Four days in Cape Town presents a time crunch for experiencing all that the incredible city has to offer. Writing down lists is my way of organizing the continual racetrack that is my mind, so in typical fashion I had already made a list of my top excursions I wanted to experience while in Cape Town, South Africa. Without much knowledge of the travel time between spots in and around Cape Town, I wrote a list that was deemed impossible to do in four days. However, our good friend Andrew helped us to get the most out of our short time in Cape Town (and looking back at my list, we did everything except surfing and diving; which just means I need to go back soon).
Seeing the seal and penguin colonies was at the top of our plans, and we got even more than we expected with a full day of exploring the Cape Peninsula. Our guide for the day picked us up at the apartment at 7am, and immediately made me wish I had drank another espresso to keep up with him. Our trek van was filled with a diverse group of travelers from Germany, Brazil, England, and Argentina. All of our various backgrounds made for stimulating conversations throughout the day.
Hout Bay was our first stop of the day. We hopped on a boat and made our way to the seal colony out on the rock formations in the middle of the bay. I closed my eyes, feeling the sunshine sinking into my skin and the wind combing through my hair. Moments later Edwin grabbed my arm, and we were awestruck at the site in front of us. We quickly grabbed our cameras and started capturing the colony of seals playing in the water and lounging on the rocks. As the others gravitated towards the bow of the ship, my lens focused on a seal pup gravitating towards the water about to dive in. As I waited for the perfect moment to snap the pup jumping into the clear blue water, the pup's eyes looked straight into my lens. That enigmatic connection could have been fabricated in my own subconscious, but I swear it felt as if that moment had been created specifically for me.
As we made our way back to land, surrounded by rocky cliffs and stunning blue water, Edwin and I laughed at how beautiful and intricate it all was. This feeling lasted throughout the day as we bicycled to the most Southwestern point of Africa, saw the African penguins at Boulders Bay, and discussed the history and culture of South Africa with our guide and local craftsmen.
Check out all of the scenery, wildlife, and good vibes in my Cape Peninsula excursion video!