Cape Town!!!!!

Hello All! So sorry that I have not written in a while! I promise I have not forgotten, just been super busy with work and catching up on some sleep!

Let me start by saying that last week everyone was very ready to get off the ship in Cape Town, South Africa. Everyone I talked to had a jam-packed schedule including Safaris, Wine Tours, Sky Diving, Shark Cage-Diving, Hiking, Cape Town has it all.

Thursday morning everyone got up early all ready to go, little did we know things were not going to be as smooth as we had all hoped. As it turns out, we did not pull into port until a day and half later! Thursday and Friday morning were very interesting as everyone was wandering aimlessly around the ship not quite sure what to do or when we would ever make it on land.  It was very frustrating at the moment, however in the end I was able to do plenty.

When we finally stepped off the ship we could not be happier. Laid out infront of us was the waterfront, a spectacular little area that reminded me a little bit of an adult Disney world. There were a ton of gorgeous restaurants, boats, a Ferris Wheel, shops, and live music on every corner. For the first time in a while we saw a grocery store, and a mall! Behind this spread of liveliness was a staple of Cape Town, the famous Table Mountain! After seeing this amazing scene it is safe to say that everyone was pretty excited to explore.

The first day we arrived I did a cycling wine tour through the vineyards in Stellenbosch, a town about 15 minutes from Cape Town.  We were all super excited to have some wine and arrived at the tour with our all dressed up for a nice little leisurely ride. As we got out we saw 9 mountain bikes equipped with water bottles and helmets. There were two tour guides welcoming us with head to toe bike racing gear and the cycle shoes to match. We were a little intimidated to say the least. However, it ended up being a beautiful ride to an amazing picnic, which was already all laid out for us. Next we had the wine tour, which was great as well.  Needless to say we were all excited when we got some complementary glasses and some bottles for the ride home ☺

The next morning I woke up to a phone call from my friend Jenna telling me to get up and get ready! I had no idea what I was in for but was quite pleased as a joined a group of 10 on an all day excursion around South Africa. We started the day at a beautiful specialty market, which was only there on Saturdays. There were tons of shops, a huge tent with great clothes and jewelry, and a massive area with every food you can imagine! There were people everywhere and wonderful smells coming from every direction. I decided to try something unique to Cape Town, an ostrich burger! It was very delicious and topped with avocado, spices, and sauces. YUM! Next we headed to Simons Town, Boulders Beach to see penguins, and to the very southern tip of Africa, Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. Overall it was a really great day and I was so excited to be able to get to see so many great sites. (You can see too when I finally get enough internet access to put up pics!! I have a ton.)

The next two days we kept it local and hung out around Cape Town shopping around and exploring a sprawling craft market! It was really great and we all enjoyed some great drink and cuisine.  Sunday night some a group of 9 girls went to MOYO, a restaurant that we had been looking forward to dining at since the beginning of the trip. It was a gorgeous set up outside that felt like you were in a tree house. It had dim lighting and pretty lanterns and candles in every corner. There was live music, dancing and a huge buffet with every type of meat you could imagine. The fruit and vegetables were delicious too. My friends and I enjoyed the wonderful meal, a few bottles a wine, and the company of each other. Mid way through the meal a woman came over and painted our faces in pretty white designs! We even made some new friends who are from our upcoming port, Chennai! The whole experience was amazing and I am so happy we got the chance to dine at MOYO! It was something I’ll never forget.

Monday I got the opportunity to visit Robben Island which is a very important part of South Africa’s history. The island has been used for many things over the years but is most notorious for its prison where it held political prisoners for years during apartheid. I feel grateful that I was able to learn more about apartheid and how it affected South Africa. I find it unbelievable that it was in place until 1994, which is really not too long ago. It is clear that there is still a huge divide between the wealthy white population and the majority, poor black people.  South Africa is one of the wealthiest countries in Africa, and yet there is still so much to be done. It is definitely a representation of disparity between wealth and it is obvious that most of it is concentrated in very small white areas.

The last day in Cape Town was pretty mellow, running some errands and attempting to use the internet. Everyone was getting back from their over night safaris with tons or pictures and stories to share. Those of us who were not away on Safaris had stories of our own on about the amazing night life!! The bars and clubs in Cape Town were not sparse, many nights we would travel from club to club until the wee hours of the morning. My favorite night was when we went we started at a bar in the waterfront called Mitchell’s, we were sitting next to a mother and 3 boys about our age, outside out the bar. We starting chatting and soon enough we figured out that one of boys has an older sister in Pi Phi at Bucknell, and we are actually really close friends!! Such a small world. We ended up taking the boys out with us to Camps Bay, an area on the water. The club we went to was called St. Yves and was a ton of fun!! Staying out until the club closed turned into a regular thing for me in Cape Town which was awesome but part of the reason that I have been nonstop napping since we got back…

Another day in Cape Town would have been wonderful, but I am happy I was able to take advantage of all my time there ☺ I think that Cape Town was many students’ favorite port so far, I think it was mine and I would definitely like to go back sometime soon!!