South Africa

Cape Town is the best city in the world. I had the time of my life there.
On day one we woke up at six am to watch the ship pull into port out on
deck. Cape Town is beautiful because it is nestled right below Table
Mountain and Lion's Head as well as a bunch of other mountains on the
horizon.
We got ready and passed through customs at about eight thirty. Lindsay,
Sahana, and I walked to the V&A waterfront and did some shopping and
exploring. The difference between Ghana and Cape Town was astounding. I
always thought of all the African countries as one and grouped them as
one similar culture. South Africa is extremely westernized and has a lot
of European especially Dutch influence. We went to this place called the
Blue Shed which is like a big crafts market and went a little crazy
there. We bought a lot of cool things. Then we grabbed lunch at this
outdoor restaurant which was delicious. I had grown so accustomed to
eating chicken and rice and beans in port that the fact I actually had a
menu was like amazing. We ordered Long Island Iced Teas along with lunch
which was a fantastic decision because it spiced up the ferry ride to
Robben's Island. Robben's Island is the jail island where Nelson Mandela
was held for twenty seven years for opposing Apartheid. Our tour guide
was actually a prisoner at Robben Island before it was shut down just
eighteen years ago. It was really interesting and touching to hear his
account of what went on there and his perspective of Nelson Mandela. We
were able to see the actual cell where Mandela lived. The tour guide
told us that they were always listened to and were not allowed to talk
politics at all but found a way around this by cutting a small hole in
tennis balls and sticking notes in them and passing information that
way. Robben Island was a political prison so the people in there had not
actually done anything wrong they just outwardly supported human rights
and abolishing apartheid.
After we got off the ferry from Robben Island we booked it to Table
Mountain for sunset. We got there at about 6:30 and sunset was supposed
to be at 7:30. The line to get on the Cable Car was RIDICULOUS. There
was absolutely no way we would make it up in time. We were sort of stuck
though because our taxi driver, Z, had brought us to Table Mountain and
told us he would pick us up at 9 and we hadn't paid him for the ride
there yet so we felt really bad leaving. We went to the lady who was
working the line and I was like, "we don't know what to do if the taxi
driver comes back can you explain why we left and that we will pay him
if we see him by the ship again" She was like hold on one minute. So she
disappeared and we were all like damn this sucks like we really wanted
to see sunset but paying to get up there for dark it dumb. Luckily, when
she came back she goes "Sh, come with me" and led us straight to the
cable car and let us cut the whole line. We were like Oh my god, we owe
you so much. The cable car ride was awesome because as we were going up
the sun was just starting to set. Once we got to the top the view was
unlike anything I have ever seen before. It was absolutely amazing, we
took so many pictures but they don't capture how beautiful it really
was. It was an amazing night. We ate dinner at a restaurant they have up
there and had a couple beers and then took the cable car back down
around 9. We waited for Z but we ended up missing him anyway because the
line to get back down had been so long we didn't make it down until like
9:30. So we got in another taxi who stopped at a store for us and we
went in and picked up a couple of bottles of wine. The funny thing is
that we didn't have any corkscrew so we asked the lady behind the
counter if she could open it so she tried, no luck. Then we asked the
taxi driver and he couldn't get the damn thing opened either. So at this
point it was just like a big joke and we were all trying and finally the
guy working in the back came up and opened them with his screwdriver. We
ended up drinking those on the way back to the ship and then at the ship
we ran into Z so we were able to pay him and he offered to bring us out.
We thought it was kind of creepy but agreed that if we could find a big
enough group we would be back out. So we went in and got ready and found
people who wanted to go out. So Z brought us to Long St which was a
street of bars basically. We had a really fun night out and then we came
back semi early so we could get full day in the next morning.
We woke up around nine and went back to the waterfront to pick up a few
more things and then Lindsay and I went to the aquarium which is where
we had to meet the people to bring us skydiving. I was so scared! So we
were waiting and this guy comes up to us and was like are you Haley? I
was like yeah? And he was like okay I am here to take you skydiving...so
we got in the back of his car which was his personal car and off we
went. We drove for like forty five minutes and the last ten minutes was
down this sketchy dirt road I was like pretty sure we were being
kidnapped or something but then we turned into the driveway and we were
at the skydiving place! It was just this big open warehouse in the
middle of nowhere and this little tiny plane. We went into the warehouse
and got suited up. They were rushing us because the wind was going to
pick up. So before I knew it we were in the plane and taking off. The
view was amazing and the guys were really funny and awesome. It felt
like we were up so high but the guy, Bev, was like nope we are only half
way and he showed us this little indicator thing he had in his hand.
Lindsay and I were like what did we get ourselves into? They started
strapping us to them and were working very fast and I found myself
double checking every clip he clipped to make sure I wouldn't get away.
Then the door to the plane flew open and Lindsay was sitting on the edge
but she was like "i'm scared" and one of her legs literally would not
leave the plane so her guy pretty much kicked her leg out the door and
jumped. After I saw her go I knew I had no choice so I scooted forward,
put my head back like they said to do and G pushed us out. I immediately
knew the worst part was over and free falling was AMAZING. The view was
so cool, we could see Table Mountain, the coast, ocean, Lion's head,
mountains in the distance, it was beautiful. The free fall only lasted
about thirty five seconds and then G deployed the parachute. I was so
relieved when it worked and then the float down was just amazingly
relaxing and fun. I had such a good time. When we landed we hung out for
a while and they put together a video for us that we bought that has our
whole jump on it. It's pretty embarrassing actually because they put it
in slow motion so my face is like blowing back and I'm yelling but I
mean whatever it's still cool.
So after skydiving we were just exhausted. Earlier in the day we had
gotten tickets to a soccer game at the World Cup Stadium though so we
hurried there and watched the game. I can't remember who was playing but
it was really cool to be in the stadium with all the people blowing the
horns. I tried to blow one but couldn't make it work and one of the
lady's like yelled at me "That's because you're not African" I was like
touche, I am not. It was a good night but I was dead tired so we went
back to the ship and passed out after.
The next morning Lindsay and I were the only two without planned trips
so we went out to the V&A Waterfront early to see what was going on for
the day. As soon as we got there we saw our friend Carrie hop off of
some persons scooter so we were like uh hey Carrie, what's happening.
Turns out she had studied abroad in Argentina with the guys cousin so
her friend had given Carrie his number and told her to meet up with him.
His name was Adam and he was all for showing us around. So we went back
to the ship and got changed to go hiking because he wanted to show us
Lion's Head. It turned out to be an amazing hike. Lion's Head is right
next to Table Mountain so we got a view of that, the ocean, and all of
Cape Town it was so beautiful. The hike up was super treacherous though
we had to use chains and ladders and like these foot pegs to scale the
rocks and cliffs and the drop was so scary. I was literally shaking the
whole time. But we made it to the top and it was so worth it. The hike
down was easier because we didn't have to hoist ourselves up so it went
a lot faster. After hiking Adam brought us to his friend David's house.
David's house ended up being this apartment right on the beach next to a
club called Bungalow. We hung out at David's for a bit and drank a beer
and then David offered to drive us around Cape Point. Lindsay and I had
originally planned to do that and were told it would be $800 rand a
piece (equivalent to like $90) so we were so excited when David just
offered for free. So we all hopped in his truck, Me Lindsay Adam and
Carrie and drove down along the peninsula for a few hours. The views
were beautiful and we went to Boulder's Beach and saw the penguins. I
almost got bit by a penguin, I guess they don't like it when you try to
pet them. That night we ate at a pizza place called Dizzy's at Camp's
Bay which was so delicious. That night we decided to go out to a bar at
the waterfront called Mitchel's which was a really fun time.
The next day I woke up early to meet my group that I planned to go on a
wine tour with. We left at about nine and were at our first winery at
ten. Wine tasting I found out pretty much just involves getting glass
after glass of different kinds of wine and socializing. I decided I
could deal with that for a day. After the first winery we went to this
place where they had a ton of cheetahs you could look at which was
pretty awesome. Then we went to another winery that was beautiful, you
could look out at the vineyards and mountains and they had this sweet
balcony it was amazing. We got lunch at another nice restaurant and then
hit up one more winery. The trip was organized by this guy Michael
Bluestone who was on last semester's voyage and had met up with this guy
in South Africa and they decided to start doing tours together. So
Michael markets to the SAS kids and then gets to go on the tours. Sweet
deal. I had a great group for the trip too so we were having so much
fun. Michael and Greg, the two guys running the trip picked up a bunch
of bottles so the whole way to the hotel we were still drinking the wine
and basically it turned into a party bus. There was Christmas music and
singing and we were all talking and it was so much fun. The ride was
only like two hours and when we finally ended up at the hotel, Michael
and Greg were more drunk than anyone so they were not handling the
arrangements. We ended up getting it all figured out and we grilled some
food and hung out for the night at this hotel which I was told was "in
the heart of South Africa". It was a really funny day. I wimped out and
went to bed pretty early (like 12) because after drinking wine all day
and the lack of sleep from the past few nights, I was exhausted. I guess
once I went to bed there was a fight between two locals because one of
them stole a bottle of sprite and so the other one legit pulled a gun. I
was happy I went to bed early when I heard that. Scary stuff. So the
next morning we were all up (surprisingly) at six and we left for the
Aquila Game Reserve. We got there and got in our little safari vehicles
and entered the reserve. As soon as we got through the gates we saw
hippos and elephants. I love elephants. They are so cute! As we drove we
saw lions, giraffes, spring box, rhinos, water buffalo, ostriches, and a
bunch of other things. It was a really good safari but it was pretty
scary at times because the guide was like do not stare the lion in the
eyes because it will take it as a threat and attack. And I was like at
the edge of the truck where it could easily pounce and i felt like it
was seriously staring me down so I was like trying to look anywhere but
at the damn lion. And then the guy told us that the water buffalo charge
the truck sometimes, I felt like I was in Jurassic Park. It was very cool.
That night we got home and we were all exhausted but we ended up going
to a place called Caprice and then back to Mitchel's which was really
really fun. The next morning I had an FDP for my social psych class
where I had to go to two Art Museums. The art was cool, but we stayed
for like three hours so it got pretty boring for sure. Anyways, we got
out of that and then went shopping on Long St and hung around town for a
while.
Overall, Cape Town was a lot like the United States. I feel like it was
a six day long break from Semester at Sea because I was not culture
shocked really at all. South Africa is definitely more dangerous because
I heard a lot of stories of people being held up by their taxi drivers,
and people being robbed but I was lucky enough to not have any of that
happen to me. I talked to a few of the tour guides about the underlying
racial issues in the country because Apartheid was only abolished
eighteen years ago. The majority of what people said was that on the
street at least in Cape Town most people get along. Obviously there is
racism still but in that sense I feel like S.A. has progressed a lot
more than the U.S. had eighteen years after slavery was abolished. Most
of the government in SA is black and so a lot of the people were telling
us that the black people in power are sort of trying to take revenge for
what happened but that no one can say that without sounding racist. They
definitely have a way to go before everyone is considered equal by
everyone but I think that they have a good chance of getting there. I
also talked to people about the economic situation and South Africa is
like all rich and all poor and no in between. In the cities you see the
rich and then about twenty minutes outside the cities the townships look
exactly like how Ghana looked. It's crazy that there can be such a
difference in such a small area. The government is trying to provide
better housing but it's hard because when they build these houses they
have to basically uproot families from everything and everyone they have
ever known and people just don't want to do that. They are finding it
really difficult. But all in all Cape Town felt a lot like a vacation,
no complaints it was a much needed taste of home.
Now we are off to Mauritius but only for a day and then to India for a
week. India, I hear, is even more culturally shocking than Ghana. I
can't wait.