Capetown in the sun

Our last two days were sunny and we enjoyed them to the fullest. We headed down to the Cape of Good Hope and saw quite a bit of wildlife in the process.

Barb really enjoyed feeding the ostrich even though he was captive and not wild like we were used to!

And then we enjoyed a troop of baboons alongside the road.

As we headed to the cape we had great views — the Atlantic and the Indian oceans come together there.

Dan was there at the cape, too, but he had to run up the cliffside so he missed the picture!

You can understand why so many ships didn’t make it around this angry coast but our time there was a delight. This ostrich snuck up behind me and seemed to enjoy posing.

What a surprise we had when at the top of the tram to the lighthouse we crossed paths with the friends we had made at Hippo Lakes. The views from the top were breathtaking.

And then it was on to see the African Penguins at Boulder Bay. Cute as always!

We began our last day by heading up Table Mountain on the tram. The weather was perfect and the hike at the top was beautiful.

We were all surprised at how extensive and how interesting the environment at the top was.

Yes, the lichen really was that red!

I think we could have stayed up there for hours. It was so much more extensive an area than we had expected. The last wildlife sighting of our trip was the rock hyrex up there.

Langa is the oldest black township in Capetown and they give tours so that others can see just what a township is like inside. As you speed along the highways and see the corregated metal shacks you think only of poverty and hopelessness but they showed us a different picture.

Community is the one word which I will remember when I think of Langa. This is their community center, right on the outskirts of the area and full of programs and ideas for making life better. They showed us the pottery shop and an art center as well as shops and businesses. Everyone on the street was friendly for, as the guide explained, they recognized us as people who, by taking the tour, were contributing to their community center.

It was interesting to see that within the township there were several types of homes — everything from the leaky metal shelters to very nice brick homes. Life in Langa is such that even when one advances economically he does not want to leave the community.

We asked permission from everyone we photographed.

We were told that this is a thriving business — they sell sheep’s heads (and other parts!) cooked and ready to eat. (The face painting is to protect from the heat.)

Some of the businesses are homegrown while some are more like franchises. The busses are owned by someone outside but they provide jobs for the dozens of Langa citizens who operate them and transport hundreds of workers to their jobs in Capetown every day.

There are four high schools in Langa and many elementary schools. As the sign says, they are what provides hope for the young people.

Langa was a surprise to me. I’m so glad I got to see the positive side of what always looks so negative from the highway.

And so our trip to Africa comes to a close. Our minds were expanded by the people we met and the ministry we learned more about. The animals and the environment delighted us. And we came away with a better sense of what God is doing around the world. What more could we ask for!