Date: Feb 3, 2007
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Next Port: Richards Bay, South Africa, Feb. 6-7
Quick Summary: Our second day in the beautiful Cape Town area consisted primarily of a fun ride down south to the Cape Point Lighthouse. We stopped along the way at Boulders Beach to see a colony of South African penguins and then to enjoy a delightful lunch at the Black Marlin. We topped the day off with a light dinner of ostrich pizza on the wharf.
Report: Feb. 3 marked the end of the First Segment of Regent’s World Cruise. It meant we had to say good-bye to some of our new friends. Some were heading off on safaris and others were heading straight home. One couple, Lynn and Ian, are returning to London after putting together their own world tour. They left Cape Town last October and have circumnavigated the globe using at least three different cruise lines. We wish all of our new friends safe travels and thanks for enriching our lives.
Today, rather than go on one of the ship’s tours, we joined Dodi and Larry, fellow world cruisers from Oregon. We hired a private van for a trip down to Cape Point. (Before then, Dodi made an emergency visit to a local dentist. This was a follow-up appointment to one she had on Friday soon after we arrived. The total cost of the two visits, including X-rays, was just $70!)
While waiting for Dodi to return, we took the opportunity to visit some of the shops in the wharf area and survey the local crafts. We also visited the Nobel Square where Cape Town’s four Nobel Peace Prize Laureates are honored with bronze statues.
They are:
· Nkosi Albert Luthuli (1960)
· Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1984)
· Former State President F.W. de Klerk (1993)
· Former President Nelson Mandela (1993)
It is quite amazing that this small country with its strained past has produced four winners of this coveted award. This tribute is in a beautiful spot and quite an honor for this city. (The only disappointment was that one of those “bronze-painted” mechanical-man street performers, just like the ones we have in Chicago, was standing amongst the statues and spoiling the pictures.)
Larry ducked into the V&A mall and had a great haircut in a very traditional English barbershop (for half what he’d have paid on the ship).
At 11:15 a.m., we headedoff in a very nice VW van with Dodi, Larry and Karl, our driver. Heading out of town, we saw the Groote Schuur Hospital where Dr. Christian Barnard performed the world’s first human heart transplant more than 30 years ago. The older part of the hospital is now a museum to mark that remarkable achievement. We also passed the beautiful campus of University of Cape Town, situated at the base of a beautiful mountain backdrop.
We stopped in Simon’s Town to visit the busy beach. After a short walk, we came to Boulders Beach. This National Park site is one of only four breeding colonies of African Penguins. Boardwalks gave us good access to the penguins on the beach and amongst the boulders. We could easily see many nests and some of the eggs that were being kept warm by the parents. These penguins mate for life and usually have one clutch a year of two eggs. These are the only type of penguins that make their home in South Africa.
Just a bit further south, we stopped for lunch at the Black Marlin. We sat under some umbrellas and enjoyed the cool breeze, the beautiful view and a delicious seafood lunch. It’s a very friendly, popular spot for tourists trekking to and from Cape Point. (We invited Karl to dine with us, but he declined. We learned that the restaurant “takes care” of the drivers, obviously a good marketing tool.)
And what do you suppose we saw in the restaurant parking lot?
Baboons! We were warned that they could be dangerous. They have been known to bite and to grab handbags, cameras, etc. We were asked not to feed them, but many people do. We were told that is why they have moved into populated areas.
As we approached Cape Point and entered the National Park, the land became hillier and the vegetation more scrub-like. But the bushes and flowers, particularly the Proteus, were plentiful. In the parking lot down from the lighthouse, we saw more baboons sitting on cars and walking around. We also saw foolish folks feeding them.
We decided to take the funicular up to the old lighthouse. From the top, we had a 360 degree view…with about 300 degrees of it being water. The sheer cliffs, rocky coastline and crashing surf were terrific. We chose to walk down from the lighthouse which was also quite enjoyable. Tomorrow we will see this area, the Cape of Good Hope, as we pass by and cross from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.
Though the return trip was uneventful, we saw more beautiful scenery and beaches. We got back to the ship at 5:15 p.m.…a very enjoyable six hours with Dodi and Larry…and Karl, who had a great sense of humor.
We rested a bit and swapped stories with friends in the Voyager Lounge. After changing into warmer clothes, we headed out into the wharf area. We explored for a bit and decided to have salad, pizza and local beer at an outside restaurant overlooking the harbor. What type of pizza? Ostrich. Hey, this is Africa! It was very good...and marked the end of another delightful day. This is a fun city and a magnificent area...the best stop yet!
Karen and Larry
A reminder: Photos of our cruise are now available at the following web site:
picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise
Photos of our trip to Cape Point been added.
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