SA, Singapore and Sydney

I had an absolutely fabulous time in Capetown; it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I met some really cool people and pretty much just relaxed all week. I did manage to take 2 bus tours around the area, climb Table Mountain, and spend a lot of time analyzing the beaches and the effects of global warming. I didn't make it to Kruger park, so no lions :( ... but had to leave something for next time! The 2010 World Cup is in Johannesburg, and a bunch of matches are being played in Capetown, so they are building a sweet new stadium and redoing parts of the city. The backdrop to the city is Table Mountain, which rises just behind it and is a big plateau on top. One of my tours went around the back of the mountain, and it is very lush, cool, beautiful trees, birds and wildlife, and lots of vineyards. There are still remants of pre-apartheid visible in the shanty towns that are still very much in use, across the road from mansions... pretty crazy! Unfortunately, I left my camera at home that day, and Leandro (who I went with) had his stolen, so no photos of the bird park or the trip.
We hiked Table Mountain on my last day, and it rained the whole way up, which was a good thing because it stayed cool. The day before was ike 30C so we lucked out on the temperature, but the view was crappy, so that was too bad. My camera batteries died that day, so I only got like 3 photos to show for it, but it was a really nice hike.
I flew to Johannesburg and then 11 hrs to Singapore the next day. It is the cleanest city I have ever seen! The subway cars from the airport were Spotless, the streets are clean, everybody is very orderly - hardly anyone was talking on the subway, and everybody stood to one side of the escalators... kinda like robots! It was really easy to get around, super safe, and suprisingly cheap. I had heard it was quite expensive, but it is much cheaper than Sydney, and most places in Europe. I only had 10 hours there, so I took a city tour bus, and saw the usual sights- wuite a few really cool builings, an amazing flower garden, a brand new Chinese temple, the good luck fountain etc, etc. People were very nice and most spoke good English, so it was quite a nice day!
Flew overnight to Sydney (7 hrs) and was beat. I had spent the previous 2 nights on airplanes and busy both days, so after I got there, I walked around for a few hours (in the rain) and then crashed! Today I went to see the Opera House (AMAZING!), and Sydney Bridge and walked all over the downtown area. There are tons of parks, memorials, churches, very friendly people and it was sunny and warm. It was quick trip, but tomorrow I head to Tazmania, where I want to do some hiking and spend some time at the beach. let you know how it goes!