Republic of SOUTH AFRICA 3rd Day:- Cape Town - March,24,2019 Hout Bay, Cape Point

Republic of SOUTH AFRICA     

3rd Day:- Cape Town - 24.03.2019

Hout Bay, Simons Town, Cape Point

After the breakfast in our Hotel Lady Hamilton, around 09.00 o’clock, our bus ‘Mega Coach’ took us to coastal road on the West of the Cape Town. We drove through Bantry Bay and then reached to the Camps Bay. It was around 10.00. Our bus stopped in a parking lot and we gave a short break for taking pictures.

Camps Bay, South Africa

Camps Bay is the beach where the Portuguese discovery ships came and established their first camp in the last decade of 15^th century. The pioneers to discover this part of the world where Barthelme Diaz and Vasquez de Gama on behalf of the Portuguese king.

Their goal was to turn around South Africa to the East where the spice was coming from.

After half an hour we continued our trip on route M6 which is the so-called Victoria Drive to the direction Hout Bay. The scenic road Victoria is connecting Hout Bay to the Cape Town Since we were heading to the South, the blue and endless ocean was on our right hand side. The sky was partially cloudy but the sun was promisingly shining.

We arrived at Hout Bay around 11:00 o’clock.This is a small fisherman’s’ town. Our bus came to park. We walked in the Mariner’s Wharf. There were a couple of seals around. Small ethnic groups were making music and children were dancing for the tourists.

I bought a coffee. Then we waited for our scheduled boat trip. Our boat took us to a small

rocky island just 2-3 miles away from the coast. There are colony of seals on and around the small island. Our boat approached to the island and we took pictures.

Then we sailed back to the Mariner’s Wharf.

Hout Bay, Mariner's Wharf

Open Souvenier Shops, Hout Bay

Dancing children at the Hout Bay

Marina at the Hout Bay

Just before boarding for the seals

Seal colony living on a rocky island

Seal Colony

We seated in our bus and we started to drive. Leaving Hout Bay, at a view point we stopped only to take few pictures. We continued on the Chapman’s Peak Drive. This is a panoramic road which is good for passengers but not for the drivers. The road is with many curves and getting narrow from time to time. The elevation of the road is changing between 60 and 120 meters from sea level. According to the existing rules it is a one direction route is for big buses. It is a dangerous road section but most scenic as well.

Chapman 's Peak Drive (foto taken from The Vibe Guest Studios' page)

We came to the Simons Town which is on False Bay side. Our bus drove us further down. We passed at the side of the naval base of Republic South Africa.The symbol of this naval base has used to be a Golden Retriever. It was a devoted and sympathetic dog of the base in the past.

Further down we came to a place where a big Penguin Colony is leaving. We were at the East coast of the peninsula. We walked on the sandy beach to the penguins. They were bordered by the wooden hand trails all along the walking deck. We took a lot of pictures and while walking back to the bus I bought delicious ice cream from one of the nice looking ice cream corner.

Penguin Colony in Simons Town, South Africa

A penguin warming the egg.

We arrived at the pre-booked restaurant at the sea side. They served us with sea food, fish and green salad. I took also a cold South African beer. After the lunch we continued our road on M4 to the Cape Point. When we came to the Cape Point the weather changed badly and a thick fog was around. We bought the tickets for the funicular which takes the people to the light house which is located at approx. 180 meter from sea level. It is a huge and powerful light house visible from 100 miles. We took a few pictures and then came down with the funicular. There is a souvenir shop at the lower funicular station and I bought a key ring with Cape Point symbol as a gift to my son. One of the interesting thing and danger was about baboons leaving there everywhere. These animals are eating any food that the visitors have in their pockets or in their bags. Be careful against baboons in the parking lot and on the hill up to the light house as well. They are suddenly stealing the bags and sometimes attacking people for getting the food stuff.

Light House of Cape Point

After that our bus took us down to the place “Cape of Good Hope.”

There is a symbolic wooden sign showing the geographical location at the coast looking to the West. It is a place to remember by photographs. After having some pictures we continued on our bus back to Cape Town. It was a trip back to our Hotel of about 1 ½ hours. It was approx. 18:30 when we came back to our Hotel.

I didn’t fixed the reason exactly but my stomach was hurting me when we were back. The fish or one of the food products on the lunch could be spoilt. I spent the night at the Hotel.

PATAGONIA Tour on Motorcycle-08 February 2018 Day 18

SOUTH AMERICA / PATAGONIA TOUR with MOTORCYCLE
Riding to EL FIN DEL MUNDO between 21 January - 10 February 2018.

Day-18 (08 February 2018) :  Ushuaia>>>Puerto Harberton>>>Rio Grande (290 km)

First partof our route from Ushuaia to Rio Grande : Stop at Es. Harberton for Penguins

After having the breakfast at our Hotel Canal Beagle we walked to the park at the sea side which is around 150 meter away from the Hotel.There, we made a group picture altogether.
(I do not know why that picture is not available !!)

After that photography ceremony we came back to the Hotel and took our motorcycles and departed from the Hotel in the direction back to Rio Grande. The streets in the city are under construction and therefore there are lots of detours in the city. It is also dusty and with lots of bumps. But as soon as we get out the city the asphalt road (Route3) took us in 25 minutes to the junction to Puerto Harberton. After the junction we had got gravel road in the forest through the valleys. At 10:00 o'clock we were at the Pt. Almanza (approx. 67 km from Ushuaia). From here there is a view over the Canal Beagle and far on the south someone can see Pto. Williams which is on the Chilean side.

At Pt. Almanza:- The other side of the canal belongs to Chile and there is Pto. Williams

Then we continued to ride in east direction. The view is fantastic. We were riding along the coast but we up and downs on the gravel road. The road was well pressed but in some sections the grader was working and we had to be very concentrated on the road. Around 11:00 o'clock we came to Harberton Museum for Sea mammals. Meanwhile we saw that, the front tire of Kevin (from Shangai) was flat and Thomas repaired it on site.

Since our penguin tour was scheduled for 12:00 o'clock we visited the museum and saw skeleton, bones and pieces of the sea mammals like wales, dolphins, sea lions, etc.

Teeth (?) of a big Greenland Wale

It is very strange that there were lots of people visiting this museum. I think this place called Pt. Harberton is a famous site for those who are interested in sea mammals and penguins.
Then we took our motorcycles and we moved to the site Harberton where from we would be driven to the penguins' island. 

 

We sat there half an hour and drank a coffee. I took also some pictures in the nice weather and blue sky. Then we departed with the boat (2 x150 HP engines) to the island on the Beagle Canal. The travel on the boat took roughly 25-30 minutes.

As we arrived at the penguins' island we got out and walked on the island among the penguins. Our guide for penguins explained a lot of behavioral things about the penguins.
Their family life, waiting for their nests which they dig in the ground, guarding the eggs etc.
We were right at the time when penguins were changing their fur. Most of them were slowly moving or maybe mostly sleeping. They may not swim and dive with their unfinished furs.
The cold water might cause them trouble because the thermal protection is not enough with the new furs.

We said 'bye-bye ' to the penguins and left the island again with our boat. We arrived back at the Harberton jetty after 30 minutes. We rode with our bikes to a nice restaurant on top of a hill which is only 400 meter away from the Harberton Houses.

We ate nice food at the Harberton Restaurant. After the lunch we returned back on the same road to the junction to Rio Grande. It is about 70 kms from here and we turned back 

to the asphalt road (Route 3). 

We came together with the whole group there and then we departed for Tolhuin which is on the mid point of the road to Rio Grande. We used the same road back to Rio Grande. We passed Passo Garibaldi in the reverse direction. The road conditions were very good even there was mild wind getting closer to Rio Grande.

Around 16:00 we arrived at our Hotel Grande in Rio Grande. It is a modern Hotel located in the city. The city is without trees and looks like a city in the desert. After we set up in our room with Sadik I took shower and changed and then went to the lobby and ordered a pisco.

While enjoying my drink there came our luggage with the van of Moto-Avventura.

I took them to our room and then I continued my drink at the lobby.

Around 19:00 we moved to the restaurant of the Hotel for dinner. The whole group were together at the dinner and this was our second from last night together with our group.