Cape Town, South Africa (Cape of Good Hope, Boulder Beach & Lucky Fish Restaurant) - Vacation, Day 3

August 12, 2012

      I wanted to sleep in but today we are going to a few more places in Cape Town. Before we went on any outing, Florence suggested that we all work on our “messages” that we would put in a bottle and toss out to sea. The message could be a five or ten year goals, a letter to me or just a note to God. The note would also contain our email addresses so the recipients of our bottle could contact us to let us know the bottle’s destination. We wrapped the notes in saran wrap, insert the note in the bottle and melted candle wax on the lid. Oh,…we also included a dollar bill in the bottle….a stipend for the recipient’s trouble of emailing us!   So after a breakfast consisting of a vegetable omelet and coffee, Bruce, Florence and I were off to our first stop, the Cape of Good Hope.

      The drive to the Cape was scenic at best. The morning started off overcast, but became more beautiful by the hour. Along the route, we came across a cow standing by the side of the road just minding its own business and we also passed multiple ostrich farms.

       After about a 30 minute drive we pulled into the parking lot of The Cape of Good Hope. Often it is misunderstood that the Cape of Good Hope, although at the southern tip of Africa, is believed to be the meeting point of the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans. Actually, the southernmost tip is 150 kilometers away and is called Cape Agulhas and Cape Point. First we climbed the huge boulders where the water rushes and crashed on them. Then we followed the foot path that takes you on a high cape which offered a panoramic view of the ocean, wildlife and plants. The cape was a little too high for my liking, so I went half way and returned to the bottom to wait for Bruce and Flo. After, we took a few photos. Our next stop was Boulder Beach.

      Boulder Beach, not far from Simon’s Town is home to the African Penguins. The penguins can be viewed in their natural environment up front and personal. The penguins allow you to get close to them but don’t try to pet them because they will quickly wobble away! After partaking with nature and engaging with the wildlife, we are hungry so now we are on our way to the Lucky Fish Restaurant.

            The Lucky Fish Restaurant, located on the Kalk Bay, is considered “gourmet fast food”, and has a no frozen fish policy so everything that is order is fresh from the sea! My hunger allowed my eyes to be bigger than my stomach; I ordered the seafood platter which contained hake fish, calamari, shrimps and fries. At the owner’s insistence, I tried the fresh baked ciabatta loaf and was glad I did! The seafood was not only delicious but the portion was very generous and quite a value for the money!

           After dinner we walked along the pier outside of the restaurant. Multiple fishing boats were docked and appeared prepared for the early morning sail to bring in the day’s “catch”. We watched the playfulness of some of the seals as they swam in the bay, while other chose to just lay and catch the rays of the last bit of sun before it set.

            The last stop before heading back to Bruce and Flo’s place was to throw our “Message in a Bottle” out to sea.  We picked a beach area, not far from the house. We each took turns tossing our bottles as far out into the water as we could to avoid hitting the large boulders in the water. When it was my turn, I said a little prayer, took my stance and cast my bottle into the roaring waves.

      We drove back to the house, tired but hopeful that all of our dreams and desires that we wrote about would all come true.

All the best,

GMarie