Friday – Sunday, Mar 24-26. Visited the Cape of Good Hope. Beautiful day. The Funicular to the lighthouse was closed, so we hiked along the cliff. Difficult. Lots of birds, but too far away. Had lunch near some penguins. I went out to eat dinner on my own. Excellent, though spicy, pasta.

On Saturday we visited a few wineries. The first was a disappointment. The offered tastings were unsatisfactory, served by a woman who knew the script, but little else. The second winery was excellent. The host knew his stuff and appreciated that I knew my stuff. Gave me some extra tastes. Good wines, nice location, lots of history. Bought some wine.

Had our farewell dinner. Delicious lamb, but in a confined space. A band played. Good time.

Our departure the next day wasn’t until the evening, so I just puttered around. The 16 hour flight to Atlanta was incredibly comfortable. Slept three separate times, which is unheard of. Got home fairly refreshed.

Overall I have to say the trip was lacking of substance. The viewing drives were much less interesting than others (with the singular exception of the rhino orphanage). The urban areas were either remarkably European or intensely destitute. The almost universal cheerfulness of everyone I met contrasted sharply with their social and living conditions. An acceptance that their government is both corrupt and incompetent, with little interest in making a change. Shanty towns, where many tiny ramshackle huts are sporting satellite TV dishes. I was reminded of Churchill’s “A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”. I won’t be going back.