Flight Delay in Cape Town Group Post

To preface this entry, we have been delayed for five hours in Cape Town Airport and are currently sitting in Spur (South Africa's crappy Applebee's/Big Boy/Ground Round/Friday's) trying to figure out something to pass the time. Thus, we (Adrienne, Candra, and I) are updating my blog as a group.

Cape Town Airport is kind of boring. It's very crowded right now. And generally smells like elephant dung (Candra thinks that, I do not. So far, only actual elephant dung smells like elephant dung. Candra thinks Adrienne smells like elephant dung as well, but clearly her sense of smell is skewed and cannot be relied upon.).

We have been running around Cape Town for the past four days "like chickens with our heads cut off (Adrienne)," "with fanny packs (All)," or "like soccer moms of septuplets (Candra)."

Wednesday: Teaching all day. Departure at 4:30 p.m. Arrival at 5:30 p.m. Candra and Adrienne were disciplined by a flight attendant with "unbecoming (Candra)" lipstick. "She needed to know. It was for her own good (Candra)." Upon arrival in Cape Town, we picked up our cute little blue Honda at Avis and headed to our backpackers' lodge, Ashanti. Ashanti was ADORABLE and pretty cheap, about $100 each for four nights. In our room there was a very classy chandelier (Candra). We also had our own bathroom and shower facilities--hard to come by in the world of backpackers'. After checking in, our evening plans were ruined by the giant fire on Table Mountain ("Technically on Devil's Peak...just sayin' (Adrienne)."). Since we could not take the cable cars for fear of sustaining third-degree burns, we called Elise (my friend from high school) and went out to dinner at a Thai restaurant. It was delicious! After dinner we headed home to bed.


Thursday: We woke up at 5:00 a.m. to depart Ashanti at 6:00 a.m. We drove our cute little blue car down the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula to Cape Point with a pit stop in Simon's Town for a chocolate croissant. Unfortunately, the "Funicular" was closed because it was so early, so we had to go to the Cape of Good Hope first. We saw ostriches! "Five ostriches surrounded the car and I feared for my life (Candra)." She exaggerates. There were ostriches, but there was no "surrounding" involved. They were cool, though, and I honked the horn to make them run because I thought it was funny. The Cape of Good Hope is where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans are considered to meet. We put our feet in the water and picked up sea shells and climbed a cliff and tried to track baboons with no success. We also killed time by trying to whale-watch, but there were no whales to be seen. I tried to call them, like in Finding Nemo, but it didn't really work. Finally, it was time for the funicular to open!

We headed back to Cape Point and stopped off in the "Curio Shop." Then we headed to the top on the first ride of the day and took lots of pictures like the total tourists that we are. I bought a shirt at on Cape Point...so cool! Cape Point is the southernmost tip of Africa.


After Cape Point, we hit the road and headed back to Boulder's Beach in Simon's Town to visit the jackass penguins (for real, that's what they're called). Candra thought she had already had several penguin sightings, but however most turned out to be kelp or other floating debris. We took LOTS more pictures and got really close to them and Candra touched one when Adrienne and I weren't looking. "Only because you would have yelled at me (Candra)!" That is true. They're WILD ANIMALS, though generally docile, still WILD! The penguins were definitely super cool.


After penguins we had to drive to the opposite side of Cape Town because we had a 1:00 p.m. appointment. Upon arrival at our destination, we payed and got suited up. We boarded our little plane and, after a short and pleasant ride that included a whale spotting, we jumped out. We were, of course, strapped to a professional, but skydiving was pretty amazing!

After our safe jump and landing, we drove back to Cape Town for a second attempt at Table Mountain. Again, the cable cars were closed--this time due to high winds. Since we were again disappointed, we settled for dinner with Elise and Zak at Royale, which is an AMAZING burger place. The restaurant was cute, too! Finally, we went to bed!


Friday: We got up early, once again, to catch a 9:00 boat to Robben Island. Robben Island is an island off the coast of Cape Town on which there is a prison which was used to hold political prisoners during the time of Apartheid. Nelson Mandella was held in the prison for eighteen years. The island tour consisted of a forty-five minute bus ride around the island, which also holds a town with a school, post office, and clinic. After the bus tour, we went to the prison where we had a guided tour led by a former prisoner. It was pretty amazing to hear about what was happening in the prison during that time, especially from someone who was there! We got to go see the cell where Nelson Mandela was held as well. It was quite a moving experience.


On the ferry trip home, we (and by "we," I mean Candra) talked our way into the front of the boat and we got to sit in the co-captain seats on the ride home! (Our delay was moved up and we caught our plane. Adrienne and Candra are no longer contributing to this blog post.) The boat ride in the front was pretty awesome! We had amazing views of Table Mountain and the ocean!


After Robben Island, we headed over to the Two Oceans Aquarium. I was really impressed with it, and we saw a lot of great stuff. It was pretty quick to get through and we were done in about an hour.

Next we headed off to Boschendahl which is a winery in Stellenbosch. The drive was incredibly scenic and beautiful and so was the winery. We had a lovely wine tasting and lunch there before heading home to attempt Table Mountain again. Unfortunately, we got caught in traffic and couldn't get back in time (This brings failed Table Mountain attempts count up to three, if you're counting).

Elise and Zak invited us to a braii at the house of a kid who is from Cleveland and went to Case (small world!). We went there for dinner and then called it a night early because we had to get up before dawn the next day.


Saturday: We got up at 3:45 a.m. to catch our 4:20 a.m. ride to Gansbaai for SHARK DIVING!!! SEE? I TOLD YOU IT WOULD HAPPEN!!!! I must admit that I was terribly sea sick most of the trip, but that did not ruin how AMAZING it was. We saw four different sharks, all of which were over three meters long! The crew said the average shark they see is 2-3 meters. One that we saw was over four meters (12 ft.). It was incredible and they hung around the boat the whole time! We got in the cage and saw them swim by underwater and they bumped into the cage and it was completely terrifying but also the most amazing thing I have ever done!


Upon our return from shark diving, Candra and I went shopping before picking up Adrienne for Table Mountain attempt number four. This time, we were successful! The sunset was beautiful and the weather was beyond perfect. As Adrienne said, we could have stayed up there forever (I kindly reminded her that the last cable car down was at 7:30 so we could only stay up until then.). It was the perfect ending to an amazing weekend!

After Table Mountain we grabbed dinner at the Waterfront with Kelly and Kimberly and then headed home for bed.


Sunday: We woke up early, yet again, to check out and pick up Elise for a beach day. We went to Llandundo Beach which is a little less touristy and crowded than a lot of the beaches in Cape Town--and A LOT more beautiful. We spent the morning lying in the sun and then grabbed a quick lunch before heading back to Elise's for a quick shower and to grab our luggage. Then it was off to the airport...which brings us full circle!

As a side note, I drove around Cape Town all weekend in a rental car. They drive on the left side here which obviously presented some interesting challenges, but I had a blast in our little blue Honda! The trip was amazing and we did SO MUCH! I'm so happy with my last weekend in South Africa. I can't believe I come home tomorrow! It's crazy!

Baby Elephant Reminder

I just wanted to remind my mom and dad that I definitely want a baby elephant! This past weekend was spent in Plettenberg Bay and Knysna--both very lovely little towns on the Garden Route. Saturday was spent in Knysna which has a lot of fun little shops and things. In the evening, we went on a boat cruise to the Knysna Heads which are these two GIANT cliffs with a small opening in between. Ships cannot go through the heads because the currents are very unpredictable so there have been many wrecks there. Apparently, there's some festival there during July when a naval ship sails through, but it has to be perfect weather.


We spent Saturday night and Sunday in the Plettenberg Bay area. Breakfast at our favorite place, Mugg and Bean. It's one of few places we've found with "normal" sandwiches. Lunch meat is nowhere to be found here! After breakfast we headed off to the Elephant Sanctuary. We got to walk trunk in hand with the elephants. We also got to pet them and feel their trunks, ears, eyelashes, skin, tail, and bottom of their feet. Then we got to feed them and finally ride them! It was SO AWESOME! I still really want an elephant, except that the Sanctuary taught me that elephants do not make good pets--one of the elephants there was being rehabbed because she was kept as a pet for too long and didn't know how to "be an elephant." I think I'm gonna keep the dream alive, though.

Back to Cape Town this weekend! On the agenda: sky diving, Robben Island, aquarium, shopping, penguins, Cape Point, and--this blog's namesake--SHARK DIVING (FINALLY)!!!!

More Animals!

I’ve been a little lax this week in getting to updating my blog! Last weekend we went on an amazing game drive at a place called Schotia. The drive was all-inclusive and we got a wonderful dinner at the end! The brochure for the place had a checklist on the back with a list of all the animals they have in the park and we checked off most of them. Again, we found ourselves so close to animals we nearly could have touched them! I’ve seen pretty much all the animals I had hoped to see.


I also had a second lovely trip this week to Hogsback which is a town way inland in the mountains. The grade 7 girls at the school were heading there for a week-long camping trip and I got to join them! The girls stayed at a camp and had a week full of great activities. I had pretty much no responsibilities which was great! The teachers just wanted me to be able to participate in the activities and see all the great things the girls were doing. I got to do the foofie slide (zip line), abseiling (rappelling), and the high ropes course. In the evening, all the teachers and parents sat around drinking beer and wine (WOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED IN THE US!). Tuesday night, the girls went on a night hike and it was the dads' job to hide in the brush and scare them. I got to be a part of the scaring as well and it was such a blast. The girls screamed almost the entire way through--it was hilarious! Wednesday morning, we went on a hike to a beautiful waterfall and got to go swimming there. I left with the headmistress just after lunch on Wednesday. Even the four hour-long drives there and back were beautiful. It was great to see a part of the country that I would never have otherwise seen!

This weekend we are off to Plettenberg Bay and Knysna!

Cape Town Part I

I love cities! I love big cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco and I love “little” cities like Cleveland and Columbus and Louisville. I have never been to a city that I love as much as I love Cape Town. It is the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen in my life and I am completely in love with it. If I don’t come home, I’ve probably moved to Cape Town.

My visit to Cape Town was made even better by the fact that I got to do it with Elise. It’s such a comforting feeling to know that I have such great friends with whom I have such long-standing connections. I’ve known Elise since third grade when we were in ACE together! It’s amazing that we have known each other so long and have managed to stay close even though our lives are very different now!
Friday, when I arrived, Elise had to go back to work for a bit, so I went to the Waterfront which is a large shopping area on the water. There is a high-end mall with stores like Louis Vouitton and Gucci but also regular stores and those that sell, what I like to call, “African Crap.” All the junk that one hopes to find and purchase to bring home as souvenirs. I am now fully stocked with African Crap…I just hope it all fits in my suitcase!

After the Waterfront, we grabbed drinks and then dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant. It was really delicious! After dinner we went to a club where a really great local band, called The Rudimentals, was playing. They were sort of reggae-ska; a cross between pre-Fergie Black Eyed Peas and No Doubt. It was really great!
Cape Town has big buildings and a big city feel, but a very western big city—not at all African. It’s on the ocean and has amazing beaches, but it’s also surrounded by mountains! We climbed Lion’s head mountain on Saturday. It was quite a hike, but I’m glad we did it. We got to the top right at sunset and looked over the entire city and the Atlantic to watch a perfect sunset.

Also on Saturday, we went to a market where the vendors sold a lot of specialty foods in the front portion and then prepared foods in the back. Nothing like a well-made mojito and flatbread pizza to start your day off right! After the market Elise and I went to the winelands—a mere twenty minute drive away (BONUS POINTS FOR CT!!!)—and hit up two wineries. We even bought a couple bottles of wine for our Sunday night activities (stay tuned!).

Saturday night we went out for Burgers at a restaurant called Royale. I have been CRAVING a good burger and this place did the trick. They also had sweet potato fries! The only thing missing was real ketchup. I guess some comforts will just have to be put off until home.

On Sunday, we had a relaxing beach morning and lunch. Cape Town is very much a European tourist spot and many of the beaches and homes on the beaches reflect the wealth that comes to play in Cape Town. It is a great place to come, especially with the strength of the Euro and weakness of the Rand right now. I am very serious when I say that if you can afford to get to South Africa, you can afford a vacation here. Everything is incredibly cheap!

Sunday night we went to Kirstenbosch which is a botanical garden. In the summer they have a concert series in the outdoor amphitheatre with all South African artists. Think Blossom with Table Mountain as the backdrop for the stage. We heard a great group called Malaika and enjoyed a nice picnic with our wine from Saturday. It was such a beautiful and relaxing weekend! I HAVE to find time to go back again!