South Africa

Well it was labelled as a candelabra lily, but I don't have one of those apps on my phone where you can get the information from your picture. I suspect they  just used a local name though it's quite appropriate I think.

Thanks Moulesy, I've looked it up now and it's local to SA, nice to see something different. 

And so to Cape Town. We've had a long day travelling today  through some awesome mountain scenery - the Garden route has the ocean on the southern side and the mountains to the north.

We stopped en route at the town of Oudtshoorn - known as the ostrich capital of the world! There are several commercial ostrich farms in the area where the birds are bred for their meat, feathers and skin (their skin,  once tanned, is apparently second in durability only to kangaroo skin.) The oldest recorded ostrich lived to the age of 82!

We just called in at a show farm where you can "interact" with the ostriches and I can say that they have quite a vicious peck.

Still, it's been some years since I have a pair of young birds draped around me eating out of my hands like this! 

 #  Feed The Birds, Tuppence a Bag #

Cracking great pics M

That bird has a wicked look in its eye!

Where's Rod Hull?

Great pics, thanks for taking the time to post M

The first dull day we've had some far and, unfortunately, it was the day we had planned to take the cable car ride up Table Mountain. But the mountain was shrouded in cloud (they call it the Tablecloth) so instead we went to a lower peak to watch the paragliders taking off - brave folk and quite a few youngsters taking part in tandem flights. We had pretty good views down over the city, including the waterfront and the stadium built for the 2014 World Cup and also out to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned - I'd imagined it to be a much bigger island. We are hoping to go out on a tour on Monday.

This afternoon we strolled around the very colourful Cape Malay district. These house were originally built to house the slaves brought in from Malaysia and around for forced labour.  Now they have been refurbished and turned into expensive and very desirable apartments! Behind you can just see the mountain, still shrouded in cloud (though as I'm writing this, at about 5 pm the skies have cleared so hopefully tomorrow morning will be succesful.)

Love those photos - they are great.

Crystal clear skies over Table Mountain today but, ironically, the winds that had blown the cloud away were too strong for the cable cars to run - so we hope for better luck tomorrow!

Never mind, instead we went on the most fantastically scenic drive down past the 12 Apostles (a line of 12 mountain peaks just south or Cape Town ) all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope - the most south westerly point on mainland Africa and then up to enjoy the antics of the African penguins at Boulders Bay.