Cape of Good Hope

A Cape Seal swims lazily around the harbour
click to enlarge

Our second day in Cape Town is another tightly packed tour. We’ll visit Hout Bay, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, a colony of penguins at Boulder Bay, and the Botanical Gardens.

Hout bay

No-one can believe the weather! Clear, deep blue skies with a baking hot sun. We know the Mount Nelson has a reputation for being able to arrange anything, but this goes way beyond expectations.

After another great tropical fruit breakfast and a large cup of fresh strong black coffee (tea for Lin), our tour guide picks us up at 8.20am.

Driving south along the west coast, we stop initially at Hout Bay Harbour where some Cape Seals are swimming around, lazily.

Continuing south, I see a wide bank of sea fog in the distance. ‘Look Lin. Sea fog, and it will soon be on us.’ Loving meteorology, I find this far more exciting than being able to admire the seascape.

Hout Bay harbour
click to enlarge

Controlled Burn

A mile or so before the Cape of Good Hope we see smoke rising high in the distance. This isn’t seafog, it’s smoke which in turn means fire. A brush fire? Thankfully no. As we pass by, signs declare a controlled burn’s in progress. There are many firemen keeping it in check.

But it’s a hot day and the breeze is increasing.

Cape of Good Hope

Arriving at the Cape of Good Hope the first thin wisps of sea fog are around us. We stop to take photos. From the Cape of Good Hope we drive to Cape Point. Behind us, we can see the smoke is more dense and the sky is dark.

Cape Point

A bank of sea fog approaches the coast
click to enlarge

We arrive at Cape Point as the sea fog reduces visibility to a few hundred metres. No views. Is it disappointing? Not at all.

Instead our imaginations run riot at the thought of sailors battling their tall masted ships with torn sails against violent storms, whilst laden with precious far eastern spices and hoping beyond hope they wouldn’t be driven onto the rocks to face certain death and join countless others.

Uncontrolled?

Returning, we have to drive past the fire. There’s no doubt the fire is spreading. The flames are more extensive. A fire engine races past with its siren wailing (wobbling would be a better description) and more trucks with more firemen.

The traffic stops and is backed up ahead of us. We slow and stop and it’s not long before the smell of smoke is in the mini-bus, maybe because I’ve opened the side window and am hanging out taking photos.

Smoke rises in the distance
click to enlarge

Whilst I’m half out of the window I hear the unmistakable ‘wop, wop’ of helicopter blades. It arrives carrying a huge water bladder. It drops its load over the fire close to the road and flies off.

We’re on the move again, the water having sufficiently doused the flames to allow us to pass.

How exciting this trip is becoming!

Penguins

We even have time to visit a penguin sanctuary at Boulders Bay.

What great little fellows these little African (Jackass) Penguins are, and how strange to see penguins on a hot beach. Where’s the snow and ice?

The sanctuary has boarded and railed walkways to separate visitors from the colony. It’s fun hearing them speak (the penguins, not the visitors). They ‘grunt’. And when they start grunting in unison they sound like donkeys braying – hence their colloquial name of ‘Jackass’ Penguins.