At Company Gardens

At the top of Signal Hill Neil, Will, Ian and Kenny (our DM)

At the tip!

Day 3 Cape Town tour, Cape Hope and Cape Point

Today was a 30% chance of rain, the clouds hovered over Table Mountain and Lion’s Head Peak threatening to release the rain, but never following through. After a lovely breakfast at our hotel, we boarded our bus for a tour of the city. We headed up the Signal Hill (350 m high) to see the harbor, the new soccer 65,000 seat stadium and Cape Town nestled between the mountain and the ocean. From there we went to the origins of Cape Town where the first settlers had established the gardens that grew the vegetables needed. This area called Company Gardens had specimen trees from the early settlers and from all over the world. Many statures were in the garden, including two statues of Smut – the South African who was instrumental in the formation of the League of Nations, and Queen Victoria. The National Archives, House of Parliament, National Art Galley and the South African museum and planetarium surround the Gardens. A formal rose garden still stands where it was originally planted 300 yrs earlier, although the hybrids planted are more modern such as Just Joey” and “Iceberg”.

After our stroll through the Company Gardens, we boarded the bus and headed along the coast to Simon’s Town and Sea Forth Beach for lunch. We stopped at the shark lookout to see the beach where Ryan one of our DM’s had his surf shop. No sharks or whales spotted, but saw a warning sign for Baboons.
At lunch we feasted again.  Line fish, fresh pasta, and chicken.  Afterwards we headed around the corner to Oudekraal Beach, a nesting spot for the African penguins. We delighted in finding the nests in all the nooks and crannies among the rocky beach. A quick stop in the gift shop, and we hiked up the hill to our coach to continue our journey to the southern most point of the Continent, Cape Hope. Along the way we have our first wild animal spotting a male ostrich then we see a baboon sitting on a house, followed by ma family of baboons near the road. We make it to the point and wait our turn to get our pictures with the signage that proves we made it! The wind is fierce, and the waves pound on the rocky shore. We  get back on the coach and drive a short distance to Cape Point where we climb the long path to the lighthouse and see the point were the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic ocean. We’ve done it! We made it to the very tip of Africa.

We spot more baboons and a majestic Eland the largest of living antelopes, found in central and southern Africa and distinguished by its humped shoulders, dewlap, and tightly spiraling horns. We are really here among the wild life and the forces of nature as the wind continues to whip at us with fury.

On our trip around the cape peninsula, we stop just past the coloured town of Silver Mine and from the top of the mountain we see one of the prisons that Mandela spent 7 yrs of time as a resident.We snap some more pictures and then head back to the hotel for dinner. Our minds are filled with spectacular vistas and amazing sites. Our bellies filled with fabulous food. Our spirits filled with wonderment for this amazing county.

African Drums

Drumming

Plant Guessing game with Christine, Tent and Dillon

SANCCOB

We were give a very informative lecture by Mr Weston Barwise, a intentional expert on the rehabilitation of coastal birds.  We got to pet "Rocky" the South Africa penquin, then watch a feeding of the playful members living at the conservatory.

Kirstenbosch Gardens

Beautiful weather- we stop to have a hands on lesson of the 8000 species of plants, more than 4 times the number in all of the UK!  Table Mountain rises majestically behind us and Sun Catcher birds dart in and out of the many blooming flowers.  Not bad for Winter!  Some of these "small bushes" which are indigenous to SA will be extinct in our lifetimes due to development.

Friday Cape Town

Football fever has struck every corner here in SA

Arrival, first lunch, first meeting

Day 1 - travel and arrival

Day 1

Travel from JFK to Johannesburg, then through immigration and then on to Cape Town.  Today’s Total travel hours 21.  The first 15 were long and quite bumpy – we often had our stomachs in our mouths – much like the Son of Beast ride at Kings Island.

We’ve met the beast and we conquered it.

Students slept and watched movies, chatted quietly.  Were model travelers.

Arrive at airport in Cape Town, lost a phone in the plane, made the report but didn’t lose any students.  Met our DMs Ryan and Kenny who took us to the V&A Warf Mall where we sat looking out on Robbens Island and the new FIFA stadium.

A return to the hotel, check in and a hot lasagna dinner, followed by showers and a soft comfy bed and SLEEP!  Tomorrow we meet the Penguins.

Sky Home

This is where we will be for the next 15 hours!

JFK. #2

Waiting for our long flight. All smiling

JFK on our way

In NY. Heading to hotel

FLEXIBILITY

Another flight delay and another card game.this time Will wins. Looks like another 30 min until we board. Lots of good bonding time.

Waiting at the airport. Alex and Will

Southern Africa Foundation for the Preservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB)

Check out where we will be on our first full day in south Africa!  Stay tuned for pictures to follow!  click on the title to go to the website.