Day 307 June 8 2015 Cape Town South Africa

Day 307  June 8 2015  Cape Town  South Africa

This was our last full day in South Africa and the last place we went to visit in South Africa was Simon’s Town which is the home to a colony of african penguins at Boulders Beach.   It was neat to see the penguins in a natural habitat instead of in a zoo or aquarium.  There were quite a few penguins sitting on eggs and other with chicks.  On the way back to the hotel we went to the shops at Table Mountain to buy a few souvenirs.  We were going to pack but we were able to arrange a late checkout from the hotel so we can pack tomorrow.  I arranged to have our internet, cable and phone reconnected, the insurance put back on our vehicles.  When we arrive in Kincardine all we have to do is turn the water back on and the house should be good to go.  

Day 306 June 7 2015 Cape Town South Africa

Street vendors at Hout Bay

view of harbor from back of boat

watching seals on seal island

on the way back to the harbor

one of the view points between Hout Bay and Cape Town

 at the Two Oceans Aquarium 

Day 306  June 7 2015  Cape Town  South Africa

We went to Hout Bay and took a boat tour to Seal Island where we saw a colony of seals playing in the water and relaxing on the rocks.  In the harbour there was a man who has been feeding the seals and training them to jump out of the water to take food from his hands or mouth.  He has been doing it for 7 years and makes his living from tips.  Isabel wanted to stay longer to watch him with the seals but we made her leave as it was time to continue our tour.  We then drove along the coast back to Cape Town with a few stops at some lookouts to take pictures.  When we got back to Cape Town we stopped at the Two Oceans Aquarium.  It is a nice aquarium with a really nice penguin exhibit and a decent selection of fish.  We finished the day at the Blow Fish restaurant as they had ½ price sushi; it was good.

Day 305 June 6 2015 Cape Town South Africa

view from our deck at Cape Agulhas

cabin at Cape Agulhas

Ship wreck in Cape Agulhas park

above the clouds

on the rocks

another view from Table Mountain

Day 305  June 6 2015  Cape Town  South Africa

We drove from Cape Agulhas to Cape Town.  It was a short drive so we arrived in Cape Town relatively early.  We checked into the hotel and were told by the manger that we should go to Table Mountain that afternoon as it was a great day for it.  We took his advice and went up the mountain in the cable car.  From the top you have a great view of Cape Town and Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held for many years.  When we got to the hotel there was no water as a water main had failed.  The water came back on at 11:30 pm just in time for me to go to bed.  

Day 304 June 5 2015 Cape Agulhas South Africa

almost there

the coast of Cape Agulhas

dividing line of the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean

about the tip of Africa

cabin in Cape Agulhas park

The last braai in South Africa

Day 304  June 5 2015  Cape Agulhas  South Africa

We spent about 4 hours in the car today driving from Oudtshoorn to Cape Agulhas.   One of the first things we did once we arrived was to stop at the monument marking the most southerly point in Africa and took some pictures.  We had to buy wood to heat the cabin as it was quite cold and the 2 electric heaters in the bedrooms were not sufficient.  In the evening Evy and I went for a walk on the beach.  

Day 303 June 4 2015 Oudtshoorn South Africa

actual size of the letter box

one of the many formations in the cave

the entrance to the Devil's Chimney 

climbing us the 45 deg devil's chimney

coming through the letter box

in the tunnel to the letter box

Day 303  June 4 2015  Oudtshoorn  South Africa

We spent 4 ½ hours at Cango Caves between the adventure tour, eating in the restaurant and visiting the interpretation center.  When we bought tickets for the adventure tour, I figured that it would be just a bit harder walk through the cave.  I was wrong as we had to climb through the tunnel of love ( it is called that because it squeezes you from all sides), climb up the devil’s chimney, crawl down a tunnel and then squeeze through a little opening called the letter box.  A few years ago a larger lady who was told that she was too big to pass through the tunnel of love started to claim that the cave guides were discriminating against larger people so they let her go.  When she was into the tunnel of love she discovered that she could not make it and tried to turn around and go back.  She somehow broke her leg and was also wedged into the tunnel.  It took 11 hours and lots of lubricant to get her out.  All the people that had the fortune of passing through the tunnel before her were also stuck until she was removed.  The story has it that the woman’s husband was behind her.  When he found out that she was stuck in the tunnel he did not say a word to her but walked to the restaurant and had a beer.  According to our guide there are a fair number of people that get a little stuck going through the letter box and I found it a very tight squeeze on my chest.  Once we left the cave we drove to a waterfall only to find that the attendant decided that nobody was going to come that day and decide to lock the gate early.  It was annoying as we drove a fair way to get there only to find it closed.  It was another fun day.

Day 302 June 3 2015 Oudtshoorn South Africa

pack of elephants in Addo

3 of the cheetahs we saw

relaxing after a hard day

Day 302  June 3 2015  Oudtshoorn  South Africa

We drove from Addo to Oudtshoorn today a distance of 400 km.  We went thru the park to the highway as we wanted to see a few more animals.  We saw a pack of elephants at a waterhole and some kudu, warthogs, ostriches, jackal and a bunch of dung beetles.  Isabel said that she wanted a farewell from the park and wanted to see a baby cheetah.  I was thinking that there were very few cheetahs in Addo and that we had no chance of seeing one.   I was wrong; we came across 2 adult cheetahs and one smaller one lying in a field about 200 meters from the road.  We left the park gate between noon and 1 pm and arrived in Oudtshoorn just after 6 pm.

Day 301 June 2 2015 Main Rest camp- Addo Elephant Park - South Africa

trying to roar like a lion

elephant and a rock daisy skeleton 

the two male lions we saw

no zoom used to take this pic

entrance to the walking trail in Addo

on the trail in Addo

Day 301  June 2 2015  Main Rest camp- Addo Elephant Park -  South Africa

We spent the morning hanging around the rest camp and the interpretive center.  In the afternoon we went for a drive and saw many animals including 3 yellow mongooses which were the new animal of the day.   The most impressive thing that we saw today was how the lions interact with the elephants.  We saw 2 male lions that decided to have a snooze by a waterhole 25 feet from the edge of the road.  While we were parked there watching the lions a single elephant walked toward the water.  When he saw the lions he stopped and backed up and stood a fair distance from the lions.  After another 5 minutes a pack of elephants showed up.  As the pack walked past the lone elephant, he joined them on the last 100 meters of the walk to the waterhole.  As the elephants got close the lions took off and found another place to snooze about 200 meters away but still close to the road.  When the elephants approached the waterhole they walked within a few cm of the car and I was worried that the one that walked on the right side of the car would hit us.  There was not much room between us and another car that was also parked there.  We also saw 2 young and 2 big elephant’s feet slide out from under them as the got close to the waterhole as there was slippery mud around it.  It was rather funny to see elephants slip sliding away.  When we got back to the camp the kids and I went for a 2 km walk on a trail.  It was dark when we got off the trail so it was a good thing that I had remembered to grab the flashlights.  We ended up in the restaurant for supper which is the only place that has internet in the camp.  Evy and I spent our time booking accommodations in Oudtshoorn, Cape Agulhas and Cape Town.  This is the first time we have booked accommodations in 3 places in a row.  We almost never planned the stages of our journey that far in advance.  It is hard to believe that we only have another 7 nights left in South Africa and harder still to believe that we have been out of Canada for almost 8 months. 

Day 300 June 1 2015 Main Rest camp- Addo Elephant Park - South Africa

view from cabin in Addo 

cake to celebrate our 300th day of travel

Day 300  June 1 2015  Main Rest camp- Addo Elephant Park -  South Africa

Wow!  It is hard to believe that we have been on sabbatical for 300 days already.  Time really does fly when you are having fun.  We went a ride around the park, it was raining and I was not expecting to see much.  I was wrong and we had a nice drive with the highlight being a jackal eating a rat about 10 feet from the car.  We then drove around a corner and had to stop as there was an elephant standing in the middle of the road. The other part of the pack was in the bush behind us and they walked beside the car to pass us.  The mother put herself between us and her baby and it was a little disconcerting to have them pass so close as they are so big.  We also saw lots of buffalo, zebra, hartebeest and warthogs.  When I checked my e-mail I had a message saying the my mom was still in the hospital with fluid around her heart and lungs.  I also had another e-mail saying that my best friend is in the hospital with a brain hemorrhage and is in serious condition.   We did go to the restaurant to celebrate our 300^th day of the sabbatical but the bad news has put a damper on my mood.

Day 299 May 31 2015 Main Rest camp- Addo Elephant Park - South Africa

big tree

sign about big tree

another picture with the big tree

what do you mean they will eat a kid?

Day 299  May 31 2015  Main Rest camp- Addo Elephant Park -  South Africa

We drove from the Garden Route Park back to Addo Elephant Park today.  This was actually back tracking 2 hours as we had driven by the road to Addo on the way to the Storms River Camp.  We had booked the Kruger and Addo accommodations months ago and the rest of the trip pretty much as we go.  As a result we arrived in the Addo area a few days early so we decided that the best thing to do was to find another park close by.   It was a good choice.  In the evening we went for a drive in the park.   Once again we were fortunate to see some new animals as we saw eland and hartebeest for the first time on this trip.  I got an e-mail from my cousin saying that my mom has been admitted to the hospital.  

Day 298 May 30 2015 Storm River Rest Camp – Garden Route National Park - South Africa

Ocean by Storms River 

still smiling before the bridge

looking up Storms River

I really don't like heights!

view of rest camp from the lookout point

Day 298  May 30 2015  Storm River Rest Camp – Garden Route National Park -  South Africa

Today we hiked a trail that crossed a suspension bridge and eventually ended up at a lookout point.  Isabel insisted on wearing flip flops and had a very hard time climbing the steep rocky trail.  Her foot kept slipping out of the sandals.  When we got to the lookout it had a very nice view of the ocean and the camp.  We could also see a pod of dolphins swimming in the waves below us.  We stopped at the camp restaurant on the way back for lunch.  David ordered a half rack of ribs and Isabel ordered the kid ribs.  When they came, the kids ribs were the same size as the half rack so I had to help her out.  The ribs were the best ribs we have eaten since leaving Canada.

Day 297 May 29 2015 Storm River Rest Camp – Garden Route National Park - South Africa

getting ready

after the first line the smile came

low budget bridge in the trees

on one of the trees

what a view

look ma, no hands

does it have to be over?

Day 297  May 29 2015  Storm River Rest Camp – Garden Route National Park -  South Africa

We spent the morning watching movies and relaxing around the cottage.  In the afternoon we went on a canopy tour that consists of 10 zip lines with the highest being 30 meters off the ground.  It was the first time that Evy, Isabel or I have ever been zip lining and it was fun.  Isabel was a little bit nervous at first but soon got over it and had a blast. The entire course took around an hour and a half but it seemed like a lot less time than that.  Thankfully the safety was of a high standard with back up cables; unlike the zip line that David went on in Banos Equador where the safey instructions were “ don’t close your eyes or you will miss my signal to put your arms out and you will smash into that steel pole”.