Lions, Flyers, and Beers Oh My!

Hello Friends and Readers
It was quite the week spent here in South Africa. I am not exactly sure what I was expecting, but all my expectations were greatly exceeded. We landed in a port called the Waterfront which really just looked and felt like a miniature version of fisherman’s wharf in San Fran. We arrived early on Valentines Day and the entire town was enveloped in fog with the only thing standing out being the grandiose Table Mountain shining in the reflection of the sun rise. After that there was some delay due to fog which caused some chaos for the plan on the day. Unforunately my trip to Robyn Island, to see the prison where Nelson Mandela was jailed, was cancelled. This ended up being an ok thing because it was really the only chance I had to walk around the nice little town. That evening we visited a township, which is like the slums, to hear them put on a musical show. We played some bongo’s, had a delicious home cooked meal and then danced for a while before heading back to the ship.
The second day included a beautiful bicycle ride through the mountains and the winelands of South Africa, before sitting through a couple episodes of wine tasting at these vineyards. (Speaking of one or two wine collectors should be expecting a phone call in a couple of weeks from the airport) I also visited a great place called Mitchell’s Brewery, so if you see me sporting a new hat in a couple of the piutres, you’ll know why.

At five in the morning, we woke up and made our way to the airport to begin our safari. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect, but it was Celeste, Tracy, Danielle, and me which was the smallest safari group by far so I knew we’d all get individual needs met for seeing animals. We arrived at the Kapama River Lodge and I must say if you do a safari, do it this way. The lodge was beautiful and pretty plush, and the food was delicious and the staff was amazing. Our guide Liezle, was a young woman who probably knew anything and everything about animals and their habits. We took two game drives a day, everyday from 5-9 no matter if its AM or PM because otherwise its too hot/dark and it would be a miserable experience. First night we crossed off the Amazing rhino’s, and the numerous bufflo. The second day we were greeted with a friendly greeting from the Giraffes and the Elephants. We some zebra and hyena and other things intermixed, but it wasn’t till the last day we were able to finally see our lion. The only thing that eluded us was the shy Leopard, which is the hardest to find. On an amazing note, on the third evening there, we were able to arrange an elephant ride which is kinda like riding a horse only slower and higher off the ground. My elephant was named Jimmy, and Owen my driver told me a lot about Zimbabwe. The advantage of riding an elephant is that most the animals aren’t afraid of them like they are the engine of a 4 x 4 jeep. So they will act more natural and walk right by you. This is when we the majority of baby zebra and giraffe. The safari was unbelievable and it was very painless and I recommend going here to anyone willing to go on one. It was definitely different than I had imagined cause there were trees everywhere and a large network of roads. These dirt roads actually help them track the footprints of game, but it defiantely wasn’t something I was expecting.

It also extended my streak of someone mentioning they felt like they were in Jurassic Park to all 3 countries.
The next night I finally took a nap and decided to spend my last day in Cape Town sky diving. When we awoke in the morning it was raining and there was fog everywhere. Luckily by 3, the clouds wore off and we were given the ok by the company. I was the very last person to go which I now count as a blessing because I got to just as the sun was beginning to set on the land. Yes sky diving is crazy, but it’s also a lot of fun. There were a lot of clouds when I went up but I told one girl who was concerned, clouds are better because without them you can’t get the feeling of flying above them. Which I thought was a good mantra for life as well. The plane ascended to 9,000 feet before my tandem guide opened the door and we leaped through. What took 5 minutes to scale by plane, took 30 seconds by free fall. Falling above, through and under the clouds was unbelievable and the view of Cape Town and Table Mountain were astounding. Cape Town was a beautiful city, and I think this is an A plus vacation spot. It was nice because there was no language barrier, and so we tried hard to take advantage of this and do everything while our guides still understood us.
A couple of last minute notes, cause of sky diving delays I wasn’t able to get postcards sent out, so to those who have sent a letter, it will be sent in 6 days when I reach Mauritius, to those who haven’t sent me a letter, I guess you don’t want a post card. We also had an 80’s party on the ship which some people actually dressed like they came on the ship prepared for this. We learned one thing from this party which was there will be no more alcohol nights and party nights at the same time. Lastly, we have something called “special questions people ask” which are really “dumb questions people ask”. I will leave you with a few of these:
“When we are in china, and we want Chinese food, do we just ask for food?”
“Is lobster so expensive because they are extinct”?
“If we keep losing an hour, will we miss the sunset?”
“Does the sun set in the east now that we are in the southern hem.?”
And in spirit of South Africa
“Is table Mountain, the flat one?”

Hope you aren’t nervous about the future of America, See you after Mauritius.