We saw a little bit of the coast west of Port Elizabeth, too. It was sweeping, windy, and mainly sand dunes. Reminded me a lot of Western Australia, actually.
There were plenty of aloes growing beach-side – not surprising since this was their natural habitat.
And what’s a piece of windswept coast without a lighthouse. This one stands at Cape St Francis, about 100km to the west of Port Elizabeth.
We finally made it to Cape Point, the most south-westerly point of Africa. But there was still some walking to do up to the lighthouse.
Many people cheated and took the Flying Dutchman Funicular instead, but that would take away from the sense of accomplishment at reaching the top, I thought.
And a chance to catch my breath along the way while taking in more of the marvelous views.
At the lighthouse, there was the obligatory direction post. We’d travelled a long way from Sydney, that’s for sure.
That’s the end of our Cape Point adventure. But I’m not done with South Africa just yet.
Aside from the animals, there were plenty of floral attractions on our way to Cape Point. The coastal flora was very reminiscent of those found on the Australian coast, I thought.
And of course, there was the wonderful wind-blown scenery. From rocky hills.
To foamy ocean.
And glorious peaks.
The last photo is of Buffels Bay (Buffelsbaai, or Buffalo Bay in Afrikaans). It’s a well-known braai spot (barbecue and picnic spot) very close to Cape Point. Wouldn’t mind a barbecue if the temperature was warmer and the wind calmer, but I’m guessing that wouldn’t happen all that often on the windy Cape!
There were a few more animal diversions on the way to Cape Point. Ostriches were common-place in the park. We saw this guy by the roadside.
And this guy was in a very beautiful picnic spot. In the distance, you can also see the lighthouse on Cape Point, our destination.
At Cape Point itself, there were many reminders of baboons, although none were actually in sight that day.
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However, we saw this guy (lady?) by the roadside and stayed well-clear.
And from big things to small – this hungry caterpillar was looking for its next meal, but none in sight on this rock.
At Simon’s Town, on the Indian Ocean side of the Cape Peninsula and 27km south-east of Hout Bay, we visited some more animal attractions – penguins!
These African penguins live on Boulders Beach in the midst of a residential area as you can see. They’re a bit larger than fairy penguins, which are common to South East Australia. And unlike fairy penguins who generally come onshore only at dusk, these penguins were conveniently onshore all day.
They’re pretty happy to be amongst humans, and having access to a great food source that is the Indian Ocean, they’re so happy that the colony has grown from 4 penguins in 1982 to 3,000! Consequently, a reserve was created for them and now it’s a very established tourist attraction.
They’re very funny to observe, waddling, swimming, playing, fighting, grooming.
I could watch them all day, but we had other things to do and to see, so I had to say goodbye.
We leave Hout Bay via Chapmans Peak Drive and continued our journey to Cape Point.
This two-laned road hugs the mountain-side and hence was spectacular, if a little freaky, what with convoys of tour buses going along it.
The pass road was hacked out by hand in the early 20th Century, and was regarded as a feat of engineering at the time.
Half-way through we could look back across Hout Bay to the town.
There’s still a long way to go to Cape Point though. Next, more animal attractions.
After braving a few waves, the rocky outcrop that was Duiker Island came into sight.
And on it were hundreds of mostly male Cape fur seals. They are closely related to the Australian fur seals found in Victoria and Tasmania.
What a slothful bunch they were. We saw some frolicking in the water, but most were having their extended nap, away from the sights of the great white shark, whose waters they inhabit.
They certainly weren’t too perturbed by the gale force winds, swell and rain, that was for sure. What a life.
After taking a few shots, it was time to brave the Atlantic once more.
Look at those ominous waves. They’ll never make a sailor out of me!
Our mission was to view the fur seals at Duiker Island, a rocky outcrop just beyond Hout Bay.
But first we had to round the headland and head out into the wild Atlantic Ocean.
The swell was probably only moderate, but that was rather enough for me as I’m not much of a sea dog. However I do admit that having the wind through my hair and watching the waves roll in was an exhilarating experience.
We ended up visiting five wineries that day, and sampled a lot of wines, including sparkling and sweet wines!
South Africa doesn’t just make good whites like chennin blanc, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay, but also great reds like cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, and its own variety which I grew found of, pinotage.
And the wineries I visited weren’t only of the fashionable kind, but also a few that were rough and ready. This one had tasting in a dusty Dutch-style barn, but the shiraz I tasted were very fine indeed.
We walked from our hotel on the Foreshore to the V&A (Victoria & Alfred) Waterfront. It used to be the major dockyards for the city but now has largely been gentrified and upgraded for tourists and locals alike.
The main docks are now elsewhere but it sometimes still gets some maritime trade.
Though we walked through relatively early on a Saturday morning, we saw plenty of people out jogging, cycling, even dragon boating.
Static and Silence 