South Africa Day 9 - Fur seals, Fish lunch and Finding Nemo

Well rested after the day of wedding celebration, we're heading g down to the V&A waterfront today, for a bit more sightseeing and exploration of Cape Town lifestyle. On the way, we take Chapman's Peak Drive, a fairly petrifying mountain road carved into the cliff edge. There are rockfall shelters along part of the road to prevent bits of cliff falling on top of the vehicles below. 

Once we're safely around the mountain, we head through the city streets towards the Waterfront, where we park in a multi story car park, the first time on this trip that we've really been anywhere that feels like inner city civilisation. Wandering down to the waterfront, we take a moment to pose for some pictures in front of the giant frame, with Table mountain as an impressive backdrop. 

We continue our leisurely stroll past many curio shops, down to the harbour front, where we see the boatyard, the tour boats leaving for trips to Robben Island and some cape fur seals swimming in the water. We cross the swing bridge to a platform where the seals are basking in the sun. It smells quite putrid down here, presumably down to these large sea mammals' love of rotting fish. Leaving the area quite briskly, we continue on past the iconic Victorian gothic style clock tower to explore the rest of the waterfront. 

We take a look at some more trinkets and head to the Cape Town Fish Market for lunch. We share 2 delicious seafood planks between the 4 of us to start, with a selection of samosas, king prawns and calamari on a wooden board accompanied by tasty dipping sauces. Next up I opt for a Big Bay sushi platter, which is quite small, but very fresh, and just the right amount to fill me up without sitting heavily for the afternoon. I sample another pleasant South African wine with my meal (I forget which it was!), before we finish up and head back along the waterfront to the Aquarium. We enter into the predator exhibit, with amphitheatre style seating looking into a huge tank filled with fish, shark, rays and turtles. It's currently feeding time, and we can see the staff in scuba gear amongst the sea life with their box of feed for the creatures circling them. We stay and watch for a little while, catching the end of the talk about the exhibit and its inhabitants, then continue on to explore the rest of the aquarium. 

There is an assortment of exotic species to discover, each in their assorted tanks to represent their native environments. The beautiful but extremely poisonous scorpion fish with its array of spines floats serenely in the water safely behind a glass screen. My favourite new discovery is probably the cow fish, with its characteristic 'horns', bright yellow colouring and unusual shape. 

Next up there's a large tank with an assortment of amazingly patterned but frankly terrifying looking eels, and further along, a tank with a hollow centre accessible through a hole at floor level which allows visitors a 360 view of hundreds of beautiful little clown fish. 

Along the way, there are giant crabs, starfish and tiny seahorses, before we pass some more sharks slowly drifting through their dark watery home and exit into the Penguin River exhibit. 

Out here the penguins include the characteristic crested rockhopper, with its distinctive yellow feathers and noisy cry. 

We head back inside and wander around the Ocean Basket Kelp Forest exhibit, peering in at the fishes and sea plants that are kept here. Trying to get a good picture of a black and white striped zebra bream proves pretty tricky, as they seem to swim away as soon as I think I've got a good shot. We make our way to the exit and leave the aquarium, heading back to the waterfront to grab an evening coffee.

It's another stop at Mugg & Bean, where we order enormous slabs of cake and watch the sun set beind the spectacular silhouette of Table Mountain. 

The evening's relaxed activity is a braai at the house where the groom's brother is staying, which consists of more meat, some beers and family time. We head back to the cottages and settle in for the night after another great day exploring South Africa's southernmost city.

South Africa Day 8 - Nuptials, New Faces and Not taking pictures

Today is the wedding day! Craig and Erica's cousin Alistair is marrying his partner Lindsay at the beautiful Blue Horizon Estate, just outside of Simon's Town - a short drive from where we're staying. It's an early morning wedding, and as we arrive we wander around the grounds and admire the breathtaking views over the bay. 

The rising sun is casting a glimmering reflection over the sea; it's a perfect day for a wedding. As the last few guests arrive, we are ushered to our seats in the garden area under a pleasant white canopy for the service. 

We smile as Alistair and Lindsay's daughter and son lead the way, throwing flower petals ahead of the bride, who looks radiant in a classic strapless, full skirted white gown. The ceremony is simple but personal and not too long, the children sitting as patiently as can be asked on what is becoming a very hot day. Alistair and Lindsay make their vows to one another in this beautiful setting near their home, witnessed by friends and family from near and far.

After the ceremony is complete, the bridal party and guests pose for photos in the glorious sunshine, brushing remnants of non-bursting bubbles from their outfits. Magic solution for bubbles that don't burst for a while might sound like a great idea, but when everybody is covered in little bubble shells it's not quite so convenient! Bubbles aside, we begin to quench our thirst with drinks from the bar and head inside for the (literal) wedding breakfast. Pastries, cold meats and juice begin proceedings, followed by an enormous assortment of nearly every cooked breakfast item imaginable. Stuffed full of food, we hear speeches from the couple's nearest and dearest before the first dance. The rest of the day is filled with talking to new people, catching up with family and friends and enjoying the loving atmosphere and beautiful surroundings. I don't have any pictures because I'm not a big fan of an abundance of cameras at weddings. There's a hired photographer to capture memories of the day, I don't know the bride and groom personally, I'd rather be a friendly face to them than a screen. Also, I'm terribly forgetful and not great at taking pictures. So there's that too! In the evening, we head home to relax - it's been a long day and we've got another 4 days of exploring Cape Town ahead of us.

South Africa Day 7 - Cape Point, Paths with a view and Penguins

We enjoy a lie in after the long drive yesterday, and rise in the late morning with some coffee, cereal and toast. Today's adventure is a drive down to Cape Point, one of the most Southern points of Africa. Cape Point is on the infamous Cape Of Good Hope, the sight of many sailing disasters over the years. The warm Indian ocean meets the cold waters of the Atlantic around this Southern tip of South Africa, leading to dangerous currents and treacherous conditions. It's a beautifully sunny day as we drive down to the parking area, so by the time we've walked to the welcoming point we're already quite hot! We decide to skip the funicular to take us up to the lighthouse, and opt instead to take the path, stopping to catch our breath and take in the views along the way. 

There are dossies up here, hiding in the shade of the rocks, and lots of little dark lizards too, happier out in the open soaking up the heat of the sunshine. The area around the lighthouse itself is very busy, but there's just time to grab a few snaps of the expansive ocean and the signpost pointing to various cities around the world. 

We grab a quick drink from the shop, have a wander around the point and head back down the path at a leisurely pace to pick up the cars and head to our next stop, Boulders beach. It's a small fee to get onto the wooden walkway that's been build from the road down to the waters edge, and we can already spot what we came here to see in some of the undergrowth. 

The African penguin lives happily on the shore here, and as we near the seafront we see more and more of them nesting, wandering along the sand or just enjoying the sunshine. 

Down on the beach there's a viewing platform, and we can see hundreds of birds on the shoreline and swimming in the sea. It's a crazy sight to see penguins here, living essentially in the wild, just outside Africa's southernmost city. These creatures are native to the south western coastal region of South Africa, with the colonies now listed as endangered species. We take lots of pictures, and wander back to the cars, stopping for an ice cream along the way. The family have ordered pizzas for this evening so we pick up some salad and head back to the cottages for a relaxed dinner, as the sun sets and we turn in for an early night, ready to get up for the early wedding in the morning.

South Africa Day 6 - Wildlife, Wasteland and Winding Mountain Roads

We get up and head off relatively early today, saying our goodbyes to the friendly guesthouse owners and their two lovely dogs. First stop is the Cango Wildlife Ranch, just off the R328, where we have a short wait until the next tour to investigate the snake house, meerkat and porcupine enclosures by the entrance. I'm happy to read about the deadly snakes when they're safely behind glass, but I don't hang around longer than is necessary! Back out in the morning sunshine, the nocturnal porcupines are sadly tucked away in their cubby hole fast asleep, so we don't get to admire them in all their spiney glory. We wander back to the meeting spot for the tour guide and head off to see the array of animals looked after in this sanctuary. The entrance is through a slightly kitch skeleton-adorned passageway, which leads through to a very humid greenhouse. Overhead are a collection of large fruit bats or "giant flying foxes", who, unlike their smaller European cousins, use their eyes rather than sonar to navigate and as such are awake in the daytime. They hang fairly still as we watch though, I'm not sure how well I'd handle one of them swooping close, they can grow to a wingspan of 1.7m - taller than me! Also in this enclosure is a tiny blue duiker, with delicate features and a slightly nervous demeanour. We continue through to some decking, where we're introduced to a bush pig and his river hog friend. They wouldn't normally be brought together in the wild but they're great friends here. Further along are some cape vultures, here in the sanctuary because they've been injured in the wild. Since last year the cape vulture has been listed as an endangered species, estimated to have less than 10,000 adults left in existence.

Beyond these magnificent birds of prey, we pass some flamingos gathered in the sunshine, and cross a wooden bridge over the crocodile pond, where the centre offers a cage diving experience. The bridge is rigged to shake and sound some 'dramatic' noises, and there's another plastic skeleton in the corner. It feels like a slightly unnecessary gimmick, but perhaps it's one for the kids.

Further on there are 2 pygmy hippos, separated by a partition as they tend to make up for their small size with increased aggression. Our tour guide tells us that sadly they lost a calf born a few years previously due to health complications, which was a terrible loss for not only the wildlife centre, but also the species which is severely endangered.

Along from the hippos on the decking trail we see more crocodiles, who are all basking in the sunshine, sleeping with their teeth exposed. Apparently it takes many more muscles to close their jaws than it does to open them, so they're often seen relaxing with their mouths wide open, which is simultaneously mildly threatening and strangely endearing. It's like they were trying to be menacing, but they were so tired they fell asleep mid yawn. Perhaps that's actually the case.

We continue around to the end of the decking, passing another peacock who strolls alongside the snapping turtle ponds, and head towards the big cats. First up is the cheetahs, most of whom are currently enjoying the attention of some visitors and rangers during a "meet the animals" experience. It's a really hot day and they're all gathered in the shade of the wooden walkway overhead. In the next pen are 6 cubs, who despite the heat are playing with one another in the patches of shade, clamouring over the large branches and stones in their sizable enclosure.

By contrast, on the other side of the walkway there are 2 sleeping leopards, sprawled over logs to rest in the late morning heat. Further along is a serval who is being petted by one of the park volunteers. Their markings are very similar to the leopard / cheetah but their beautiful faces are distinctly different, it's strange to me how these animals aren't well known in the UK compared to many others in the big cat family.

Next up are two sleeping lions, a male and a female. Lions sleep for up to 18 hours a day, so it's not surprising that this is the most common state in which to see them. The male briefly wakes up, allowing the faster fingered camera owners to grab a quick picture of his magnificent face before he sinks back onto the grass to continue his slumber.

The final big cat is the white Bengal tiger, not native to South Africa, but rescued from a zoo and cared for here in Ooudtshoorn. We're told that white tigers aren't albino as they don't have red eyes, but rather they are like the feline equivalent of being blonde. Stripes and fur colour aside, they are stunning creatures, and it's once again sad to think that they're one of so many animals facing extinction in the very near future. We head onwards around to the end of the big cat area, stopping briefly before we leave to look at some bat eared foxes nestling at the base of a tree in the sunshine. These foxes were rescued as cubs by a farmer after their mother was killed in flooding.

We head back to the entrance area and take a seat in the open air café area for some well needed breakfast. Ordering full cooked breakfasts all round with juice, tea and coffee, we sit and watch one of the resident peacocks stroll around leisurely, whilst the snapping turtles are given their meaty breakfasts by one of the centre's staff. 

We finish up and make a quick visit to the "Kuranda Forest" - and aviary full of noisy and colourful lorikeets. After a little while looking at their rainbow coloured feathers, a couple of them land on my head and shoulder. It's quite unnerving having a bird wandering over your head, secretly I'm really hoping it doesn't suddenly decide it needs the toilet! Rather, the one on my shoulder seems to have confused the beads of my necklace for berries and is gently pecking away. The beautiful birds eventually get bored and fly off, and we leave the aviary through double doors, passing some emu and Australian wallaby, resting in the shade. 

We leave the park and head a little further along the road to a nearby Ostrich farm in the hope of having a quick tour. Unfortunately it's a bit of a wait, and the tour lasts 45 minutes which we don't really have, as we need to get to Cape Town before dark and it's a long drive. Instead we stop by the side of the road further along the way, and marvel at the sheer number of ostriches in one farm alone. It's clear they are kept in age groupings, with the younger, pale brown birds in one area, all the way up to the adults with their larger bodies and matured black feathers. There's just time for a couple of snaps before we head back on the road, driving through the Karoo - a barren wasteland north of the Cape Fold Mountains. 

After a couple of hours driving we make a quick stop on the R62 at the iconic "Ronnie's Sex Shop", a roadside pub which became a landmark as a result of a local prank updating the shop name. It's just soft drinks for us today though, and we continue our drive up into the mountains and through the Tradouwpas, stopping for a couple of photos into the impressive gorge. 

As we approach Cape Town, the sun is setting and painting the sky a gorgeous golden colour, the mountain ranges silhouetted against the darkening sky. There's another mountain range to drive over, and we finally see the streetlights of Cape Town stretching out in front of us. We're staying in Noordhoek, on the South Western side of the city, at the top of a little peninsula which frames False Bay. We make a quick stop off at the supermarket just before our lodgings and pick up some chicken skewers, salad and a few bits for breakfast before heading to our home for the next week. As we arrive at the Horizon cottages, we collect our keys and join the extended family for our first braai before settling in for the night. It's been a long day with a lot of driving. so we're grateful for a comfy bed and an early night.