Western Cape: Day Three

The last time I was on a horse was maybe... oh... 5 years ago? It was at my best friend Tori's place, and I had the unfortunate (read: PAINFUL) experience of riding a galloping horse without proper fitting stirrups. My tailbone took the majority of impact and I literally could not get up to walk the next day.

This being the breadth of my riding experience, I jumped at the chance to ride horses in the Hermanus mountains. Anything to erase the horror of my last horse encounter. And for an hour and a half for 250 rand ($35), how could I say no?

Our guide, Peter, had us don black velvet helmets and told us to pull back on the reins to stop.

That was the extent of our instruction.

The funniest bit came when Peter brought us over to the horses themselves. He made it clear that certain horses were to go with certain riders, which he chose.

I was left to last and given the smallest, oldest horse of the bunch.

His name was Jase (Jake and Tori -- say this outloud and try not to laugh).

No, Jase is not the stately black one... he is the scruffy smaller one to your left

While the other horses were well behaved and followed direction, mine frequently stopped to eat and needed motivation to stay on task. I think Peter made a rather fitting choice.

The ride took us through the town and then up into the mountains. The path was hilly, steep at parts, narrow, and rocky at times. The foliage surrounding us was the now-familiar dense covering of small, bright green shrubs and the occasional flowering bush. Without trees to obscure our view, we had the perfect panoramic sightline of the beach. Its white-sand shore stretched and far left and right as we could see and the ocean waves were huge as they rolled inwards. The coral-colored rooftops of the town were spread out underneath us and the slatey, intimidating rock of the mountain loomed up towards our left.

What a beautiful way to spend a morning.

It was a moment where reality soaks in and you really appreciate where you are in that very second. Mostly, I was feeling thankful for everything that got me there.

We left Hermanus after a quick lunch and headed to Betty's Bay for..... PENGUINS!

I was very, very excited to see wild penguins. Especially thousands of them at once. Yep, sign me up.

We walked along a wooden bridge that followed the edge of the coastline. It was only about two feet from the ground -- just enough so the birds could walk comfortably underneath.

The penguins were everywhere! Like the seals, many were splayed out on the rocks, enjoying the mid-afternoon sun. Others were busy swimming or... yes, mating.

 Sorry but this last photo is tilted... put your right ear to your shoulder for the full effect

The coolest, most unexpected part was seeing where they live. I had this idea they nest only in rock, but the clever creatures actually make their home on shore, underground. There were gopher-like tunnels everywhere!

The penguins paid little attention to us humans and we got within a few feet of many. I saw the blue plumage of a few babies and the awww-inspiring sight of many couples (they also mate for life) cuddling together.

 This little guy was so brave! He came right up to us as calm as can be.

In the bottom photo, you can see the little fluffy baby cozied up to his Mom

Seeing them run and jump may have been the funniest thing I've seen in a while. I was caught up in a giggle fit or two... or three... seeing them waddle to and fro in a hurry.

From Betty's Bay, our caravan drove along the rest of the coast, up to Cape Town and back to our hostel.

What an exciting three days it was! The trip has only whetted my appetite for this beautiful country. I cannot wait to see and experience more!!