October 7: The Cape of Good Hope

This rooftop tent sleeping is for the birds. We only got about two hours sleep as the winds made it feel like we were going to fly away.  Our first stop of the day was the Cape of Good Hope, the legendary home of the flying Dutchman. The Cape of Good Hope was first discovered by Dias Cross, an explorer from Portugal in 1488.   It was cool to be standing at the most south-western point of Africa. And, as beautiful as it was by the ocean, the views were even more spectacular at the Cape Point where it is claimed that the Indian and Atlantic Ocean meeting.  In actuality, the oceans meet at Cape Agulhas.  Regardless, we were blown away by this spot.

From here, we made the scenic drive to Hermanus, which is considered one of the best places in the world to observe whales from the shore.  The drive along the coast was stunning although we did drive by some sobering “slums,” where people were living in horrible conditions inside metal sheds.  It was a stark contrast to the luxury of Cape Town and Simon’s Town.  Once we made it to Hermanus, we did see a few whales but they were quite a distance offshore –  we all were quite disappointed but we are hoping for better luck in the morning.