How Far South Can You Go?

 Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Another new breakfast choice at The Mynt.  This time's it's Mueslix Crunch and for once I don't feel like a Christmas goose! Our goal today is the southernmost point on the African continent and it's a bit of a drive, so, even though Jerome is just getting warmed up, we have to cut off his monologue and get on our way.

It's a lovely drive of about three hours and we get to see parts of South Africa that we haven't before. Thee are massive farms with manicured fields and lots of sheep, some cows, fewer horses, and magnificent mountains.  We've observed that the South African drivers are quite polite, as a rule, and are happy to pull far enough over for you to pass them.

It's a good idea to fill the car's gas tank before undertaking our last major adventure and we find a Caltex station where the attendant fills our tank and washes our windshield!  Feels like the 50s in the States. We paid 22.94 Rand per liter which Marilyn says works out to about $4.86/gallon

Guy had drawn us a map of how to get to Cape L'Agulhas and his directions seem to be the same as BB's, so that gives us confidence. We turn at all the right places and eventually find ourselves in the Agulhas National Park.  The water is a truly magical color and the rolling breakers are never-ending. 

We decide to have lunch and a comfort stop before walking the board walk to the point and find a cue little place Suidpunt Potpourri.  I have a crunch chicken wrap and a salad and it is just more than I can eat!  Marilyn's Greek salad with chicken is waaay more than she can manage!  It's huge!!  She opts to take it home since our waitress can give her a bag of ice to keep it fresh.

Even though we are at the end of the continent, there is wifi and we check in with our nearest and dearest to see how everyone's hurricane preps are going. My kids are the best and spent four hours boarding up my windows last night.  Today they are taking care of their own homes.

Refreshed, now, we are ready to be awed and amazed by this place where the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans meet.  The shoreline is kept pristine by keeping people on the boardwalk and by the efforts of volunteers who clean up the litter of thoughtless tourists. There is a stone monument that assures you that you are at the southern-most tip of the continent of Africa and there is a large relief map of the continent that is quite impressive. According to the explanatory sign, "The structure was created to form an iconic element that, like an old ruin or shipwreck, not only belongs to the landscape, but will, in time evolve in character."

Leopard tortoise

It is pretty hard to stop taking pictures as each one is unique - but also just like all the others!! But we have to get home before dark, so we retrace our steps and return to the car. We make it home just as the sun is sinking into the ocean. We stop at reception to request a late check-out since our flight doesn't leave until midnight. Marion says it's no problem and she'll send George for our bags around noon!

When we get in, we learn from Betsy that TIA will probably not re-open for a few days and Marilyn checks her messages that she gets from the airport.  It might be MONDAY! Road Scholar will help us reschedule, but only after Delta officially cancels our flight. It appears that we will be stranded in Detroit for a while.  Happily, Marilyn has family in Bay City, so we might not have to stay in a hotel for several days!  We'll see what tomorrow brings. Maybe it won't be as bad as the forecast suggests. We've done all we can at this point.  The meme going around is that waiting for a hurricane is like being stalked by a turtle!