So day 4 started off with all of us awake at 3am the dreaded jet lag had us awake for a few hours. Much perseverance we finally got back to sleep and managed a bit of a sleep in. A trip to the hotel restaurant sorted breakfast which we ate outdoors, another fantastic day weather wise.
We had not set plans for today which was good as upon arriving at our hotel last night we found the helpful team at O.R Tambo airport helped themselves to Chris’ Nikon digital camera from his checked bag. This changed the course of the day somewhat… We found that there is a bit of a loophole in most travel insurance where your baggage is not covered while it ‘is in the care of a transport provider’ and transport providers i.e. airlines here in South Africa think its a bit too hard to keep everyones stuff safe while in their care so pretty much accept no liability. Regardless we went through the motions with the South African Police Force (SAPO) to file a theft report. Police filing here in SA is very old school with manual paper for everything.
The Police found it interesting that the camera was wrapped up in clothes inside a small backpack so this was clearly someone who could see the x-rays and knew what was in my bag. The their even spent the time making sure to leave the clothes and bag behind and just the camera and lens kit were taken. The Police said it was most likely taken while being loaded onto the plane where there are not cameras.
So while it’s uncertain if travel insurance or the airline will contribute to a new camera, we decided we needed to replace it for the trip to Kruger park later in the month. We ventured out to Cape Towns largest photography store and were met with the security realities of SA. We were first let into a lobby area which then opened up to 2 man traps. from here we had a final area that staff released us into the store. 3 seperate secure areas!
Our journey to and from the camera shop also gave us our first glimpse of life in South Africa with people on the street, even one in a wheel chair. We saw first hand why the rule is; doors are locked and windows up in South Africa.
New camera in hand, from here we ventured into the waterfront to have lunch, explore the waterfront and gather some supplies. Lunch was enjoyable (out in the sun again) by the harbour watching the boats on the water and the birds flying around.
After lunch we had a walk along V&A Waterfront, which is a vibrant, entertaining and enjoyable place to visit. The hotel we are currently staying at provides a daily shuttle or two from the hotel to the waterfront and after our brief visit, we can see why. There were many things we wanted to do there, but as our time was growing short we were unable to do so. We hope to be able to go back to visit before we leave Cape Town. A ride on the train and the Ferris Wheel are on the cards. We did take our photo in front of Table Mountain and Karl found a playground he enjoyed.
As Chris now has his new camera there were many photos taken, especially of Karl; “Daddy, get a photo of me with the water!” “Daddy, look at me on the bridge”.
After the waterfront it was a quick trip to the supermarket (Isaac found this very boring), then back to the hotel, printing out the information for Chris’ police report, then a shuttle to Cape Town Airport to file his report. Karl found another playground at the restaurant at the airport, and so is making friends all over the world.
