Day Two in Cape Town

On Thursday we decided to take a drive along some of the more famous roads around Cape Town, and visit some of the surrounding little towns. We started our trip by checking out Sea Point, the lighthouse, the fancy hotels and the promenade. We then continued through to Camps Bay and had a delicious ice-cream while we walked along the beautiful, white sand that is their beach.

After our ice-creams, we meandered our way to Hout Bay, and we went to the harbour. As we were walking down towards the waves, and taking in the stunning views around the bay, Mel noticed that there was a seal playing in the water just beyond the waves. We watched it for a while, and it even started surfing some of the waves! We then took a walk down the pier to look at some of the boats. They were swamped by seagulls, which were swooping down and landing on anything that mildly resembled a perch.

Seal surfing a wave

The next section of the road was the infamous Chapman’s Peak. We wound our way along the pass, stopping at every available view point to appreciate the breath-taking beauty around us. The sea was a rich blue, and the clouds created transforming dark patches throughout the bay. Ross got excited as we drove through the partially tunnelled section - which he had only seen before in fancy car adverts on the TV.

View from Chapman's Peak

Once we were over the pass, we made our way towards Kalk Bay for lunch. We stopped at Kalky’s (a restaurant which was suggested to us as a “legitimately Cape experience”). We ordered some fish, calamari and chips and waited at a table for our order number to be called out. After a while, a kwaai looking coloured lady came out holding two plates screeching, “Order number 56!” It wasn’t our order, but we suddenly understood how things were done at Kalky’s. When our order did arrive, the lady plonked it down in front of us, said something as she was walking away (which both of us missed completely) and returned with a small tray of sauces - which she promptly bashed down between us. We think she said “Enjoy your meal,” after that, but we can’t be sure. The suggestion was a good one, and we enjoyed our feast.

Inside Kalky's

Next we drove to Boulders Bay to see some penguins. We were too cheap to go into the actual viewing area, and we walked along the beach instead. This proved to be a great decision, because we walked smack-bang into a little penguin sunning itself on a rock. We snapped some shots and then went and walked along the boardwalk. We saw loads of penguins (both near and far), but our beach sighting was still the best of the day. We went to have a photo with Just Nuisance (a statute of a dog who served lovingly in the navy in Simon’s Town).

Just Nuisance

Once we got back to the flat, Lyndall suggested that we go to the Rhodes Memorial. It was a lovely walk - to stretch the legs after a day with quite a bit of driving - and a spectacular view! We watched as the last few rays spread thinly over the city, and then we began our descent. On our way back to the car, we saw a rabbit, some squirrels and an owl. What a fruitful day!

Rhodes Memorial

View from Rhodes Memorial

Happy sisters