Morning Inspiration from Fellow Travelers
Good day, March 9th. I had breakfast and was speaking with an older German couple. He is about 80, and they were sharing that they have been to the south part of Africa 18 times. Every time they come for vacation for 3, 4, 5 weeks and sometimes longer. They’ve traveled to many different places, always renting a car and getting around. This time they’re just staying in one place and doing day trips when they feel up to it. He said, “”At 80, I don’t want to just sit around at home. I’ll shrivel away. I want to keep doing this stuff. It’s working for me.””
Administrative Tasks: Passport Pickup
My first order of business was to go to the Dutch consulate and pick up my new business passport. It was all ready – they had let me know it was ready, so it was a matter of walking in, picking it up, and leaving. That felt pretty good. Now I could go places again. That’s better than not being able to leave a country.
Journey to Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope was my next destination. The Cape of Good Hope is not the most southern part of Africa – it is the most southwesterly southern part of Africa. Cape Agulhas is the most southern part of Africa, which is further east. I ended up seeing a few baboons and other animals on the way. I made my way to the gate for the park to get to the Cape of Good Hope, but there was a long line because you have to pay a fee to do that last part.
The Lighthouse Adventure
After driving all the way down and stopping at various places, I had to decide whether to walk up to the lighthouse or take a tram. There’s a one-track tram with two trams that coordinate, and when they get to the middle, they have a very short section to pass each other. I decided to buy a ticket to take me up and then walk down. It was a little windy when we got up there. Making it to the lighthouse was fun, except I only got to about 15 feet away because somebody had a medical emergency there. They wouldn’t let anybody else get close. I think they ordered a helicopter to get the person evacuated.
Coastal Exploration and Surfing
After walking back to my car, I noticed there were other places nearby I could drive to. At those places, people were surfing with kites and with regular surfboards and sails. That was interesting to see and made for a very enjoyable visit. I’m glad I was able to get that done – I felt a little bit incomplete not doing that before.
Evening Accommodation and Local Connections
Once out of the park, there’s a place where you can buy touristy things like wood and stone carvings, but I’m in the mode of not buying anything since I don’t want to carry things around. The drive along the easterly coast of the peninsula was really slow because there were so many people doing the same thing. I found a place called Hidden Gem Bed and Breakfast run by a very enthusiastic lady in the eastern part of Cape Town. It was a really nice setting and made the cut as far as Airbnbs go.
Local Dining and Cultural Exchange
She pointed me to Rio Grande restaurant, a local restaurant that is doing really well. I ended up speaking with a family who were watching a rugby game. The son plays rugby, and father and son together install residential garage doors. Just having fun and getting to know people – really good stuff. Makes for a great day, and thank you for coming with me.
