DECEMBER 1 2008
AMERICANWAY 57
baboon has claimed the hood as the perfect hangout. It looks like a
bored teenager sitting around outside a suburbanmall. But this kind
of encounter is tobeexpectedon the road to theCapeofGoodHope, at
the southwestern tipof thepeninsula.Thearea is loadedwithbaboons.
(Windows rolled up and doors locked aremusts on this road.) Every-
body on the way into the nature reserve is forced to navigate around
tumbling, playful baboon babies, whosemothers look onwith an all-
too-human “what ishegetting intonow?” scowl.
Once past the initial baboon obstacle course, the roadwinds deeper
intoTableMountainNationalPark.Ostrichesbarely takenoticeashik-
erswander by. Then it’s time to get out of the car and take a short ride
up in the funicular (orhikeup, up, up the stairs) for a viewof theCape
ofGoodHope.Atmore than700 feet above sea level, the cliffshereare
among thehighest in theworld.Thewaterbelow isevery shadeofblue,
frombright aqua todeepnavy.
THEMOUNTAINS GO FROM SANDSTONETO SHALE.
They begin their as-
cent to the sky terraced, thenare rounded, and, upnorth in theGoegap
NatureReserve, piles of rock that erupted from the earth thousands of
years ago look like theywereplaced therebyheavymachinery.
There is no one way to describe the west coast. Just as it becomes
familiar, it shifts.
But it isearly spring—especiallyafterawetwinter— thatbrings the
biggestchange.While theeastcoastofSouthAfricahasdrywinters, the
west coast’swet wintermonths deliver an early spring surprise: one of
thebestwildflower shows in theworld.Africanflaxes turnhuge swaths
of landapurplishblue.Daisies, theirorange,pink, oryellowpetalswith
anearlymetallic sheen, cover entiremountains. Spikypincushionsgive
off a touch of sweet, drawing sugarbirds to swing by for a drink, their
longbeaksdipping in fornectar.
Playful baboons on the road to the Cape of GoodHope
A Capemountain zebra
Drive toward the sunand thefields lookgreen.But
as you go by, take another look— they’re actually a
carpet of flowers all turned facing the sun. The same
is true of entiremountain ranges. First, they appear
green, but then, they’repinkororange,purpleorbril-
liantwhite.
Asmuch funas it is todiscoveranothernew-to-you
flower, watching the flower watchers is also quite a
bit of fun. They gobelly downon the ground to snap
close-ups. They tumble off the buses, some of which
are clearly more luxurious than others, and spread
out in searchof their own spot under the SouthAfri-
can sun. Somepeople are on a search for aparticular
bloom, while others are open todiscovery, waiting to
seewhat’snext.
THEWOMENWHO
ownRedCedarCosmetics, located
in the small villageofWupperthal, areworking in the
