Ostriches and caves

We had another incredibly fun day here today. We took off from Gansbaai around 6am after getting some amazing farewell breaching from our whale friends while we were eating breakfast. Looked like it was straight out of a nature film and was so loud we could hear it through the windows. No pictures though - we tried but it was too tough to get a good shot. Our drive took us inland through miles (kilometers) of rolling farmlands with the mountains as a backdrop. After 2 hours or so we reached the mountains and went through some spectacular passes. We finally saw the elusive baboons! They were running along the side of the road on one of the curves and one was climbing the mountain side. He looked at me. We locked eyes.

After recovering from nearly crashing the car while yelling, 'Baboons! Baboons! Look! Baboons!', we left the mountains and made it to the valley where Oudtshoorn is. We made good time so we stopped for an ostrich tour first. It. Was. Awesome. They let us hold baby ostriches and feed some of the big ones. And yes - I fulfilled my dream of riding an fully grown ostrich. I also fulfilled Willie's dream by falling off of it much to the amusement of the rest of our tour group. Those big birds are freaking fast. And extremely simple minded. After the 1 other person ridiculous enough to ride one them got their turn, Willie got an Ostrich 'neck massage' which basically consisted of holding a bucket of food while multiple birds attacked it over your shoulders.
Seriously - who knew ostriches could be that hilarious?

We finally stopped laughing long enough to finish the tour and headed 25 minutes up the road to the Cango Caves. This was an unbelievable experience. We opted for the 'adventure tour' which takes you on a 90 minute walk/shimmy/crawl through the cave system. The formations were breathtaking and the adventure part of it probably wouldn't fly in America without some significant waivers, proof of insurance, promise of first born child, etc. Here though - nothing but the purchase of the ticket. Check out of the pictures below. There were spaces that you actually had to army crawl through. Not for the claustrophobic or faint of heart. By the time you finish you are filthy from crawling around and from the 85% humidity. It was so fun though.

It was a big day for animals today!

Animal count:
Cows
Sheep
Goats
Ostriches
Baboons
Rabbits (on a rabbit farm)
2 zebras (as a teaser near the entrance of an animal park)
Deer
Some weird turkey birds that run across the roads while I am driving
3 camels (part of a tourist attraction)
2 Emu

We are staying on a farm outside of town tonight and have our own little cottage. Too bad it is cloudy tonight - I can't even imagine how amazing the stars must look on a clear night. Tomorrow is a nice down day. We have a 6 hour drive into Port Elizabeth and are staying in a hotel on the beach. Nothing planned beside for some lounging by the pool!

PS Ostrich is delicious - I had it for lunch and dinner. It tastes just like steak!