Cape Town

Breakfast and packing up for the last time.

Fur seals.

A few of the many common dolphins swimming past the point.

Another township that we drove past.

The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

The harbour.

Christmas in the southern hemisphere.

A return visit to the Atlantic Point Backpackers.

Saturday, December 16^th.

We packed up our last campsite and the truck for the last time and headed back into Hermanus. We had an hour of free time to go to a coffee shop or hang around the waterfront. I chose the later. I sat and watched the water looking for sea life while enjoying the sunshine, the gentle breeze and the smell of the salt spray in the air. A local man told me about a vantage point where I could see seals and later I watched several families of dolphins swimming, jumping and feeding down the shoreline.

We all boarded the bus and drove the final few kilometres. Colin drove us along the shoreline and around False Bay where we could see the city of Somerset and the Cape of Good Hope Peninsula. We stopped at a couple of overlooks where saw more seals and dolphins.

We arrived in Cape Town about one and parked outside the Never @ Home Hostel. We unloaded all our luggage, said our goodbyes and everyone headed off in different directions to their accommodation. I was the last to leave as I wanted to talk to Jay and Colin and say goodbye. Jay told me again that he was surprised that I was 64, he thought I was in my 50's because of my energy and enthusiasm. I picked up my gear and walked the three blocks to the Atlantic Point Backpackers hostel I stayed in back in 2010. I reserved the same room I stayed in last time. It is a four single bed co-ed room. I am sharing with three very young girls who are travelling independently. One from Austria, Canada and Germany. When I was here before Cape Town was my entrance point to Africa and this time it is my exit point. When I was here before I booked a ticket for my last day in Cape Town on the ferry to Robben Island, which is the island prison were Nelson Mandela was held for all those years but, unfortunately it got cancelled because of bad weather. So when I booked this tour of South Africa I hoped to make that trip this time.

I had been trying to book the trip for the last few days but we had no internet, so when I checked in at the hostel I asked them if they could check to see if there was any availability for the ferry for tomorrow or Monday. They told me that it was all booked. I decided to walk down the V&A Waterfront and see if I could buy a ticket at the dock. This waterfront area is beautiful and it was packed. Today is a holiday in South Africa and it is Christmas shopping time. I got in line and managed to get a ticket for tomorrow at 11:00am. So hopefully the weather will be much less windy that it was today.

Then I wandered around the waterfront window shopping, having an ice cream and hanging out enjoying the atmosphere. Later I went for a walk in the Green Point area looking for the Green Point tourist market that I had seen in 2010. But I couldn't find it. Finally I asked a man and he told me it was removed as they were upgrading the area to a park. So I walked back to the hostel and typed and uploaded a couple of blog posts.

Later I went out for dinner with a young Swedish high school student. I had seen her in the hostel and when I went out to eat I saw her standing on the street looking like she wasn't sure what to do. I asked if she was looking for a place to eat and she said yes. We talked and agreed that eating in a restaurant by yourself is awkward. So I asked if she wanted to go together to the Thai restaurant we were standing in front of and she agreed. She is one of several young girls I have talked to who are staying at this hostel and are travelling alone. I am impressed with their courage and or naivety. Travelling in parts of Africa is not for the faint of heart and as white tourists you often stand out in a crowd and perhaps make an easy target for thieves. We shared two meals and then we went back to the hostel. I phoned Mom and Dad and then headed off to bed.