We finally hired a car. We wanted a ‘Chico’ as we heard so much about them, and not knowing what it was we were intrigued. We found out a ‘Chico’ is just like a Volkswagen Golf, the old version from the 80’s, without the Power steering, air-con and radio we all take for granted. So we were a little disappointed to find that Hertz ‘upgraded’ us to a tiny Hyundai. It reminded me of a smaller version of Postman Pats car!
After the initial shock and disappointment (really fancied bombing around SA in a ‘Chico!) we got going and felt the benefit of the air-con and power steering.
First stop was a very scenic drive down to Simons Town. We headed for “Boulders Beach” where they have Penguins. This was the real attraction, but when we rocked up to the main beach we couldn’t see any? After a while we turned around and were just about to leave and make our way down to Cape Point when we saw a big sign that read “Penguins, this way”! We followed the signs and excitedly picked up our pace. We were a little disappointed to find the Penguins all resided in an enclosed section of the beach (this is Boulders Beach!) and you had to pay to get in - on reflection I really don’t know what we were expecting and it was only 30 Rand, which is just over 2GBP! But gone were Sandra’s dreams of swimming with the Penguins and rubbing their bellies!! (I don’t know, only Sandra!)
It was well worth it though. Not only to see Penguins on the beach, which is still pretty weird, but to see them living free in their own environment. It’s never the same in a zoo and unless you make it down to the Antarctic you probably wouldn’t get the chance to see these amazing creatures! So, a thousand photos later we decided to say goodbye to our new friends and make our way down to Cape Point.
This was another fantastic scenic drive. The closer we got the more winding the cliff top drive became. The more exhilarating it felt. At some points you could see the sea on both sides of the land. Suddenly Baboons appeared from everywhere and nowhere! A mother with it’s baby on her back was casually sitting in the road. At the sides of the road they were everywhere just sitting around staring at us tourists. People had told us about the Baboons, but I hadn’t really taken it in. Baboons! We quickly made sure the doors and windows were locked and hoped the boot was too. (tourists!).
The day before were told stories of tourists having their lunches nicked from out of their hands by these Baboons, so we weren’t taking any chances. We parked up as close as we could to Cape Point, checked the doors and windows again, then got the packed lunch out!
We made the trek up to the Cape Point Lighthouse and just stared out at sea into the misty blue void. It felt so peaceful. Remembering stories of treacherous seas and ship wrecks seemed to be a lie until every now and then the wind really picked up and you automatically held on to the closest thing to you.
Next we went to “The Cape of Good hope” which is a 5 minute drive from The Point. We passed loads of surfers doing their thing, mainly wind surfers. The waves were really big along this stretch and it was pretty windy too. Again there were loads of Baboons in the roads and on the sides of the road. One Baboon was in the back of a surfers truck helping himself to his lunch! We watched him down some orange juice, casually throw the now empty bottle over his shoulder while simultaneously help himself to a large 5 litre bottle of water! Pretty funny stuff to watch but you seriously wouldn’t want to mess with these dudes, and as it turned out we weren’t being too cautious with our lunch earlier!! Can’t wait to pop some Photos of these up…
Anyway The Cape of Good Hope is the most south westerly point in South Africa and like Cape Point felt kind of wondrous to be here. I’ve stared at these places on maps for years wondering what was there and now being here they didnt dissapoint. Like most people who were there with us we took the obligatory photo next to the signs and then just stared out to sea. Very refreshing and cleansing for the mind!
After this we took the slow scenic journey back to Cape Town, cracked open a bottle of wine and chilled for the rest of the evening.