Have Car, Will Travel

Maura got her car for our long weekend of adventuring--an automatic VW Polo Vivo with GPS--and we headed to the bottom of the world, or in other words, the Cape of Good Hope... by way of Hout Bay which is always worth another trip down that coastal road. She first sent me for breakfast with the old lady where there was also a ATM to get cash in case there were any markets along the way. I had tried and failed to do this once before having avoided ATM machines most of my life. This time I managed to figure it out and came back with both food and money.

Poor Maura had to refrain from looking, so I looked for both of us.  

Selfie at Chapman's Peak, to the South of Hout Bay.

Having seen the Big Five 40 years ago, the animal I was most interested in seeing in the wild was the penguin. I can’t imagine that I will find myself in another place in my life where I will be able to see a penguin in its natural habitat. The African penguin lives on the beach in a place called Boulders Beach near Simon's Town. Actually, they live all along this coast but have been encouraged to nest here with plastic type nest on some parts of the beach, and more importantly, protection from invasion of the human species (without a ticket) into their habitat with building and other invasive endeavors.

It was well worth the price we paid to watch the cute little gentlemen (I do realize that at least half of them were ladies) waddle about or lay about or huddle about for warmth or put on dazzling displays of projectile excrement. There was two walkways to the beach with multiple stops along the way for still and video camera indulgence which ended at the beach where once side was reserved for the swimmers and one side for the furry and decidedly cold children… and at least one egg. There was also one, whom Maura was sure was dead but that I had definitely seen breathing, and we finally after more definitive movement decided was either a very crochety old man or woman. He or she was just lying in the sun and just leave her alone thank you very much. We didn’t find the high road until we were just about to leave. The stairs were much steeper and wetter, so Maura (who was behind me) told the old woman to be careful and not fall. I somehow managed not to… and it was worth the work. It gave us a much better view and was much, much less crowded.

All in all, it was another beautiful place. The only down side was that the whole place smelled like bird shit.

We continue to drive over some of the most beautiful landscape in the world. The Cape of Good Hope is its own floral kingdom having more flora diversity than a tropical rainforest. It has something of a western desert look and yet it is covered in such a variety of plants. Although we are in the winter season, this is the rainy season so there are puddles of water and the air is fresh and full of life (or sex as my daughter Maura would more crudely put it).

The guilty party shortly after her eviction

There were many paths we could have taken, but as Maura intended for us to traverse the entire South African Cape in our one day (That is an only mildly hyperbolic statement.) we went straight to the Point. We had seen signs for baboons all along the way but were not expecting the sight that greeted us in the parking lot. There were baboons on top of cars and walking around the parking lot. It reminded me of the Smoky Mountains National Park in October. Men in florescent vests with sticks were shooing them away. (Something my students research said you weren’t supposed to do.) We watched a minute and they appeared to have things under control so Maura and I got out of the car. To my surprise, as I got out and went to the back of the car to meet Maura, a baboon opened my door and got in. To my greater surprise, Maura was in the driver’s side. I thought she was out. She says she got back in when the baboons appeared. When I got out and saw the baboon opening my door, I started fiddling with my iphone to take a video. When I realized that Maura was in the car, I may have lost focus. I did manage to get a bit of video, including the baboon tapping Maura on the leg as he was leaving.. nonverbally assuring her to chill, s/he was only looking for a snack

Maura was a bit frazzled.

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As we walked up the hill, we saw baboon everywhere. There was one coming off the hill over the shop. They were to the side of the parking lot. They were in the picnic area. It was early afternoon and we had not eaten, but when the snack shop had no place to sit down and eat, we decided to go in the fancy restaurant with INDOOR, no baboon seating. They did not have much in the way of vegetarian choices so it’s a good thing I eat fish. Most of all, it was free of baboons looking for a handout… which actually I totally would have given them one if I had had a wild-friendly one and it wouldn’t have messed them up. They were actually quite adorable in a very kinda scary way. (That was a total Gan-gan adjective for those of you who knew my mother.)

My giant shrimp (prawn as they say here) looked close to being able to scuttle right off my plate

Having fortified ourselves we took the funicular (a rail car) up the hill to the top. We could have hiked our way up, but being invalid and afeared of the wild life we chose to pay for a round trip. We took the leisurely smaller walk to the lighthouse where the baboons seemed to realize was not filled with snack toting tourist and were taking many photographic memories when Maura amazed me by suggesting we walk the path to the very tip. Did I think I could make it? I could not believe my ears. There was nothing I would rather do but did not think I would be given the opportunity. Hell yes!!! Was my thought. Sure was probably what I said.  The last little bit I walked with the video on wanting to share with those that had to stay behind. It was just so so incredible. There is just not a thesaurus adequate. There was a sign at the end that said Do not throw stones. It was a mind reader I guess because it really was in my first thought to throw some down and watch them fall into the water, or not. But as I always try to do, and teach my students to do, I think about the reasons behind the rules. What if EVERYBODY gave into that impulse? It could do some real damage to this place… and this place is much much too beautiful for that… and I am not the one exception. What I do matters!. So I just imagined, and enjoyed and left it for the next person, and the next, and the next.

At the top of the funicular near the lighthouse. 

Making Maura nervous as usual. 

Maura not being afraid at the edge of Cape Point

The view at the end of the hike.  

It was getting late as we left. Having read about all the carjackings, I had wanted us to be in our apartment by dark every night but the sunset on Chapman’s Peak drive was not to be missed. I neglected to mention this outstanding toll drive on the way. It is free to locals and tourists to just drive up and back to enjoy the views but if you want to drive through to get to the other side, you must pay. Again, I will let the picture do the talking.

As we came into Hout Bay, we stopped at Thai’s Café, our franchise staple… not the best Thai food ever, but consistent and decent, and with safe parking. We hit it just in time. There was very limited indoor seating (and it was pretty chilly at this point besides being dark) but the take out crowd was hopping right after our arrival, too. I branched out and had fish with my penang curry which meant I had to eat it all with no leftovers but after our adventurous day, I managed to do that with no problems.

We followed supper with another beautiful drive over Camp’s Bay where I really enjoyed not being the driver.  We really didn’t get home very late, but I don’t think I made it an hour after my medicine before I went to sleep. Maura said I was snoring loudly before she even thought about sleeping so that she had to pull out the ear plugs.

Altogether a good day.