Hiking in Bokaap

Brett, Karen and a cannon - but no fireworks! (pic by Sam)
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Saturday August 5^th Leaders: Maré Ascott and Brett Hollands

HIKING TOUR OF BoKaap

Black pigs and museum on the slopes of Signal Hill

The programme said “no waiting for late arrivals” and at 10h15 on the dot, it was a surprise to see so many people, but it shouldn’t have been – grade easy, joint meet of two well-known hiking clubs and a gorgeous Cape winter day.

A farm in the CBD
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After a steady downhill gallop we turned into a side street and soon came to a farm. Who would have thought it? A farm, named Leeupoort (Foot of the Lion), in the CBD centre, complete with black pigs and piglet, geese, sheep, goats and noisy geese wanting to join us. Apparently three families live on the farm which used to belong to the SA Navy but is now owned by the Department of Public Works. One of the farmers’s had a dream to start a foster home here, but his idea wasn’t accepted.

On the way to the Noon Day Gun and our lunch spot below - Bo Kaap Kombuis
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Climbing Whitfield and Military Roads under pines and alongside grassy slopes we reached the entrance to Lion Battery, only to find the gate locked and ‘so-called vicious dogs’ on guard. No way to break in, we waited, caught between the stereo sounds of the comforting Mouille Point foghorn and the pistol club.

Relief as an officious-looking person arrived and sure enough, opened the gate to a flood of visitors.

It happens every day like clockwork, with the exception of Sundays, Public Holidays and 9 Jan 2005, when there was a problem with Telkom. *The Noon Day Gun goes back to 1806, when a gun was fired from the ramparts of Imhoff Battery between the Castle and the sea to provide accurate time for ships anchored in Table Bay. A flare was fired from the Observatory to give the gunner the correct time. However, in 1902, and after complaints of riders being thrown by their horses, the City fathers decided to move two guns to Lion Battery, once known as Lion’s Rump, on Signal Hill (335m). The two muzzle-loading cannons are the oldest in daily use in the world. They were cast in Rotherham, England, and have been fired electrically from the Observatory since 1855. The Noon Day gun also started the worldwide tradition of two minutes’ silence to pay homage to those fallen in war. *

Dudley Malgas of SA Navy raising the flag Bravo
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Dudley Malgas of the SA Navy gave us the background about the Noon Day Gun, advising that it has been fired a total of 63 005 times since 1806. The two guns are loaded at 11h30 with a 3,1kg bag of gunpowder; the second gun is loaded as a stand-by in case the first misfires. After raising the flag Bravo and asking visitors to stand behind the flagpole, except for Mare, Sam and I - poised on the slopes below the cannon to photograph this noisy event, while Dudley gave the countdown. BANG!!! Feeling the vibration from toes to head and screaming with shock, “protect your ears,” say the signs! Camera shake has nothing on this.

Dudley explaining about the cannons
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In need of sustenance we made our way downhill to the newly opened Bo Kaap Kombuis for lunch. Nazli and Yusuf Larney have run a successful guesthouse for the past three years and this is their new project, the restaurant. We will be back, in the evening, to watch the lights flicker in the Mother City. Cape Malay Cuisine is unique and has played a large role in South African dishes, which are a combination of Asian, Arab and European.

Our last stop was 71 Wale Street and the Bo Kaap Museum. Many people left but a few stayed to learn about the fascinating cultural and historical background of the area

Priming the cannons
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Walking through cobblestone narrow roads lined with pastel painted houses where men in long white gowns and fez enter the mosque, while scarf-shrouded women watch. It could be a scene from Mombassa, Tangier or Cairo, but no, it’s BoKaap covering the lower slopes of Signal Hill.

*taken from Adventure Walks & Scrambles in the Cape Peninsula by the author.

Bo Kaap Kombuis tel (021) 422 5446

Bo Kaap Museum open Mon-Sat 9am-4pm.

Shock from toes to top - not camera shake but cannon shake
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Sam Greyvenstein's pictures http://samgreyvenstein.atspace.com