The Edge of the World

Yesterday after class, I suggested a trip down to the Cape of Good Hope, got 7 others to join me, and off we went to the most South-Western tip of Africa. We ordered the Ubers around 2:00 with an ETA of 3:30, but Chapman's peak was closed again due to rock slide threats. We debated trying it anyway, but in the end decided to go all the way around. Morale was low in the car, as the trip would now take over 2 hours, and we were contemplating giving up for the day and hanging on the beach in Hout's Bay. We persevered though, and would be so glad that we did. 

We finally arrived a little after 4, and made our way to the lighthouse overlooking the oceans (Atlantic and Indian) at Cape Point. The view was spectacular, and we took a lot of amazing photos from the top. 






On the way back down, we saw a few baboons, including one rogue guy that made a dash for the trash can, dug out a banana peel, and started peeling and eating it (playing into the monkey stereotype).



We then made our way to the Cape of Good Hope, and saw some more wildlife on the way.


The Cape of Good Hope was one of the coolest natural formations I have ever seen. It was dusk, and the sky formations were stunning. There were tons of beautiful birds flying low, just over the peaks of the waves. The mountain rose up right off the shore, and even the rocks were fascinating - both smooth and sharp, and different shades of brown, orange, red, and even purple. We walked up the short trail, then rock climbed up to the peak. The sun set while we were at the top, which meant we had to pay a 500 rand fee for leaving after the park closed, but it was absolutely worth it, as that sunset is an image I'll have with me for a long time. As is becoming a theme in this blog, I'll let the photos tell the story:









After a rocky start, it ended up an amazing trip and another awesome day in Cape Town!

One more thing - shoutout to Joseph, our Uber driver, for not only driving us 2 hours to the cape, but for waiting while we went up to the lighthouse and climbed up the mountain, because he knew we wouldn't have service and therefore wouldn't have been able to call another car to get back. Thank you Joseph! 




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