Safari across South Africa!

Day 5
Today we went hiking...like intense in the woods, crawling over boulders, legs about to fall off hiking!  From 10am - 5pm basically all we did was hike acutally.  It was incredibly beautiful though so it was okay.  All of it was along the coast and it looked like a scence from "Pirates of the Caribbean" or something.  The water was like teal colored and the waves smashed against the rocks...it was an amazing sight!

The first part of the journey was to a waterfall and on the way there was a cave we got to explore. The second part was to a suspended bridge that hung over the intersection of the Storms River (the same river that I bungee jumped over) and the Ocean.  The third and final part was up to the top of one of the mountains to a breath taking lookout point.  Basically everywhere we went was incredibly gorgeous!  All of this is inside of the Tsitsikama National Park by the way.

Random...I washed some of my clothes today in the bathroom sink using my shampoo!  That's what happens when you're on a safari in Africa I guess!?

Day 4
This morning we stopped at Plettenburg Bay and I got to stick my toes in the Indian Ocean!  Although it was freezing cold, it was awesome!  We also got to see a Blue Whale and her baby from a distance.  It was crazy!  I had heard about whale watching in South Africa but never thought that I would be able to experience it. 

Plettenburg Bay

I also bungee jumped today!  It was absolutely insane!  I was terrified...but it was awesome!  I probably wouldn't go do it again tomorrow but maybe in a few days.  I bought all of the pictures and the video and will try to upload it on here if possible.  By the way, I'm sorry that I can't put up tons of pictures.  I have taken over 500 already but it uses up lots of the month's Internet allotment and it also takes like 10 minutes to put up 1.

They had to push me a little if you can't tell!

After returning to the lodge, a few of us went to a nearby nature park and went for a little hike through the woods to see the "Big Tree."  I'm definitely going to be in shape after this trip though; all the walking and hiking and carrying things all the time!

Day 3
Today was a little bit less eventful as far as exciting things go but it was much needed!  I did not sleep well or enough last night and 6:30am came WAY too early.  We arrived in Knysna after a 2 hour drive and got to explore the city.  After lunch we went on a "lagoon cruise" where we road a boat to the spot where the river meets the Indian Ocean.  The waves were enormous and shook the boat like crazy but it was definitely beautiful!

The Knysna Lagoon

We got to have our 1st authentic African meal tonight and it was delicious!  I don't know if I was just starving or if it really was good.  It was called "baraza and pap" - kind of like a pot roast mixed with grits.  Sounds weird but that's the best comparison I can think of.  I have also developed the habit of drinking tea...a lot!  Becuase South Africa was a British colony they drink tea like 4 times a day.  They also have coffee...the problem is, it's instant.  It's not horrible but it's definitely not Starbucks!

Beautiful Sunset

Day 2
Today I rode an ostrich and it was awesome!  I was the first one in the group to go so I had no idea what to expect.  It was so awkward to put my legs under the huge wings of an ostrich and when they let it go it ran much faster than I expected.  Luckily one of the guys in my group got a video becuase it was definitely entertaining!  This was definitely the highlight of my day...and a huge adrenaline rush for some reason!

The ostrich I rode!

This morning we woke up and literally stepped out of the tent and into a cloud!  A really cold, wet cloud.  After packing up camp, we drove for about 4 1/2 hours to Outshoorn, stopping along the way to see some highlights and take a few pictures.  Once there, we set up camp and headed to The Cango Ostrich Farm and then on to Cango Caves.  We went on the "adventure tour" and were able to crawl, squeeze, and climb our way through the caves.  I had never done anything like this before and it was really neat.  I was a little nervous about getting claustrophobic but it was fine!

In the Cango Caves

Afterwards a few of us walked into town to explore for a little while before dinner.  Although the food has been very different than what I'm used to, it has been pretty good.  I'm writing this while sitting inside my sleeping bag wearing furry socks, leggings, pajama pants, a long sleeved shirt, my pullover, and my beach towel/blanket over my legs!  I didn't get cold last night and hopefully won't tonight either!  During the day it feels nice but as soon as the sun goes down, the temperature does too!

Scenery along the Garden Route

- It's Liz Barnes' 21st birthday today!  Happy Birthday LIZ!!  Wish I was there to celebrate with you!
- I finally ate all of my Ritz bitz with cheese today!  They lasted me for 2 1/2 weeks!

Day 1Today we started our actual tour with a group called Nomad Tours. We met at 8am in Cape Town and were introduced to our 2 guides, Johannes and Elroy, and the 4 other tourists. We were joined by Alex (a lady from Germany), Mary (a girl from London), and Ilona and Libris (both from Germany as well). Everyone seems extrememly nice and I'm definitely excited to see what happens!
We started off our journey by going to Stellenbosch (part of "Wine Country") to tour a vineyard/winery called Spier Winery and have a wine tasting. It was very informative and quite intersting! Vineyards cover much of the surrounding landscape for miles and miles. I definitely didn't realize how much wine was a part of the South African lifestyle!

Afterwards we visiting a Cheetah Conservation Project where we were abel to get up close and personal with some cheetahs. They shared with us all of the deatils about what they are doing to try and help the animals and their life in the wild. They are such beautiful creatures!

We drove through some amazing landscape on our way to the camp site; beautiful mountains, river valleys, views of the ocean...all really lovely! Our camp site is right beside a river at a cute little camping resort. Hopefully I won't freeze tonight so I'll be ready for tomorrow!

The Start of Our Journey
On Saturday night (Aug 22), Misty and I boarded a Greyhound bus and headed to Cape Town, South Africa full of excitement for our coming adeventure!  After a 12 hour ride, we arrived at 10am and had the entire day to explore the city.  Although it was cloudy and a little rainy, we were able to hop on a tour bus and ride all around, getting on and off wherever we wanted.  It was really neat to be able to see all of the highlights and hear the history behind it as well.

At Camps Bay!

First we just road through much of the city center seeing some of the museums and parks but we didn't get off.  We rode up to Table Mountain but weren't allowed to ride the cable car due to the weather; the view was amazing even with the clouds!  Our next stop was Camps Bay on the coast.  The mountains overlooking the ocean crashing on to huge rocks was an awesome sight...it looked like a movie scence.  There were lots of shops and resturants that lined the beach and it proved to be a place that I could definitely live.  Lastly we stopped at Waterfront which is a harbor area with tons of boats, shops, resturants, a ferris wheel, an aquarium, etc. We were even able to see seals here!  The day was complete with pizza for dinner and talking to lots of interesting people at the hostel we stayed at. 

In front of "Lego Man" and the harbor @ Waterfront

Today was definitely an awesome introduction to our trip!   

Mr. Seal!