December 18-19
Hello everyone!
Actually, don’t pick up a penguin – that’s illegal. But feel
free to gaze in wonder at these adorable creatures…
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| #cute |
Boulders Beach is one of largest and best-protected penguin
reserves in the world. For African penguins, mind – emperor penguins, the
larger ones you may have seen on Planet
Earth, are located further south in the Antarctic.
Somewhat harshly, these particular penguins are also known
as ‘Jackass’ penguins, owing to their braying sound rather than any douchebag
behaviour.
The penguin is still listed as endangered, even though
numbers at Boulders are continually rising from two breeding pairs in 1982 to
over 2,000 today. Mating season is normally between January and February,
though some were perhaps keen to get started sooner…
December is their moulting season, when the previous coat is
shed. That explains the occasional splotches of brown on the penguins and some
ruffled coats. They don’t feed during moulting, which results in them standing
still on the land. Perfectly still.
It’s incredible how statuesque they are.
Boulders Beach is near a village called Simon’s Town. It is
a lovely train ride along the coast from Cape Town, shared with many other
passengers. This point is important – I was told to move to a different, more
populated carriage ‘for my own safety’ before my train to Stellenbosch
departed.
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| One of several lovely views from the train |
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| I think this was Fish Hoek |
Simon’s Town is a pleasant place, one of many which I’m sure
dot the coastline south of Cape Town on the Cape Peninsula. This particular
site has had a famous British visitor: Lord Nelson, who spent a month here
after the delightfully-named HMS Dolphin
docked here in 1776. I wonder if he saw the penguins…
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| Simon's Town |
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| The harbour in Simon's Town |
In between the city and the peninsula there are many
southern suburbs which are adorned with beautiful beaches.
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| Camps Bay, Cape Town |
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| Camps Bay, Cape Town |
The water kissing the sand is the Atlantic Ocean, a sea mass
not known for its warmth. I did dip my whole body in (briefly) but you can see
from my ghost-like feet.
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| This water contains the Benluega current, which comes from Antarctica |
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| Brr! |
There are many other places along the Cape Peninsula which I
would have liked to visit, such as the southernmost point of the African
continent and the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet; ultimately,
time is my enemy once more. My time in South Africa is almost over and it is
now time to head north, taking tens of videos of static penguins with me as a
treasured memory.
Everyone together now…AWWWWWW!
Love you all
Matt
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