Cape Peninsula 10.8.19

Today we set off early to drive around the Cape Peninsula. Lorenz has a friend who grew up in Cape Town. He moved back to Germany when he was 13, but now he lives in Cape Town again. He took us on the tour with his car. We made a stop just before Simonstown, where we could watch whales. Then we drove on to Boulders Beach to see the penguins. To be able to see the penguins, we had to climb over rocks and wade through the water.

Once we reached the back, we were able to observe them nicely. Really beautiful animals, very graceful and fast swimmers. The way back was unfortunately a bit tricky. We thought we could avoid most of the climbing, as the water had just receded at one point. So we all started walking, which turned out to be less smart in the end, as we had to climb up again through a narrow passage. There were about 6 people or more, the first ones made it up. But then the water came back, of course I was the very last one. My jeans were completely wet from the first wave. Then another wave came and I was slightly annoyed. The third wave was so strong that it splashed against the rocks and went over us. So I was soaked from head to toe. A few more waves came, but at that point it didn't matter anymore. The others quickly took my camera and phone to protect them, and then we climbed up in peace as it was already getting dark.

But someone had an even worse experience than me. When we reached the dry rock, Lorenz wanted to take a photo of the surroundings. He took out his phone, but he doesn't keep his cards in a wallet, but loose in his pants pocket. He accidentally flicked the cards out with his phone and they promptly flew into the water.

After laughing heartily, I managed to fish some of his cards out, as I was still in the water and already soaking wet up to my underwear - literally. Now a penguin is swimming with his credit card.

Then we went to the Cape. The South Africans are a bit money-minded, because they get very cheap entry to the national parks, like Boulders Beach and also the Cape. People with a longer residence permit pay a bit more but still very little. Tourists then pay the full price, which I can understand. But to prove the residence permit, you have to have your passport with you. A photo or anything else is not enough, not even the student ID card, which I wouldn't have without a residence permit. But taking the passport with you is dangerous, as bags are often stolen here. I'm sure that sort of thing would happen in Austria too with the student ID card, they would turn a blind eye to that.

It was very nice at the Cape but also windy, which was less pleasant for me in wet jeans.

In the evening we went out. I had almost a real Longstreet experience. Longstreet is the street where all the clubs are and where everyone goes out. We were just on our way home and called an Uber. Everyone said it's not safe to walk home, even though our Air BnB was just around the corner. We only walked from the snack bar across the street to the car, we all had our bags under control, only I had my phone out because I had to check the Uber's license plate. I had just opened the car door to get into the Uber when someone ran up to me, slammed the door shut and shouted "show me". I thought he meant that I wanted to snatch his Uber, and he wanted to check on my phone if it's my Uber. But I was really mad that he touched my phone. So I pushed him away onto another car. Jessi noticed that something was wrong in the Uber and opened the door and pulled me in. Only in the car did I realize that I had been really lucky that my phone wasn't stolen. All in all, we were lucky, but unfortunately this has greatly tarnished my impression of South Africa.