Points and Penguins

  Having taught world history for many years we were both excited to have the opportunity to see what the Europeans of the 15th century considered the end of the world. Named the Cape of Storms when Bartolomeu Dias discovered there was an end to Africa, it was renamed the Cape of Good Hope by King John II of Portugal. He thought the name change promoted a more encouraging image for future exploration. And so we rented a car to drive to the place where the Portuguese established an ocean route to Asia.

  Even for us it is not all about history. On the way we stopped at Boulders Beach to see the colony of African penguins. These birds are smaller than many of their Antarctic cousins but share many of the same characteristics: black and white, funny walk, great swimmers. We found many of them nesting in the sand either with a newly hatched chick or sitting on an egg. These penguins are on the endangered list for a number of reasons including their own behaviors.  They nest in the open under the hot sun, abandoning the egg if a mate takes too long to return from the ocean. Both egg and chick ar susceptible to sea gulls; we watched a gull swoop down and steal an egg away from a distracted parent. Some years none of the chicks survive as parents stop caring for them when the chicks are about two months old. Adult penguins are also vulnerable especially when they molt. During the 15 day process of losing old feathers as new ones grow in the penguins can't swim. They stand at the edge of the water and hope to not be attacked by a gull or another larger bird or to starve to death because they didn't eat enough prior to the molt.

  This colony at least has some protection from threats by humans. Boardwalks take you up and around the beach, close enough to see but not to touch. Fences surround the area to provide extra protection but the penguins themselves choose to live dangerously. They have been known to waddle up hills, through the fences and onto the road. Signs in the area warn drivers of possible penguin crossing.

  As we continued on to Cape point we saw new signs warning us this time of baboons in the road. Baboons! We weren't on safari yet here amid beach front houses the animals lived in the nearby hills.

  After about an hour we reached Cape Point, part of Table Mountain National Park. We drove through the park to the old lighthouse at the point, built in the 1850’s to warn passing ships of the dangerous rocky coast. Unfortunately the lighthouse sat too high and was either hidden by

clouds or gave the impression that the coast was safe to approach. A new light house was built in 1911.

 The old lighthouse sits about a kilometer up a rocky cliff. Although a funicular is available to ride to the top we chose to hike. The distance wasn't bad but the path was quite steep. Periodic stops  offered breathtaking views of the coast. We even saw a few surfers who had carried their boards down cliffs to catch some waves an an isolated beach.

  What goes up must come down. After reaching the summit and taking the requisite selfie we began our descent. On our way up we had seen signs cautioning us about baboons as well as physical evidence that the animals had recently been on the path (phew).  Upon reaching the visitors center at the bottom of the hill, a baboon crossed right in front of us as if we didn't exist. We followed him, along with many others, as he nonchalantly crossed the parking lot to sit on a wall overlooking the ocean; apparently oblivious to the small commotion he was causing.

  We moved on to our ultimate destination of the day. Like Dias our journey ended at the Cape of Good Hope.  While the rocky coast was no place to land a ship, let alone settle there, it was as King John II had named it; a place of hope for bringing together goods and ideas from Europe and Asia by way of the sea.

Up, Up and Away

  Table Mountain is perhaps Cape Town’s most iconic landmark. It can be seen for miles around the peninsula. Nelson Mandela even commented that he and the other political prisoners would look at it from Robben island and considered it a “beacon of hope”. With a height of 1087 meters and age age believed to be over 600 million years (making it one of the oldest mountains on earth) it is an impressive sight. Some days clouds sit on top creating a “tablecloth effect” down the sides. Going to the top is an absolute Cape Town must do.

  There are always problems with must do’s. In this case there were two of them. Both involved the actual getting to the top. One method is to hike. There are a number of trails going up for the young and vigorous. Some of these trails are quite steep; involving some actual rock climbing, narrow paths around boulders and the occasional ladder to climb. Others have steps in some areas that seem to go up forever. The quickest is said to take about one  and a half to two hours of strenuous hiking over not very scenic terrain.

  The other way up is on a cable car; not bad if it is the San Francisco type- rails on a road. Alas this is not the case. The Table Mountain cable car is like a ski lift: a car suspended on a narrow cable taking the passengers to dizzying height while dangling in the air.

  While this may be a no brainer, it was quite the dilemma for me. A two hour hike for some could take me four or more hours. I didn't want to blow out my already bad knee so early in the trip. Balance has never been a strong suit for me (ok, I am Clumsy) and the trails were steep and narrow. On the other hand, hanging hundreds of feet in the air has caused more than one panic attack in my life.  All it takes is one really good gust of wind and we sail off the cable onto the rocks below.

  You may be thinking there is another option. Nope, not going up was not an option. I didn't come all this way to be an old woman and sit things out. With that thought in mind we bought our tickets for the cable car.

  Luckily we chose a beautiful, sunny, wind free day. After waiting until our assigned time,(and watching cars go up and down, much like the feeling in my stomach) we boarded our car. There were no seats so we stood by a window where I could hold onto a pole and bury my head in Johns shoulder.

  As we began our ascent I felt my hand slipping from the pole and the floor moving under my feet. Oh dear, the floor was rotating. While this allowed for beautiful panoramic 360 degree views for everyone it robbed me of my security pole.  Thankfully I had John to hang on to. As we travelled further and further up I was able to peek over occasionally, trying my best to look out and not down. Within a few minutes we had reached the top and my feet were once more on solid land.

  Was it worth it? A thousand times YES! the views were magnificent. Trails were available for all levels of hiking. They even had a place where you could (for an additional fee) hang off the side of the mountain with ropes. Needless to say we passed on that one. We especially enjoyed watching the Dassies, or rock hyrax play on the rocks. This rodent like animal is actually quite anatomically similar to an elephant.  

  Going back down provided the same two options but this time I felt much better about entering the cars. I even managed to give the evil eye to some misbehaving middle schoolers on a field trip. As we descended I was able to look out over the beautiful city and enjoy it from a different perspective. I guess FDR was right; all we have to fear is fear itself. And heights.