South Africa to Zimbabwe Day 3

---

Scenic Cape Peninsula

Wednesday, August 18 we have a full-day, 140-mile, round-trip to Cape Point at the southern tip of the peninsula and although it rains off and on all day it’s amazing. On the way south, we follow the western coast.

Seal-covered islets

At Hout Bay we opt to take a boat out to see a seal colony. Great experience even though the boat is tossed around by ferocious waves and it looks as if we will crash right into the rocks. In fact the boat that's in front of us looks like a toy as it's flung around. None of us has life preservers. I don't even think we are told where they are. It has become apparent that liability is not an issue in Africa, at least not in southern Africa.

A wild encounter

At the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Ahren and I and three fellow tour-mates hike down a path toward the beach in the rain and encounter three wild ostriches on the trail. The water is a turquoise green/blue that, juxtaposed to the white sand, is simply stunning. Most of the other 40 plus people on tour with us attempt to stay dry on the bus or in the restaurant, but miss out on a novel experience. But few are dressed for the cold, wet weather. I’m lucky that I’ve thrown in gloves, scarf, and an extra coat. I’m wearing them all and have a hood pulled up over my head. But the walk actually warms me a bit.

Too cute

After lunch we stop at a penguin colony on the eastern coast of the peninsula south of Simon's Town where we wander along a boardwalk and watch hundreds of African penguins close up and personal. They sleep, cuddle with each other, waddle, dive into underground nests, surf the waves. So cute. Ahren says it’s the best day of her life. Lol

Swirls of colors

We continue north, stopping at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. One of the nicest gardens I've ever seen. The flowers, indigenous to Africa, are just spectacular, bright yellows and oranges. Gorgeous. Ahren and I get separated from the group and keep following other people around the park. We spot people we’re sure are in our tour and hurry to catch up only to find a group from Japan or Russia. Pretty funny. We get to see a really huge, dinner-plate-size flower that the others miss though. We eventually find our way to the exit, not as easy as it sounds since there are tons of forks in the paths. We load up and head out for Cape Town.

Windblown

In the evening, Ahren and I walk a block to the beach to take pictures of the waves as they crash on shore. As the wind increases, the surf becomes heavier and heavier. We walk out on the rocks to catch the last of the light and to watch as the waves seem to swell up from the depths. I stay a few minutes too long. The wind whips up even more and I have difficulty keeping my balance until I can get down from the rocks. OK. Just a couple more shots of the sunset and we'll go.

---

Photos

An island of seals
They were everywhere. On the rocks. In the sea.

Ostriches at Cape Nature Reserve
Cold and wet. But worth the hike to see ostriches in the wild