People and Penguins

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

 Yesterday was our orientation and welcome dinner, so we finally had a chance to meet everyone that will be travelling along with us.  Our group consists of 36 individuals who will be travelling in 18 RV's.  One of the individuals is Harold, our local guide, and probably the most important person to know and be nice to, because he's a mechanic too!  It is a wonderful collection of people with varied backgrounds from across North America....British Columbia, Washington, California, Colorado, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Maryland.  We even have a retired accounting professor in our group! 

We set out this morning on a trip along the coast.  It is really strange to see the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast!   The coastline is rocky, mostly with high cliffs, but beautiful with the waves crashing along the shoreline, and occasionally a protected beach will appear. (Notice the tablecloth on Table Mountain!)  They say the water in the Atlantic Ocean is chilly--about 59 degrees!

The road to the peak was built in the early 1900's, and it's a toll road today!  Check out this "canopy" we drove under--wonder how much that granite on top weighs?

The area is a nature preserve and we saw several animals and began to write down our list of sightings.  We saw several baboons.  There were warning signs about the baboons--that they can be aggressive.   We also saw ostrich and eland.  We were on a bus, so it was hard to capture good shots...we'll save the animal pictures for later.  However, at Cape Point, on the way to the light house we saw a baboon that went up to a lady and pulled down her pants!  Apparently she had a sandwich and the baboon wanted it.  Another man started throwing bread at it and it left the lady alone.  I guess we were warned!

We stopped at several spots along the way, and saw tidal pools, and impressive rock formations and crashing waves.

We continued to the Cape of Good Hope. This is where the ships "round the bend" in travelling around Africa which first happened in 1487 by the early explorers trying to find a trade route from India. 

The lighthouse built in 1859 sits on Cape Point, high on the peak, but often is not enough to prevent shipwrecks, as the clouds often cover the light beams!  We walked down from the lighthouse rather than ride the funicular--have to get those steps in!

The harbor was full of colorful boats, as colorful as the merchant shops that line the streets.

We visited the African Penguins at Boulders Beach.  These penguins survive by staying near the chilly Atlantic waters, and often burrow in the sand to escape the heat.  They mate for life!   The males guard the eggs...here is one fellow taking his job seriously!

And here is another cute fellow, looking for action!

It was a long day, but we got to see some spectacular sights along the coast.  On the way, we were able to take in a view from the outside of the soccer stadium where the FIFA world cup was played in 2010.  

Only one more day of sightseeing tomorrow before we pick up the RV's!