Waka Waka

(February 24-29, 2012)

I guess it's time I should write about South Africa. It. Was. Amazing. I don't know what other words to use to describe it other than amazing. I had finally made it and I felt so at home. The port was gorgeous and reminded me of something along the lines of the port of Miami. V&A waterfront had everything; the restaurants were amazing and there was a decent amount of nightlife. The first day was spent exploring the waterfront area a bit and taking pictures of EVERYTHING and then to an FDP. My FDP explored the Khayelitsha township, one of the fastest growing townships in Cape Town. We visited a woman who converted her house into a B&B (http://www.vickys-bed-and-breakfast.com/). It's an amazing program and she sponsors local kids to visit many of the major important areas in the area such as Robben Island and Table Mountain. She was booked solid during the World Cup, a huge feat for such a small B&B. We then went to the Ubuntu AIDS/HIV clinic where we had the opportunity to speak with people afflicted with the disease. Their stories were uplifting, as it proved to us that one can still have a life aside from the debilitating illnesses they posses.  On the second day, P and I did some sight-seeing together. We did table mountain and went to Old Biscuit Mill. OBM is a farmers market that occurs on Saturdays and has the most spectacular food. They had gyros, pizzas, sangria, bagels, cookies, kebabs, and honestly anything you can think of. It was amazinggggg. I had a bacon sandwich (because I ran out of money) and P had a gyro. It was so good, I really can't stress that enough. We went out to the Cape Town Ajax match that night where it was a draw but the stadium was AMAZING. The next morning we were leaving for our safari at 3:30 so I called it a night. 

We flew from Cape Town to Joburg and drove another 6 or 7 hours to our treehouse lodge in Kruger. We were a little late for our sunset safari but it was still a gorgeous sunset in the bush. We saw giraffes, jackals, and impalas the first day. We sat and bonded with our tour guide, Charles, and played South African card games. The next morning was an early one and we sat on the rover for awhile game searching. We saw so many animals but no big cats :( We saw an elephant bathing itself and a heard of mommies and babies! It was awesome.

 

GIRAFFE!!

casual bathtime..

obviously I don't understand the demure color for a safari rule.... at the Orpen Gate

The next day we had an early morning bush walk that my roommate, R, and I accidentally slept through.... and then another long ride back to Joburg for our flight! We got into Cape Town at night and went out and hung out with a bunch of people. The last day was awesome, where I went to Boulder's Beach! I swam with penguins! :) 

All in all, South Africa definitely lived up to my expectations. I know this was so brief but I need to get all these out before Japan starts! Will fill eeeeeevery one in on it when we all hang out after this! :)