the Seanic Routes, take 1

The pictures and times have really been adding up, so here is the very first of what might be many relays about my forays into and around the beaches, oceans, and bays of southern Africa. I know the good visitors to this site don't just want to see pretty pictures, so first, some geographical and nautical context for e'erbody in da blog.

South Africa has coastline on both the Atlantic and Indian oceans.  Currently, I am within far-off gazing distance of the Indian, but I've only touch the Atlantic so far.  The Cape Peninsula, which runs south from Cape Town, has received historical affection as the southern tip of the country and the continent.  This isn't actually true--the real tip is Cape Agulhus, which I can almost see from my current location in Hermanus.  The Cape Peninsula is certainly noteworthy, though, since it harbors Cape Town and does protrude drastically into the ocean, meaning rough sea-faring for the ships that needed to turn that corner of the world.  The peninsula also creates a large bay, called Valsbaai, or False Bay, which opens to the southeast of Cape Town.  This is the warmest the water will get in the Western Cape.  The true Atlantic ocean waters up the west coast of the country are quite cold, even now in the summer, as are the waters surrounding Cape Agulhus.  This hasn't so much stopped me from swimming, as it has stopped me from having much sensation whilst I do.

Saranne and I took a road trip a couple of weekends ago to the "west coast" of the Western Province.  Basically, a handful of similarly charming but also distinct fisherman villages turned bed & breakfast weekend getaways.  Every town is built around a smally bay, and seems to hug the sea.  The interior of the coast is flat and arid, and filled with desert adapted wildlife.  Where the land meets the ocean is much like the desert behind it, except with lots of boulders, a few nice little beaches, and beautiful grass-shrub sized plants adapted to both seasonal drought and constant sea-spray. 


Enough of the jibba jabba!  On to the photos!

the sleepy town of Yzerfontein (Azer-fon-tane)

maybe the coolest tree thing I've seen down here, and an island (Yzerfontein)

Saranne looking across the bay in Saldanha

the Atlantic ocean, accessed via the West Coast National Park.  It looked just like that in the other direction too

wild escargot on the same beach

A park called Tittiesbaai; a picture series of discovery of and accordance with the wild Atlantic

part 2:  huh?

part 3: yes

part 4: YES!

part 5:  from a more relaxed view

looking south from a perch on the same park

tiny fisherpeople, big sea

should I get in?

this is probably far enough

a picture through my looking glasses