Finally, I was back in Cape Town , South Africa, and there were two things I knew I had to do- have lunch with my friends at Kalky’s, and visit Sally, the Kalk Bay harbour dwelling seal.
‘Hi Susan. I hope you and Jill are well. We are coming to Cape Town. How about lunch at Kalky’s?’ This was the text message I shyly sent my best friends in Cape Town, since I had barely communicated with them in the last two years. ‘Nice to hear from you. We are well. Kalky’s will be great. We are looking forward to seeing you.’
I wasn’t sure why I had been shy or anxious. Our friendship was always the same – we managed to pick it up from where we left off and enjoyed being together. Meeting at Kalky’s had become our special place. It had that familiar, constant energy which was as comforting as being in the company of true friends.
We crossed the railway down to the harbour, and reminisced about the time we were stuck on the railway track. When a train was approaching, we were unable to get the attention of the driver of the car in front of us to move forward. Fearing the collision of the train into the car, we anxiously thought of means of prevention. Finally, we nudged his car with ours. Of course, it was in the nick of time.
In the harbour, colourful fishing boats mimick the widely photographed Muizenberg houses. I was amazed at how some of the boats appear not to be sea-worthy and are unlike the luxury catamarans found in other harbours. After all, this is a hard-working, commercial harbour. The fishermen would have been out to sea since 02h00 in the morning.
We waited and chatted in the long queues at Kalky’s for hake and chips. After placing our order we listened for our number to be called and often there would be a comical comment from the waitress. Like the time one plate of our order didn’t arrive at the same time as the others. When we questioned her the reply was ‘I am not an octopus, you know.’
But my favourite part has always been the walk along the harbour pier where we stop and greet Sally (not her actual name), the resident seal. While you expect to see seals around Cape Town and there have been seals in Kalk Bay for as long as I can remember, Sally is special. She is always alone and close to the wall of the harbour, as if it was her anchoring point and she was the first boat. She waits for the easy catch of the day provided by the numerous fishermen on their return from the day’s work, despite the warning ‘Do not feed the Seals.’ And while this practice leads to the demise of seals, as sometimes they consume harmful foods, or are hurt by the fisherman defending their fish, Sally seems to be the only survivor.
Sometimes she will venture up the stairs to find her own scraps, and then we watch her from a fair distance given that she is an animal, so although she seems sweet and gentle when frolicking in the sea, she could be dangerous if a person gets too close.
I was looking forward to reconnecting with Sally, the lonesome, territorial seal. On our way to see her, we walked past the proud displays of the morning catch. We heard the fishermen and their families shouting,’yellow tail. Snoek.’ The produce was undoubtedly fresh and hungry seagulls hovered nearby.
There was a crowd around where we would usually find Sally cavorting and, to my surprise, they were observing a beautiful baby seal. ‘Was this Sally’s?’ I wondered. And sure enough, Sally and her new-found partner arrived.
Where had they met? How did she convince him to stay with her in the harbour? I had so many questions, which I knew would be unanswered. But it didn’t matter; Sally had met her love at Kalk Bay.
I imagine that the male seal had attracted Sally with a display of short dives and underwater love songs, characteristic of the mating behaviour of seals. It was possibly in late Spring, when she was on heat and their pup would have been born six weeks later. I wondered if he would stay or come back to breed at the same place again, as seals do.
Nothing is forever. We had to get going our separate ways too, but with the knowledge that we would meet again- most likely at Kalky’s, where I would be able to check-in on Sally. It had been a happy reunion and a perfect meeting.
What to do in Kalk Bay:
- Obviously have fish and chips at Kalky’s.
- Walk the streets and visit the antique shops.
- Have a drink at the Brass Bell.
- Take a water taxi from Kalk Bay to Simon’s Town. (Contact details: +27(0)734737684, http://www.watertaxi.co.za/)
Where we stayed:
We stayed at A Whale’s Tale in Fish Hoek which is a two bed-room, self-catering apartment with a swimming pool and 180 degree view of False Bay. Run by Keith and Liz Hayward, the apartment provides everything you would wish to find for a relaxing and enjoyable holiday break, including a fruit basket on arrival.
http://www.capestay.co.za/whalestale/
Do you want to meet Sally too? Getaway Accommodation has plenty of places to stay in Cape Town!
