Today was another busy day filled with sightseeing and adventures! We ate a delicious breakfast at our accommodation and got an early start on the bus. As usual were greeted by our wonderful tour guide, Enrico, who taught us about some of the local wildlife on the bus ride.
Our first stop was at the World of Birds, an incredible wildlife sanctuary where we encountered not just birds, but a wide range of species. Some of my favorites to see were the tamarins (which are like tiny monkeys), and the serval, which is a type of wild cat! A fun and unexpected sight was the enclosures full of guinea pigs running around, including some tiny babies.
After the World of Birds, we got back on the bus and headed to our next destination, a scenic spot on Hout Bay, where many singers posed for photos with the beautiful landscape. Our next stop was a very exciting one: the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where singers had the opportunity to feed ostriches out of our hands! The two ostriches—whom we nicknamed Kevin and Patty—each had very strong and distinct personalities. Patty, the female Ostrich was much more aggressive when eating out of our hands and I don’t think I was the only one afraid for my fingers! Kevin, on the other hand, was more calm and friendly, but he seemed more interested in biting the plastic plate we offered him than the food on it. After the Ostriches ate, it was time for us to have lunch too! However, a picnic on the grass had to be swiftly relocated to the bus when we were warned of baboons in the area.
After lunch and another long bus ride, we finally arrived at Cape Point on the Cape of Good Hope. The view was breathtaking, and completely worth the long drive! Some singers dared to climb up the tall rocks to get a better view of the ocean, while others waited in line to take a photo with the iconic sign.
Before returning to the retreat center, we had one more exciting stop to make. Continuing with the day’s theme of birds, we got the chance to visit a beach home to a wild colony of African Penguins! The penguins were so adorable, and a highlight for me was getting to see the adolescent penguins, which are known as “blues” because of their color before their adult feathers grow in. Before getting back on the bus, some singers grabbed a snack or coffee from a nearby cafe. Finally, we returned to our accommodation for dinner, rehearsal, and a lively round of card games in the common spaces before bed.
