Penguin Island

We visited Penguin Island, in Simon's Town, on Saturday afternoon.  I have paid my 40 rand for the official admission twice, so decided to just wander down the beach while waiting on the students.  Imagine, I was actually closer to a penguin than any of the students, since the official viewing has rails around the boardwalk.  I was just looking out to sea when I spotted this little fellow inside the rocks.

These are African penguins, which look different from the typical penguin one expects.  I can't really remember, but I think the story is they migrated here, and have adapted to the warmer weather.

I have always loved the shells, glass, and rocks that wash up on a beach as well.  I picked up a few pieces of sea glass, a shell, and a rock.  I have different jars or vases at home with rocks, shells, and glass from different beaches.

I made a movie of this ship slowly making its way across the bay, but the posting will have to wait.  It is slow enough to upload a movie in Mississippi; it would take longer than I have Internet access in South Africa.  Interestingly, today in my meeting with the International staff at NMMU, one of the "major problems" they mentioned with exchange students is the Internet.  They typically don't get that the access is slow, sporadic at times, or not even available in some locations.  While I miss being able to keep in contact when I am here, and miss being able to blog the visits and posts as they are happening, I do value that it forces me to slow down and just relate.  I know the first year I was here, while I emailed almost daily from the Internet cafe across the street from my flat, I did not upload photos, and there was no such thing as a blog then.  Times have changed.