After a yummy breakfast of the usual (muesli, bran muffin, and latte), we went to watch the chuckies (wooden fishing boats) come in. They usually go out from 7am to 6pm but today they came in at about 11 because there was military weapons testing being done by the Overberg Test Range (a weapons systems testing facility ) in the harbour. The fishermen are recompensed for their reduced catch.
When you watch the boats and the sea you marvel at the stunning azure colour of the water. It is an incredible blue, as is the sky.
These brightly coloured wooden boats (called chuckies), crewed by 7 – 10 people, are pushed out to sea by a tractor, and pulled in by a winch. They came in three at a time. When they had safely docked, they went to weigh their fish. While they were doing this I marvelled again at the stunning shades of turquoise and deeper blue the sea has in this area of the country.
After we had checked out of the hotel, we drove down dirt roads via Struisbaai to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of the African continent, and the place where the Indian and Atlantic Ocean meet. It was my first time there (I usually go to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve instead) and I was thrilled to have finally done it!
Having finally done it we headed off to Cape Town via Napier and Caledon, another beautiful drive…
It was kind of sad to arrive at our final stop for our trip, but oh what a hotel. It was the 5-star Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel Cape Town and it was EPIC. We were upgraded to a business suite and it was ENORMOUS!
The hotel was very posh and had the most stunning infinity pool (which is manually filled with filtered seawater so as to not waste water)
It is rather embarrassing when you are not a 5-star hotel type of person and you arrive at a really really posh hotel that has a porter and a brass trolley…
We took a walk to the Waterfront and then came back to the hotel, where we ordered room service and relaxed in our suite, listening to the ocean waves crash against the pier.
Oh I forgot to say that your bags in the fancy trolley are perfection – real people in an unreal place.
Janet, I’ve loved this trip. Thank you for the inspiration. The fancy hotel looks empty – is it just so low season for tourists that you have it to yourselves? In the photo of the hotel looking toward the mountains is the silver disk builidng a sports stadium? Looks interesting.
Yes in low season most places are pretty empty. The disk building was built for the 2010 Football World Cup but is now used for all kinds of events.
Some locals call the stadium “The Bedpan.” For us living near it, a nuisance on event days.
Your article is very interesting. The chuckies derived their name from the type of inboard engines used, mimicking its sound.
I am soooo glad that you have posted pics of where the two oceans meet….most Capetonians, even in 2018, believe it is at Cape Point. Hectic.
The photos are great, we love Arniston, Struisbaai and Agulhas.
The Radisson in Granger Bay is really lovely, we have been living nearby for years. Did anyone tell you about the lovely Green Point Eco Park opposite the Mouille Point Lighthouse? A huge expanse with indigenous fauna, water birds such as couts/moorhens, excellent picnic spots, a labyrinth, jungle gym and restaurant. Entrance is FREE. So many places in Cape Town offer free entry.
It really does look like a bedpan ha ha! We saw that park though did not have time to visit it. It is really nice to know it is there as I usually go to Cape Point.
Oh, we love Cape Point as well, and then there is Silvermine Reservoir, great for picnic or braai at the summit of Ou Kaapseweg, above Tokai.