The Cape
Capetown is on the western or Atlantic side of the Cape. We drove down the west coast stopping along the way at scenic outlooks and small towns. The drive reminded me of a combination of the road to Big Sur and the Glacier Mountains in Canada. Huge granite mountains were on one side and steep cliffs ending in the ocean were on the other. The white sand beaches are immaculate because no rivers with their resulting silt flow into the ocean in this area. We were able to spot southern right whales along the coast.
We stopped at an ostrich farm, which was very entertaining.
After ostriches lay about 12 eggs, they sit on the nest with males and females taking turns—the males taking the night shift. At the farm, the eggs are removed each day, so the females continue to lay. Throughout South Africa, decorated ostrich eggs are a major item in souvenir shops. If the egg is fertilized, it goes into an incubator. The first 6 eggs an ostrich lays increase in size, then they remain a constant size. When a male is horny, his beak and legs become bright red. We saw a couple of males who were definitely horny. While we were at the farm, a small group of Arabs were also touring. One of the men plucked a feather from an ostrich and hid it in his jacket. A member of the staff saw him and threatened him with arrest after reading him the riot act. Amazingly the man appeared unrepentant. If I comment any more, I will appear biased against this ethnic group (which I am).
When we reached the Cape National Park, we saw Cape zebras, which are smaller and stockier than other zebras. Also their stripes do not go under their bellies. When zebra babies are born, their mothers go into isolation with them so that the baby can learn his mother’s stripe pattern (each zebra has a different pattern).
We passed the Cape of Good Hope and went to Cape Point where the Atlantic (cold water) and Indian Oceans (warm water) converge. After lunch in a very nice restaurant over rooking the water (it reminded Dan of Nepenthe), we went to the top of Cape Point, which had a breathtaking view.
Our final stop was to see the Cape penguins. Evidently there are thousands of them, but many were out in the ocean feeding when we arrived. We still saw plenty of them up close and personal. It’s fun to watch their Charlie Chaplin walk.
The next day we were on our own. Our friend Ann, who lives in Capetown, picked us up and dropped us off at Table Mountain. Table Mountain, a very large, flat topped mountain dominates Capetown and beyond. It can be open one minute and closed the next because the weather is so changeable. The tram to the top was open so we decided to chance it. It was partly sunny and partly cloudy at the top. The views we could see were spectacular, but it was freezing cold so we stayed about 45 minutes. At the bottom we got on a hop-on/hop-off bus taking it first to Camp’s Bay, one of the most photographed bays in the world and a gathering place for the rich and famous. It lived up to its reputation. Hopping on the bus we went to the Waterfront and did some last minute shopping, then taking the bus downtown. We went to the famous Green Market, basically a flea market, where we were finally able to find some reasonably priced tee shirts. Dan bought one with animal footprints, and I bought one with animals and birds. We walked along the gardens to the South African Museum, which luckily happened to be free that day. By then, we were both exhausted and only managed to see the first floor which had an exhibit of African people Land their culture and an outstanding exhibit of African cave art reminiscent of the art we saw in the caves in France, but more recent being only 25,000 years old. Most of the paintings were of beautifully drawn, graceful animals.
On our last day in Capetown, Ann picked us up and took us to Kirstenbosch gardens. She had arranged for a guide in a golf card to take us around, which was the perfect way to see everything in a short time. The gardens back on to Table Mountain. The protea, the national flower, were in full bloom, ranging from yellow to orange, to red—absolutely magnificent.
Ann took us to visit her beautiful apartment, which although not on the ocean, had a spectacular view of the water from a large patio. We were reunited with her husband, Jurgen. We had met Ann and Jurgen and their friends, Philip and Helen during a Baltic cruse a few years ago. We spent a delightful day with Ann and Jurgen on Crete and became instant friends. Ann is a native of South Africa; Jurgen is from Germany, and Philip and Helen are expats from the U.K. Ann’s cleaning lady, a black lady in a white uniform, was in the apartment when we arrived. I was amazed to find out that Ann pays her $20 for 6 hours work. She does everything including washing, ironing, and putting away the clothes.
We all went to a local restaurant where I had my favorite meal of the trip: shrimp in shells with cold white wine and salad—all for a very small amount of money. After lunch, she drove us back to the hotel, and we took a taxi from there to the airport and our lonnnnnng journey home: 12.5 hours to Heathrow, 4.5 layover, 10.5 hours to SFO. Was the long schlep worth it? Absolutely!!!!!
Stay tuned for South America in December….
Capetown is on the western or Atlantic side of the Cape. We drove down the west coast stopping along the way at scenic outlooks and small towns. The drive reminded me of a combination of the road to Big Sur and the Glacier Mountains in Canada. Huge granite mountains were on one side and steep cliffs ending in the ocean were on the other. The white sand beaches are immaculate because no rivers with their resulting silt flow into the ocean in this area. We were able to spot southern right whales along the coast.
We stopped at an ostrich farm, which was very entertaining.
After ostriches lay about 12 eggs, they sit on the nest with males and females taking turns—the males taking the night shift. At the farm, the eggs are removed each day, so the females continue to lay. Throughout South Africa, decorated ostrich eggs are a major item in souvenir shops. If the egg is fertilized, it goes into an incubator. The first 6 eggs an ostrich lays increase in size, then they remain a constant size. When a male is horny, his beak and legs become bright red. We saw a couple of males who were definitely horny. While we were at the farm, a small group of Arabs were also touring. One of the men plucked a feather from an ostrich and hid it in his jacket. A member of the staff saw him and threatened him with arrest after reading him the riot act. Amazingly the man appeared unrepentant about this ethnic group (which I am).
When we reached the Cape National Park, we saw Cape zebras, which are smaller and stockier than other zebras. Also their stripes do not go under their bellies. When zebra babies are born, their mothers go into isolation with them so that the baby can learn his mother’s stripe pattern (each zebra has a different pattern).
We passed the Cape of Good Hope and went to Cape Point where the Atlantic (cold water) and Indian Oceans (warm water) converge. After lunch in a very nice restaurant over rooking the water (it reminded Dan of Nepenthe), we went to the top of Cape Point, which had a breathtaking view.
Our final stop was to see the Cape penguins. Evidently there are thousands of them, but many were out in the ocean feeding when we arrived. We still saw plenty of them up close and personal. It’s fun to watch their Charlie Chaplin walk.C
The next day we were on our own. Our friend Ann, who lives in Capetown, picked us up and dropped us off at Table Mountain. Table Mountain, a very large, flat topped mountain dominates Capetown and beyond. It can be open one minute and closed the next because the weather is so changeable. The tram to the top was open so we decided to chance it. It was partly sunny and partly cloudy at the top. The views we could see were spectacular, but it was freezing cold so we stayed about 45 minutes. At the bottom we got on a hop-on/hop-off bus taking it first to Camp’s Bay, one of the most photographed bays in the world and a gathering place for the rich and famous. It lived up to its reputation. Hopping on the bus we went to the Waterfront and did some last minute shopping, then taking the bus downtown. We went to the famous Green Market, basically a flea market, where we were finally able to find some reasonably priced tee shirts. Dan bought one with animal footprints, and I bought one with animals and birds. We walked along the gardens to the South African Museum, which luckily happened to be free that day. By then, we were both exhausted and only managed to see the first floor which had an exhibit of African people Land their culture and an outstanding exhibit of African cave art reminiscent of the art we saw in the caves in France, but more recent being only 25,000 years old. Most of the paintings were of beautifully drawn, graceful animals.
On our last day in Capetown, Ann picked us up and took us to Kirstenbosch gardens. She had arranged for a guide in a golf card to take us around, which was the perfect way to see everything in a short time. The gardens back on to Table Mountain. The protea, the national flower, were in full bloom, ranging from yellow to orange, to red—absolutely magnificent.
Ann took us to visit her beautiful apartment, which although not on the ocean, had a spectacular view of the water from a large patio. We were reunited with her husband, Jurgen. We had met Ann and Jurgen and their friends, Philip and Helen during a Baltic cruse a few years ago. We spent a delightful day with Ann and Jurgen on Crete and became instant friends. Ann is a native of South Africa; Jurgen is from Germany, and Philip and Helen are expats from the U.K. Ann’s cleaning lady, a black lady in a white uniform, was in the apartment when we arrived. I was amazed to find out that Ann pays her $20 for 6 hours work. She does everything including washing, ironing, and putting away the clothes.
We all went to a local restaurant where I had my favorite meal of the trip: shrimp in shells with cold white wine and salad—all for a very small amount of money. After lunch, she drove us back to the hotel, and we took a taxi from there to the airport and our lonnnnnng journey home: 12.5 hours to Heathrow, 4.5 layover, 10.5 hours to SFO. Was the long schlep worth it? Absolutely!!!!!
Stay tuned for South America in December….
Capetown is on the western or Atlantic side of the Cape. We drove down the west coast stopping along the way at scenic outlooks and small towns. The drive reminded me of a combination of the road to Big Sur and the Glacier Mountains in Canada. Huge granite mountains were on one side and steep cliffs ending in the ocean were on the other. The white sand beaches are immaculate because no rivers with their resulting silt flow into the ocean in this area. We were able to spot southern right whales along the coast.
We stopped at an ostrich farm, which was very entertaining.
After ostriches lay about 12 eggs, they sit on the nest with males and females taking turns—the males taking the night shift. At the farm, the eggs are removed each day, so the females continue to lay. Throughout South Africa, decorated ostrich eggs are a major item in souvenir shops. If the egg is fertilized, it goes into an incubator. The first 6 eggs an ostrich lays increase in size, then they remain a constant size. When a male is horny, his beak and legs become bright red. We saw a couple of males who were definitely horny. While we were at the farm, a small group of Arabs were also touring. One of the men plucked a feather from an ostrich and hid it in his jacket. A member of the staff saw him and threatened him with arrest after reading him the riot act. Amazingly the man appeared unrepentant about this ethnic group (which I am).
When we reached the Cape National Park, we saw Cape zebras, which are smaller and stockier than other zebras. Also their stripes do not go under their bellies. When zebra babies are born, their mothers go into isolation with them so that the baby can learn his mother’s stripe pattern (each zebra has a different pattern).
We passed the Cape of Good Hope and went to Cape Point where the Atlantic (cold water) and Indian Oceans (warm water) converge. After lunch in a very nice restaurant over rooking the water (it reminded Dan of Nepenthe), we went to the top of Cape Point, which had a breathtaking view.
Our final stop was to see the Cape penguins. Evidently there are thousands of them, but many were out in the ocean feeding when we arrived. We still saw plenty of them up close and personal. It’s fun to watch their Charlie Chaplin walk.C
The next day we were on our own. Our friend Ann, who lives in Capetown, picked us up and dropped us off at Table Mountain. Table Mountain, a very large, flat topped mountain dominates Capetown and beyond. It can be open one minute and closed the next because the weather is so changeable. The tram to the top was open so we decided to chance it. It was partly sunny and partly cloudy at the top. The views we could see were spectacular, but it was freezing cold so we stayed about 45 minutes. At the bottom we got on a hop-on/hop-off bus taking it first to Camp’s Bay, one of the most photographed bays in the world and a gathering place for the rich and famous. It lived up to its reputation. Hopping on the bus we went to the Waterfront and did some last minute shopping, then taking the bus downtown. We went to the famous Green Market, basically a flea market, where we were finally able to find some reasonably priced tee shirts. Dan bought one with animal footprints, and I bought one with animals and birds. We walked along the gardens to the South African Museum, which luckily happened to be free that day. By then, we were both exhausted and only managed to see the first floor which had an exhibit of African people Land their culture and an outstanding exhibit of African cave art reminiscent of the art we saw in the caves in France, but more recent being only 25,000 years old. Most of the paintings were of beautifully drawn, graceful animals.
On our last day in Capetown, Ann picked us up and took us to Kirstenbosch gardens. She had arranged for a guide in a golf card to take us around, which was the perfect way to see everything in a short time. The gardens back on to Table Mountain. The protea, the national flower, were in full bloom, ranging from yellow to orange, to red—absolutely magnificent.
Ann took us to visit her beautiful apartment, which although not on the ocean, had a spectacular view of the water from a large patio. We were reunited with her husband, Jurgen. We had met Ann and Jurgen and their friends, Philip and Helen during a Baltic cruse a few years ago. We spent a delightful day with Ann and Jurgen on Crete and became instant friends. Ann is a native of South Africa; Jurgen is from Germany, and Philip and Helen are expats from the U.K. Ann’s cleaning lady, a black lady in a white uniform, was in the apartment when we arrived. I was amazed to find out that Ann pays her $20 for 6 hours work. She does everything including washing, ironing, and putting away the clothes.
We all went to a local restaurant where I had my favorite meal of the trip: shrimp in shells with cold white wine and salad—all for a very small amount of money. After lunch, she drove us back to the hotel, and we took a taxi from there to the airport and our lonnnnnng journey home: 12.5 hours to Heathrow, 4.5 layover, 10.5 hours to SFO. Was the long schlep worth it? Absolutely!!!!!
Stay tuned for South America in December….
