Day 26

Day twenty six
Tuesday 11th February 2020
Current position
Holiday Inn Express
101 St Georges Mall
Cape Town City Centre
Cape Town
South Africa
S 33°55.43046'
E 18°25.21572'

Poor old Ros still ain't well and is still feeling sick from taking the pain killing tablets.
However being made of strong stuff she continued with our bus tour to the Cape of Good Hope. The all inclusive breakfast at the Holiday Inn was good with a lot of choice but Ros only managed a  couple of pieces of fruit.
Fortunately the pick up point for the bus was only a couple of blocks away and we were there in good time for the 9.40am kick off. The guide was a very personable chap and worked hard with his banter to get his tourists to talk to one another. The bus left on time and was not an open topper as we had expected but having said that it became apparent that with the long distance we were travelling an open top would not have been  practical. The guide gave us a full commentary as we passed through towns and villages during the two hour journey to Cape Point. He had us in stitches when he was trying to describe the game of cricket saying 'You have two sides one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out' etc etc etc.
Cape Point is a desolate but beautiful place. The green hilly scrubland is divided from the sea by a ribbon of rocks and golden sand. The dark royal blue sea gets its colour from the long strands of dark kelp and there is brilliant turquoise water where the kelp gives way to the sandy shore. The wind was again so strong we had to watch it didn't bowl us over.
We were given two hours to explore the area and we started our exploration with a coffee and a biscuit at the café. Afterwards we caught the funicular to the top of rock to visit the lighthouse. There was no respite there whatsoever from the strong strong wind. With photographs taken and the views digested we made our way down in the calm of the funicular. We killed time looking at the views and then made our way back to the coach where the fun and games started as our guide had asked everyone to sit in the same seats for the next part of the journey. A couple who appeared to be German decided to disregard his instructions and sat in the seats belonging to a young newly wed Canadian couple. Of course the Germans would not budge so the end result was that the Canadians sat in someone elses seat and so the knock on effect became worse and worse as the passengers returned. Which was all good fun to watch. The next part of the journey was to the Cape of Good Hope which was only a twenty minute drive away. We wound our way through the green scrub falling gently down to the rocky extremity. It was still jolly windy as we queued with the other trippers to get our photographs with the official lands end sign. Our alloted fifteen minutes was long enough and we were soon back on the bus for the hours run to Simons Town the home of the two thousand strong penguin colony. The hours drive disappeared quickly as our guide continued to point out and give commentary on points of interest. We were given an hour to see the penguins under strict instructions to be back by four.
To protect the colony they have built a wooden boardwalk for visitors. Since its construction the numbers of penguins have started to increase as the visitors no longer trample on their nests.
It was interesting to see the penguins waddling about their daily duties most seemed quite relaxed and unaware of the gazing trippers whist one or two more extroverts appeared to pose for photographs whilst another outrageous couple made love in front of the clicking cameras.
It was good to see the birds at close quarters we could almost touch them although numerous signs warne us not to as they bite.
On the way back to the bus we bought ice creams from the shop recommended by our guide they were good but they were not as special as he had made out and I'm sure other shops sell exactly the same. Back on the bus for the final trip back to town we got caught in the rush hour traffic and arrived half an hour late. The bus left us at the Central Terminus but luckily our tickets included a ride back to our original starting place another half an hour away.
When we reached the hotel Ros was feeling a little worse for wear and lay down to rest. I went out to buy water and a bottle of wine then ordered a take away which was delivered to the hotel.