IFLA WLIC Day 9 - Last bit of sightseeing & Random tourist-y thoughts

My last tourist stop, and several odds and ends in this post, as I wrap up here in South Africa.

This morning we went to the Two Oceans Aquarium (a second time for me, since there was a reception there earlier in the week).  Got to see the penguins this time, though we couldn't stay for feeding time.  Silly planes to catch.  But we did have time to get our pictures taken!

And this time the penguins' area was open (it hadn't been the other night at the reception).  So more penguins before I went home!  :)  They have African penguins and Rockhoppers there at the Aquarium, and part of the display are signs giving their names and how to identify them (spots or bars on their chest, for example) and how they came to the aquarium.  Several of the African penguins were rescues, and the rest were born "on their beach" at the aquarium, while all seven of the Rockhoppers were rescues.  

The other really neat exhibit I saw on Saturday that I hadn't seen Tuesday was one on plastic waste in the ocean.  It was a very sad exhibit, but animal death from human trash can't be handled happily.  There were several pieces of art on display, ocean animal statues constructed from plastic garbage.  The same way that there are giant or life-size models of sea creatures in other parts of the aquarium, these were just made out of trash.  Very striking, really.

One other little fun thing from the aquarium - their clownfish display is actually labeled "Nemos".  Seeing it during the day, with a handful of kids around, it made me smile :)

For the odds'n'ends now (and these are indeed pretty random)...

• Probably an effect from being part of the British Commonwealth, but there are tons of roundabouts here (not really as common in the States, for whatever reason).  They lead to some crazy looking lane arrows! 

 

• Definitely a British commonwealth side-effect, but I loved having an electric tea kettle in the hotel room :)
• For a crazy landmark, there is literally a road to nowhere in downtown Cape Town.  They started building a highway overpass, but construction was halted for whatever reason (the tour guide had heard several theories, including funding issues, land ownership issues, and an incorrect design creating a dangerously tight curve).  At any rate, there are two ends to this overpass but they don't connect.  They just end.  Apparently, the road is still regularly used though - movie crews and film students regularly take advantage!

•  I got to see sunsets over the Atlantic!  (For those of you who live on the Eastern US, you'll understand how backwards that feels, even to say!) 

 

• Penguin toilet paper!!!  I'm not kidding!  In the middle of the week, I'm in our hotel bathroom, and look down and our TP roll has these happy little dancing penguins on it!  (If you can't see in the picture, he's very happy and bunchy and reminds me of the guy from Happy Feet).  Best quilting pattern EVER!!!  Oh, and I wasn't totally oblivious either - talking to someone else, she hadn't noticed it until the middle of the week either.  Apparently the hotel just got a new batch of paper Wednesday-ish, meaning we just lucked into awesome TP for the last half of our trip.