Today’s scenes were particularly picturesque on this stretch of my hike along the south Cape coast of Africa. The indigenous flora is just bursting with lush displays of flowers to delight the senses. I always considered flowers to be like the gems of the plant world. The are valuable treasures in their own right due to the lustrous color and the way they brighten up their surroundings.
As I spend more and more months out here hiking this coastline, I get to see it in its different phases through the seasons. I have seen awesome dazzling sunshine and moody thunderstorms, yet every side of nature’s face seems to be appealing here in this little stretch of the continent’s coastline. Today’s epic display of fine floral beauty has a touch of the exotic in it with those orange and yellow blossoms.
Each little bay that I encounter in the long stretch all along this coast has it’s own mood and nature. Upon reaching this particular alcove today, I was inspired to find a stylish fire place, which had been set up by previous travelers on this coastline. It was well away from the vegetation so would not be a fire risk. Some surrounding rocks acted as a great protective cave-like structure as they clustered on top of each other and around this neat clump of smaller rocks that made a sheltered fire pit. There’s a bit of a mist bank hovering just off shore, which adds to the animated mood today.
Time appears to stand still here and the only way to tell the movement of time is by the shifting of the moon phases at night as the moon waxes and wanes. Otherwise every day is like the other in a never changing environment that could be the same as it was 10 000 years ago. It really helps to detach one from the goings on back in the civilization of the cities. A cave like this makes an ideal shelter for some time for any itinerant traveler. Let’s make ourselves comfortable for a little while and perhaps prepare a nice meal.
Another interesting display of the indigenous flora appeared in this single solitary lily that grew among the massive rugged boulders on this shoreline. It stood out like a beacon surrounded by a dark grey mass of cloud, as the massive black boulders made a protecting shelter around the white lily. The contrast of hard black rock and soft white flower was quite noticeable.
The shore is so hard and stony here on this section of the coast and it’s impossible to land a boat here at all. So I understand why so few people come here. Still I appreciate it tremendously and have the entire place to myself. The waves are awesome to watch though I don’t expect to see any surfers. They prefer the other parts of the coastline not far from here, with its sandy beaches. This particular section is pure rock as far as the eye can see.
Overall it has been an epic hike today and I’m happy to put my feet up for the evening after the exploration. More fascinating alcoves await us tomorrow and in coming days. The coastline is considerably long here and there is plenty of space on this huge continent. To think that the elephants once roamed around here is really awesome. How nature has changed in just a few decades as civilization encroaches one generation at a time.
(photos my own)