Cape of Good Hope

Yesterday we traveled from KwaZulu Natal to Cape Town – a 3 hour drive and then a 2 hour flight from Durban.  Airport routines are mostly the same everywhere.  Fill the rental car with gas, return it, go through security …

We ate at a WImpy’s in the Durban terminal.  Howard wanted to walk up to the counter and say, “I will gladly pay you Thursday for a burger today” – but the personnel looked too young to understand the reference, so he let go of that idea.

Today we drove south to the tip of Africa, to the Cape of Good Hope.  It isn’t quite the most southern point of Africa, but it is the point at which the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean currents meet, and where sailors historically have found it most challenging to figure out how to stay the course.  In this part of the world, the Atlantic has the colder currents and the Indian Ocean is the warmer one.  Both of them are pretty here.

Somehow I had never associated ostriches with Africa.

We weren’t far from the actual Cape when we found several ostriches along the beach.  We also saw a few seals on the rocks off-shore, but not close enough to get photos.

The obligatory tourist photo:

I really wanted to see the African penguins along the coast here.  They are so funny to watch waddle around.  It’s even funny to watch them just stand still,

This one is coming in for a landing after a swim.

South Africa shows the influence of colonial British, Dutch, German, native tribes …  The country has 9 recognized languages.  Everyone has been very courteous and has volunteered to help us when we look confused (which has happened more than once).

And so polite.  We realized today that we hadn’t heard The “f” word since we had been here.  Not even a s**t or “damn”.  I could get used to that.

Coming up, we will be checking out more sights around Cape Town.  Until then, watch our for this guy –

S.