Hallo seuns en dogters,

Dit is wonderlik om met julle te praat hier van Suid Afrika. Ek het in Kaap Stad aangekom saam met die Green Dragon Span! Dit gaan so baie lekker wees en veral op Tafel Berg.

A Cháirde! Táim anseo san Aifric Theas i gCape Town! Áit iontach í agus tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo le foireann Green Dragon. Bhí turas fada agus crua againn ó Alicante go Cape Town ach bhí an t-ádh linn – pointí ag an gcéad geata agus an tríú áit again nuair a shroicheamar Cape Town. Beidh sos again anois ar feadh cúpla lá  -  rudaí a dheisiú, treanáil a dhéanamh  agus áiteanna suimiúla a fheiscint. Tar liom!

Hello boys and girls! It’s Pádraig the Bear again and I am in Cape Town, South Africa. My good friend Jaco from Empangeni in Zululand, Northern Natal, who is a pupil in our school at Walterstown in Cobh, has helped me write those words in Afrikaanse. I hope I got it right! I also want to say hello to Abi from Johannesburg who attends our school too.

 What a journey we had from Alicante and great successes along the way. What about those top points at the first “gate”? Not to mention our podium place in Cape Town! But now it’s time to relax those sea-legs and chill out for a while. It’s summertime here in the Southern Hemisphere so I intend to take my trusty digital camera with my best friend, Theresa, and take in the sights and sounds of Cape Town. Come along with me and join in the fun.

I started my journey at the V and A. This is the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. It’s an amazing place with shops of all kinds and restaurants to suit every taste. Personally, I’m an ice-cream fan and Cape Town didn’t disappoint me! (My favourite is double chocolate and caramel but I could manage pistachio and strawberry too! Careful now, Pádraig or you’ll be too heavy to travel in the cable car to the top of Table Mountain! I’m looking at it now through a viewing lens (I had to pay in the local currency of Rand).

Isn’t this an amazing mountain shape? It’s flat, like a table and that’s how it got its name. It can be very cloudy here though and lots of times the mountain cannot be seen. Then people say the table cloth is on the table!! How clever is that? My teacher Mrs. Ryan came to visit Cape Town last year in January but she never got to the top of Tafel Berg because the wind was blowing too much and it was against regulations for the cable car to run. She told me she was very disappointed at the time. I promised to take a photo for her from the top if I got there. If the wind is not too strong tomorrow I might make it to the top by cable car.

Now I’m off to check out the facilities for the Green Dragon team at their workshop. I hope the Shore Support team has everything it needs to carry out vital repairs before the start of the next leg to Cochin, India.

Yes, everything seems to be ship-shape here at the workshop and there’s even a crane here for some heavy lifting. Johnny Smullen is working hard too to make sure the Green Dragon team is well equipped at all times. I check up on him every now and then – I know he likes ice cream so I usually keep the freezer full for him (and for me). It’s quite amazing how quickly ice cream seems to disappear in hot weather.

Great news..... I’m off to the cable car now for the climb to the top of Table Mountain. I know I’ve become a really good sailor, but I just hope I still have a head for heights! Here we go............

I’ve made it to the top of Table Mountain. I just can’t believe the wonderful view I have from here! Theresa is keeping a tight grip on me in case I blow away. She’d never be able to explain that to my friends back in Walterstown School. After all I have an appointment to meet up with all my school mates when I reach Galway next year. I have to keep practising my Gaeilge and my Irish Dancing or they’ll never send me abroad again!

I’m tired and hungry now so it’s time to try the local cuisine. I think ostrich might go down well or maybe some seafood with a special Cape sauce – mmm!

Tomorrow will be another fun-filled day. There’s talk about a Safari but I’m afraid I might be mistaken for some real wildlife and end up out in the Bush ... for good!  I might just send Theresa as my camera person on scene and let you see the pictures she takes.

Good night for now, from a very tired bear.  Oíche mhaith.

Wow! What a majestic animal. This young giraffe stood in the middle of the road and the jeep had to wait until he was ready to move on. What a photo opportunity!

On that note I’ll say goodbye from South Africa, from Cape Town and all the Green Dragon team.

Talk to you soon from India. Remember you can e-mail me at padraigthebear@gmail.com