S3 E6_Free Cape Town Birthday Specials | Western Cape
Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hello fellow travelers. Welcome to the Pillar Present South Africa podcast which is a podcast that follows my tour of South Africa as a local and it particularly focuses on cultural heritage tourism in the country. In today’s episode, we are focusing on free Cape Town birthday specials. So typically Cape Town can be a very expensive place to visit and also live in. But from my time, my stay in Cape Town, one thing I’ve also discovered is that there are affordable or free things that one can do or experience in the city. And in Cape Town, there are certain tourist attractions where one is allowed free birthday entrances for the entire week. What that means is if your birthday is on a Tuesday and you can’t attend or visit uh an attraction or a destination where they allow you a free entrance on your birthday, then you still have the rest of the week to still be able to do so. um if you’re a student or if you’re working then you can go visit on a Friday or during the weekend. So that’s what it means that you have this chance this opportunity to enter certain tourist attractions or destinations um during your birthday week on any day during your birthday week. However, when you get to these destinations, you have to present a valid South African ID or else you won’t get this free birthday special entrance. Um, so with that said, I’m not sure if this also applies to international tourists, but I do know that as a South African, you are you have this privilege. Um, I know that because I personally I personally um used these birthday specials in in different uh attractions and destinations. And what are those? What are those attractions where you can get a free birthday special entrance? Well, those are the Cape Wheel Ride at the VNA Waterfront, the Two Oceans Aquarium at the VNA Waterfront, and a Return Trip Cable Mountain Cable Car Ride. So, those are the three places that I can recommend because I’ve used them. I’ve yeah I I I have went to the destination and used that privilege of being a South African and visiting the the attraction on my birthday or on the week of my birthday. There are other uh free special birthday entrances that I know about. However, because I haven’t used them, I do not feel comfortable recommending them because um on this podcast, I prefer to talk about my experience. Right? Even in the introduction, I say that it doc it’s a documentation of my tour of the country as a local. And so yeah, I do not feel comfortable sharing um information about things that I have not experienced myself because yeah, I I do not want to put you in a potential situation where you could have a very unpleasant experience. Let me you know test it out for you guys first so that I can tell you whether it is okay to go or not. Okay, let’s um continue with the episode. So when I was in Cape Town, um I decided that I am going to you know visit these three attractions that I have mentioned on my birthday. When I found out about these birthday specials, usually I don’t celebrate my birthday. However, when I was in Cape Town, I decided that you know what, I’m in Cape Town. I’m going to treat myself. And now that I know that I can do it for free, I am really, really going to take advantage of this. And so that was that is what I did for my birthday uh in November of 2019. My birthday is on the 1st of November if you’re curious. So yeah, on in 2019 on that date, I decided that I’m going to do that. And what really gave me also the the courage or the confidence to to to plan such a day for myself was that my birthday fell on a Friday, right? So yeah, I I had a free day and I’m like, I’m going to do this. And so my itinerary for that day was to go to the VNA waterfront and visit the Capehe uh and then following that uh go to the Two Oceans Aquarium and then end the day by visiting Table Mountain and um watching the sunset from Table Mountain, right? cuz uh in South Africa that time of the year is still spring. Um so yeah, the the days are are nice and warm and longer and the sunsets are just beautiful, right? Because there’s no clouds in the sky. Uh so it’s just a very beautiful clear um view of the sunset. And so that was my plan. And so um earlier in the day I started with my first pit stop, the Cape Wheel ride. And what the Cape Will ride is, it’s like a merrygoround. Is merrygoround the correct word? I don’t know if miracle round is the correct word but it’s like this wheel that goes in circles and there are carts right in this wheel where you know tourists can sit and have a view of the city at different angles. Uh at some point during this wheel ride, you’re at the bottom and at some point you’re halfway uh just midair and then and then on another point you’re at the top of the wheel and so you get a much more panoramic view of the city. I hope I’m doing my best. just research or Google capable ride and I’m sure an image of the wheel will show and um I went I presented my ID and they allowed me in. I have to say though what I saw to uh be consistent or repetitive at all of these three different uh attractions was that when you present your ID and you say, “Hey, I am I’m here for a free birthday special entrance.” They make you take a picture with a sign that says it’s my birthday, which can be embarrassing, right? So, if you’re going to choose to, you know, take advantage of your birthday and use a free birthday special entrance, just be prepared to take pictures. But I think the embarrassment is worth it considering that you are entering uh and experiencing worldclass attractions for free. But yeah, it’s it can still be embarrassing because first of all, the other visitors know that it’s your birthday. And secondly, if they are aware, if they are knowledgeable, then they also know that you are getting a free ticket. And so that can be a little bit embarrassing, but I think it’s worth it because if you don’t take advantage of your free birthday entrance at the cape wheel, you will pay well at the time I would have paid 155 rand. So imagine that 150 r 155 rand compared to entering for free. uh I will endure taking a picture with a sign that declares to the whole world that it’s my birthday so that I can enter for free. So yeah, this was the cape ride. Entered for free instead of paying 150 rand. My experience of the cape ride is that there’s it’s not the most exciting thing. So I was glad that I didn’t have to pay 155 rand to say that I got to experience the ku right. It’s I found it very boring mo maybe because I was there by myself right uh because yeah I couldn’t invite anybody else to come with me because I at the time I did not know anybody that I share a birthday with. Uh so yeah, I had to do this by myself cuz had I invited somebody, that person would have had to pay the the the standard fee or I would have had to pay that for them which defeats the purpose, right? So yeah, um it’s not exciting to to be on the Cape Wool ride and I spend my time just watching the couple in the other car next to me, you know, just being all loveydvey, which made me feel a lot more lonely. So yeah, but when you get to the top, you do get beautiful views of the city. It’s not the most wow views cuz you get you’re close to the harbor so you get a lot of views of the of construction or you know those those those tools that equipment that is usually around you know the harbor and also it’s the VNA waterfront. Um, when I was in Cape Town, it seemed like there was always construction happening around the VNA waterfront. I don’t know now. It’s been a while since I’ve been at the VNA waterfront, but yeah. So, also be aware that, you know, your your views is mostly going to be industrial views, but you do get a nice view of the Table Mountain um behind you. So that was um my first experience on that Friday of my birthday and then following that I went to the two oceans aquarium. I honestly thought this would have been a quick visit. I was surprised by the fact that I spent the entire afternoon of my birthday at the Two Oceans Aquarium cuz I’m not a fan of the of aquamarine or of the sea below. I’m not that type of person. I’m afraid of sharks. Even when I’m at the beach, guys, I do not go I try to not go beyond the the the ankle, right? I’m just like playing here close to the show cuz I’ve seen things on TV and on talk shows that have traumatized me. I remember watching, remember Tara Banks show? Tara Banks once had a TV show. And I remember as a young kid watching this video of this teenage boy who was, you know, just chilling in at at at the beach with his family. They were playing foosball and I think he was in the water like knee deep or waist deep. I can’t remember. But it was enough for a shark to come and just grab him there close to the shore and drag him into the water and he lost his leg. And that traumatized me to this day guys when I go to the beach I play here you know I play close to the shore like we do not go the water mustn’t go above my ankle. Okay, maybe we can like play just a little bit, but we we can’t go beyond the water can’t go above the knee, you know. And when it does go above the knee, we do not stay too long. Okay, so that’s me and um my trauma with water. Where was I going with this? I’m trying to get my train of thought. So, yeah, I I do not I’m not a fan. I’m not a fan of uh deep ocean tourism or what is it? Is it sky? Not skydiving. What is it? Uh sea diving, something like that. I forgot. You see, I’m not interested. I’m not interested. I don’t even know these things. Okay. Um so, yeah, I just thought that I’m just going to get in. see what the aquarium looks like cuz I’ve never been to an aquarium and then get out. But guys, I stayed there the whole afternoon learning about these creatures that I wouldn’t see, you know, on land, right? I saw these huge crabs. I saw Finding Nemo, many of them, which was so cool, you know, cuz Finding Nemo was a popular movie when I was in primary school. So I was like, “Ah, I finally get to see what Finding Nemo looks like in real life.” Okay. Yeah. I’m exposing, you know, I think but I did that a long time ago. Exposing that what what era I grew up in. Um, yeah. And I got to take cool pictures. I got to experiment with my phone camera in a way that I I never have before then. Um, and yeah, I felt like I was exploring the, you know, the the ocean, right, in a in a safe way where the sharks wouldn’t grab me, where I wouldn’t drown. I can swim, but yeah, the ocean is another beast compared to a swimming pool, right? I I I I do not try to swim in the ocean. Of course, I I don’t go I do not allow the water to go above my knees. So, of course, I do not swim in the ocean. Um so but yeah it was a nice experience of feeling like you are exploring the ocean that you are submerged underwater exploring these the ocean and uh witnessing these different sea creatures. So I’d recommend that if you’re like me you’re like I am never going to go deep diving. I am I I’m just I’m never ever going to risk it going to parts of the the world that you know where we do not know what exists right because the ocean is considered to be you know uh the most unexplored part of earth as other than space. Yeah, let’s move on. So, yeah, I got cool pictures that you you know, yeah, it will live with me forever and will help me remember that memory. And I also learned something new about South African history. I learned about a fish called the Kula. I hope I’m saying that correctly. Which was a fish that was thought to be extinct for millions of years, like 65 millions of years. That’s a lot. So, this fish is said to have existed during or since the dinosaur era, right? They even call it a fossil fish or fossil species. um in some you know uh resources. So it was thought to be extent for millions of years. However, that changed in the 1930s when a South African museum curator uh discovered the fish uh in South African waters, South African shores, right? I can’t remember the story. If you’re interested on the story, just Google it. And her name was um the person who discovered this that this fish still exist right it’s not extin extinct her name was Margerie Cortina Latima and the fish was eventually named after her and called the latamia chalum I hope I said those things guys anthropology archaeology hey that’s not my arena So forgive me if I’m not saying these words correctly. So I got to learn that wow wow this is quite interesting that we South African or South Africans or a South Afric or a South African um discovered something that you know the world had thought to be extinct. And so by using my birthday special privilege at the Two Oceans Aquarium, I saved myself 190 bucks. Yeah. So I definitely recommend that you go to the Two Oceans Aquarium and, you know, save yourself 190 bucks. I do not know what the prices are right now, but at the time they were about 170 to 190. And so I I I forfeited the price. I forfeited paying the price. However, I was very very surprised that I spent my birthday at the aquarium as a 27year-old woman. Not that there’s nothing wrong with that. is that what I I had observed when I was at the aquarium, I saw that the adults were that were there, most of them were there with children. So the adults that were there were adults that had brought their children to the aquarium. So here I am, this lone adult. And yeah, I’m I’m not embarrassed. I’m not that type of person who takes herself too seriously. I hope that you guys can tell from listening to me on this podcast podcast. I don’t take myself seriously, but yeah, I just felt like, oh, this is unusual for me as a single woman walking alone at an aquarium without children. But I definitely recommend it. Um, don’t take yourself too seriously. Just go to the Two Oceans Aquarium, take that picture that announces to everybody that it is your birthday and you’re getting a free ticket. And then go learn something new about fishes, the ocean, and South African history. [Music] Are you planning to travel through Europe soon? I’ve heard that traveling by train is the best way to explore the countryside and discover the historical cultural wonders of the continent. So, I am interrupting my episode to tell you about Real Europe. Real Europe is a trusted online booking platform for European train travel. International travelers planning to travel through Europe by train can book tickets and passes using Rail Europe’s website and app. Their user-friendly website offers a simple and secure booking experience as well as multiple payment options in different currencies catering to travelers from all over the world. Rail Europe also connects commuters to a wide variety of train operators across 35 countries. This allows travelers to search and compare trip options to find the best and cheapest tickets available. Real Europe is your one-stop shop for European train booking and travel. Book your train ticket using the link provided in the episode description. [Music] Discover the Alps, lakes, and cities of Switzerland using Real Europe’s Swiss Travel Pass. Travelers that purchase a first class Swiss travel pass get extra free travel days at no additional cost, allowing you to save whilst you enjoy more time on your Swiss adventure. Hurry, this is a limited time offer valid until 30 December 2025. Book your Swiss travel pass using the link provided in the episode description. So because I had spent the rest of my afternoon at uh the aquarium, I could not go to the table mountain and end my day the way in which I had hoped to end it, which is by, you know, watching the sunset from Table Mountain. However, because I was aware that, okay, I can, you know, I still have the rest of the week to do that, I then went on Sunday on the 3rd of uh November. And I went after church, right? Usually when I was in Cape Town, my Sundays would look like this. I would go to church and other than that if I felt like a tourist what I would do is after church I usually would go spend the rest of my Sunday afternoon at Camp’s Bay. Uh there’s a place called Maiden’s Cove and I really loved just driving there, parking my car there and watching the ocean. There’s something calming for me watching the ocean. As much as I do not want to be in it, but there’s just I I feel very comforted when I’m close to the ocean listening to the waves crash um on the shoreline. And also if I’m not in my car then I would go to the rocks that are at the maiden’s cove and you know which would enable me to feel much more closer to the water and hear the waters crash crash against the rocks at Maiden’s Cove. There’s also a tidal pool there. Um and it’s free. You don’t have to pay anything. Or if I decided to sit in my car cuz some days would be cold because that’s Cape Town weather. It’s very unpredictable. I would watch, you know, um other tourists just like um Paraglide, right? There’s a there’s a an attraction at at Signal Hill or an activity available at Signal Hill where you can go paragliding. I think it’s called paragliding or parasailing, one of those two. Um I haven’t done it but I would watch those people and it would be it will also be another calming visual to witness because as they come in closer to the land they would hover for a while above the waters and it would be it it would seem as if like they’re moving in slow motion before you know edging closer back to the land. So yeah, I really found those views uh you know calming. That’s why I would go to Maiden’s Cove. Um that would be my you know typical Sunday afternoon. However, um that weekend or that week of my birthday, I decided that I’m going to go to Table Mountain and spend the rest of the afternoon just watching the sunset. However, this day was very cold. The weather just changed uh compared to Friday. Friday was very sunny. I was wearing a summer dress. I felt very like oh in summer vibes. And then that Sunday it was like wait when did we go back to winter? H but still it was nice. Um I ordered myself a hot cup of hot chocolate. Yeah. and which was 40 rand. And I just spent the rest of the day just like taking in the views of the city and the ocean and the sunset and the cloudy table cloth. So what happens especially in summer on table mountain, the clouds tend to uh fly closer to the mountain. And so when they fall down the mountain, it it looks like this tablecloth made out of clouds. And table mountain is already this flat mountain that looks like a um a table. And so when the clouds do that, usually they tend to refer to them as um table mountains tablecloth. Uh, and so yeah, I spend the afternoon taking videos and pictures of that and I have these cool pictures of nature. And so yeah, I would definitely recommend uh using this free birthday special uh to to ride up the mountain in the cable car. Cuz if you don’t or had I not um use this special, I would have paid around 300 to 400 for a return trip. So this birthday special saved me 400 rand guys. I got worldass views. I got to experience a worldass attraction for free. It wasn’t my first time visiting Cape Town. Um, the first time I visited, I mean it wasn’t my first time visiting the Table Mountain. The first time I visited Table Mountain was in high school uh with my dad and we went up the cable ride. Uh back then it was y the cable right now it’s it’s way way more improved than the cable car cart that you know was at cable mountain back then. Yeah, that one looked ancient guys. It looked like you would fall from the sky. So, I’m very glad that they’ve, you know, caught up with technology and um they have now a cable cart that um is safer and it also rotates as you’re going up the mountain so you can, you know, have different views as you’re going up the mountain. And um so that was my first time going up Table Mountain when I was in high school. And the second time was when I hiked up Table Mountain with friends. Uh guys, gruesome grueling hike. It’s a 2 and 1 half hour hike going up in going up the mountain and also coming down the mountain. So, if you choose to do that, be prepared, guys, cuz when I got to the top of the mountain, I was so tired, so exhausted. Hunger. Hunger. I advise that if you’re going to walk, hike up Table Mountain, please eat a full English breakfast. Bacon, eggs, hash browns, all of it. Because when you get to the top of the mountain, y you y you will use all of that energy from that food to get up to the top of the mountain and so you’ll be exhausted. However, I wasn’t aware. So I ate s cereal and um then I carried fruit. When I came back down from the mountain, guys, I had this headache. I was weak. I forced myself to drive back to my apartment cuz I had no choice. Other people, the people I had come with, they were relying on me to take them back home. So, I had to just like master up the last bit of strength that I have to drop off my friends and then get home. And when I got home, I was so tired. I couldn’t even take a shower. I just bought a quick meal to, you know, get back some energy. And even eating the meal, guys, I I struggled through it. That’s how weak I was. I felt like I was going to faint. And so, all I did after eating was just sleep in my sweat on my beautiful bed sheets. So, that’s another way to get up the table mountain for free. And then the third time I had visited Table Mountain was, you know, using this birthday special uh entrance, free entrance. So yeah, I definitely recommend it. I think Table Mountain is considered one of the seven wonders of the world, I think. Yeah, I don’t know how many there are. Last time I checked, it was seven. To my knowledge, there are seven wonders of the world and Cape Town is one of them. So imagine that you get to experience one of the seven wonders of the world for free. So definitely if you are in Cape Town during your birthday, I recommend that you use this opportunity to experience worldclass attractions for free. In fact, why don’t you plan a trip to Cape Town during your birthday week, right? And save yourself the expenses, right? Because at the end of the day or the week, a weekend, right? Cuz I did this during a weekend. I saved myself 745 rand that weekend. I saved myself. That’s a lot of money. What can you do with 745? Right? Even today, even though inflation has gone up, prices have increased, it’s still worth something, right? And so, yeah, I definitely definitely highly recommend that if you are in Cape Town during your birthday week, save yourself some expenses by taking that privilege, using that privilege as a South African. um of you know getting a free birthday entrance. So at the end of the day or the week what I spent that weekend was um 40 rand for the cup of hot chocolate that I bought when I was at the top of Table Mountain and also for my petrol. But even still with that, back then petrol was cheaper, at least for me and my car. Um, I drive a Mazda 2. So back then when I first got my my car, all I needed was 400 rand to fill up my tank. A max 500 rand. Well, that was a nice deal, you know, paying 400 rand to fill up your tank and then an extra 40 rand just for a a cup of hot chocolate and then, you know, getting in for free. Getting in for free at three top worldass attractions. So, please do that. So, that’s it for today’s episode. Um, I hope that this information was helpful. If your birthday hasn’t passed yet, do consider this suggestion. Yeah, and I with that I will close the episode. Thank you for listening. Uh, keep good, make good choices, and I’ll talk to you in the next episode. Goodbye. Oh, [Music] come on. Heat. Heat. N. Yeah, [Applause] [Music]
Hello fellow travellers! It wouldn’t be a proper season if I didn’t include an episode about discounted travels deals in South Africa. In this episode I discuss free birthday entrance deals that South Africans can get at certain tourist attractions in Cape Town. One of them is one of the world’s “seven wonders of nature”. So, if you’re planning to travel to Cape Town soon, I advise that you plan your trip around your birthday and celebrate your birthday week in the Mother City so that you can enjoy some discounted travel deals. Enjoy!
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