裏面有不同的展覽, 這個設計是一個很好的種族分類體驗。種族隔離是建立在種族劃分上：土著、白人、有色人種和亞洲人, 每人都需要以身份證明文件來證明種族, 而我們在這個展覽中能看到相關文件。選定入口之後, 我們穿過了不同的展品隧道。我們在博物館逗留了兩個小時, 但是如果你想看完所有視頻, 圖片和各種文物，估計可以在那裏逗留一天。

Our next stop was Apartheid Museum, which was the must-see in Johannesburg. In a similar vein to the Constitution Hill, it offered a moving and informative trip which illustrated the rise and fall of apartheid. The first exhibit we saw was the the Pillars of the Constitution which included one pillar for each of the seven values that are enshrined in the South African Constitution: democracy, equality, reconciliation, diversity, responsibility, respect and freedom. The entry point was very special and was an exhibit itself, we each went through one of the two different entrances, white and non-white, based on our randomly generated entrance tickets, which was to demonstrate race classification. Apartheid was built on divisions by race: native, white, coloured, and Asian. Required identity documents indicated one's race, and these are on view in this exhibit. Through the entrance, we went through different tunnels of exhibits. We spent a good two hours in the museum, but if you wanted to go through all videos, pictures and many artifacts, you could easily spend a day there.

金礁城位於種族隔離博物館旁邊,我們步行前往。這區曾是一個古老的金礦, 於1971年關閉, 現在是一個以淘金潮為主題的遊樂園。我們為了去一家頗受歡迎的連鎖餐廳Spur Steak Ranch吃午飯, 而進入賭場和購物中心。我點了雜扒拼盤和奶昔, 而甜品薄荷脆皮餡餅是最大的驚喜! 壓碎了薄荷脆片，夾在一層層鮮奶油和焦糖醬之間，加上鬆脆的餅乾碎餅底。一口咬下去有不同層次和不同的味道, 而且口感十分適合我。我真希望在我住的地方也有這家餐廳(那怕只是這個甜品)!

Gold Reef City was located alongside the Apartheid Museum so we walked over. This Area was an old gold mine which closed in 1971. It is now an amusement park with a gold rush theme. We went into the casino and shopping complex just to get lunch in a popular diner chain, Spur Steak Ranch, of the city. I had a Mixed Chop Platter, milkshake and a shared dessert. The dessert was the biggest surprise: the Peppermint Crisp Tart had Crushed Peppermint Crisp pieces smothered between layers of fresh cream and caramel sauce, set atop a crunchy biscuit crumble. It was amazing to bite through all the layers and different textures and the flavor was perfect. I wished this restaurant (or just this dessert) was available in where I live!

午餐後, 我們前往大樓卡爾頓中心參觀了一個名為 Top of Africa的景點, 從全城最高的建築欣賞城市的全景。我明白它為甚麼被譽為市內前 5 景點之一, 但它仍然成功擠身了我去過的最糟糕景點前5。沒有指示牌, 沒有正式的入口, 我們找了半天找到一個疑似通後後樓梯的大門, 只見一個女人坐在亭子裡打電話的樓枱後講電話, 似乎是接待員, 她說只接受現金支付, 然後把我們現金加到了她手頭的一大疊現鈔中, 也沒給收到任何收據。她指了指那疑似通往後樓梯的門, 叫我們自己到裏面坐升降機。 升降機把我們送到頂樓, 當時裏面大約有 6個遊客, 全部都像是非洲人。玻璃窗已經很久沒有清洗了, 還有個疑似咖啡檔的東西東歪西倒。我們總算是能(通過灰塵)看到360度城市景, 也把握機會拍了一些照片。

After lunch, we went to the building Carlton Centre to visit an attraction called Top of Africa. It offered a panoramic view of the city from the the tallest building in town. It was recommended as the top 5 attractions in town, I didn't doubt that but still it had to be one of the 5 worst tourist attractions I had ever visited. There was no signs of any kind and no formal entrance. A woman sitting in a booth talking on phone seemed to be the receptionist, we could only pay in cash, which she added to a big stack of cash she had. We did not get any receipt, and she simply pointed us to an elevator which took us to the top. There were like 6 visitors in there, mostly looked like Africans. The windows were not cleaned for ages and the cafe seemed to destroyed already. Still we had a good view (through the dust) of the city and took some pictures.

約翰內斯堡正在重新規劃城市, 其中一個項目位於距離Top of Africa不遠的Maboneng區。我們在Top of Africa觀察了很長時間, 覺得街道的危險指數可以接受, 便很勇敢地決定步行 15-20 分鐘前往該區參觀這座名為Arts on Main的建築物! 它最初是一個藝術中心, 後來擴展到附近的餐廳, 娛樂場所和零售店, 甚至住宿和酒店, 這個方自我標籤為“靈感之地"和" 創意中心", 說是為遊客和為居民打造一個安全, 綜合的社區。我們透過窗戶看到一些藝術作品的製作。附近有一些偏高檔的餐廳和商店, 甚至還有個小團隊在街上拍攝不知是電影或短片。

Johannesburg attempted to rejuvenate the inner city. One of these initiatives was located in the Maboneng District, which was not far from Top of Africa. We observed the street for a long time on the Top of Africa and determined that it was safe to walk 15-20mins over to this building called Arts on Main! Originally a hub for art, it had expanded to include restaurants, entertainment venues and retail stores as well as accommodation and hotels, the self label was "a place of inspiration – a creative hub, a place to do business, a destination for visitors and a safe, integrated community for residents." We saw through the window that some art work was going on. There were some nice restaurants and shops around and we even saw a small team shooting movie on the street.

我們的最後一站是曼德拉廣場, 這是一個座落於 Sandton富裕區的購物中心, 該地區是目前南非的金融區和約翰內斯堡最大的商業中心, 甚至還有一些國際級酒店。這裡的建築的內外裝修都媲美世界上最發達的亞洲和西方城市, 我們突然覺得自己去了另一個世界！同一個城市內怎麼會有天堂與地獄的分別! 購物中心當中有一個大型的露天花園, 是以類似傳統歐洲城鎮廣場的方式建造。它的前身是Sandton廣場, 在曼德拉去世後以他的名字命名, 廣場上還有座六米高的曼德拉雕像。

Our last stop was Nelson Mandela Square, which was a shopping center located in an affluent area named Sandton. This area had become the new financial district of South Africa and Johannesburg's premier business center. There were even a few international hotels here. Both the exterior and the interior of the buildings here were on par with the most developed Asian and Western cities in the world. All of sudden we felt like we went to another world! The difference were too huge for us to believe these places were in the same city! Nelson Mandela Square included a large open area built to resemble a traditional European town square. It was formerly known as Sandton Square and was named after Nelson Mandela after his death. A six meter high statue of Mandela was built in the square.

廣場上有很多餐館, 評分最高的幾間都有很多顧客。我們突然想吃牛排, 所以便決定拿籌等候其中之一餐廳。雖然等候時間不短, 但我們今天很晚才吃午餐, 所以還好。我們每人點了一份主菜和配菜，又一個沙律和一個前菜：牛肋和羊排, 350 克牛排, 蒜蓉蝸牛, 沙嗲香菇(配菜), 洋蔥圈(配菜), 卡普里和牛油果沙律。每碟份量都超大! 沙律是主菜的份量, 吃沙律後已經半飽, 但實在好味, 所以我繼續拚命吃。牛肋骨的質感和味道簡直到不得了的讚歎水平! 蝸牛很特別，甚至連洋蔥圈都酥脆而不油膩！這餐廳絕對我人生中吃過的扒房中排名前三, 僅在 Don Julio 之後 (關於Don Julio, 請參閱巴塔哥尼亞的網誌)。

There were a lots of restaurants in the square. The ones with the best ratings were all very busy, we craved steak so we decided to wait in line for one of those. It was a good long wait but we had lunch pretty late this day so we were fine. We ordered a main with a side for each and shared a salad and an appetizer: beef rib & lamb chops combo, 350g fillet, garlic snails, sautéed mushrooms (side), onion rings (side) and caprese & avocado salad. This portion was way more than enough, the salad was like a main and we were half full after the salad. But the food tasted too good so I couldn't stop eating even after I was full. The beef rib's texture and taste were both absolutely amazing! Snails were special and even onion rings were crispy yet not greasy! It definitely made it to the top 3 steakhouses I had every tried in my life, after Don Julio (refer to the Patagonia post for Don Julio).

晚飯後，我們乘坐Uber回機場。Uber司機不敢靠近廣場後門接我們, 而是要我們走200多米出去外面上車, 他說那是因為如果他靠近, 的士司機不會讓他離開。司機是津巴布韋人, 他說他很快就會開車回津巴布韋去見他的兄弟們。我們的下一站就是津巴布韋的維多利亞瀑布, 但他並不是住在瀑布那邊。我和他聊天, 他說他不喜歡英國人將國家歸還給當地人, 因為黑人總統非常腐敗, 所以他寧願白人繼續統治他的國家。

After dinner, we took Uber back to the airport. The Uber driver did not want to come close to the square to pick us up and asked us to walk more than 200m out instead, he said that's because the taxi drivers would not let him leave if he came close. The driver was a Zimbabwean, he mentioned he would drive back to Zimbabwe soon to meet his brothers. Our next stop was actually Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, but he didn't live in close to the falls. We had an interesting conversation which he shared that he did not like the fact that British returned the country to the locals, because the black president was very corrupted so he actually preferred the country to be ruled by the whites.

南非之旅(非洲Part2)至此完滿結束, 如果喜歡本站或有任何問題, 請subsribe本站!

This concludes the South Africa Trip (Africa Part2), if you like this page or have any questions, please subscribe this page!