These are our personal thoughts written during the trip itself.
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Mark's EntryJanuary 4 - The Cape PeninsulaThis day we had a scheduled full-day tour of the Cape Peninsula. We were picked up at 8:30 and taken to the base of Table Mountain again, where we boarded a small bus with about 12 others for the tour. Our first stop, Houts Bay where we took a 45-minute boat ride out to see the seals on a small island. Cool. From there we went to Cape Point, the tip of the peninsula, where we ate lunch and I took a lot of pictures. It was here that I really began to notice that most young women in Cape Town like to wear very short skirts and sundresses. Our next stop was Boulder Beach, which hosts one of the few penguin colonies outside Antarctica. Ann loved it. Our last stop was the botanical gardens, which we weren’t interested in so we just sat at the restaurant and had a drink and some ice cream. We were the last to be dropped at out hotel so we didn’t get back until about 6pm. All day I was watching my money. I only had a few Rand because I figured I could pay for most things by credit card. But the stops on the tour only took cash and lunch at the point was rather expensive. By this point (6pm on a Friday evening) I only had 50 Rand left (about 9 dollars). I tried to stop at an ATM, but it needed a PIN number for my credit card, and of course I didn’t have one. So I tried to go online and set a pin, but they would only mail one to my home, no help there. So I tried to buy some from the front desk, but they wouldn’t take credit card and I only had a few US dollars, so it wouldn’t be enough. The only thing I could do was wait for morning and go to a bank. I didn’t like going this long without cash and the cab ride to the waterfront would cost all that I had left, so if for some reason I couldn’t get cash at the bank, we would be stranded. I worried about it all evening. For dinner Ann wanted a big salad, but the only restaurant we could find with big salads was at the waterfront and the previously mentioned cash problem kept us from going there. So we walked up the road to the local grocery store where Ann bought some salad-makings, and Jacob and I bought some frozen chicken nuggets and French fries. (There was a small kitchen in our hotel room). We paid by credit card but they wouldn’t do a cash advance for us. Ugg! When we got back to the hotel we discovered that the little kitchen had a stove but no oven, so we had to microwave our nuggets and fries, without the use of paper towels, which we also didn’t have. Yuck! So the lack of cash led to a rather frustrating evening, but we still loved the city. |
Ann's EntryPopping Penguins and Sliding SealsCape of Good Hope – 4 Jan 2008 – all day We board a tour bus that takes us around the entire peninsula. Our guide’s name is Jason. Our first stop is Hout Bay. There, we take a ride on a boat out to a fur seal colony. There must have been close to 5,000 seals on this outcropping of rock in the middle of the bay. Most are basking in the sunshine, some are swimming. We even find a few newborns. The pictures show the comparative size of a baby as opposed to an adult. Wow, what a difference! Then we travel to the actual Cape of Good Hope. It is located in a South African National Park. The winds there are strong enough to blow even the biggest person off balance. We get back on the bus and ride to Boulder Beach to see the African penguin colony. The colony started as a breeding pair that washed up on shore. And, left to their own devices, they are now a colony of about 3,500. While you cannot actually be on the sand with them, you can view them from the boardwalk, which puts you about 3 feet away from them. There didn’t appear to be anything super spectacular about these penguins, but it was neat to be that close to them – so close that I could have reached out and touched them. We drive past many scenic spots in between destinations. Our guide tells us that many of these places are used in the film and advertisement industry. Mark has plenty of pictures to attest to that. Cash CrashCape Town, South Africa – 4 Jan 2008 – approx. 17:30 We have run into a small problem. While our bus tour is prepaid, our lunch is not. Lunch in the national park is expensive, and cash only. We use up all of our rand (South African currency.) We have plenty of USD, but it is not accepted as payment in restaurants. By the time we get back to our hotel, all the banking institutions are closed for the day. Mark tries to contact our American bank to arrange a funds transfer so at least we could withdraw rand from an ATM and charge it against our credit card, but to no avail. He gets so angry and frustrated that he is pounding his fist into the desk. Our dining options are now severely limited. We are staying in a five-star luxury suite hotel – in the penthouse no less! Wait until you see the photos of this place! The master bed and bath are upstairs (with our own private veranda.) The downstairs is a living room, full bath, and mini-kitchen. This becomes Jacob’s area because it has a pull-out couch. (I love my son, but it is nice to have my own space away from him for a few hours.) Despite the deluxe, there is no hotel restaurant where we could charge our meal against our room and settle accounts when we check-out. So, given our current cash situation, we decide to make full use of our penthouse facilities. We walk about 3 blocks to the nearest chain grocery store (which accepts credit cards), buy a small meal that we can heat either in the microwave or on the stove top, and have dinner “penthouse style.” South African banks are open on Saturday. I am certain Mark will be first in line tomorrow morning. |
| next day: January 5 | ||