Z Charlie, Becca and I are spending the last few days here in South Africa on the Whale Coast. Right now we are in Arniston, which is a remote town with three names -- one for a British shipwreck (Arniston), one for a traditional fishing village (Kassiesbaai) and one for a limestone cave (Waenhuiskrans). We have a sea-facing room with a wall of windows looking out onto the Indian Ocean -- green-blue waves crashing on the beach. Although pressures from across the sea keep seeping into our room..
After a very active and sleepless night, this morning Z and I took a drive to Cape Aghulhas, the southernmost point in Africa, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic. This part of the Overberg is criss-crossed with dirt roads, so although we are staying nearby it took us an hour to get to the point. It was beautiful, and although the color of the two oceans is strikingly different, I could not see the line of convergence that I had hoped for. Instead, the water splashed on the rocks much like it does in Arniston.
I have a thought about the lack of sleep last night. It follows a day of great discovery. Yesterday, in the morning, we set out on a boat from Gansbaai (Ivanhoe) to encounter whales. Seals flip in circles in the harbor, which reeks of the fishpacking plant. Within a few minutes of leaving the port, we were surrounded by Southern Right whales! For two hours, we floated off the coast, communing with these huge and amazing mammals. Zora slept down below for half the ride, which allowed us to get eye-to-eye with the whales on the bow.
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