Tiny Men in Tuxedos
Penguins, I’m talking about penguins and I think they are my new favorite animal, no, who am I kidding, sloths will always be #1 in my heart. But penguins are a close second. They waddle around like they have on shoes that are two sizes too big, and don’t get me started on how cute they are when they hop.
Yesterday I visited a spot in Boulders Beach where these little guys congregate to mate, lay eggs and raise their young. Just like many other beautiful nature spots that have advertised on the world wide web, this place was buzzing with other tourists.
It’s easy to benefit from the fact that these crowds of people tend to follow the rules. They stay within the fences and don’t dare to venture out where no one else is.
That’s fine guys, you all can stay within the confines of your imaginations, I’ll be over here getting up close to the cute little Charlie Chaplins.
It appears a lot of people are afraid of that “all-seeing eye” that will come and get you if you step outside of the borders. In this case the authority was the park patrol, who mostly sit in the buildings that mark the entrance to especially scenic views, views that they charge money for. So I guess you could say that my friend and I tested the authority. We daringly walked along the path less followed. Literally, it was an established path that the other lemmings wouldn’t dare take. This beauty of a path led us to a gorgeous white sand beach where the penguins enjoyed swimming in the turquoise water and hopping along the massive boulders. So much better than trying to sneak a peak of them in between the bushes and behind a fence.
There’s a part of me that feels bad for everything these other tourists must have missed out on by failing to challenge the rules, or to even question them in the first place.
Ok, sometimes the rules are there to help with safety and all that jazz, but don't forget that you have a mind of your own. It's so much fun to take the path less traveled.
That's how you come away with travel stories that are worth sharing.
Speaking of travel stories worth sharing... I just arrived to Victoria Falls last night after spending a couple days in Harare, Zimbabwe. Woah, did I ever get some kind of experience there. The wealth divide there is massive, I visited the slums, drove past mansions and spoke in depth with my host about the culture and how it's changed over the past 30+ years.
Yes, feel sorry for those people who follow the rules, in order to not jeapordize the "Tiny Tuxs."
I'm glad somebody spoke up.
Ok it seems I need to better explain. I didn't hop a fence or go anywhere that was explicitly marked no trespassing. I literally turned left on a path that everyone else was going right. I love animals and I'm well aware of the dangers that interactions with humans can be for them. I was careful to keep a distance, while at the same time I was able to better view them in the water and on the rocks. While the other opportunities for seeing the penguins were only if you were walking on the wood walkway and happen to see the penguins when they were inches from the fence. I was never informed by any officials there of the risk of spreading an illness to the little guys, had I known that I would've been surprised to find the area open for tourists at all. Furthermore, where I went I was in plain sight of anyone, I wasn't hiding.
I don't see any problem. There is certainly a drop in penguin numbers, but no evidence that it's due to human visitors.
Boulders Beach is a great place to visit. And you don't even need to go pay to see the penguins. If you walk south of the pay-area, you will often see penguins along the shore, living just fine without all the "conservation measures" found in the pay-area, such as plastic nesting places and tourist management.
The penguins are endangered and tourists are asked to stay back incase tourism and illness is spreading the sickness. I am sure glad you didn't feel the need to follow the rules. http://www.biznews.com/africa/2015/12/04/mysterious-road-to-extinction-of-boulders-beachs-famous-african-penguins/
Shooo, that was adventurous of you Heidtravels... I am glad you survived. There IS a reason for the rules.....
There are only two places in the world where penguins breed on a continent and not on an island, and that is Boulders Beach and Betty's Bay up the east coast. In South Africa, we are used to breaking rules (check our crime figures) but when it comes to our wildlife, we like to preserve it. We would appreciate it if you can respect that and stick to the rules otherwise, these penguins might choose next time to breed on an island. Your example is setting the tone for the next steemian who visits South Africa, to go wild amongst the penguins.
Last picture is awesome. Great light. It's as if we can "hear" the waves crashing on the rocks. What camera do you have ?
I visted the Prince Phillip Island and saw the penguins too. It was in fact one of the highlight of my trip to Australia. The guide told us that penguins are one of the most loyal animals. In their lifetime, thay have only one mate
love these little fellows and there strut -
Great post, as always @heiditravels. I hereby invite you to come to Australia for a Steem girls meetup! :)
Omg Pengiiis! Love them.
So clumsy on land, and so nimble in the water.