A Trip to Town from CPT International: the Cooling Towers (3/5)

Visiting Cape Town soon? Here’s a sneak preview of your first glimpses of the city – what you’ll see en route from the airport to town (click on the CPT to Town tag for all the posts).

Without the cooling towers to distract it, one’s attention is instantly grabbed by the stunning sight of the towering Devil’s Peak, which, at its Maclear’s Beacon summit, is the highest point in the Table Mountain chain (1067 metres above sea level).

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Devil’s Peak

It’s a magnificent sight on a clear day (but is also often shrouded by Table Mountain’s famous “table cloth” of clouds) – and if you squint, you’ll see two major city landmarks on its slopes. The first, on the lower right, is a small but prominent gleaming-white structure, which is Rhodes Memorial (note: I’ve linked Rhodes Mem to a local 3rd-grade schoolgirl’s report on it – have a look!). The second, on the lower left, is a series of buildings with red roofs, which comprise the upper campus of the University of Cape Town.

Where are you? You’re near the junction of the N2 with the M52 and the M5/Black River Parkway.

Here’s a map.

What are you seeing? On your right, the middle-class suburb of Pinelands; on your left, the upper-middle-class suburb of Rondebosch, and its golf course.

What should you know? You’re only about 5 minutes away from Cape Town, which is just around a few upcoming bends.

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City Signage

Where’s Table Mountain? You’re looking at it – you just don’t know it! Devil’s Peak forms the “left-hand” apex of the famous city berg – often represented in email notes like this: /\/===\/\ – which will come into full view in a moment’s time.