We continue to be blessed with good mild weather in the Westen Cape. We had two amazing days of touring on the weekend. On Saturday we toured the winelands of the Western Cape and had a marvelous time. We used one of the drivers who delivers people to their placements as our guide. His name is Faried and he is a real delight. He was born in Cape Town, so he has a great deal of knowledge about the area and the history. Wine is a big industry in South Africa and the South Africans pride themselves on being the equal of if not better than the French, Italians, and winemakers of the Napa Valley. Being a non drinker, I can not confirm or deny the above; but those on the tour who tasted wines had no complaints.
The scenery on the Western Cape is truly breathtaking. Being an ignorant American, I fear that my preconceived notion of what I would see here was influenced by the media, e.g., Hollywood. My eyes were opened by what I saw the past couple of days. There are mountains all over the Western Cape. They are not Sierra Nevada like in altitude, but they are beautiful and provide many kodak moments. Since it is winter here, the grass is green and lush which adds to the beauty. We were told that the grass goes brown, just like California, in the summer months of November, December, January, and February.
Our tour around the Cape Of Good Hope yesterday was fantastic. It was an all day affair that included a delicious lunch at a restaurant called Sea Forth right on the the Atlantic Ocean. The food was delicious. I decided to go African with my meal so I had lamb and mutton braised in a traditional South African sauce in a small African iron cooking pot. It was delicious and not too spicy. It had curry in it, and usually I am not a big fan of curry; but this was just right. I think it was called a lamb and mutton brebie of bredie. Our tour included a visit to Boulder Beach where one can roam among and get up close and personal with the jackass penguins that inhabit the beach. Just watch out for the penguin poop as you walk around. The penguins allow you to get really close for pictures but will let you know if you are invading their personal space as I found out from one of them who thought I was getting a bit too close. We also saw baboons that roam around freely througout the Western Cape. Signs are posted all over warning folks that baboons are wild animals and not to be trifled with. Whenever we saw them, Faried told us to roll up the windows because if a baboon or baboons get into the car they can become quite aggressive. As we were departing Boulder Beach, we saw a live demonstration of baboons in action. There was a Mercedes parked on the shoulder and on the Mercedes were baboons. Two males were on the roof and had made some significant dents. One was working on the right windshield wiper and destroyed it. One was trying to get into the car, but apparently the car was locked. Two juveniles were working on removing the hood ornament. Needless to say, the re-sale value of the Mercedes probalbly suffered due to its interaction with nature. There was a car parked nest to it into which one of the baboons had climbed. I don't know if anyone was in that car, but can you imagine their surprise if they were and saw a baboon driving their car away?
We have really enjoyed our time here and have learned so much. We do look forward to our return home but I am sure that we will leave a part of us behind. We hope all is well with everyone and wish all of you good health. Speaking of health, Dianne and I have been 100% healthy, with the exception of Dianne's fall and our unscheduled visit to Christian Barnaard Memorial Hospital for x-rays. On the other hand, some of the youngsters are succumbing to colds and coughs and other maladies, some of which might be due to trying to burn the candle at both ends. Been there, done that when I was young and foolish. Now I am older and less foolish ( I think) and being up past 9:30 is the rarity for us. Life is good here and we relish our last few days here and look forward to our return.
Until next time........Art
No comments:
Post a Comment