Cape of Good Hope

Sunday, February 13, 2011

As we drive along the mountain roads full of abrupt serpentinesI admire the talent and expertise of the engineers who built these roads. They are safe enough for people to built their homes overlooking and abyss. There is even a high school . I wonder how could the students concentrate on their work while faced with what Francis Drake described as "the most beautiful

Cape in the whole circumferance of the globe."

"

The visit to the penguin colony offers a perfect contrast to the majesty of the Cape. The birds are -of course- adorable as they sit on the stony beach. They are very still as if posing for photographs.

We then visit a -so called- botanical gardens; it is more like a park, with a mountain in the background and plants on steep levels, which we are invited to climb. This is a strenous tour; I try to close my eyes and rest on the way back but the driver shakes me to wake me up . Really!

Cape Point tour

The Huguenot monument

Monday, 14 February,2011

I didn't know that Huguenots have settled in South Africa. Apparently they came here from Holland, where they first took refuge from the French persecutions. They founded a town, Franschoek, with white washed houses and cool green well kept gardens and introduced French words and languistic structures to Afrikaans. Some place names are French,with the e accents somewhat askew.There is a monument celebrating their contribution to the development of the country, their industry and high moral standards. They were not abstinent, though. They developed a thriving wine industry. Wee are invited to taste the wine an shown around wineries. Coming from Australia I have little to learn in this area and as for the wine...maybe I am not a connaisseur. There are some lovely old sculpted wine casks though.

Garden Route

Tuesday, 15 February

This is Du Toit's Kloof Mountain Pass, one of the longest tunnels in the world. We are lucky with the weather and can admire the views in full sunshine. The Cango caves provide a welcome respite from the heat. Not very different from the Romanian and Australian caves, but they seem to be more roomy.

Western Cape province-Knysna-garden route

Wednesday, 16 February. 2011
We are tken to an ostrich farm. I don't know why; the birds are horrible, look bedraggled and I could not be persuaded to taste their meat nor admire-let alone buy- the handbags made from their skin. They had their uses though, In 1920 their feathers were fashionable., the 'marabous'. The simple folk who farmed them made a fortune which they used to build oppulent houses in Victorian style. We stayed in one , La Plume. Magnificent

Knysna, Monkeyland

Thursday, 17 February, 2011

Monkeyland. When we arrived at Knysna we were warned that mondeys like to climb into the rooms and help themselves to sugar packets, so we should keep doors and windows closed. I was disappointed not to see any. "You will see plenty at Monkeyland"said Brian. We certainly did. Big, smaller than a cat, black and white, brown, some a funny yellow....these are monkeys originally kept as pets. As they grow up though they reassert their wild habits and their owners want to get rid of them. The lucky ones end up in Monkeyland where they are retrained to live in the wild. We walk around them, taking pictures. They don't seem to mind, but we are not allowed to touch them. Children are offered cats instead.

The forest os lovely, with tall trees and the long swinging Pul Sauer bridge which reminds me of the Capillano bridge in Vancouver.

Friday, 18 February

We are at cape l'Agulhas, the souernmost part of the continent, the official place where the Indian and the atlantic oceans mix their waters. Named so by the Portuguese because the compass needle kept shifting. We watch the rough and rocky sea, read the signs and pose for the traditional phot marking the end of the tour.