Day 2: Cape Peninsula and Cape Town

Today was our first full day in South Africa. Having lost a day because of the flight cancelation we had made an ambitious wish list yesterday. Though we had a full itinerary today, as suspected, it simply wasn't possible to do it all. We went for quality over quantity, took our time and enjoyed ourselves. The highlights of the day were a drive around the Cape Peninsula, an excursion to the Cape of Good Hope, Becky's first driving experience, exploring the City Center in Cape Town and a return drive through the gorgeous southern cape wine route along the Constantia Valley.






The day began with a scrumptious breakfast at the Inn. Any meal that starts with the delivery of a cheese tray rates very highly in Rachel's book, though for some inexplicable reason, Becky wasn't in the mood for cheese this morning. But, there was plenty else to choose from and we both filled up on mixed breads, muesli, mixed fruit and, of course, morning tea.





The view from the veranda suggested that it would be a beautiful day, so we wasted no time and began our drive down the Cape Peninsula.




Within no time, we were driving along through the quaint coastal towns along the eastern edge of the peninsula. We were endlessly amused by some of the local signage. Having not fully prepared ourselves by learning the meaning of the road signs, we were led to some loose interpretations of their meanings. Of course, some were quite clear, but amusing to us none the less. And some, we just never imagined the need for ...




... in this case, we interpreted its meaning as "Caution. Rocks falling on Baboons, ahead," or "Caution. Baboons causing rocks falls ahead." Either way, sounds ominous.

After an hour or so of gorgeous coastal vistas, we eventually made our way to the entrance of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, which is part of the SANPark National Park System.

Within several kilometers (because of course, we now measure distance in kilometers), we came across our first wildlife. We popped out of the car and began shooting picture after picture of two ostriches at the top of a small hill. They were very accommodating and allowed numerous shots.

We'll spare you the photos because quite frankly after another 20 kilometers, we were sick of ostrich sitings. We have black ostriches, brown ostriches, short ostriches, and tall ostriches. We have them crossing the road (both brown and black), standing next to the road and a doing a sundry other things that ostriches are prone to do. Trust us, they lose their novelty after awhile.

So, it was on to the Cape of Good Hope and the stop at the South-Western Most Point on the African Continent.




The area was truly awe-inspiring. There was a serenity to the place, despite the thundering rolls of the waves crashing against the boulders. The wind was always present, yet it wasn't quite cold. There were a number of other tourists in the area, but it didn't really detract from the experience. It was amusing to see each pair, each person, take their turn for a photo behind the famous marker indicating the significance of the point. We spent a good deal of time wandering around the rocky beaches and looking out over of the waves.

Eventually it was time to move on and Becky took over as the driver. She clearly got the better end of the deal since she was able to become familiar with the driving experience on the sparsely traveled roads of a national park. Nevertheless, she did quite well and was even able to accommodate Rachel's demands to "pull over!" as wildlife was spotted.

The crown jewel of the excursion was happening across a pair of Zebras at the same small knoll where we had previously seen our first ostriches. Now, instead of the prevalent birds stood these two magnificent creatures. Becky quickly pulled over and Rachel grabbed her camera. Unfortunately, from where we pulled over the Zebras were just out of site, standing further back on the knoll. But with some stealthy advances and a good zoom lens, some decent shots were managed.




Sad to leave the Zebras behind, we eventually left the park and headed up the west coast of the Cape Peninsula. With Becky still driving, we made our way from the Nature Reserve, through the towns of Sweetwater, Kommetjie, and Noordhoek. Here, at Noordhoek, the Chapman's Peak Drive begins. The toll road (R30) is literately carved into the side of Chapman's Peak and is an incredible drive, well worth the nominal toll.




We eventually made our way to Camps Bay, a fashionable suburb of Cape Town. Here, we parked our car and purchased a couple of tickets for the City Sightseeing Hop On Tours. The bus route includes 30 some stops and, like its counterpart in major US cities, allows the rider to hop on and off at any stop. Waiting for the bus we encountered a number of local artisans selling their wares. At first, the conversations were friendly and jovial, but as we refused their goods, some of the vendors became more and more desperate in their attempts to make a sale, telling us how they needed the money for food or for their children's education. This was the first of many encounters throughout the day of people asking for money or offering to sell us odd merchandise.

Using the bus line we made our way to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and onto the Gold of Africa Museum. The Museum was interesting but not quiet as comprehensive as we had hoped. We were also disappointed to learn that the majority of the pieces in the collection were from the 19th and 20th century, relatively modern works. The materials explained that this was due to the fact that gold works were often used for trading purposes and constantly melted down and reworked as the pieces became worn. Made sense, but somehow disappointing nonetheless. We had both expected works from antiquity.

Next we made our way to Long Street which is described in multiple guide books as a lovely drive lined by Victorian buildings. While technically true - the building are Victorian - the experience was, again, not quite what we imagined. We had hopes of small bistros serving pastries and coffee drinks, interspersed among small boutique shops, with flowing plants hanging from second story balconies with wrought iron railings. What we saw was a fusion of classical and modern that was a bit disorienting. The wrought iron balconies were there, but underneath were a host of modern shops - computer sales, lighting accessories, banks - almost nothing having a quaint or boutique feel. The signs for the establishments were all modern, plastic and neon-lit, all tucked neatly under the balconies. The result, for us, was simply seeing another modern city street, the beauty of the architecture obscured by the modern commercial fixtures. We decided that we are clearly more interested in the wildlife then exploring the cities.

After wrapping up our time in Cape Town, we made our way back to Camps Bay and picked up our car. From here, we made a transect of the peninsula to return to our hotel on the east coast. Our route took us through the Constantia Valley, home to a number of the Cape vineyards. Traveling the valley with sunset approaching was a treat. The drive offered several views of the estates, with their well groomed grounds and sprawling vineyards.

With that, we returned back to the hotel and have settled in for the evening.

Tomorrow, we depart Cape Town and its surrounds and make our way along the Garden Route towards Knysna. There, we'll spend three days exploring the Town and the nearby national park: Tsitsikamma National Park.

So, once again, greetings to you all and good night from South Africa.

Rachel & Becky



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Location:Kalk Bay, South Africa