So sad. I'm leaving today, back to the good old USA. Bye South Africa... I'll miss you! Hopefully I'll see you again one day soon!
ps. Check out my new fb album!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sparking Peach Water
Another belated update post. But we climbed Table Mountain about a week ago, and it wasn't as bad as I thought. Even though it took us almost FIVE hours. We went up the back of this little mountain on the side, ended up at some strange beach (who knew there were beaches on mountains?), and then attempted to cross over to the top of Table Mountain and go down the cable car.
This is where things got hairy. After about two and a half hours of hiking just to get to this point (the trail was called Skeleton Gorge...), the sign informs us we need to go another THREE hours to get to the cable car. We were so close to just turning around and giving up. But we went along, only to run out of water, get lost, and for a few seconds consider calling mountain rescue simply because we didn't want to go any further. But! We made it, found a cafe, and waited half an hour for some of the worst burgers I have ever tasted.
This is where things got hairy. After about two and a half hours of hiking just to get to this point (the trail was called Skeleton Gorge...), the sign informs us we need to go another THREE hours to get to the cable car. We were so close to just turning around and giving up. But we went along, only to run out of water, get lost, and for a few seconds consider calling mountain rescue simply because we didn't want to go any further. But! We made it, found a cafe, and waited half an hour for some of the worst burgers I have ever tasted.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
I Did Not Enjoy a Single Second of This Game
Okay. The Garden Route. Perhaps the most fun, exciting, action-packed week of my life.
We left on a Saturday morning, about two hours later than we had planned. We can thank Andy at the Budget Car Rental place for this, since the computer system lost our reservation, the city branch didn't have the 10 seater van we needed, we had to take a car to the airport, convince the people there that I was the one who was going to drive the HUGE stick shift van, and then make a very inelegant and not swift exit as Wes couldn't figure out how to drive the van without stalling about 50 times. On the plus side, I only screamed twice on the way back to the city from the airport.
But we were finally on our way! All 8 of us piled into our van and headed to our first stop, Bontebok National Park, where we had planned to go hiking. Perhaps my most favorite surprise of the entire trip was the supreme LACK of hiking due to the lack of mountains. But there were bontebok, numerous turtles, a swimming pond, and a little hilly trail that even I could do without wanting to die. It was a great success. That night, we stayed in a little backpackers and woke up early to start our full day of adventuring.
Our first stop was Cango Caves, which I'm pretty sure is one of the longest caves in the world (this may not be true... look it up if you really are curious) and we went on the adventure tour. I discovered that I am actually the perfect size for spelunking and had a great time watching the boys wiggle their way though tiny crevices that were just about too small for them. We made it through, but not before losing 20% of the cameras we had brought into the caves.
After the caves was the controversial Cango Wildlife Ranch, where we saw ugly birds, lemurs, and flamingos before moving on to the cats. We even got to go in and pet one of the cheetahs! Sadly, they were not as soft as one would expect, but they definitely enjoyed our affections judging by the purring noises they were making.
We got lost for about the third time after leaving the ranch, but eventually made it to the ostrich riding place. This is perhaps the most ridiculous thing I have ever done. EVER. Okay so first, we get a little briefing about how stupid ostriches are and how their eyes are bigger than their brains and how if you want them to stop moving, you just put a bag over their head because if they can't see you, then obviously you can't see them either. Also, if you are ever faced with a charging ostrich, just put your arm over your head or hold up something long, because if the ostrich thinks you are taller than it, then you no longer pose a threat. Anyway, so the first thing we see is this absolutely hilarious "dwarf" ostrich. Which is the same as a normal ostrich, but it has shorter legs and a shorter neck. And this ridiculous bird is apparently the shortest dwarf ostrich in the world. I just about lost it. Luckily, we moved on to the arena with stadium seating where we got to watch each other act as ostrich jockeys and ride these stupid birds around. As a side note, did you know you can stand on an ostrich egg and it won't break?
After ostriches, we made our way through these beautiful velvety mountains to another poorly marked dirt road and the next hostel. When we asked where the nearest restaurant was, we were given simple sounding directions and the encouraging advice "When you think you've gone far enough, keep going." So we left in our van, and made our way to this narrow, dark, dirt road that we were on for what seemed like enough... and then some... and then some more. And then finally, after three times what we thought would be enough, the road ended and there was just this little restaurant with Christmas light strung up outside. It was the strangest placed eating establishment I have ever been to. But the ribs were delicious.
The next morning was my favorite adventure of the ENTIRE trip: BUNGEE JUMPING! Right at the border between the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape is Bloukrans Bridge, which happens to be the highest bungee jump IN THE WORLD. It was absolutely incredible.
Post-the best experience ever, we attempted to make our way to Monkey Land, which we conveniently missed by getting gas. No matter though, we found the elephants and got to feed them and touch them and walk with them and watch Ralph get molested.
We then made it all the way back to Monkey Land. There were a lot of monkeys there and one of them managed to make his way into the gift store. This was very entertaining to watch. We then left Monkey Land and adventured to our next hostel, where we were given the ultimate gift of being able to play with these teeny tiny wrinkly little puppies. I fell in love with the little boy named Chum and he slept in my arms all night. We finally got to wake up later than 7 am and drove down to Mossel Bay (getting lost again along the way). We spent a lazy day playing soccer at the beach, swimming in the Indian Ocean, lounging in the hot tub, and ordered Chinese food for dinner. We had another early morning the next day, and got lost once again on the way to the shark diving place. We finally found it though, and boarded this little boat and were thrown into a cage and came up close and personal with about 7 different great white sharks.
After all this, we piled back into our van for our long, rainy, speedy (thanks Wes) ride home. I want to do it again.
We left on a Saturday morning, about two hours later than we had planned. We can thank Andy at the Budget Car Rental place for this, since the computer system lost our reservation, the city branch didn't have the 10 seater van we needed, we had to take a car to the airport, convince the people there that I was the one who was going to drive the HUGE stick shift van, and then make a very inelegant and not swift exit as Wes couldn't figure out how to drive the van without stalling about 50 times. On the plus side, I only screamed twice on the way back to the city from the airport.
But we were finally on our way! All 8 of us piled into our van and headed to our first stop, Bontebok National Park, where we had planned to go hiking. Perhaps my most favorite surprise of the entire trip was the supreme LACK of hiking due to the lack of mountains. But there were bontebok, numerous turtles, a swimming pond, and a little hilly trail that even I could do without wanting to die. It was a great success. That night, we stayed in a little backpackers and woke up early to start our full day of adventuring.
After the caves was the controversial Cango Wildlife Ranch, where we saw ugly birds, lemurs, and flamingos before moving on to the cats. We even got to go in and pet one of the cheetahs! Sadly, they were not as soft as one would expect, but they definitely enjoyed our affections judging by the purring noises they were making.
We got lost for about the third time after leaving the ranch, but eventually made it to the ostrich riding place. This is perhaps the most ridiculous thing I have ever done. EVER. Okay so first, we get a little briefing about how stupid ostriches are and how their eyes are bigger than their brains and how if you want them to stop moving, you just put a bag over their head because if they can't see you, then obviously you can't see them either. Also, if you are ever faced with a charging ostrich, just put your arm over your head or hold up something long, because if the ostrich thinks you are taller than it, then you no longer pose a threat. Anyway, so the first thing we see is this absolutely hilarious "dwarf" ostrich. Which is the same as a normal ostrich, but it has shorter legs and a shorter neck. And this ridiculous bird is apparently the shortest dwarf ostrich in the world. I just about lost it. Luckily, we moved on to the arena with stadium seating where we got to watch each other act as ostrich jockeys and ride these stupid birds around. As a side note, did you know you can stand on an ostrich egg and it won't break?
After ostriches, we made our way through these beautiful velvety mountains to another poorly marked dirt road and the next hostel. When we asked where the nearest restaurant was, we were given simple sounding directions and the encouraging advice "When you think you've gone far enough, keep going." So we left in our van, and made our way to this narrow, dark, dirt road that we were on for what seemed like enough... and then some... and then some more. And then finally, after three times what we thought would be enough, the road ended and there was just this little restaurant with Christmas light strung up outside. It was the strangest placed eating establishment I have ever been to. But the ribs were delicious.
The next morning was my favorite adventure of the ENTIRE trip: BUNGEE JUMPING! Right at the border between the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape is Bloukrans Bridge, which happens to be the highest bungee jump IN THE WORLD. It was absolutely incredible.
Post-the best experience ever, we attempted to make our way to Monkey Land, which we conveniently missed by getting gas. No matter though, we found the elephants and got to feed them and touch them and walk with them and watch Ralph get molested.
We then made it all the way back to Monkey Land. There were a lot of monkeys there and one of them managed to make his way into the gift store. This was very entertaining to watch. We then left Monkey Land and adventured to our next hostel, where we were given the ultimate gift of being able to play with these teeny tiny wrinkly little puppies. I fell in love with the little boy named Chum and he slept in my arms all night. We finally got to wake up later than 7 am and drove down to Mossel Bay (getting lost again along the way). We spent a lazy day playing soccer at the beach, swimming in the Indian Ocean, lounging in the hot tub, and ordered Chinese food for dinner. We had another early morning the next day, and got lost once again on the way to the shark diving place. We finally found it though, and boarded this little boat and were thrown into a cage and came up close and personal with about 7 different great white sharks.
After all this, we piled back into our van for our long, rainy, speedy (thanks Wes) ride home. I want to do it again.
Good Morning Africa!
Not too long ago, me, Wes, Mike, Mickey, and Justin rented ourselves a tiny little car and drove two and a half hours outside of Cape Town to the middle of nowhere to go on a safari. We got a little bit lost on the way (their dirt highways don't have too many signs) but made it to this little oasis of tents and white huts and pools and fire pits. We had our welcome drink and proceeded to go on our first safari of the trip. We saw zebras, walked with giraffes, met Elvis the horrible Cape buffalo, watched cheetahs run at full speed, kept our distance from two huge rhinos, and were followed around by assorted species of antelopes.
Following the afternoon safari, we got ready for a lovely dinner and went to bed pretty early because the next morning was the sunrise safari. While we didn't get to see any new animals, we did get to see the sunrise. And freeze our butts off for two hours. But I'd say it was worth it.
Rock Jumping
Somewhere in between penguin adventuring, safari-ing, and work, we went to the beach for a day. While it's no New Jersey, South African beaches are really beautiful. Even if it is winter.
The Windiest Day Ever
I am so far behind on blogging. I am sorry to the four or five people who read this and are constantly disappointed that I haven't written anything new. But I have good reasons- I've been so busy! Anyway, time to catch up!
A while ago, me, Mike, and Wes took an adventure trip to see Seal Island, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point (the difference between these two is still unclear to me), the penguins, and the botanical gardens. It was supposed to be a beautiful day, but it was sort of overcast and just so happened to be perhaps the most blustering day I have EVER experienced. Literally, there were points where I actually started to blow away. But the seals were cute, the capes were beautiful, the penguins were perfection, and the flowers were super pretty.
And if you were wondering, the Cape of Good Hope isn't the most Southern tip of Africa, it is the most South-WESTERN.
A while ago, me, Mike, and Wes took an adventure trip to see Seal Island, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point (the difference between these two is still unclear to me), the penguins, and the botanical gardens. It was supposed to be a beautiful day, but it was sort of overcast and just so happened to be perhaps the most blustering day I have EVER experienced. Literally, there were points where I actually started to blow away. But the seals were cute, the capes were beautiful, the penguins were perfection, and the flowers were super pretty.
And if you were wondering, the Cape of Good Hope isn't the most Southern tip of Africa, it is the most South-WESTERN.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Ridin' Dirty
So last weekend I went hiking at this natural reserve place called Cederburg. It was this tour guide, seven guys, two girls, and me. And we hiked these trails that probably would have taken me two or three hours... in forty five minutes. Literally, I wanted to die. I kept telling Mike to leave me behind. And the girl behind me kept vomiting. But did we take a break or slow down? No. It was like the opposite of "Leave no man behind."
It sucked mostly, but the people were awesome and we had a braii (South African for BBQ), and we made our own fun.
It sucked mostly, but the people were awesome and we had a braii (South African for BBQ), and we made our own fun.
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