January 18th Boulder Beach

 

Our first stop of the day was at a national park to see African Penguins. We were able to walk along a boardwalk and down to the beach where there were hundreds of penguins. There were even several who were laying eggs or nursing their young. A lot of them had their mouths open to the sky, which we learned was how they cool off. They do not have sweat glands like we do so that is their method of cooling. The African Penguin is an endangered species so it was very special to be able to see them. 

A little further down the beach, we stopped at another spot, a little more secluded. We got to see more penguins up close and a couple of starfish. The view was breathtaking and felt very surreal. Before we left the first spot, we grabbed lunch as a group where we ate burgers, fries, coffee, milkshakes, and gelato. 

After lunch, we stopped at Muizenberg Beach for a little over an hour. This beach felt less touristy and seemed to have more families spending their Saturday afternoons at this spot. It was not tucked in a bay like the last beach, so there were a lot more waves. People were surfing, playing soccer, eating, and more. 

We ended the day by eating a group dinner at Mama Africa. We had a delicious shareable meal. Many of us tried zebra meat for the first time.