Today is a very bitter-sweet day, and not only because we are waking up with a heavy hangover after last nights fantastic party. It will be a sweet day because we will finally reach our goal of Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope after 223 days and over 41,188 kilometers since leaving London on 23 September on our Trans-Africa trip. It will be bitter as we will be saying farewell to the people that we have traveled with and the truck - Christie - that took us all this way. The statistics are amazing - the distance and countries that we have covered and the amazing experiences and tribulations that we have been through has been mind boggling.
We do not spend too much time with breakfast, there is too much to do with packing up the truck and getting ready. We are all a bit slow - there are a number of people who are suffering heavily from last night. We finally get under way just before 9:30 AM. We drive down the coastal ride towards Cape Point - it is a beautiful drive with the ocean waves crashing against the shore on the left. We reach the car park at Cape Point at 10 AM.
We decide to take the funicular ride up to near Cape Point. Once there, we head up towards the light house and Cape Point. It is an emotional moment once we get there - it has been such a long journey to reach this point. This is where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet - some times peacefully as today, and some times with great fury as the cold Bengula current meets the warm Agulhas current.
We congratulate each other and then take some pictures and spend some time looking around. We have been very fortunate with the weather - it is clear and sunny and quite warm, but windy here at the Cape.
We have fantastic views down to the tip of Cape Point and over to the Cape of Good Hope.
After taking in all the sights from here, we decide to wander around the edge of the peninsula to Diaz Point. They say it is a 2 hour walk, but it only takes about 30 minutes. It gives us another good perspective on both Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. We each take a ceremonial pee - the southernmost point that we have peed on this trip (sorry, no photos)!!!
From there, we head back up and around Cape Point and begin the walk back down to the car park. We have some stunning views of the Cape of Good Hope as we wander down. After we get to the car park, we check out some of the shops there, but soon we are on our way to the Cape of Good Hope - the truck will drive around and meet us there.
It is a very nice walk. They have prepared a very good path to walk on - this also provides protection for the environment. We walk along taking in the sunshine, wind and views. It is breath taking. We finally reach the Cape of Good Hope and sit for a while on top of the cliff. Soon it is time to go, and we wander down to meet the truck and to have some lunch.
Once lunch is over, we head over to the sign marking the Cape of Good Hope for a group photo. As everyone wants a photo, we have a long line of cameras laid out and it takes some time. Other visitors are very patient and wait until we are finished.
Back at the truck we prepare to board her for the last time. That the trip is coming to an end is now really hitting home. The drive to Cape Town passes in a bit of a blur - talking with friends, watching the scenery pass by and just trying to take in the moment.
We arrive Cape Town shortly after 3 PM and we are dropped off at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront. We unpack all our bags and find a taxi to take us to our hotel. We say our good byes (and ignore all the comments about all our bags - hey, it has been 7 months and we did need to pick up a few souvenirs and presents). We are able to find a taxi big enough and head off to our hotel.
We are staying at De Waterkant - a very nice B&B both near the waterfront and the center of town. It is a short drive and upon our arrival we check in. As all their rooms are full, we are put in one of their "cottages", small traditional houses that line the street. It is a bit of a pain to cart all our bags down there, but it is a very nice place to stay. Bedroom, bathroom, hall, living area and downstairs kitchen. We make ourselves right at home.
The rest of the afternoon is spent organising our stuff and wandering down to the waterfront to go and change some money. That evening, we meet up with Paolo, Craig and Sophie and have dinner and a few drinks down at the waterfront. We make it an early night.