Cape Town (continued)

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Cape Peninsula Tour

This tour was an opportunity for us to see some of South Africa's jaw-dropping natural beauty. This full-day excursion took us on the winding roads through the mountains while never losing sight of the blue waters of the bays and ocean. We took a scenic, 45-minute boat ride to Seal Island to see a pod of seals laying on rocks and swimming in the water. I got a little nervous about how much the boat was leaning while everyone was on one side snapping pictures of these smelly creatures. After about ten minutes of seal viewing, the captain turned the boat around headed back to the dock.

Boat Ride To Seal Island

performing for tips at the pier

 

dreamy morning boat ride

 

seals swimming on their sides

seals lounging on Seal Island

Our van continued along the spectacular Chapman's Peak Drive stopping occasionally at gorgeous scenic overlooks before eventually arriving at the rugged shores of the Cape of Good Hope. Many early European explorers such as Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, and Sir Francis Drake sailed around this peninsula with the mission of colonization and finding trade routes with the Far East. We took a picture behind the sign indicating we were at the most south-western point of the African Continent. It turns out President Putin of Russia had toured the area a day earlier. A picture of him posing behind the same sign was in the local newspapers.

Chapman's Peak Drive

the curves of the mountain roads

 

spectacular overlook

 

another view

Soft sand meets breathtaking blue. Can you spot the whales?

We were driven to Cape Point where we had a nice lunch at the Two Ocean Restaurant overlooking the ocean. We took a funicular ride up to the location of an old lighthouse where we could get a nice view of Cape Point jutting out into the ocean. People have said that the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet at the Cape of Good Hope. Some have even said that you can actually see a line in the water at the meeting point. However, our tour guide explained that there is really no way to tell the exact point at which the oceans meet. Furthermore, the line that is sometimes seen has more to do with the ocean current and weather conditions.

Cape of Good Hope

view of Cape Point from the location of an old lighthouse

We've never been this close to Antarctica.

...nor this far from the U.S.A.

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