Paddles with Penguins

About a month ago, Andrew Evans, our contributing editor who traveled 10,000 miles to Antarctica from Washington, D.C., mostly by bus, posted a video of him with a penguin on his lap.

After watching the video, I began missing the birds I sunbathed and paddled with on the Boulders Beach, near Cape Town, South Africa, in 2006.           

It was a hot summer Christmas day. Instead of going to church, I decided to celebrate the day with a fact-finding mission: Do penguins really live in South Africa?

I was sitting in a taxi on my way to Boulders, one hour away from Cape Town, still not completely convinced that the birds that are supposed to be in the freezing Antarctica already adapted themselves to South Africa’s warmer temperatures. As the cab slid into the parking lot, a sign appeared: “Warning. Please look under your vehicles for penguins.”

Welcome to the African penguin colony.

At the entrance, visitors have two choices: Head to the penguin colony at Foxy Beach, or opt for simple Boulders Beach. I headed toward Boulders Beach, and, after passing through its big rocks and the crowds, I found a quiet place on the beach that tuxedo-clad birds didn’t mind sharing. They were tottering at feet without even noticing I was there, lying on the beach and paddling in the water right beside me. They were just like another group of people: And yes, their sneezes sound like that of human’s, too. 

You can read the full article here.

Photo: SungHa Park