In the shark cage

We spent a night at Grootbos which is on the coast and at the southern tip of South Africa. This is where the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans meet.

 

Here is the lot of us at dinner... Gary the Elvis fan, Kurt the Elvis Wannabe, Christof the Dashingly Handsome Guy, Mike the Stoic Marathoner, and Me, the guy who can't seem to wear anything that's not tie dyed. Throw back to the 70's? Aging hippie?

 

The accommodations for the night were fabulous.

As soon as I saw the two sinks, it made me miss my wife. And there were two bathrobes.... did they miss the memo that said my wife was gonna be 8,541 miles away?!?!? The bathtub has a view of the ocean. Wow.

 

And speaking of ocean ...

This is what tourists look like before getting fed to the sharks. Note the packer jersey. Kurt figgers the whole Brett Farve thing would have left a bad taste in the shark's mouth ... so the shark will leave him alone?

The captain and first mate. The Jack Daniels hat certainly gave me a feeling of security.

Luckily, they didn't need to do any emergency steering. This sign made me want to cross my arms across my chest.

Christof and Gary discuss how to divvy up the Elvis memorabilia when the shark realizes that Kurt never was with the Packers.

Mates... happy until the very end.

I just can't miss an opportunity for a pic of a sea gull.

  

This is what cage diving is all about.

 

This tuna head was put on a rope and thrown in the water to lure the sharks past the cage.

  

Here is a great white shark.

Another shot of a shark from the boat.

  

The view from inside the cage.

Christof likes it.

Cape Town and the coast

Last Thursday, we had a wonderful tour of Cape Town by Gary and a picturesque drive along the coast, sponsored by Mike.

 

Here is a view of the new stadium, from across the bay.

 

This second seagull is photographed against Table Mountain, which overlooks Cape Town.

  

Here is another view of Table Mountain.

 

Some pictures of houses in Cape Town.

 

WTF?  Can I get away from Milwaukee???

 

Here is the open air market where I bought my new djembe. :)  If you happen to get down there, look for Johnny. I got a good deal on the drum cuz he likes me. Tell him you know the Revelator, and I am sure he will give you a good deal too. He threw in the bag!

 

Speaking of music, when my sister Jean found out I was going to South Africa, she told me I had to try to hear Johnny Clegg. (No relation to Johnny Djembe-vendor.) Absolutely had to hear him. I mean, what's the point? She heard him at Summerfest and he is absolutely awesome. Well, sad to say, this poster was as close as I got. We were on a plane headed home when this concert started.

 

Here we have another view of the new stadium.

 

Leaving Cape Town ...

 

Leeuwen Kop (Lion's head)

 

Elvis Kop

 

Mike... who made a 47 hour drive in the country seem like a quaint little jaunt.

I was told that this is a nude beach. My camera was poised, full zoom.

 

Gorgeous house, overlooking the nude beach. Prime real estate property.

 

I think Mike was just teasing me about the nude beach thing. 

 

More gorgeous scenery along the coast.

 

Our stalwart captain urges us forward. "There are still 17,354 hectares of South Africa yet to see!"

 

Unbelievable. Totally unbelievable. Who would wear such a crazy shirt?!

The drive along the coast was completely breathtaking. Thanks Mike!

Coming up in the next post... cage diving!