Wild Cape Town Peninsula

The peninsula south of Cape Town is known for its beautiful views (like Big Sur), wineries, beaches, Cape of Good Hope and the southern most tip of the continent.
The water is 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but people do still get in the water. The beaches are either expansive or rocky. Horse racing is big in Cape Town and it began on the beaches.  Long Beach is considered the most popular racing beach because of its length....long.

In the early days of Cape Town, Camps Bay was the only beach where women could swim. Today it is one of the most expensive areas of the city with prices similar to San Francisco.  With the obvious opulence of the city center and beach side communities, it is surprising to find out that 1.5 million residents live in shacks within the city limits. These areas are known for their gangs and crime.  The week we were there, 27 people were killed - either shot or burned to death.

This unrest is mirrored by the unrest in the government. The current president, Jacob Zuma is from the same party as Nelson Mandela, ANC.  But his presidency is rife with corruption and abuse.
Per BBC: "His credibility was most severely damaged in March 2016 when South Africa's highest court ruled that he violated the constitution by failing to repay the government for money used on upgrading his private residence, including building a cattle enclosure, amphitheatre, swimming pool, visitor centre and chicken run...He has now survived eight votes of no-confidence in parliament...The 75-year-old is a proud polygamist - following a Zulu tradition - and currently has four wives. He is also known for his infidelity and has fathered a child with another woman."  Hmmm, I dont understand why the chicken run is a problem! :')

KO and the Turk in front of the Twelve Apostles mountains at Camps Bay

Cape seals everywhere

dance girls in colorful outfits were at all tourist stops on the drive, dancing for donations

road cut into the mountainside

on road, see overhang built for protection

Long Beach - largest beach on the drive, known for horse racing

Ostrich farm, fog in the hills

We now understand why it was so treacherous to sail around the Cape of Good Hope - Fierce winds and tide! 

rocky shore and wild waves

wild ostrich

unique Gemsbok antelope

southern most tip of the continent

its always about the baboons!

don't mess with him

I had always thought that the Cape of Good Hope was the southernmost tip of Africa, but its NOT. A short drive further south (obviously) is Cape Point which holds that label. But this is not really accurate either. Its Cape Agulhas 107 miles to the south east. 

more vistas from the end of the continent

Turk enjoying the hike

to the lighthouse!

seeing rugged coastline and then, nothing

a lookout hanging off the edge of the rocks - to look for U-boats

We headed around the peninsula to Boulders Beach to see the African penguins.
They mate for life and return to the same beach each year. With expanding communities, their habitat is losing ground. Watching them waddle-walk is always amusing.

Penguin hang out

distinct markings for African penguin

baby penguins are fluffy and grey. Mom and 2 babies

From penguins we headed to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens back in the city. The gardens, started in 1913,  sit at the base of Table Mountain, creating an amazing view.  South Africa’s Western Cape is more botanically diverse than the Amazon.  Of the 6 floral kingdoms identified on earth -  the Cape is the smallest and richest, with the highest known concentration of plant species.

Table Mountain in the background

 Proteas are part of the fynbos family which makes up much of the unique plant count in the western Cape.  Proteas are also the representative flower for South Africa. We saw them everywhere, from our hotels, to restaurants, to grocery stores - everywhere!    Cape Town seems fascinated with bonsi. We found them in so many locations: hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, wineries - everywhere!

tree canopy walkway