Penguins of Boulders Beach

When thinking of animals in Africa, penguins are the last thing I think of. The heat, the scrubby bushes, the red earth do not lend themselves to images of large black and white birds normally surrounded by ice.

Imagine my surprise to learn that there are indeed penguins there, just in case you got bored of all the lions and elephants and cheetahs scattered about.

There is a population of penguins living about an hour outside Cape Town in South Africa on a place called Boulders Beach.

On the last day of the cricket match, I left from Newlands cricket ground and took the train out to Simonstown, which has the closest access to penguins. 

Whether the train is safe or not seems debatable. I suppose that goes for all of South Africa--it is safe unless you go to certain areas, act certain ways, or are unlucky. 

When I got to the station I couldn't find any ticket booth, and had to ask a group of teenage girls where to get one. Turns out you can only buy on one side of the tracks, so I had to cross over, get it, and come back. No one ever looked at my ticket the whole day.

I grabbed a window seat and listened to music on the way.

The train had some great graffiti on the outside.

We traveled for about 30 minutes through towns when suddenly, all at once, there was the ocean!

The tracks curved right around the coast, if was beautiful.

Simonstown was the last stop, and I got off the train there and just walked like I knew what I wanted until I came to a map of the town. The place with the penguins was another town over, about a 45 minute walk. I learned from a cab driver later that there are shuttles to take people straight from the train station to the penguins, but I didn't know then and didn't ask anyone.

So I marched along like I knew what I was doing through one or two very quaint sea towns. They reminded me of the beach town we used to go to as a kid, with little gift shops and ice cream parlors and people strolling.

It was hot and I put on sunscreen while I walked, which left me with a fun streaky burn by the end of the day.

While walking I had one of my only nervous moments in South Africa. A group of 3 men were walking towards me, across the entire sidewalk. Normally when moving to make way for someone the group condenses, but instead they split so that one was on the street side and two on the wall side, meaning I would have to walk between them. This was all done while staring directly at me but not speaking. As we got closer to the moment of passing, the one who had moved outwards who I'd now have to walk by slid his hand down his pants and held his crotch, all while looking right at me. I stared back without changing my expression while my mind raced with possible options of what to do if one of them tried to grab me. I kept my face set and my hands loose, ready to palm someone or yell for help if need be, and walked between them. We all kept our course and in the end nothing else happened.  I turned around after a few moments to make sure they weren't following me, and we went our separate ways. 

I finally made it to the penguin area, and paid 60 rand (~$5) with my last cash to get in to the walking path around their habitat. There were signs everywhere about how the penguins will bite if you try to touch them, and this one below to show you have entered a different world:

I started walking quickly through a wooded area on the boardwalk, assuming I would have to get to the beach to see them. Suddenly a movement caught my eye and I saw they were already there!!

It turns out the penguins do some nesting here in the woods, and also come in for shade.

They were amazing to see there, but nothing was as beautiful as coming around the bend to finally see them on the beach itself.

They were so funny to watch walk around, waddling with their wings held out. And then, once in the water, it was like a completely different animal, sleek and graceful and fast as anything.

There was a second beach area where people could actually swim and hang out, PLUS penguins. It was a strange combination to see. There were huge boulders everywhere that could be clambered on or swum by to get to more secluded areas. Every now and then a penguin or two would already be on the rocks.

(You just know he is thinking of jumping on that man's head)

I was walking through the knee deep (extremely cold) water and saw a penguin splashing around by some rocks. I kept my distance, but sat on a rock nearby to watch. This one appeared to be grooming itself by swimming around in the moving water. It went against the waves that had caught in this small area where it could swim in place, like one of those swimming tanks.

I happened to have the camera up when it suddenly decided it was done with swimming and started to come up on the rock right next to me!

It was at this point that a park ranger yelled at ME for getting to close to the penguin!!! No fair.

I spent a little more time climbing around the rocks and trying not to fall in the freezing water. Hats off to all the families swimming there.

There was an amazing series of outdoor stalls selling various beads and crafts near the park, but lucky for our budget and our suitcase I was out of cash and the nearest ATM was out of order. 

I walked back towards Simonstown, stopping in a few of the little stores on the way.

Speaking of suitcases, I actually bought a giant hideous one from a second-hand store along the way. Now that we are in Australia we are mostly done with having to drag our bags with us everywhere, and so I decided to trade in my multiple small bags for a big one. I carried it under my arm back to the train--this was on purpose, to show it was empty. I also wanted to save the wheels for actual travel in case the bag was crap. This turned out to be smart, as the bag arrived in Australia after it's very first outing with the entire bottom wheel/handle set torn off.

At the train station waiting to return were the same teenage girls I had met on the way in. Again, I grabbed a window seat, stowed my new giant suitcase under the chair, and headed back.

The train got crowded on the way back, and I was greatly aided by a friendly stranger who, after I asked if she knew the name of one stop, helped guide me to the right one. She even recognized my giant suitcase and helped me get it out from under the now-crowded seat, lifting it like it was a feather above everyone's head and handing it back once I was at the door. Thank you, whoever you are!

I had a lot if ideas for this trip, but I never thought I'd see penguins!! It was amazing to watch them wander and swim and see them so close.

I also really enjoyed the train, with an ocean breeze streaming in the windows, the click-clack of the tracks, the small children on the beach turning to wave as it went by.

I loved our time in South Africa, and I'm sad to see it end. It wasn't just that I liked the place itself, but also that I liked myself there. I went out exploring on my own and faced my fears in a new way. My six-months-on-the-road self. As a result, I had some amazing experiences I would have missed out on otherwise. A valuable lesson. I keep looking back at the pictures to make sure it was real. 

I wonder what Australia will bring!