South Africa to Florida to Columbia – Three Continents in One Week

The purpose of taking the flight from Johannesburg back to Cape Town was twofold. First, we found a great international flight that left from Cape Town. More importantly was that we had booked a day trip to go shark cage diving along the southern tip of Africa. After getting ourselves set up with a rental car and a little Bed and Breakfast in the small coastal town of Fisherhaven, we received some bad news. Unfortunately, some heavy winds were expected the next day and our excursion was cancelled. We were quite bummed but realize that it is all part of the journey. So, we came up with an alternate plan to make the most of our stay. Very near our Bed and Breakfast is the famous town of Hermanas. This town is internationally recognized for the “best coastal whale watching in the world.” Within moments of reaching the rocky coastline, we gasped as the southern wright whales jumped out of the water. It is the only time in my life I have seen the whales jumping out of the sea. We watched for over an hour as dozens of whales leaped out of the waves.

We had just one last day left in Africa. Not knowing when we would have the chance to visit this area again, we set out on the two-hour drive to Cape Agulhas. It is the very southern tip of the African Continent. Many people mistake the Cape of Good Hope for the southernmost point, but a 3-hour drive east from Cape Town will take you to the very small village of Cape Agulhas. There is a small park along the sea with a monument and a very large map of Africa on the boardwalk. Other than the old lighthouse, not much else is there. Visiting is mostly for the fun of saying you made it there. 

After stopping at the local grocery store for some sandwiches, we started making our way back toward Hermanas. The weather was overcast with a cold wind but we didn’t want to pass up the chance to see the whales one last time. We had some dinner along the promenade and said goodbye to the giant mammals of the sea. Hermanas is a wonderful place to visit if you are ever able to make the drive from Cape Town.

The next morning was our last in South Africa. Our flight was late in the evening so we had some time to make our way to the airport. Lucky for me, not far from Fisherhaven is a colony of African penguins at Betty’s Bay. This is a lesser known tourist spot for visiting with my favorite animal. The price is less than $4 per person and it is a lot less crowded than Boulder Beach. I was so excited to see the penguins once again and had the extra bonus of seeing some other wildlife along the coast as well.

Our last stop was our favorite restaurant in the world… The Hussar Grill. A steak and chocolate martini set us off on the right foot for our long journey back to Orlando, Florida.

Two long days of travel and we finally made it to the USA. We are blessed to have awesome friends that hosted us during our stay as well as took us to Disney’s Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. It has been such a long time since we done some of the amazing things Orlando has to offer. Thanks Melissa and Jennifer! Another great night we had in Orlando was having a pizza and beer with our friends, the Hitchcocks. We were happy to have a few days for some fun, catching up on mail and such as well as see some of our friends back “home.”

The time we had in Orlando was short and before we knew it we were on the road to Ft. Lauderdale. There we boarded the Holland America Line ship, Maasdam for a 34-day cruise to South America, through the Panama Canal, to Easter Island and onto the South Pacific. 

 

Our first port of call was Santa Marta, Columbia. It was the first Spanish settlement in Columbia and in the northeast tip of the country. The day we got there it was sooooo hot! We braved the heat and spent the day wandering the streets, looking at the shops, food stalls and visiting the Gold Museum. You know a day in the heat would not be complete without stopping for a cold local beer. $1 USD will get you an ice cold beer at any cafes along the waterfront street.

Before we wrapped up our day, we spend a little time looking in all the stalls at the local craft market. It is located two blocks off the waterfront street about a mile from the port entrance.

Our journey will continue into Central America…