Saturday we took a full day tour of the Cape, heading down to Cape Good Hope.
Our first stop of the day was Boulder Beach. Boulder Beach is famous for being the home to one of 22 African penguin colonies. Around 1910 it was estimated that there were 1.5 million Cape Penguins but by 2010 the numbers had dropped to 55,000. If the decline is not halted, it is estimated that the African penguin will be extinct in 15 years. They believe this is a result of the lack of food as industrialized fishing has become more prevalent off the coast of Africa
Hey, this penguin photobombed me!
Penguins mate for life - either they have been together a long time, or Mama Penguin is a cougar!
After a few minutes snapping photos of the penguins, we headed on our way to the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape of Good Hope is where the warm Indian Ocean meets the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Actually the Cape of Good Hope is not the southernmost point in Africa. That honor goes to Cape Agulhas, about 150km southeast of the Cape of Good Hope.
While driving down the highway, the tour guide called our attention to an official looking gentleman on the side of the road. He is a minder for one of the many troops of baboon inhabiting the Cape. As my good friend, AW told me "Baboons are assholes". We received a 10 minute warning on baboons, food and the fact they will attack and potentially kill us if we walk around with a piece of pizza in our hand. The outdoor seating area at the Cape restaurant was fenced in and there were monitors keeping and eye out for the roaming bandits.
This was as close as I got to the baboons
The first stop was the Cape of Good Hope visitor center where we rode a precarious funicular up the mountain so we could hike up to the light house. They quit using the lighthouse as a warning to ships after a few crashes. I can imagine it was quite hard to see way up on that hill! The view was so amazing, I actually don't have a picture of the lighthouse. I don't think it occurred to me to take one!
Just in case I don't get backdown to Cape Town to do whale watching, I can say I saw one breach and blow!
Photo of the actual Cape of Good Hope (which I will now hike across and down)
After a quick stop for a baboon free lunch, D2 and I joined back up with our tour group for a 40 minute hike from the visitor center to the Cape of Good Hope. I was a little worried because Dmitry1 didn't finish his pizza and Dmitry2 only ate half is sandwich and BOTH of those went into Dmitry1's backpack. Luckily we encountered no baboons on our hike only an Ostrich family. We received a long speech about fitness levels and fear of heights related to the hike. I do not like heights at all but he said "you don't have to walk next to the edge", so I figured I would be OK. Everyone knows I am not a "walk next to the edge" kind of girl.
Me and D2 - they are obviously "walk next to the edge" kind of guys
Crazy selfie takers
The Cape in Panorama
I figured out where the "fear of heights" thing comes in and that is when you have to climb down from the high point of the Cape. My climb down was steep and terrifying and I was praying I would make it down before the bus pulled away! I did make it down successfully with enough time to take a couple of pictures at THE SIGN and watch some photographers get an amazing opportunity to shoot the waves crashing against the rocks.
We conquered The Cape!
Boy did I wanna be out on that rock!
After a drowsy bus ride back to the city, the bus dropped us off at the V&A Waterfront where D2 and I enjoyed an adult beverage and pondered our options for the next day's adventure . . . .
(This photo is what we call "foreshadowing")
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