A Place for All, Forever: Looking for Antarctica at the Cape of Good Hope

There is no place like Africa to remind you that earth is just a big rock. From the ancient and crumbling mountains to the rocky shores around the cape, South Africa is in many ways the planet with it’s clothes off, stripped down to it’s most basic form. We saw this on our tour of the cape, which included a climb up Signal Hill to look down at Cape Town, a visit to the South African penguins in their natural habitat, and an epic hike and photo op at the Cape of Good Hope.

We started on a dreary Saturday morning, stifling yawns as our program coordinator Joe pointed out and explained the significance of informal settlements, abandoned power plants, and a set of pirate ships(where some US filmmaker is shooting the next pirate movie) as we passed. We drove to the top of Signal Hill after expertly navigating the wonky streets of Cape Town. We passed an odd, unfinished bridge, a remnant of a government building project gone awry that was literally left undone because it would have cost even too much to take it down. From the hill we had a sweeping view of the city, the harbor, Robbins Island (where Mandela served his prison sentence), the iconic Table Mountain, and featuring prominently, the World Cup stadium. A flock of guinea fowl crossed our path as we explored the view, and just as we were heading back to the van, we were treated to a brilliant rainbow over the the city. The irony of wealthy, modern, beautiful Cape Town standing in as the metaphorical pot of gold when informal settlements stretched as far as the eye could see on the outskirts was not lost on us.

(Rainbow over Cape Town)

Back in the van, we eased around the cape towards False Bay, with breathtaking views of beaches and rocky cliffs on one side and artsy towns and colorful but impoverished communities and townships on the other. We stopped for a picnic lunch at a vantage point strategically overlooking a beach and a bay, and Joe explained how the epic mountain-esque cliff had been sold by the South African government to what is very likely just a random guy.

(False Bay)

Before long, we were amongst the penguins. We clambered down a crowded boardwalk, like kids in a candy shop. We spotted one penguin, then two, easily close enough to touch. At the end of the boardwalk was a beach absolutely brimming with the little, tuxedo-clad birds. There were penguin chicks curled up in little nests and grown birds frolicking in the sand. The scene was picturesque, the water a glorious shade of emerald blue and the sun was shining, and there were penguins. Life was complete.

(Boulder Penguins)

As we moved on to our last stop, we entered a nature reserve where we caught sight of wild zebra and ostriches near the side of the road. When we got out of the van, I could almost feel how close we were to the edge of the world. The Cape of Good Hope is as far South as you can get on the African continent, and here we were, standing on the rocky beach, eyes cast towards Antarctic.

(Cape of Good Hope)

We took a hike along the edge of the world, and this is where we met our herd of Hyrax, called dassies by the South Africans. These are small brown fur balls that look like rabbits with no ears. They travel in packs of 10-15 and are apparently not at all afraid of humans. There closely (genetic) relative is the elephant. They are fascinating.

(Parking at Cape of Good Hope)

(Cliffs of Good Hope)

Nearing the end of our hike, we had our next animal encounter. It started when someone spotted a group of baboons in a field a few meters off the path. We were a little concerned, by this time we had been thoroughly briefed on the fact that baboons will tear off your face so avoid them at all costs and never try to confront one. When we reached the visitors center that was the end of our hike, we were greeted by two and a half baboons, one was a mother with a baby. While resting outside the center, one brushed by me (I was terrified) to get to a nearby trashcan which it began to violently dig through. I was stunned when an elderly gentleman jumped up on his chair and began yelling and waving around an empty pizza box to scare it away. It was a strange moment when the similarities between humans and primates became painfully obvious.

(Hyrax, or Dassies)

We caught sight of a few Eland (antelope-like creatures) and some camels (possibly domesticated) on our way home, but we were pretty exhausted by then. Looking at the brochure in the car, I read that the motto of Table Mountain National Park is A Park for All, Forever. This statement struck me after a day of adventure, because despite the absolutely ancientness of this continent, forever didn’t seem like an impossible goal. Somehow our continent, North America, with mountains that still grow, has in many ways lost the wildness, maybe even the earthiness, of the earth that has seemingly been preserved here in South Africa. Here the very bones of the earth are laid bare, and I think there is truth written there.