At the Cape of Good Hope

To prepare for the next leg of our South African adventure on a road trip around the Cape, my nephew Andrew, exchanged the rented car we used in the city, for a larger vehicle so that it could accommodate our luggage as well as the baby’s stroller and car-seat.

A view of the ocean and the cross-currents at
the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

Then we bade farewell to our city stay and headed out on an itinerary to various destinations with self-catering accommodation over the next few days before returning to Cape Town and a brief stay in the city ahead of our departure.

Our next destination was the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, which is part of the Table Mountain National Park, to where early explorers discovered the Cape of Good Hope.

The coastal route to the Nature Reserve was an eye-opening journey that took us on roads that wound around unspoiled mountain sides.

A road cut through the sandstone!

At one point, the road was even carved into the sandstone!

Very often, one side of the road was open to wide ocean views and we made many stops at vista points to enjoy panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and watched in awe as restless waves crashed on craggy rocks.

As we headed out to the Cape of Good Hope, I was glad I paid attention in History lessons because I remembered the achievements of Portuguese navigators and explorers like Bartholomew Dias and Vasco da Gama, as I eagerly anticipated our adventure ahead!

Our scenic drive ended at the entrance to the Nature Reserve where cars were queued up, just inching our way to pay the entrance fee here.

A section of the road carved through the sandstone!

The queue of cars slowed to a crawl also because they were thrilled to watch as troops of the Cape’s famous chacma baboons crossed the road, boldly sat in the car’s path while some climbed onto the car roofs!

Established in 1939, the Nature Reserve which covers the southern tip of the peninsular, included a lighthouse on Cape Point which is situated about 2 km east of the Cape of Good Hope.

Perched at the top of the Cape Point promontory, this old lighthouse was in use from 1860 to 1919, and now opened as a museum with a souvenir shop.

With the lighthouse as our destination, we climbed the slopes and stairways all the way to the top of Cape Point.

The old lighthouse at Cape Point

Inside the old lighthouse, there were posters with information about the history of the Cape…

During the age of exploration in 15^th century, Spain and Portugal were European powers that sent out explorers into unchartered areas in search of wealth.

In 1488, Bartholomew Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope but because the seas here were notorious for its violent storms, he named it the Cape of Storms.

In 1498, Vasco da Gama led a series of expeditions which resulted in the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India.

The stormy weather and rough seas were attributed to the position of the Cape, at the point where the warm Mozambique-Agulhas current from the Indian Ocean met with the cool Benguela current from the Antarctic. 

A view from the old lighthouse

Unpredictable cross currents, freak waves that measured over five meters tall as well as wind speeds of over 30 knots, made sailing around the rocky headland situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean, a perilous task.

This rocky promontory was once thought to be the point where the currents of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans met but modern geographers confirmed that it was in fact, about 90 miles southeast at Cape Agulhas.

While Dias initially named it the Cape of Storms, it was later renamed Cape of Good Hope by King John II of Portugal who felt that its discovery was a good omen that India and the East could be reached from Europe by this sea route.

It was also fascinating to learn about the legend of the Cape being haunted by the ghosts of the crew of The Flying Dutchman…

Andrew and daughter, Vivienne, at the Cape of Good Hope

No, we did not see any mysterious ghost ship, but from our commanding height at the lighthouse, I was hopeful to catch the sight of a splashing whale!

In South African history, the Cape had an important role as it was the stopping point for trading ships that sailed between Europe and the European colonies in the East.

The European colonies in the East, reminded me of Melaka and the arrival of the Portuguese when Alfonso de Albuquerque in 1511.

Melaka, on the West coast of the Malay peninsula, was then an important port that controlled the Straits of Melaka on the strategic route of sea-going trade between China and India…

In 1652, the Dutch East India Company established a small provision station in the sheltered bay behind the Cape peninsular as the first European settlement in the region.

My sister, Ruby [Left] and I at the Cape of Good Hope, the most South-Western point of the African Continent

Over time, this European provision station that provided refreshments for weary sailors, developed into the city of Cape Town.

When my sister and I stood at the Cape of Good Hope, marked as the most South-Western point of the African Continent, I couldn’t help thinking of Tanjung Piai, the Southern-most tip of the Asian Continent and a very special place for our family at the Johor National Park.

[More in the concluding episode of your armchair travel to South Africa.]