Cape Point National Park, South Africa
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As we paddled into shallower waters, we realized we were slowly being surrounded by
penguins. Some happily pattered up to us to say hello, some lay on rocks soaking up the sun,
while others preferred the cooler shade under the boulders. We sat in the sand among the
birds, watching as a few more splashed out of the sea and, shaking their feathers,
waddled
up the beach to see what they'd missed while swimming. It was truly an amazing experience.
We reluctantly returned to the car, and continued to Cape Point, one of the most southern
tips of Africa. We had seen on the news back in Cape Town that there were forest fires
but hadn't
realized just how serious they were. We had intended to drive the scenic Chapman's Peak
road,
but it was closed due to the fire threat. We took a diversion through the rolling vineyards of
Stellenbosch, which stretched out across the hills on either side of the road. Approaching
Cape
Point National Park, we could smell the fire before we saw it. As we drew closer, a
huge wall of
smoke became visible in the distance. It wasn't a plume; the cloud was kilometers
wide and
equally high.
We pulled over and watched as helicopters swooped through the billowing clouds, trying
in vain to douse the flames. Continuing along the track,
roadblocks were hastily being set up
as firefighters, many of them volunteers from the surrounding
area, fought against the fire.
Leaving the flames raging behind us, we continued
to Cape Point and took the funicular railway
to the lighthouse at the top.
Source: Greene, Gavin. "Cape Point National Park, South Africa." The Travelogue., 12 March 2015.
https://gavingreene.com/2015/03/12/cape-point-national-park-south-africa/
. Accessed 21 May 2019.
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