Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Great things happen riding low in a sidecar
It’s a magnificent new way to see your city
THE wonderful thing about riding pillion on a motorcycle – or in this case, in a sidecar – is that you have all the time in the world to soak up the scenery, and to think. Some of the things I thought about on our excursion around the Peninsula last week included how beautiful Cape Town is, and that we should all get out there to enjoy it more, what I will do with my millions when SARS finally pays out (related), and whether I had left the stove on at home.
But mostly I sat back with a contented smile, the wind on my face, and occasionally waving at people like a queen.
There’s something irresistible about these clattery vintage bikes and sidecars, brightly coloured in red and yellow for CitySightseeing, that makes people on the side of the road smile, point, wave, and take photographs. To the German man who grabbed my hand and wrote his e-mail address on it so he could send me the picture he snapped – sorry, but it washed off.
A trip in a sidecar is going to make you happy, as well as bring joy to complete strangers who are mere spectators.
CitySightseeing truly lives up to its name. Not only does it run dozens of topless red buses to as many destinations every day, including the Constantia winelands and up Signal Hill at sunset, it operates helicopter flips and its water taxis ply the canals from the V&A Waterfront to the CTICC. Walking tours have been introduced recently (more about this on another day), and then there are these sidecars.
There are two standard options – a two-hour ride to destinations like Blouberg, Camps Bay, Chapman’s Peak or Rhodes Memorial, and a full day trip to Cape Point. You will be supplied with a leather jacket, helmet, and bandana. Do not turn your nose up at this or you could find you have unwelcome things going in there. Also, Cape Town is infamous for its micro climates; we experienced all four seasons several times in one day, from “must put more sun block on now”, to “where is my other scarf please?”
Because we – the Diva (not to be confused with Divine Lady D) and I – are special, we got to choose our own route, departing from CitySightseeing’s head office in Long Street and heading to the fab new Tiger’s Milk in Muizenberg (story below), but there is flexibility to custom-design your day too, depending on where you want to stop. From there we took the long way around back to the city, through Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek, up and over Red Hill (a stop at the top to take photographs is obligatory), down to Scarborough, past Misty Cliffs, through Noordhoek and over Chapman’s Peak (another photo opp not to be passed up even with a spectacular cold front rushing in), to Hout Bay.
The last leg of the journey took us along the coast past Llandudno, and at Camps Bay we turned up to Kloof Nek and home.
All the drivers – we rode with Tim Clarke and Dave Garrett in sidecars which have women’s names – are professional tour guides who can offer commentary if required, and excellent conversationalists.
It was a magnificent way to spend the day, and let me just tell you, 60km/h feels a lot faster when you are mere centimetres from the ground.
● You can book at CitySightseeing stops 1 and 5 (Long Street and V&A Waterfront), online at www.citysightseeing.co.za, or by calling 021 434 9855. Oh, and don’t wear a skirt. There is no elegant way to get in and out of a sidecar.