April 20 Cape Town

April 20

This day was spent exploring the Cape with Gavin and Trish, lead by their local driver/guide John.  

We set off at 0900, driving south along the west coast road returner back around 1700, via the east coast.   

At Camps Bay we stopped above the beach, taking short walk along the cliffs for photos opportunities.  At Hout Bay we stopped at the marina, at what John called the flea market.  Instead of shopping for trinkets our interest was watching the working fish boats.  To our dismay, the local sea lion (who we saw being fed in the harbour the day before) was on display in the middle if the paved parking lot.  He was guarded by an aggressive local asking for money in exchange for a photo op.  We kept a wide berth, but for your interest I snapped this shot of the aggressive guy attempting to hide his animal from any free photos! John informed us this had been going on (same guy & same sea lion) for over 20 years! 

The scenic Chapman's Peak road was next, a narrow, cliff-hugging track reminiscent of the Amalfi Coast road. (To help cover maintenance costs a toll is charged.)  We then  descended to Nordhoek and the beautiful sandy expanse of Chapman's Bay.  John then stopped at another beautiful beach where he insisted we remove our shoes and walk in the sand and surf.  

Sea temperatures interest the locals because these affect local weather conditions.  Typically, the Atlantic is 6 C colder than the Indian Ocean, and the difference in temperature between the sea and the land results in differences in wind speeds and visibility.   Even on this hot, sunny day the South Atlantic was cold and we were not tempted to swim!  However, surfers in wetsuits were out playing the waves. 

Traveling in- land, we soon arrived at an ostrich farm.  These birds are big, and  considered dangerous.  We watched them from a safe distance, from the other side of a fence.  

It was after mid-day when we entered the Cape of Good Hope National Park.  We first went to the Cape and wandered on the rocky shore.  It was a calm day and the sea was relatively calm.  Still, we noticed a sailboat being tossed around as it motored west about 1NM off-shore. 

John then drove us up to Cape Point where we soaked in the views while lunching in pizzas.  This perfect weather day was ideal for photos of our 360 degree view.  

Our day was already full, but we had another highlight : the penguin colony at Simon's Town!  We walked along a boardwalk through the colony, then down to a beach, getting close to these curious birds. 

We celebrated the end of a great day by relaxing back at the appartment, sipping a local white, then enjoyed a fabulous seafood dinner out at a popular restaurant in the V&A Marina area.  

Irene

Sent from my ipad....Oops, did auto - complete create strange words?

Home 604 932 3107