Tales of Winter


Cape Agulhas – 13th of August 2018 – From the wine area we drive south to Hermanus, where we want to spot whales. The sun has disappeared and it is pouring when we walk along the cliff path. At the Grotto Beach we are soaked and decide to go back to the hotel in Sandbaai. We will have to come back to enjoy this iconic place. In the hotel, I want to make tea, but our host jumps in front of me and says ‘Let me take care of that, or don’t you want to be spoiled? ’. The hot Rooibos tea warms me up and I peer through one of the many binoculars on the coffee table. No whales, no sharks, not a single sardine. We change quickly and go back to ‘The Burgundy’ in Hermanus. The Springbok Carpaccio is delicious and so is the Pinotage wine. With the wind and rain battering the single glazing, nobody wants to sit at the window with the ocean view. We have a good night’s rest; dozing off with the roaring Atlantic in the background is unique. The next morning we drive to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean meet. After Baardskeerbos and Elim, we take the unpaved road to the National Park. We are early and a group of workers build a new platform at the Cape Agulhas Monument. Tourists make it difficult for them, masonry and selfies do not match. A rocky beach hammered by waves, identical to the beaches one mile further down, but this is one of those bucket list spots. Been there, done that!

Cape Agulhas meet and greet (no selfie, picture taken by human from Norway)


Reacties

Een reactie posten

Populaire posts van deze blog

Platteklip Gorge

Afbeelding
Cape Town, 21th of August 2018 – Today we are walking up Table Mountain, 515 years after Portuguese explorer Antonio de Saldanha. He got separated from his fleet and needed a lookout point to see if his mates had sailed off without him. Scary thought! Saldanha climbed up the narrow gorge and spotted his fellow seamen. During his ascent he saw the sweet water flowing down, great discovery for the rest of their voyage. The narrow Platteklip Gorge is the most direct way to walk up Table Mountain. It is made of rock-steps and very steep, but with an average fitness you can do it in less than 2 hours. You don’t need a map, you start and just look up all the time, following the serpentine. We leave our car at the ranger post and take the bus to the lower cable station. From there we walk to the starting point. A ranger joins us and we have a chat. “Where are you from?” followed by the “Aha Kevin De Bruyne” sentence. “In Table Mountain National Park, there are only fifty rangers, we patrol ...
Meer lezen

Cosy in the lapa

Afbeelding
Schotia, 18th of August 2018 – Kurt drove us to our tent in the middle of the park yesterday after dinner and closed the fence, promising he would be back at 7 a.m. We are the only ones sleeping in a tent in the park. Woohaa! Outside temperature minus 1° C, inside temperature plus 3°C. The night is full of strange sounds; we definitely hear the lions roar. The complimentary bottle of wine remains untouched.   I wake up at 5 a.m. and go outside for a pee. Flying from above the toilet hut, a yellow bird almost scalps me. At 7 a.m., we hear Kurt’s jeep. He is on time, must be his German genes! He helps me to light the small gas stove and I put on the kettle to make us some coffee. We slowly wake up to the sound of singing birds with the low sun in our faces. Now, our morning tour starts. This is the best part of the safari. The animals are in a state of slow motion, as if they are waiting for instructions. A giraffe slowly walks by and his cracking joints amaze us. Apparently, arthr...
Meer lezen

Don't be a Jackass!

Afbeelding
Cape of Good Hope, 21 st of August 2018 – On the southern tip of Table Mountain National Park is Cape of Good Hope. Ever since primary school, this name has mysteriously attracted me. Before we go to that mythical spot, we drive to Boulders Beach, home to a penguin colony. These birds are great fun to watch, the way they clumsily come out of the water, changing from top-level swimmers to helpless walkers. For a moment, I doubt if I am in Disneyworld or in a nature reserve. Tourists from all over the world want to see a glimpse of these ‘Jackass’ penguins. Yes, that is their name! Italians elbow their way through the crowd to reach the best photo spot, the Japanese politely wait their turn and nod their heads off if you let them pass. Further down the beach there is a spot where you can ‘swim with the penguins’… I remember a ranger who told me that tourists are not that bad. Without them, endangered species would never get any attention, nor the money to set up conservation programs...
Meer lezen