Long Drive and Boulder Beach

To Cape Town, South Africa -- September 6-7

Tuesday was a big driving day as we planned to retrace our path of the last three days. The Beacon Island Hotel was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise both because of the resort-like amenities and the reasonable price -- $95. On my way out the revolving door for my run in the morning, I noticed heated outdoor and indoor pools, so quickly texted Meg to let the kids know. Yep, we’re really roughing it.

We had a wonderful breakfast at the same lobby restaurant before the kids dashed outside to the beach and rocks.  When I finally came out an hour and a half later (we had organizational work to do!) I was amazed at the awesome tide pools among the huge rocks, many orange with lichen and with cool sandy areas tucked in between.  Wow, wow, wow.

For the rest of the day, we simply followed the N2 highway back to Cape Town, including a stop at Nibbles (again) for lunch and at the “Snail” beach, where Kylie and I tried our hand at sand sculptures.

For Wednesday, our one and only sightseeing goal was to get to Cape Point -- the southern tip of Cape Peninsula, south of the city.  That would also let us pick up the “Wild Card” passes we needed for South African national parks and visit the penguin beach I’d heard about from Adam, an American I'd met on the flight from Addis Ababa.

By the time we ate, shopped for groceries, got a hair cut for Dex (finally), and got out of “Dodge,” it was already time for lunch. We did get to the ranger station, but afterwards, the super helpful woman ranger confirmed that we now had no chance of getting to the cape and returning the rental car by 5:30. Sheesh, are we lame or what? Oh well, we “settled” for Boulder Beach and the penguins, which turned out to be awesome.

Dex with ears lowered

Although the farthest part of the beach was off limits -- due to mating and molting -- we just wandered onto the first section and started climbing the huge boulders. It was so cool to see the first few waddling penguins. Soon we were spotting small groups behind every other gigantic boulder, and eventually figured out that they weren't particularly bothered by us.  How neat to watch these funny characters waddle around, stumble into the water, and then zoom off effortlessly underwater, wings flapping.

For once, we did make it to our rental return destination with time to spare, and caught an Uber ride home. Before we’d arrived in Cape Town, we’d never ordered an Uber taxi. Now, we’ve used it almost a dozen times and its super convenience has made us converts.  The traditional taxi driver outside the airport when we arrived had warned us not to use Uber since we'd run the risk of having our credit card copied. We didn’t yet understand that once your card is in the system, there’s no need to pull out your card or cash for that matter, which is not only convenient, but safer for the passenger and driver.

Without exception, every Uber experience has been incredibly positive. The drivers are very often from other African countries and frequently highly educated and well spoken. One man told us he was trying to save money while his wife finished her accounting degree and then hoped to study psychology. Whether the drivers really end up with a living wage, however, is an entirely different question....

For the evening's meal, we took a long stroll along the always stunning shoreline. We'd hoped to make it all the way to the Waterfront district, but with diversions onto the beach, picture taking, and sprint contests in the narrow, coast side park, we weren't making particularly good time. Instead, we called it quits and crossed the beach road to the El Burro Restaurant.

As usual, we had no reservation (we are the JIT Hoornaerts after all), but luck was with us. We swooped in and snatched a table from some tardy patron, and not only got the best seat in the house -- a booth at the end of the balcony -- but lucked out by sitting next to a wonderful family from North Carolina -- John, Patsy, and their soon to be married daughter, Annie. In no time, they were at our table, joking with the kids and joining in a competitive game of Farkle (congrats, Annie). Definitely some of the best experiences of the trip have been the chance meetings of people like them. We got tips on traveling in South Africa, were invited to visit in North Carolina, and toasted to a great evening together in Cape Town.