Penguins, The Cape Of Good Hope and Baboons

The next day we took advantage of having the car and went for a drive down the coast.  We started on the east side of the penninsula and drove through the touristy towns on False Bay.  We took our time, having coffee and doing some shoppjng in the trendy boutuques along the way.  The fishing boats  of course were  nestled in their harbours, having brought in the  catch already.

We stopped at boulders bay to view one of two shore based schools of the endangered south African penguins.  It is one of the few colonies whose population is increasing.  We could get so close to these docile creatures it was just astounding.

Then we pressed on to the Cape of Good Hope, which we were both interested in as it has so much maritime history.

We drove throuh Table Mountain National Park which stretches the 71 km length of the peninsula and could just imagine the early explorers  arriving to this treeless landscape.  It is deceivingly barren, as it is covered in low shrubs and other vegetation.  It is dry but supports life, insect, zebra, baboons, oryx and ostrich to name a few.  The coast is rugged and there is a flat plane between the mountain ends and the cape.

When we arrived at the cape itself at the bitter end of the peninsula, we parked and as I was opening my door Paul told me, in his commanding voice, to "Shut the door"  I demanded why in my biligerent "don't give me commands" tone of voice and Paul replied "because there is a flipping baboon on the roof!"  Sure enough...there were two who sauntered over  the front window and the  hood of the car having a quick look in to see if there were any food.  These animals are everywhere, looking for food and walking down the street.  The park has baboon chaser-offers, and we saw a couple of altercations which showed us just how mean these little creatures can get if provoked.

We made our way to the viewpoint for the cape and then took the funicular up to the lighthouse, which is at the highest point.  The view was spectacular and the wind blowing unrelentlesly!  Luckily for me I have an invincible Tilly hat which usually stays on, despite the wind!

As we were leaving we explored a bit and we saw some wildlife, as well as some beutiful views.

We took the road over the mountains towards the western side of the cape and discovered Chapman's Peak Drive...a beautiful drive over a mountain with outstanding views of the coast.  We were there just as the sun was starting to set...so we found a beach to watch it sink below the horizon.

Franschhoek

As the wind had been blowing for days, so strongly it actually made the apartment windows rattle, we made a decision to go into the mountains and take a hike.  we were convinced that vegetation would shield us from the wind, if any, in the shadow of the mountains and away from the coast.  We had  been advised to visit the wine region of Franshhoek and to visit the nature reserve there.  We jumped in the car early in the morning and made  our way the one hour to the Mount Rachelle Nature Reserve.

It was very sunny...And when we drove up the pass into the mountains, it was also very windy!  So much for our plans!

We chose the easy  walk which promised spectacular views, and from the pictures of the trail it promised to be right up our alley.

We were more than a bit wrong in our assessment.  Firstly, the wind was blowing strongly  enough to blow ones molars out of their jaw!   Secondly, spectacular  views come from heights...which come from climbing...both up and down.   Our easy walk turned into several hours....scrabbling over the rocks as the Newfoundlanders would say !

Although it was difficult for us, we did see some spectacular views with the valley laid out below  and the mountains soaring above.

Exploring Further Afield

Our exploration of Capetown had given us a really good appreciation for the city and we decided that it was time to explore a bit further.  Paul was able to find a car rental, despite the fact that we were looking at the last minute in the busy season. Our first adventure took us to a beach close to our accommodations called Sunset Beach. We sat on the white sand and watched hundreds of kite Surfers skimming over the ocean waves and Leaping high in the air. Table Mountain was in the background and it was really lovely.

We made our way a bit further up the coast and watched a beautiful sunset. The wind was blowing a gale and was whipping the tops of the waves as they crashed to shore.  It made for a very picturesque sunset.

The next day we decided to take a trip toward Posternoster, along the Atlantic seaboard.  The day was lovely with beautiful blue skies.  We were astounded to travel past miles and miles of sand dunes all along the coast.  It was arid and starkly beautiful.  We stopped at the West Coast National Park where we could observe birds from blinds and to swim in a Lagoon. Again a very beautiful area.  That Lagoon is huge and the birds enjoy fishing and othewise living in the unique environment created by the mostly inland salty water.

 An old farmhouse stands on the park grounds and has been restored and is used as a restaurant. It is a good example of the Old Dutch architecture.

The sky was beautiful and very dramatic.

We pressed on to Paternoster which is a fishing village on the Atlantic. Again a beautiful beach with huge waves met us. It was very hot so we found a shady restaurant to have a late lunch as we watched the waves crash ashore. This area is famous for its lobster and oyster fisheries and we saw some of the rickety boats used for this. It is also well known for uts white washed hones which makes it very picturesque.  We spent a short time on the beach as the sun was very strong and then made our way back to our apartment.