Cape Town, South Africa (Day Three)

After waking to thick fog, we watched as the day cleared and we finally had a clear view of Table Mountain. Now that we had already traveled to the top of the mountain in thick mist, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

During breakfast, we enjoyed watching seals playing in the harbor, along with what we guessed were sea otters. That was probably a good guess since we were docked not far from Otter Bay. They looked like they were having a good time. We also watched with interest as tugs guided a number of large vessels into the harbor.  

Since we had already seen a good deal of Cape Town, we decided to have a somewhat quieter day and caught the shuttle to nearby Victoria and Alfred Waterfront with the intention of going to the Two Oceans Aquarium nearby. Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope lie between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean, thus the reference to two oceans.

The decision to go to the aquarium turned out to be a good one. Since we are spending so much time on the ocean, it gave us an excellent perspective of what is going on beneath the surface. However, I’m not quite sure I will view fish served at dinner in quite the same way.

We also got to see African penguins during feeding time. They are the cutest critters. On a previous voyage our tour to see penguins had been cancelled because of rough seas, so we were pleased to finally get to see some. About 20 of them skittered about in a display that mimicked a rocky beach with a cliff. It even had a wave pool. One of the attendants explained that they take water from the harbor, filter it, and then use a machine to create waves for the penguins. The attendant tossed huge sardines into the water. The penguins jumped in to catch them and then were washed back up onto the beach area. Another attendant recorded how much each penguin ate (based on the markings on each penguin) to ensure they all were sufficiently fed.

African Penguins

The aquarium had a number of educational displays, including a microscope that provided a 1:60 magnification of small creatures, including a sea cucumber, barnacles, plankton, and sea anemone. They also had a number of experts who were available to answer questions. It was fascinating watching an interesting variety of fish circling inside tanks that looked to be about 30 feet deep. As I watched, a large fish stopped in front of me, and I had the strangest feeling that it was staring back at me.

The information posted nearby a tank that housed an octopus stated that octopus is one of the most intelligent sea creatures. In fact, they feed them food contained in jars with lids to give the octopus the challenge of taking the lid off to get the food. It further said that it keeps them from getting bored.

The large predator tank held a huge sea turtle and several large sharks. They must be well fed since they weren’t attacked the other fish in the tank. Another tank held smaller fish, some with huge bulbous heads and large, well-formed lips. There are some really strange creatures under the sea. The aquarium has over 4000 creatures and 300 species. It was quite a collection, and we spent hours there.

Predator Tank

It was a fabulous aquarium, and we highly recommend going there to anyone visiting Cape Town. It wasn’t far from where the QE was docked. In fact, it was so close that we walked back to the ship from there.

Tip: The Hop On, Hop Off bus receipt lists a number of places, including the aquarium and botanical gardens, that will give you a discount if you present your receipt, and it doesn’t have to be on the same day as your ride on the bus.

Before we left the ship, a fuel tanker pulled alongside to begin refueling, a process called bunkering. The ship must have taken on quite a lot of fuel because the process was still going on when we returned late in the afternoon. It’s comforting to know that we will be leaving Cape Town with a full tank. After visiting Port Elizabeth and Reunion Island in the next few days, it will take us another seven days or so to cross the Indian Ocean to reach Australia.

We’ve really enjoyed our visit to Cape Town and definitely would like to return. It is an extremely clean city without the blight of billboards, other signage, or graffiti. Taller and taller buildings are appearing in the city. In another ten years, it could look entirely different. I’m glad we visited Cape Town when we did.