Day 12: Prison, penguins and Sav blanc Grotte Post..

We battle through the morning traffic to get to the Cape Town waterfront – beautifully restored old buildings, piers and now a popular shopping/entertainment venue.  Seals play and show off as the harbour water glistens.  

We take the tourist boat over to Robben Island – stunning views back to Cape Town and Table Mountain, and dolphins!  

Once on the island, we board a bus and are taken to various points of interest, the prison, houses and amenities for the families of wardens and other workers here, the lighthouse.  

Penguins appear on the roadside occasionally – stealing all attention from the guide and his commentary (though he’s good humoured about it).

We are shown around the prison buildings themselves by an ex-prisoner, he completed 11 of his 20 year sentence for high treason, and was one of the last to be released in 1991, when the prison was closed.  

As he was telling his story there was a heavy silence among the 60 or so of us listening.

On our way back to the boat, Bronwen and I decide to take the penguin board walk, to get some more photos.  I stop in my tracks as I see a large, black snake sunning itself on a rock a couple of metres from where I’m standing.  At first we think it’s fake, but it blinks and shifts its body a little, and we are convinced otherwise!  We do get a few shots of the penguins, but the snake has spooked us somewhat!

Back on the mainland, we eat lunch at the waterfront, watching a small teenaged tribal dance group, enjoying the sunshine and surroundings.  Then back into the bus to see some more of the bays around Cape Town, the sparkly blue sea and penguins and a dassie at Boulders Beach. 

We meet a family of baboons on the road – playing and grooming, while the tiny one keeps close to his mother.  We visit the Cape Point National Park – the southern most tip of Africa.  It’s extremely windy as we clamber to the top of the lookout at the lighthouse, but the views are worth it!  On the way back we spot ostrich, cape zebra and more bok, and glimpse a graceful sunbird in flight. 

We take the coast road back towards Cape Town, doing a u-turn to investigate more closely a whale’s tail in the bay – only to realise we’d been taken in by a floating decoy…

Chapman’s peak is a gorgeous spot to watch the sun setting over the ocean, and we marvel at the changing light until the bays and headlands are black and the sea a glowing pink.  There is a huge owl glaring at the traffic from a road sign as we make our way back to Camps Bay.   


We have a wonderful meal at a waterfront restaurant, and enjoy the wine and chatter.  (The more wine, the more silly the chatter).