My last post!!--March 29

March 28

The good thing about a collapsible cane is that you can take it with you in case you need it. Today I did not have to unfold it when I went to the Cape of Good Hope where the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean meet. I took the funicular up to the overlook of the Cape Point, and I was happy to pay the extra 50 Rand (about $5.). We went all the way down to Cape Point—the most southern tip of the African continent—to have our picture taken as a group and people from other tour buses were doing the same. If you've been reading this blog, you know that the ship was rocking pretty well the last few days before we came into Cape Town—it seems that CT is the most dangerous port to come into in the world.

Baboons roam throughout this area, and some houses have security and baboon-proof trash cans to protect against them as they know how to open doors, clean out cupboards, and generally make a mess. In addition to them, we saw a “hyrax” which is a small animal that has to eat all day in other to keep it's body temperature up. It's so small that eagles can eat them, they take turns being the guard while others are eating. Here's a wonderfully weird thing: because the eagles attack them when there is bright sun, the hyrax developed another eye lid so it can look into the sun and watch for eagles!! Kind of like built-in permanent sunglasses to use when they need them!

We went past an ostrich farm which is apparently good “eating” with practically no fat in the meat.

I'll pass on that. When the road was close to the sea, giant “kelp” forests were visible which is full a nursery for small fish. There were also fur seals and, although I didn't see them, sharks in the water.

By the way, do you know why they think the whales are getting stranded on the beach? Scientists think they are becoming deaf from explosions in the water. They have extremely sensitive hearing because they listen for each other's communication.

Next, we went to Boulders Beach—a sheltered cover between Simon's Town and Cape Town where there is a colony of African Black-Footed Penguins. When I saw the Fairy Penguins off the coast of Australia, I remember that they went out to feed during the day and came back to feed the baby chicks at night. We sat in the darkness and waiting until they came trooping past, and we could hear the babies calling for them in hunger. Apparently, the African Penguins do it in more of a cooperative way, in that some leave to feed and some stay to protect the chicks and the eggs.

Speaking of gasoline prices—the government raises the price about every month. The announce what the new gas price will be a week before it goes into effect. How much is gas, you might wonder. Currently, gas is $1.50 US for one liter of gas. There are 3.7 liters in one gallon of gas. I think they call this a word problem, and I'll leave it at that!

FYI—Megan will be 43 years old on the 31^st. Hey, I thought that was my age....Happy Birthday, Megan!  That's the day I fly home!!

And, Happy Easter all!