Cape of Good Hope

January 5
Today we drove to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. I have been waiting for this day because I think it will be very beautiful! Our drive started off by going to Hout Bay which is a lush and gorgeous drive. Today was around 36 degrees...we love the heat! Unlike Camps Bay which has big waves which makes it hard to swim, Hout Bay has small calm waves which makes it a peacefull place to be. We walked along the beach for a while and took in all the beauty of the bay. There were many people walking their dogs on the beach which was nicely raked and quiet. We then left Hout Bay and made our way to Champman's Peak drive. We were told that this drive was the worlds most beautiful drive and we all agree! As we were driving along there were many signs warning us about baboons...imagine that! We made many stops along the this drive but one in particular was very captivating. It was a beach that reminded me of New Port Beach because of the marine fog, it was very large, and deserted. Along the road we saw many animals; the first sighting of wildlife were baboons playfully walking along the side of the road. We finally got to Cape Point after much driving only to find out it costs 80 rand (11 dollars) each to get into the national park (Table Mountain National Park), but it was well worth the money. We drove as far as we could to the very Southern point of Africa but then we were required to go on foot the rest of the way. It was a bit of a hike to get there but once we were there it was a very spectacular sight of the Indian and Atlantic Ocean coming together and no other land in sight! We then hopped into the car and made a quick stop at the Cape of Good Hope which is the most South Westerly point of the African continent. Along the way we saw our second sighting of wildlife...ostriches. They were walking right across the road in front of us....so cool!  We then left to head for Simon's town but first made a quick stop at Boulders beach to have a look at the penguines! They are a sight to see standing right next to the crashing waves. After all these activities we were all complaining of hunger...so we stopped off at a seafood resturant in Simon's town. After lunch Adele and I went shopping and the rest of the gang went to the beach. We then joined them and quickly found them beacuse they were the only ones on the beach sun tanning while the rest of the people were playing in the water.  We noticed this was the case throughout our trip. (Natalie is typing this and says...) I guess the black people don't really go to the beach to tan:) We finished the day by getting some ice cream, picked up food for a bbq at the B&B, and relaxed the rest of the night.  The highlight of the day is to hard to pick out a specific moment. The whole day was a highlight...a very beautiful day full of adventure!!!    Lina