I love taking the cable car up Table Mountain. When my roommate and I found out it would run on New Year’s Eve, it took very little to persuade me to join this mountain mission.

The day of, we could see a blanket of clouds covering the mountain from the Southern Suburbs as we optimistically packed our hoodies and fleece blankets. We stopped at our local Woolies for some snacks, took a taxi into town, and stopped for a pre-event drink at Long Street Cafe. The cable car fare is half-price after 6pm, so when the girls arrived just before 6pm, they told us to hustle up to the station to avoid the long queue. After a short wait for the cable car ride, we went up and checked out the Table Mountain Cafe, then claimed our space at a picnic table to enjoy the last sunset of 2011 over Camps Bay.

Weather can change at any moment on the mountain, so as we made our way across towards the city bowl side, the layers went on. A fast moving cloud passed over us, sending chills as we set up camp. The realization that we still had a few hours until midnight set in and we made our way into another bottle of wine. Though the lights of Cape Town twinkled and glittered, nothing beats the stars of the Southern hemisphere.

We took turns visiting the Cafe for warmth, and midnight came quicker than anticipated. The countdown began, and cheers, whistles, and popping corks ushered in 2012. Fireworks were visible at the V&A waterfront and over the suburbs and towns across Cape Town.

We waited in a queue for about an hour to get down, so if I were to repeat, I’d go up around 10 or 11pm to avoid spending so much time waiting. Oh, and, I’d also pre-arrange for transport home, because waiting in the cold dark parking lot of the cableway station after you’ve watched all the staff leave at 2:30am is no fun. All in all, an awesome, unique way to spend New Year’s Eve!!

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Taxi into town = R7

Drinks for two on Long Street = R50

Cab from Long Street to the cable station = R50

Bottle of bubbly and snacks for dinner = R85

The only cab in Cape Town available at 2:30am, with a meter that ran faster than time = priceless