Last Saturday it was such AWESOME weather in Cape Town so I decided it would be nice to drive around the Cape Peninsula and look at all the beautiful scenery. A friend of mine had just moved from Jo’burg to Cape Town and she had never been to Cape Point and dreamed of seeing the penguins at Boulders Beach. So this was the perfect opportunity. I picked her up around 10h30 and firstly we drove via Camps Bay to Hout Bay. This coastal stretch always blows my mind. I used to live in Hout Bay for about four years and drove this road almost every day. It never gets boring. It’s SO beautiful. We’re getting slowly into whale season now and then sometimes you see whales here. This time we were not that lucky. I guess it’s still a little bit early in the year although they have already been spotted in Hout Bay. In Hout Bay we went up Chapmans Peak Drive (ZAR 30 toll road) and stopped at the look out point. Again, I can’t get enough of those amazing views. It IS the most beautiful spot in the world. People who have been, will absolutely agree with me that Cape Town and surroundings is beautiful beyond measure. My friend was also flabbergasted and couldn’t stop taking pictures from all the different views. Her iPhone soon ran out of battery!

Via Noordhoek, Kommetjie and Scarborough we drove to the entrance of the Cape Point National Park (ZAR 80 entrance fee or free with a Wildcard, which I have J ). Cape of Good Hope is easily accessible. The roads are very good and we were lucky, no big busses at the famous sign. Cape of Good Hope is the most south western point of Africa and it must be one of the most photographed spots in the whole of Africa. Every single tourists that visits, will take a picture at the sign. We were lucky enough, besides the beauty of mountains and see, to also spot many Ostriches and Eland as well. Did you know that the male Ostriches are black and the female Ostriches are brown? Just outside the entrance of the Cape of Good Hope National Park, there’s an Ostrich farm that you can visit too. In case you’d missed it in Oudtshoorn or if you didn’t make it that far out of Cape Town.

At Cape Point we walked up to the light house. This is where you supposedly can see how the Indian and Atlantic Ocean get together. I say supposedly because obviously you will not see a clear separation between both. The warm Agulhas current from the Indian Ocean and the cold Benguela current of the Atlantic Ocean join somewhere between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas (which btw is Africa’s most southern point).

From Cape Point we drove to Boulders Beach to see the penguins. There are several points to see them and if you do it the touristy way, you will pay ZAR 30 entrance fee which will make sure that the penguins are well looked after so we encourage you to do this. But you can already see them as well from the car park at Boulders Beach Lodge, in case you’d like to see them the cheap way. In Summer Boulders Beach is my favorite beach. It’s SO beautiful with the big boulders. Kids love it because they can swim between the penguins (or some penguins swim between them) and it’s very protected from strong currents. It’s really a lovely spot!

By then it was about 3pm and we were getting a bit hungry so time to find a nice spot to have lunch. We drove down to Kalk Bay. Kalk Bay has a wide variety of many wonderful restaurants like The Harbour House, Polana, Olympia Café. My friend wanted to do something very local and Capetonian so I thought Kalkies would be a good idea. I had actually never been there myself so a good opportunity to try something new. I didn’t like it. I just don’t like it when everything you order is simply deep fried! I can’t believe the freshest and most stunning fish being deep fried!! It’s like killing the animal twice. We ordered ours grilled which then takes about 20 minutes longer and R5 is added to the charges. I guess there are a lot of people in South Africa that like their food deep fried because the place is packed and you have to cue for quite a long time but I won’t be rushing back there. Sorry. BUT, if you want to do something local, go for it! You have to try it. It’s one of the most famous places for Fish & Chips in South Africa! I guess we’re just fussy…(next time, Harbour House, here I come…).

From Kalk Bay we drove over Boyes Drive back to the highway M3. Boyes Drive give you incredible views of Muizenberg Beach where all the surfers wait for the perfect wave. By 6pm we were back in Cape Town. AJ, what a beautiful day out!

By Jessy Lipperts  @jessystravel

Whether you have a dog or not, the Wiggle-Waggle walks are an extremely fun event, aimed at raising money for the SPCA. They could really use your help.

Come and enjoy a fun walk (3.5km is REALLY short) and help out our furry friends.

Excitement has been escalating this week, as tomorrow sees 2010 come to an end and 2011 begin. However, the festive spirit was somewhat dampened (s’cuse pun) due to a fire on Signal Hill today, which began around midday. By four o clock, the fire was still raging.

Two helicopters began the process of putting the fire out through water bombing, then a third joined, followed by a small plane.

It’s now just before five, and the choppers are still going. Let’s hope the fire is put out soon, and that the wildlife of the are not badly affected.

In summer Cape Town often suffers from dreadful runaway fires as the summer is so dry and hot, as well as windy, a deadly combination.

Just last year the Vortex Easter party was brought to a standstill, as a runaway fire burned tents and cars.

We can all do our bit to prevent fires. If you smoke, don’t throw stompies away carelessly. Don’t leave glass lying around on anything which can burn as the glass magnifies the sun.

The firefighters have been travelling back and forth in the choppers extinguishing the fires, which seem to have died down now.

Pictures below:

Paul, the retired Oracle Octopus Cephalopod and official ambassador to England’s 2018 World Cup bid, has died peacefully in his sleep. He was found dead this morning. This is according to a statement released by Ariane Vieregge, spokesperson of the Sea Life Centre in Oberhauzen, Germany. The staff of the centre are said to be “devastated.”

Paul’s agent, Chris Davies stated this morning “It’s a sad day. Paul was rather special but we managed to film Paul before he left this mortal earth.”

The centre manager, Stephan Porwoll stated “We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life.”

According to his Wikipedia page, the funeral arrangements have yet to be arranged, although there is some talk of either a cremation or burial with a funeral service and a monument in his honour at the centre in Germany where he spent most of his life.

Paul gained world-wide fame during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, as well as some world-wide hatred as he correctly predicted the outcome of all of Germany’s matches, as well as the winner of the tournament, Spain, who beat Holland 1-0. The odds of predicting the results of these matches correctly is 256 to 1.

He retired from predicting match outcomes on the 12th of July this year. On August the 20th, he was made an honorary ambassador for Englands’ bid to be the host nation of the next-but-one World Cup soccer tournament in 2018. A documentary film is due to be released about his life, and plush toys have been released for the Christmas Market.

Paul was a highlight of the 2010 World Cup tournament and will be missed.

Rest in peace Paul.

SPCA Poster for Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes is always a blast – we get to party, have a nice bonfire, watch amazing fireworks displays and generally have a great time. However, for our pets and neighbourhood animals, this is not so much fun. The sound of fireworks can cause animals great discomfort and terror.

An animal’s sense of hearing is far more sensitive than a human’s. Animals use their hearing as a way of keeping alert of when danger is nearby, to hunt prey and to communicate with eachother. According to the SPCA, a human’s hearing range can register sounds with a pitch of 20Hz to 23 KHz (sounds are measured in Hertz or Hz). Dogs can hear sounds from a range of 60Hz to 45 KHz and cats from 45 Hz – 64KHz. Sound intensity is measured in decibels (db), and  dogs can hear up to five times as acutely as humans can. Cats can hear up to two times as acutely as dogs can. And so you can get an idea of the terror these animal suffer. When fireworks are loud enough that they give us a fright, we at least know what these noises are and can cover our ears. Animals can’t.

We recently received an email with the SPCA posters that are featured in this blog, plus some details about the laws and regulations concerning fireworks. We’re not too sure about the credibility of the laws listed in the mail, so we looked up on the Cape Town Government site about what is ok and not ok when fireworks are concerned.

SPCA Poster against fireworks

They had the folowing to say:

In honour of Guy Fawkes, the City has designated a number of sites where people may discharge shop bought fireworks. It is illegal to discharge them anywhere else without obtaining permission from the Chief Inspector of Explosives and the City.

Approved sites:

Cape Town

• Mnandi Beach parking area (near Law Enforcement office)
• Maiden’s Cove parking area
• Strandfontein Beach parking area
• Athlone Stadium parking area

Helderberg

• Gordon’s Bay Main Beach
• Strand Beach (at Deep Blue)
• Macassar Beach

South Peninsula

• Sunrise Beach, Muizenberg
• Fish Hoek Beach
• Hout Bay Beach

Tygerberg

• De Grendel Sports Ground, Parow
• Nooitgedacht Sports Ground, Bishop Lavis
• Sports Ground in Roosendal Street, Delft

Oostenberg

• Blue Downs Sports Stadium, Hindle Road, Delft

Blaauwberg

• Mamre Park, opposite SAPS
• Wesfleur Sportsfield, Atlantis
• Palms site, Milnerton
• Blaauwberg Beach, area opposite KFC (Blaauwberg Road)

These sites will be monitored by law enforcement agencies.

The City also reminds residents that people discharging shop goods fireworks at these sites do so at their own risk. The City will not be held liable for any claims for injury or damage that can occur from using fireworks.

Members of the public who would like to buy fireworks should avoid buying them from informal traders and street hawkers. For safety’s sake, the fireworks must be sold in sealed packages, as received from the suppliers. Children under the age of 16 may not buy fireworks, and are not allowed to use them without adult supervision. .

The City also appeals to pet owners to keep their animals indoors as soon as it gets dark, and to close the windows and draw the curtains in order to lessen the acute discomfort and terror that they can suffer when fireworks are discharged.

Fireworks that are being illegally discharged can be reported to the Metro Police Control Centre on 0860 765 423, or the SAPS Emergency Control Centre on 10111.

In emergencies, the public may contact the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on 107 (or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone).

General enquiries can be directed to the City’s Corporate Call Centre 0on 860 103 089 or the Disaster Risk Management Centre on 080 911 4357.

How to protect your pet

Even though such strict by-laws exist about the use of fireworks, as always, there will still be illegal fireworks going off that could scare your pets.

Always keep your pets inside in a room with the curtains closed, the lights on and a radio or TV playing. Make sure they have plenty of fresh food and water, and that they have somewhere comfortable to sleep and even somewhere to hide. Also, always make sure that they have a litter tray in which to go to the toilet. Make regular checks on your pet, and comfort them. It is usually a good idea to keep them indoors overnight; bringing them in when in the late afternoon, and letting them out again in the morning.