I didn't know places and days like this could exist.

Yesterday was one of those fantastic days that you long for and cherish. It sits in the same category as those treasured summer days at home: 9 perfect hours on Singing Beach of swimming and reading and people watching, then out for drinks and steamers on the deck at Tom Shea's. Except instead of Singing Beach it was Cape Point and in lieu of of drinks at Shea's it was sundowners in Camps Bay. Ben picked Lee Anne and I up around 11am for a day of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. We started with Kalk Bay - a very quaint and beautiful seaside town. Lots of shops and restaurants and teal blue water and fishing boats. Kind of like Rockport, but cooler... well, because it's in Africa. We had lunch at Cape To Cuba, a Cuban restaurant with the most eclectic and intricate decor. Che's portrait was featured all over their menu; dogs and bare feet were welcomed. We ate outside, amongst the vines and views of the harbor, where young boys were swimming and splashing around. We made Ben try his first (and second) oyster. He didn't really believe us that they were raw. The first one went over pretty well, but not-so-much with the second one.



After a bit of shopping, we drove between the ocean and moutains, through Fish Hoek. I know people say it alot, but really, there aren't words to describe the beauty. I've never driven it, but I have a feeling it would be similar to driving the Pacific Coast Highway. The roads are narrow and windy and you sort of feel like you don't belong, that you're not supposed to be there... because it's just so astonishingly magnificent. Directly to our right were the rugged and charismatic mountains; immediately to our left there was a sheer drop to the rough coastline. We were on the edge of a cliff, looking out on the world. You couldn't exactly differentiate between the ocean and sky. If Ben's driving didn't scare the shit out of me, it would have been an utterly meditative experience.

When we got to Simonstown, we stopped at Boulders Beach. More beautiful coastlines, teal blue ocean water, unique boulder formations. Oh, and penguins. There were people at the beach, but it is definitely the home of the African Penguin (formerly known as the Jackass Penguin, because they sound like donkeys). I walked the beach with penguins, stuck my toes in the water as they were swimming by, and saw penguin sex. I climbed up on massive boulders, and laid down to relax and absorb every last drop of the ocean, mountains, sky, sun, people, beauty... and not two feet away there were penguins - straight chillen. I wanted to pet one, but the signs emphatically stated that they bite; I wasn't trying to lose my finger to a Jackass.







After Boulders Beach, we continued on the breathtaking drive and headed to Cape Point, which is the tip of the peninsula. When you enter the peninsula (it's a national park) the drive is eerily stunning. It's oddly flat and the combination of rocks and vegetation is like nothing I've ever seen. Once you're actually at Cape Point, you climb the stairs to the tippity top, where the light house is. And then you can't believe your eyes. You're both on top of, and on the edge of, the universe. You look over the edge of the stone wall and lose your breath - you're not sure if it's because of the insane height, drastic drop, or sheer awe of nature and beauty. And the wind! I've never ever ever ever experienced wind like that. When you lean way out over the stone wall and and face the ocean, your hair flies straight up in the air. I imagine that wind on your face is the closest you can be to skydiving, without actually jumping out of a plane. After the lighthouse and mile markers (hollerrrr, New York!), Lee Anne and I hiked out to Dias Point, which is the furthest and utmost point of the Cape Point peninsula. It was quiet and surreal and mindblowing. You're walking on this path no more than a few feet wide, and beyond that there is a few feet of shrubbery on each side. And then the earth just drops. I was thinking to myself that it looked make-believe. Not necessarily fake, because there are all these negative and strange connotations with fake. But it looked like something out of a fantasy movie - pretend and imaginative and make-believe and fantastical and just so good it has to be make-believe. And, of course, photos do no justice... but beyond my own memories, it's the best I've got for you.






Back in the parking lot... umm, well, there were baboons. They're furry and cute looking, but vicious! They'll rip food out of your hands (just ask Michelle) and try to climb through your windows into your car (as seen by yours truly). Put it this way: there are park rangers whose job it is is to go around and tell people to sit in their car with their windows closed to eat their ice cream cone. And I hear their fangs aren't anything to play around with, so I snapped a few photos, then booked it to the car for safety.




After the baboons we drove to the Cape of Good Hope, which is the most south-western point of Africa. I'd like to say it's the southern most point, and it sure felt like it, but Cape Agulus (on the Garden Route) apparently has us by a nose. I sat on the rocks and closed my eyes and listened to the ocean, as the crashing waves sprinkled my face with misty salt water. It was delightful.




From there, as the sun began to set we continued our drive along the coast, up the west side of the peninsula. We passed through Scarborough, Kommetjie, Noordhoek, and Hout Bay.. and made it to Camps Bay just in time for sundowners (aka: drinks, cocktails, happy hour, alcohol of sorts on the beach while the sun is setting, etc). Camps Bay is somewhat hoighty-toighty and me thinks a comparison to Ocean Drive in South Beach would be fair: lots of palm trees, beautiful beaches, beautiful people, high heels, etc. Needless to say, we were underdressed. But it didn't even matter. I had had an incredible day with two fantastic people, so I had a scrumptious berry martini and a good time.