From Table Mountain. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, the ProjectExplorer team hit the hills early this morning. Actually, we hit the mountain - Table Mountain.

To get to the summit, we had to take a cable car. The cable car had large glass windows so that we could watch the sea and ground disappear as we made the climb. The trip to the top takes less than 5 minutes. Our photographer, Meredith, has a fear of heights but she bravely took the journey with us.

When we got out of the cable car it was very cold. We warmed up by having a hot breakfast at the top of the mountain. Then, we enjoyed walking in the crisp mountain air.

Table Mountain can be seen from anywhere in Cape Town. It is called Table Mountain because it has a flat top. I enjoyed the beautiful views of the ocean and the city below. I saw an endless sky dotted by wisps of clouds, with slopes and cliffs below. Then, the fog rolled in and everything below seemed to vanish.

Then, we headed to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden which is located at the base of Table Mountain. Here, we met with Sally at the Education Center. Sally spoke with Christopher about the importance of protecting the environment in which we live. She also taught us about some of local plants and animals which are indigenous to - meaning native to, or originally from - South Africa. We learned about a family of plants called fynbos that actually need fire to survive.

Then, we got to wander the Gardens to search for the Protea flower, and the other Fynbos plants. The team split up into groups of 2. Christopher and I followed the steep and winding paths. Sign posts along the garden and a map in hand helped me to navigate. Kirstenbosch is enormous! I had fun counting the buzzing bees, butterflies, birds and other garden animals and insects which were enjoying the plant life.

What types of plants and flowers are indigenous to your area?

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