A lovely birthday visit.

The wife insisted that we must take a drive on my recent birthday, and I was happy to oblige.

And so, during the drive, we popped into a beach area to have a quick look at the scenery.

But it was the other side of the town that I wanted to get to, and I will show you why below. There is a famous road that runs all around the mountains at almost sea level, and the views on this road are really mind blowing. There are several look out stops on this road, and I stopped at the first one at the far right end of the houses in the picture above.

Let's see what Wikipedia has to say about that road. For the history buffs, the road was built by Italian prisoners (POWs) during the second world war.

Clarence Drive is a mountain pass crossed by the R44 road between Gordon's Bay and Rooi-Els. The tourist route is 22 km long and provides a panoramic view of False Bay, the coastline, Table Mountain, and parts of the Cape Peninsula. The nearby coast is popular with anglers and whale watchers, and Kogel Bay Resort is particularly sought after by surfers.

Source

Just a second shot here at the beach of a seagull in flight.

It was the False Bay area that I was interested in, and the first lookout stop was an ideal venue to show you some landscapes.

Time for some zoom power, and can you see that little boat on the water?

Right, let me show it to you on the zoom.

It was a fisherman's boat that was returning to the harbor.

Across the bay you can see the coastal town called Strand, and it is famous worldwide as a tourist destination. The many kilometers of white sand beaches, and clear Atlantic Ocean waters are also a big drawcard.

Then I turned the camera downward, as I spotted two birds that landed in a tree near the waters edge.

The one at the left was a female Southern Fiscal (Lanius collaris).

And finally, the one at the right was what looked like to me, an African Dusky Flycatcher (Musicapa adusta).

My wife knows what is good for me, and I enjoyed the trip more than my birthday Lol. I am at my happiest behind my camera, as it shows all the things that I have a passion for, and it keeps me relaxed. What more can one want, as life is short, and I am now in what they call the golden years of my life. So, I plan to spend these last years of my life in peace and harmony. Of course one has to guard against the pitfalls in this life, and there could be a few more negative experiences that lie in wait for me, but one just has to embrace, forgive, and move on. We all have to endure this in our lives, and it is never a pleasant experience, but that's why I always say... ...Such is life.

So, my message to travellers, if you ever plan a trip to South Africa, put a visit to this area on your bucket list.

I hope that you enjoyed the trip and the pictures as much as I did.

Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

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