Drive to Cape of Good Hope and back

A friend recommended driving along the Cape Peninsula so that is what we did.

The coastal road heading towards The Cape of Good Hope is stunning. You have to pay a toll when you get to a place called Chapman’s Peak and from there you drive through Hout’s Bay and a few other little seaside towns until eventually you end up at cape Point national park.

The entrance fee into the Park is a bit steep at around £37 for 2 people, but hey ho, if you want to see these things you’ve got to suck it up and it all goes towards keeping the area pristine and safe from development.

The Fear this time shape-shifted into the form of baboons. There are signs everywhere telling you to beware of the baboons. You are instructed not to eat any food as they will attack you for it. That was quite a shame as I was reasonably hungry and had a sandwich in my rucksack, ready for me to have a little picnic while admiring Cape point.

S of course didn’t give a monkeys (sorry, couldn’t resist ) and sat down on a wall and munched his sandwich defiantly. No baboons arrived so I crammed my sandwich into my mouth in two bites – not enjoyable. Baboon Fear wins.

Despite the lawless baboons we had a very enjoyable walk and made it on to a stunning beach. The ocean is freezing though – we dipped our toes in it and immediately felt drained of all warmth.

Next stop – Simons Town and Boulders Beach where a small colony of penguins live. As we walked along the boardwalk leading to the penguins, we saw a dassie. A dassie looks a bit like a marmot except it has a rat-like face and seems quite ferocious. It makes a strange noise when it feels threatened which scared the life out of a little girl who had also spied it.

We viewed the penguins from afar rather than join the throngs closer to the colony, then it was off again to start the return journey home, this time along the opposite side of the cape.

There are lots of trendy surfers’ towns along this route. Old Victorian houses are now home to boutiques and cafes. Nice.

The views got less enticing once we headed inland back towards Capetown. Lots of what I imagine are social housing estates intermingled with what I can only describe as slums.

We arrived home in time for a quick shower and change , and then headed off to the Mantra Cafe in town where we were meeting friends Karen and Phil and their friends Janet and Alistair. They happened to be in Capetown at the same time as us so we met up and had a very jolly time.

Unfortunately Steve partook of the grape a little too much, so yet again we ended up walking home, this time with me exhorting S to hurry up and walk faster while he weaved his way back and forth up the hill, hiccuping and giggling. I think The Fear had given up on me as far as walking home is concerned.

Updated scores are 1 to fear (those pesky baboons) and 3 to me.