The Cape of Good Hope, penguins, and Muizenberg

Sunday 03.01.2016

The alarm clock goes off at 6.45 am - not very Sunday-like, not very vacation-like, but we want to pick up our rental car as early as possible so that we have the whole day for the Cape Peninsula. So we leave at 8.30 am to go to the car rental. Unfortunately, they want to see my passport and not my ID card, so I have to quickly go back to get my passport. We were already here briefly yesterday and exchanged the car we actually booked (an Audi with a small trunk) for a Nissan Almera, because it has a considerably larger trunk and that's where our two suitcases/bags will fit from tomorrow. The Nissan is a lower category, which doesn't matter to us now because everything has already been paid for, but the car drives well and the trunk is important.

We head south towards Hout Bay to drive along the Chapmans Peak Drive. This route is said to be one of the most beautiful roads in South Africa, if not the world.

Well, the views are beautiful, the sea is blue, and the coast is truly stunning. You can drive this 10 kilometers for 40 Rand toll. Nice, but not as breathtaking as one read or heard.

We drive across the peninsula towards Table Mountain National Park to the south. There are views of dreamy, empty, eternal bays where the blue sea sparkles like paradise. But that's not why we're here, and overall, the water down here is only suitable for cold enthusiasts.

While everywhere there are already warning signs about "Baboons" sitting by the road, we keep rolling until we see some. 

They don't seem very friendly. You should keep the windows closed. We even heard that they now react to humans in such a way that they know when a car is unlocked with a remote control and they can open the doors and happily rummage through searching for food.

At the Cape of Good Hope, we find a parking space in the turning area, take the obligatory photos, and continue to Cape Point, where we find another parking space and sit in the sun at the café to have something to eat. Here too, where the cable car starts and there are many tourists sitting to eat and drink, everything is secured with electric fences to keep the monkeys away.

Below our path, a large bontebok stands on the slope, grazing undisturbed by the crowds of tourists walking just 30 meters past it.

We get tickets and the old cable car slowly goes up to Cape Point, where the even older lighthouse stands and you can also see the Cape of Good Hope. The views are wonderful, not a cloud in the sky, and below us, at the bottom of the steep cliff, seals are frolicking about 100 meters away.

After enjoying the fresh air, we go back down and drive north by car. We are stopped by a group of monkeys who climb over our car and stay on other cars even when they start driving. My friends don't like these animals. Hopefully, the car rental company won't complain about the scratches on the side mirror...

First, we stop at Boulders Beach. The beach is completely crowded and the penguins, which are supposed to live on the beach, have retreated to a few rocks at the end of the bay. In order to not disturb the children and others, access to those rocks is blocked by guards and the animals can only be seen from a distance. Still, they are always cute to look at.

Penguins in Boulders Beach

Now we head to Muizenberg, a place on the False Bay that is famous for its old changing huts painted in bright colors. The place is overflowing with people and we only take a few photos and then retreat. Muizenberg doesn't make a welcoming impression, rather a bit rundown.

Muizenberg

We drive along the coast back via Camps Bay, drop off 5-6 kilos of German magazines at Anja and Philipp's place, and get some food from the supermarket before we head home.

It's extremely windy, on our balcony you have to hold on to things a bit, and now we know why the clothesline feels like it weighs tons. We do some laundry, enjoy our treats and a glass of wine, and then have to surrender to the wind.

Packing and tidying up, doing the dishes - tomorrow at 9:00 am Hilary and Jen will come and our journey will begin!