No Shark Attack

  Hermanus, Western Cape, South Africa
December 03, 2013Our plans for today have been foiled by the wind. The morning begins calm, cool and bright, but the winds pick up by mid-morning, so we could not go shark cage diving. Boo!

We were up early because the sun was peeking through our curtains. So, we had some breakfast and then returned to our room to relax, catch up on the blog, read and get some sun on our balcony overlooking the Atlantic.

It was a very pleasant morning and we have really enjoyed our relaxing time and stunning views in Hermanus thus far.

We had lunch at Bientang's Cave Restaurant which is located below the Ocean View Walkway View from Our Room. It was a good, but not great lunch. The view was amazing though.

We walked through the craft market in the square and I bought a scarf for $8. Bill bought some gelato at a shop near the market.

We drove the ocean view route to Betty's Bay and headed to Stoney's Point to see the African Penguins. It is not surprising that they were formerly known as jackass penguins. They do sound exactly like braying donkeys.

For a very small fee we walked along the boardwalk to see hundreds of penguins, cormorants and and some seagulls. Penguins are so funny to watch. They waddle around and then frequently have to make a two-footed jump to get up and over a little mound of dirt or rock.

We really enjoyed watching the penguins swim in the ocean. They lose all of their awkwardness and become very graceful Baby Penguin. That is, until they try to get on shore again. Then they are all clumsy again, they pretty much beach themselves and have to scramble back onto dry land.

We were able to see some very young penguins too with their parents. They are brownish in colour and very fuzzy. So sweet!

When we returned to Hermanus we relaxed for a while in the lounge of the hotel. It is a very comfortable area with lots of couches and cushions, a bar area and some tables on the patio.
An hour before dinner we walked along the cliff toward Grotto Beach.

In this direction from the hotel the walkway is in a residential area, so it is much quieter and is surrounded by shrubs and some beautiful plants. Along the path we saw a few different species of small birds, a tabby housecat and a Cape Grey Mongoose.

For dinner we had a great view of the water at Coco's this evening, but the sunset did not perform for us. The dinner menu was quite casual, so I ordered a burger and Bill had fish and chips. Everything was OK. I am starting to really crave a simple home cooked meal!
Pictures & VideosPenguins in the Water!Penguins EverywhereRelaxing in the Lounge