Drive to Cape Point
Trip Start
Jul 12, 2008
1
4
25
Trip End
Aug 04, 2008
Cape Town,
Western Cape,
South Africa
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
We finished breakfast, then went down by the fire to wait for Barry, our guide. He was there, and we planned out the day: drive to pick up Ian, out to the Cape of Good Hope, stopping to see the penguins along the way, then back along the western side of the peninsula, dropping Ian and returning home.
First, we drove through the leafy suburbs - enormous houses, with very strong security systems. Paused on a cliff to look down at the surfers (There's a dude with a t-shirt proclaiming "shark spotter" - and pair of binoculars. He scans the waters, looking for signs of shark
Penguins of Cape Point
. A signal can be sent to the beach below, to pull out all the surfers. I asked Barry, who surfs here, how frequently this happens and was told, "In season, it can happen quite a lot." Not a real answer but it tells me the Shark Spotter is not superfluous.Our next stop was to fetch Ian from Peter's house. Peter has a great log cabin-like home, overlooking the beach and what used to be wetlands but is now mostly condos - but maybe not for too long, as global warming may return the valley to the sea - in which case, Peter will have water-front property.
After picking up Ian, our first stop was Simon's Town. Cute waterfront, old sailing town, now home to a navy base. We looked at the marina and at the statue of a great dane who was the Navy mascot.
Then to the penguins - our first wild animal of Africa! The jackass penguin - basically constrained to a small reserve. They penguins used to be able to wander around the area, but they nested in local gardens and were considered pests ... plus dogs used to eat them, so they are not in a fenced and protected area. It rained a bit while we were there, but it was still a lot of fun. Penguins are SO funny to watch
False Bay
. They come right up to the boardwalk, crossing under and waddling from sea to their burrows. Very entertaining.From the penguins, we entered Cape Point reserve. The flora is apparently unique to the area - and reminds one of heather. The rock outcroppings are stark and lovely, and the howling wind and choppy seas only added to the atmosphere of isolation. I was certain we would see the Flying Dutchman today.
We drove first to the Cape of Good Hope, where we, along with several dozen other tourists, took turns posing behind the sign that showed our location. We clambered over the rocks, but the gale-force winds kept knocking us over.
Drove from there to Cape Point. It was a madhouse of busses, vans, and cars in the car park. We hiked up the path, pausing along the way to admire the beach and Bellows Rock below, and for Ian to photograph tourists photographing a baboon sitting on a park bench, to the lighthouse. Had a grand view from across False Bay. The sea was highly turned - alternatively cloudy and clear - but no sign of the Flying Dutchman.
Returned downhill, then had a quite good lunch at the restaurant
Surf, from Shark Spotter's point of view
. Winds were out of control; glad they had indoor dining.After lunch, drove back up the Western side of the Cape, returning Ian home. I was afraid a couple of times our van would be blown off the road. Drove past small beach resorts, vineyards, a shanty town ("informal settlement") and some very tony, very pricey beachside communities, little mini-Monacos, with upscale condos stretching across the hillside. One could come away from our drive today with the impression that Capetonians are all very rich.)
It poured just as we were departing the van for the hotel - the wettest we got all day. Rested, played Hoopla, Paul and the kids grabbed pizza downtown for dinner. Paul and I went downstairs later for a glass of wine - talked about many things but a lot about Who Was Shakespeare? Then, bed. Aaah.
