Penguins

25 January 2013 - Friday

Today we visited a thriving penguin colony at Betty’s Bay, further along the coast.  The penguins have all lived there for some time.  Apparently a few years ago there was an attempt to move them to Port Elizabeth following an oil spillage.  They were captured, transported and released whereupon they all promptly swam the 800 kilometres back to Betty’s Bay.  Fortunately, the oil clean up had  just been finished when the penguins arrived back.  For the time being, they live safely at home.

One thing about penguins, or possibly penguins in large numbers, is that they smell really terrible.  Something to do with all the fish they eat.  I’m not sure if it’s the penguins  themselves, or sea loads of penguin poo,   but it’s truly awful.  

I admit that I don’t see the point of  penguins.   They can’t fly and don’t walk well, although they spend a lot of time on land.     We watched  a couple climbing down the rocks towards the sea  and it was a  really slow and jerky process.  Most of them kept still for long periods on the shore. They provide food for sharks and some larger seals, I think, but I’ve never ever seen penguin on any human menu.  Though the smell could be a big deterrent.  

But these were my first penguins outside of a zoo and, at the same time,  I also got to see my first dassies.  And they are a rabbit sized animal with small ears.  And they look nothing like elephants.  

      

We lunched sumptuously at a small Greek restaurant called The Whaling Station in Betty’s Bay.  The kind of Greek meal where they keep bringing you different dishes.  Absolutely delicious and very filling. 

It was good to finish the day back at Mountain Breeze round a wood fire lit by Wilma and Cobus, a kind hospitable couple who fed us small pieces of barbecued sausage and glasses of wine.   I had intended to be fairly abstemious, but, between Vilma’s hospitable insistence on refilling our glasses whenever they became empty, and my weakness in letting her,   I drank.  

Jenny & Cobus

Vilma and Cobus have a method of camping I have never seen before.  Their  large car has  an enclosed bed on the roof rack.  Similar to those paladins that medieval ladies used to ride in.    They said that it was possible to put it down flat for driving and then quickly erect it when needed.  It really was camping with very minimal equipment