Hello from Cape Town!
The morning started with a delicious breakfast – Ms Wolff and Mr Dohmen had made pancakes, bacon, and eggs before the day really kicked off, because once again, we had quite a bit planned.
Our first stop was Bo-Kaap, the neighbourhood famous for its brightly coloured houses. We wandered through the little streets, admired the painted facades, and picked up our last souvenirs. While walking around, we were reminded once more how visible poverty is in some areas: for example, three young men insisted on helping us park and were hoping for a small tip – another sign of the contrast that’s been following us throughout the trip.
After Bo-Kaap, we drove about an hour up the West Coast to our safari tour. During our lunch break in the sun – sandwiches we’d made ourselves – we spotted the first animals: a curious meerkat and a tortoise, which made Ms Wolff so happy that she treated us all to ice cream afterwards.
The game reserve was huge – around 1,600 hectares – and our guide, a Khoisan man, told us a lot about the animals and their habits. The first one we saw was a giraffe. We drove quite close to the bush and got an amazing view of it. We also saw zebras and different types of antelope, which (as we learned) can survive up to a year without drinking water. The rhinos, Max and Lilli, were especially impressive – and we couldn’t believe how fast rhinos can actually run: up to 50 km/h!
The second part of the safari started with something truly special – the lion feeding. Our guide threw whole plucked chickens at the lions – definitely a sight we won’t forget anytime soon.
After that, the tour continued, and we came across another giant tortoise. The guide even lifted it into the jeep so we could all have a close look and touch its shell. In between, our jeep (imagine an old army transporter – no windows, no windscreen, lifted about 1.5 metres off the ground, and probably about 50 years old) decided not to start several times. It usually needed a mix of kind words, mild cursing, and a bit of Khoi magic to get going again. At least that gave us time to take extra photos – though it also meant we missed a Western Cape cobra that slithered past us!
Nach der Fütterung setzten wir die Tour fort und begegneten noch einmal einer sehr großen Schildkröte, die der Guide kurz in den Jeep hob, damit wir sie alle aus der Nähe bestaunen und sogar anfassen konnten. Zwischendurch sprang unser Jeep (man stelle sich einen Omnibus ohne Wände und ohne Frontscheibe auf 1,5m ,,hochgelegt“ vor – kurz: ein ca. 50 Jahre alter, ausgemusterter Truppentransporter, dessen Anlasser oftmals händisch durch gute Zusprüche, sanfte Flüche und ein wenig Koikoi-Magie zum Starten überzeugt werden musste) mehrmals nicht an. So konnten wir aber glücklicher Weise mehr Fotos machen, konnten aber deshalb einer uns über den Weg huschenden Western Cape Cobra nicht folgen.
On our way back, we stopped at Bloubergstrand Beach, where we had an absolutely stunning view of Cape Town and Table Mountain. We collected seashells and watched the sun slowly sink behind the horizon.
For dinner, Lisan and Charlotte cooked super tasty spaghetti with tomato sauce. Afterwards, we slowly started organising our stuff – our departure is getting close now.
It was another intense and unforgettable day – one we definitely won’t forget anytime soon.
