Monday July 20: Cape Town Region

Another lovely breakfast of fresh fruits, eggs, sausage, etc., at the Portswood Hotel on the waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. Mike and Mike Smuts--a father-son team--and the bus driver, Farouk, took us on a gorgeous drive out of Cape Town heading due South. Cape Town is stunning. Imagine taking Yosemite National Forest with its cliffs and forests, moving them over by Ventura Highway in the Santa Monica area, building a city, and you have an idea of what Cape Town looks like.
If you look at a map, you'll see you can't go far South and certainly not very far West out of Cape Town without running out of Continent. We ran along the Atlantic Seaboard through some stunning towns like Camps Bay and Hout Bay.

At Hout Bay, we all boarded a boat for a 20-minute voyage to Seal Island. Though we barely left the bay and got into the ocean, the power of the waves and the currents here at the very bottom of Africa is immense. We passed rocky cliffs and coves that probably looked very much like they did when early Portuguese and Dutch explorers passed this way hundreds of years ago while looking for passage to India. The seals and cormorants were a joy to watch. It was cold and windy but well worth the journey.

Waiting to get on the boat. 

This guy put a fish in his mouth, leaned over and fed a seal. 

Indoor seating and outdoor. 

Rob Buikema took on a wave ... and lost.

From there it was a drive up to Chapmans' Peak with absolutely stunning views. The roads were smooth and well kept and little coffee and gelato shops appeared at regular intervals. 
Into the Cape of Good Hope Nature Preserve. A light lunch overlooking the cliffs and ocean--and fighting off aggressive birds who thought our sandwiches were for them. 

Erik Hoekstra likes to share ... under normal circumstances ...

We took a ride up a funicular--what we might call a gondola or cable car--to the lighthouse at the top of the cliffs. Well intentioned, the light house was often covered in mist and fog and ships still ran into rocks, so decades ago, another lighthouse was built not far away. Rode the funicular back down in time for a stiff hike along the coast, down to the beach and to the Cape of Good Hope. This is the most South and West piece of the continent of Africa, the place where the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean collide. What an experience to do the hike and experience this absolutely stunning part of God's good earth. 

Heading back north on the opposite side of the peninsula, we visited a penguin colony. These Jack-Ass Penguins are the only penguins that breed and nest in Africa. Their unique name comes from their unique call. They sound exactly like a braying donkey! While we walked along the beach on raised boardwalks, the penguins went about their lives just a few feet from us and didn't seem to mind one bit when we'd stop and watch them or take their pictures. Just another day in South Africa.