Hiking, Ostriches, and Lighthouses

Today was our second full day of our journey here in South Africa. The tour emphasized the geography and scenic views of the Cape Peninsula. We toured the Cape Peninsula National Park of Cape Town. On that journey we stopped at the Cape of Good Hope and Boulders Beach. The Cape of Good Hope is home to more than 250 species of birds. These species consist of baboons, zebras, elands, red hartebeests, ostriches, and the pretty bontebok.

After taking several photographs at the Cape of Good Hope our group decided to hike from the Cape of Good Hope, which is the south western most part of the Cape Peninsula to a lighthouse on top of a mountain. Some of our colleagues contemplated whether to hike the long journey or not, however, when everyone decided to do it, there was a great sense of accomplishment and it proved to be worthwhile and enjoyable venture. Along the way we saw beautiful views of the ocean and came within 10 feet of ostriches. We were scared, but it was a once in a lifetime experience. When we got to the top of the lighthouse after the long hike, we observed a breathtaking view and saw a sign with major cities of the world and their distance from the Cape: Singapore, New York, Paris, Sydney, London, and others. On the way back down we stopped in the nearby restaurant overlooking the ocean for a South African lunch, where they served seafood and ostrich as well as other exotic dishes.

Next we arrived at Boulders Beach and watched African Penguins interact in a protected closed environment. The penguins were in mating season, so we observed them making some strange noises and cuddling with each other. We learned that the penguins are able to live in the warmth because of their pink glands above their eyes that expands and produces a chemical enzyme that releases chemicals to cool down their bodies during the warm months. The reasoning behind their black and white coloring is mainly for camouflage from predators. The white coloring on their stomachs is to blend in with the sky so that predators from below cannot notice them, and the black is to blend with the ocean floor against the predators from above. Of the 1.5 million African Penguin population that was estimated in 1910, only about 10% remained at the end of the 20^th century. From just two breeding pairs in 1982 the penguin colonies have grown to more than 3,000 in recent years. We found the idea of African penguins interesting and exciting. After a long day of hiking and taking in the scenery everyone was exhausted but satisfied with the long trek.