Jackass Penguins

{you cannot imagine how excited I was when I saw this sign!}

Another highlight of the trip was seeing the insanely cute Jackass penguins at Boulders Beach. Wait, what? Jackass? Yes!! Well, because of their donkey-like braying they were previously named the Jackass penguin. Since several South American penguins make the same sound, they have (unfortunately) been renamed African penguins. They are the only type of penguins found in Africa.

Here are some fun facts about penguins:

-  They can stay submerged for up to 2 minutes. That's a long time for such a small animal

-  The African (Jackass) penguin is endangered

-  Their black and white coloring is not only stylish but also camouflage. White is for underwater predators looking up and black is for predators looking down

-  They are a monogamous and have lifetime partners! Awwwwww!

Next time we visit the penguins, we will go to Foxy Beach instead of Boulders Beach. Rumor has it you can get within a few meters of them. I will probably pass out from cuteness overload.

{my penguin pose. yep, nailed it.}

{first glimpse at penguins. look for the tiny black dots on far left and right rocks}

{closer to the penguins}

{penguins in the lower left corner of photo}

{some penguins, like this guy in the lower left, were still molting}

{catching some rays and a power nap}

{view of Simons Town, across the bay}

How cute are the penguins?!?! We cannot wait to see them again in February when we go back to Cape Town with Dad and Annie. Yay!!!

Love,

Jess & Mat

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from South Africa! Thank you for following our little blog. It means more to us than you will ever know.   :-)

Love,
Jess & Mat

Camps Bay & Clifton Bay

Two days until Christmas! We spent yesterday afternoon baking and decorating sugar cookies. It was fun, but we learned that our cookie decorating skills are definitely lacking.

{our culinary masterpieces}

{Mat loves making faces in our photos}

I am still editing the final 3 batches of Cape Town photos, but I wanted to show you a few of Camps Bay and Clifton Bay in the meantime. These are two of the gorgeous beaches in Cape Town. I also included a few photos that didn't really fit in with the other batches but I thought you'd like them anyway. :-)

{antique cannons used in one of the many battles fought in this Bay}

{filming a music video}

{the 3 of us drinking Bubble Tea}

{look at the clouds on the ridge}

Good luck with last minute shopping. If you are traveling, have safe travels!

Love,
Mat & Jess

table mountain

The next stop on your virtual tour of the Western Cape is Cape Town…

Even though we did not want to leave Stellenbosch, we packed our things and headed to Cape Town. We stayed at the Cape Royale hotel near the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront. The V&A Waterfront is a touristy area with lots of shops, restaurants, and endless entertainment. It is also a harbor and working wharf so there is always something to watch. Next time, however, I would prefer to stay on one of the beaches because they are absolutely gorgeous.

{actively restoring a fishing boat}

On our first day, we decided to take the hop-on-hop-off red bus for an easy way to get acquainted with the city. We saw some cool places but we were really looking forward to one stop in particular: Table Mountain (and Lion’s Head).

You may not remember off the top of your head, but you’ve definitely seen a photo of Table Mountain. It’s one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature! It is a flat-topped mountain that overlooks Cape Town.

Here are our obligatory tourist photos of Table Mountain from the Waterfront...

Going to the top of Table Mountain is arguably the #1 activity to do while in Cape Town. You can hike (if you’re crazy) OR take a cable car (if you’re lazy) to the top of the mountain and get an unparalleled view of the city.  Can you guess which option we chose?! Either way, once you get to the top it truly is spectacular. I could have easily spent half a day up there taking in the view while sipping a glass of vino.

Here are some pics from our Table Mountain adventure.

{cable car, our preferred way to get to the top}

{look closely and you will see the 2 cable cars}

{view of coastal highway}

{daredevils preparing to repel down Table Mountain}

{dassies (aka rock rabbits) gave us an X-rated show}

{high winds create huge whirlpools in the ocean}

{Lion's Head}

{Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned}

{Cape Town Stadium, built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup}

Love,

Jess & Mat

Stellenbosch - part deux

Can you believe Christmas is a week away?! I cannot. It's hard to get into the holiday spirit when it's the middle of summer and we are 8,000 miles away from our friends and family. We miss you guys! 

Anyway, I thought I'd share more photos of Stellenbosch because it is such a beautiful place. Hope you like them!

{pirate movie set at Cape Town Productions - could it be Pirates of the Carribbean 15?} 

{lady spinning raw African silk}

{crude but hilarious rugby joke}

{our rental car and Mat's favorite car, the Polo Vivo}

{township with ample power supply}

{amazing freshly-picked strawberries}

Love,

Jess & Mat