Tag: cape agulhas

The journey home

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Back in Cape Town, where the internet works [nervously checks – yes it does] and it was a lovely journey home. We punctuated it with a few stops along the way. Some planned, like this one to get some shots of what’s left of the shipwreck:

And some less planned, like pulling over to get some shots of the rainbows over the South Atlantic:

And then this guy, who was bothering the teals, ducks and geese in the flooded fields between Struisbaai and Bredasdorp.

We spotted him, pulled over, and we thought we’d missed him before we heard that haunting, spine-tingling call (if you don’t know, click here). Geese (x2), teal, ducks, stilts, ibises (x2) and a Fish Eagle, all within 20m of the highway. All you have to do is stop, get out and look. It’s all right there.

He even went and sat on a nearby power pole (one of the ones that burned down here, I think) for us afterwards.

Sponsored by Kodak, as they used to say.

The rest of the journey was less exciting, but the Overberg is already showing signs of spring with the canola fields starting to erupt in colour.

Just another two months of rain to get through…

A trip full of hard work, but with just a bit of leisure time at the end, and a sparklingly clean cottage to look forward to for our next trip.

What happened?

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OK. Let me quickly fill you in a few details.

We abandoned Agulhas on Friday afternoon. There was no power, no internet, and little hope of either being restored anytime soon. We were lucky enough to have somewhere to go (home), the roads were open, and so we took the chance.

There was a lot of fire damage on the road back up to Bredasdorp, and the situation was too risky to pull over and take photos like we had done on the way down. But here’s an image from the car window of the same place that we got the second shot in this post.

So we’ve been home since about 7:30 pm on Friday evening, and the electricity was only restored to Agulhas at 6pm this evening: an outage of about 74 hours. That makes even loadshedding look like a minor inconvenience.

The fire is now contained:

Which is obviously great news for those who have had no power for three days, and for those whose property was threatened by the actual flames, rather than the lack of utilities.

As for us: a disappointing end to a few days away, but we’ll be back – hopefully for a less eventful visit – sometime soon.

Quota Walking Trail

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We’ve done the Nuwejaars Wetlands before, and it was very special. And whenever we drive out that way from Agulhas, it’s always like a mini-safari even along the public roads.

The great news is that this week, the NWSMA have opened a new walking trail through the area: The African Marsh Harrier Trail. There’s a lot to see…

… and it looks like a really good day out.

The creation of the trail was funded by WWF South Africa, with the support of the Overberg District Municipality. 
The relaxed and unchallenging trail is ideal for walkers of any fitness level, including children. It takes around two to three hours to complete. And it’s meant to be enjoyed slowly while taking in the incredible wildlife that lives in the wetlands, especially the bird life. 

As mentioned above, just getting there is often educational enough, so I’m looking forward to some decent fun with the long lens next time we are down there.

Maintenance visit in progress

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Unable to play footy tonight due to mild injury, I made the best of a bad situation and headed down to Agulhas to do a few jobs. A clean and tidy, sort out the electricity, meet the builder and get stuff ready for a proper family visit a bit later this month.

You don’t want to be faffing about making up beds and stuff when you arrive. You want to dive straight into the holiday frame of mind with a beer and some sunshine.

But it’s not all work, work, work. I went for a 4km wander along the beach in the chilly (14oC, feels like 8, apparently) Westerly breeze (32kph, gusting 40, apparently) and I saw… no-one. Not a soul. Amazing.

I’ve always been a fan of the off-season seaside resort (not quite what this place is, but it has the same sort of vibe), but it’s always a special privilege to have an entire beach to yourself.

Didn’t take the camera out today, so that’s a phone image above, but I’m very happy to report that Murphy’s Law did not come into play today, and so I didn’t miss that shot, because there was no that shot to be had anyway.

Phew.

And now it’s back to the cottage before the night really sets in, open a bottle of Roy Vane, and make a very small braai on which to place a bit of sirloin, which has been soaking up some Hendo’s since my arrival here.

Meat, bread, salad, wine. The four staples of a perfect, simple diet.

Early night, hoping for enough recovery to do a little jog in the morning in the new trail running shoes. If not: photo walk, I think.

But more of that if it happens. Right now, that steak needs cooking.

Bon appétit!

Another photographic triumph

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Back out to the lagoon in search of a repeat performance from yesterday’s whales.

Sadly, they didn’t show up today. However, we did spot a Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus), which was a first for me. Small wins.

This guy isn’t a Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus). He’s a White-Breasted Cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus). Fairly common on the coast here.
But it takes a special sort of talent to catch him like this:

Perfect timing. Just lovely.
I thank you.