Our plan for the day is a Cape Peninsula tour with ‘Blue Africa’. Our driver and guide is Matt who has been with the company for years. It’s a private tour so we were able to add and subtract things as we go.
Our first stop is in the area known as ‘Bo-Kaap’. The area was formerly known as the Malay Quarter, a racially segregated area settled by Muslim workers and ex-slaves on the slopes of Signal Hill above Cape Town’s city center. The population originally consisted of slaves imported from Malaysa and the homes were traditionally painted white. After emancipation in 1834, the newly freed residents painted their homes in the very bright colors that persist to this day – perfect photo ops. A number of mosques remain in the area with ‘Nurul Islam Mosque’ being the most famous. It was founded in 1844. It is still heavily Muslim, and residents are wary of outsiders. Given the current political situation, we were reluctant to venture here on our own as we would be quite noticeable to say the least. Matt led us on a short walking tour for photos before heading down the peninsula.
We were really looking forward to the drive down the peninsula – it has a Pebble Beach type of view. Unfortunately, the morning skies were quite overcast and views of the western cape were obscured by clouds, we could tell Matt was a little disappointed for us.
One of our requested ‘add-ons’ for the tour was in the seaside town of Noordhoek for a stop at the ‘Aegir Project’, a craft brewery specializing in wild ales. It’s a very cool place with a nice selection of samplers and bombers to go. Gotta love the name – in the Old Norse record, Ægir hosts the gods in his halls and is associated with brewing ale.
We continue down the western cape on Chapman Drive, an architectural wonder – even in the fog. After a while we entered the massive Cape of Good Hope Nature Preserve. The area is an incredibly diverse belt of shrubland known as ‘fynbos’ (pronounced ‘fine-boss’). Ostrich and baboons roam the area. BTW, baboons can be very aggressive if food is available.
At the end of the drive is the Cape of Good Hope. There is a nice cable car ride to the top of the mountain for a view of the Cape from above, but with the fog we decided to pass – we’ve seen the top of clouds before. As we had been on the road for a while, it seemed like a good time to visit the public restrooms at the park. In the ladies restroom there was only one stall open and as Mary opened the door at eye level was a very hairy chocolate brown spider about 3-4 inches round with long legs moving at a brisk pace along the wall. Prudence made her wait for another stall to open.
After rounding the cape our next stop was Simon’s Town, a popular tourist town and home to one of South Africa’s naval bases. Just past Simon’s Town is Boulders Beach, home of the South African Penguin (because you have to see penguins in this part of the world). They are also known as Jackass Penguins due to loud, donkey-like sounds. It’s a short walk to the viewing area where the penguins hang out. Love those guys.
On the way back Matt suggested we visit Groot Constantia (oldest winery in South Africa, circa 1780) for a wine tasting. Great idea Matt.
We got back to the hotel around 4:30. It had been a long time since breakfast so we walked down the hill to Ricks American Café (think Casablanca, the movie). Mary unfortunately opted for a hamburger that did not sit well with her and had an eventful evening as a result. Dick had a lovely tagine.