Our first day in Hermanus

On Friday 10th October we then took the 2hr BazBus journey from Cape to Hermanus. On our arrival  in Botsriver an old lady awaited to take us the final stretch south to our Hostel. We stayed in a comfy but rather eccentric & outdated hostel with swinger style jacuzzi. With most of the day left, we walked down to the sea front where we had lunch whilst watching countless Southern Right Whales splashing around in the Bay and beyond. After perusing the shops and getting sun burnt we returned to the hostel to have the macaroni cheese dinner we had bought. After sunset the temperature outside dropped quickly so we made use of the refreshingly hot jacuzzi under the stars.

 

 The following day we got a shuttle to Gansbay where we were due to go Shark Cage Diving. We went through the safety brief and introductory training before getting on the boat and heading out to the sight area. The sea was incredibly choppy and stupidly we were asked to get into our wetsuits out at sea rather than before we left - not a fun experience on a busy boat in choppy waters. After a couple of hours of hanging closely to the side of the boat ready to feed the fish our very own chunky soup all passengers were happy to return to dry land as the sharks were nowhere to be seen. At least lunch was included. On our return to Hermanus we moved to a hostel around the corner where some friends were staying. We finished the day with Tapas at a local restaurant ready and prepared for the early start the following morning where our friends would give us a lift to Wilderness.

                             

 

Boulders Beach -Cape Town

Cape Town - Day 3

8th October 2014

We caught the train to Simon's Town today to visit the African penguins at Boulders beach. The Train cost 50R for both of us 'first class' return which is about £2.79 altogether £1.39 each, Why can't trains be that cheap in England. However it was virtually Impossible to tell which was first class and which was regular, seats facing forward and a slightly cushioned seat perhaps! Was good fun though and the views from the train were very pretty.

We set off early from Cape Town and made a stop along the way at Kalk Bay. We went to the Brass Bell for lunch which is sat right on the waterfront overlooking the ocean. Whilst having lunch we spotted three 'Southern right' Whales splashing around a mere 50ft In front of us. It was very cool to see them so close. 

We continued on the train to Simons Town and walked up to Boulders beach to see the colony on Penguins living there. Apart from the cold winds blowing that day it was lovely to see the penguins laying on the beach and boulders chilling out. 
We got ice cream on the way back to the train which was very cheap and very tasty :) A lovely day.

Cape Town -Day 2

7th October 

Today we climbed Table mountain. We took the platteklip gauge route which for me (not a very experienced climber) was pretty tiring, however It only took us about an hour 40 to climb to the top which isn't too bad at all. It's very steep with big boulders to climb over.

Once we reached the summit it felt amazing, a satisfying achievement. The views over the whole of Cape Town are quite mesmerising. the temperature up there is very cold when the cloud draws over so we ate in the cafe and then around 6:30pm we took the cable car back down to the bottom.

Along the way we saw some Dassie's which look like giant hamsters AKA 'Rock rabbits' there were quite a few at the top of the mountain too. 

They came and made friends with us quite quickly, investigating and stealing food.

Dassie's on Table Mountain 

Cape Town South Africa

Cape Town - Day 1

6th October

So after a few sleep deprived days, two Long plane journeys and a lot of waiting Urgh, we finally arrived in Cape Town South Africa. Our first port of call on our round the world adventure. After a brief check in at our hostel we wasted no time in walking the 30 minutes down to the waterfront, very busy in the town, we sat down by the harbour and looked out over the sea. 

We visited the Aquarium too which was really fun, sharks and huge turtles being the highlight, towering tanks packed with jumbo sized fish and sharks, a small area with penguins splashing around too.

19:00pm on our first evening sat in a hammock on the balcony of our lovely hostel, looking out over lions head and table mountain with the twinkling lights of Cape Town shimmering beneath it...Beautiful