Cape Town, South Africa Part II

So, instead of going on my nice one-day safari, I woke up all upset and went to breakfast to try to figure out my day. At breakfast, we decided to go see the Penguins at Boulder Beach in Simonstown. We went to the information desk and they set us up with everything we needed to know. We took the taxi to the train station (with a detour due to filming. I guess Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds were in Cape Town when we were filming a new movie? Anyone know more information about this?), and then were on our way to Simonstown. The train looks really sketchy, but I guess after dark you do not want to be caught on it. There was graffiti all over and the seats were pretty gross looking. We got there fine though, and then took the bus the rest of the way.

We didn’t exactly know where we were going so we just followed everyone else once they got of. We walked through the picturesque town and it was so cute. We stopped for lunch at this whole in the wall place for some delicious food. It was called The Sweetest Thing and it really was. We all got the same grilled chicken sandwich with pesto, mozzarella and tomatoes on chibatta bread and it was soooo good. It was served with a nice side salad and the whole meal was such a nice change. It was all so fresh and delicious. Yum. For dessert we all tried some of their pastries. I got a chocolate hazelnut croissant that was flaky, buttery, chocolaty and delicious. Some other girls got chocolate cupcakes, cookies and other treats. On our way out we saw the truffles and of course had to tried some of those. I got a mint chocolate truffle that still makes my mouth water when I think about it. So. Good. Yum.

After lunch we kept walking through the town until the town ran out. We didn’t know where else to go so we kept walking in the same direction. After another 20 minutes or so, we finally came to more civilization and saw the sign for penguins! We walked through the little craft market area and then got into the park. There was a wooden walkway through the beach and down to the watch that keeps the people from trampling through the penguins natural habitat. But other than that, the ‘guins were right there! At first there were just a few, but once we got down to the water there were hundreds! They were waddling all over, giving little penguin loves, swimming in the waves and lounging in the sun. Too cute. The wind was pretty harsh though and the blowing sand hurt our faces after a while. A

Once we had our fill with the cuteness that is wild penguins, we walked back through the craft market and got our shopping on. We all got a few souvenirs before paying this guy to drive us back to the bus stop. We were there a little earlier than expected so we got to enjoy the entertainment on the bus—some awesome South African music videos. They were sooo funny. It was the bus driver’s little side project. It was hilarious. I can’t even describe the quality of the humor, and the lack of quality of the video. At least it helped us kill some time.

The bus and the train work as a team to help people commute between towns. But, when we got to the train station to make the transfer, the train was already pulling away. The bus was packed and everyone on it was livid. They put up such a fit that we all had to get back onto the bus and go to the next train station to meet it. We were following this one mama bear lady who knew what was up so we figured she’d be a good choice to trust. We made it on time everyone got where they needed to be in the end so it worked out fine. 

We got back to the ship that evening and decided to go out for a night of sushi. I mean, why wouldn’t you want it after seeing the 'guins get all that fresh fish? We got a group of us together and then went to the taxi circle. When we told them where we wanted to go, he said it was just right there and that we could walk. So we walked. And couldn’t find it. Then another guy said we were walking in completely the wrong direction and pointed us back to the waterfront. We got there and asked someone else who directed us back in the direction we came from. It was so confusing! Finally we just got in a taxi and had him drive us. It was in the original direction but there’s no way we could have walked there. “Just through the gate” meant a 10-minute drive to the gate, and then winding around until we found the restaurant. The place was really nice inside. And, since it was Sunday, both sushi and drinks were half off. We had such a good dinner that night and we all had a good time.

After dinner I had to run back to the ship to confirm the Shark Dive plans for the next day. Because we were being picked up an hour early, I wanted to make sure everyone would be ready to go. So, after post-iting doors and making some calls, I had done all I could and we went back to Mitchells. Mitchells was the Scottish Pub at the end of the Waterfront where all the SASers went every night before going out. It was pretty chill and we had a good time that night. I think that might have been the first night that Anna and I went out together since we’ve been here. We met some guys from Canada too who were teaching sailing around the world. At least that’s what I understood them to say?

We called it a night and went back to rest up for our shark dive in the morning. True to form, I once again had problems waking up. Thank got Allie called me and Mary Beth came to pound on my door. I grabbed my stuff and we met in the square. We were missing a few people so I had to make some calls to not very happy roommates at 4:45am. We ended up leaving without two people but there was nothing we could do. The company had hired us a driver and a van so we met Ken at the gate and climbed in. Of course, I fell fast asleep until we got to the place two hours away. Upon arrival at Marine Dynamics, we ate breakfast and signed our lives away in case something were to happen. After everyone was set with life jackets and big orange coats, about 30 of us boarded the shark dive boat. We all sat in front and had the time of our life. We were going over some huge waves and getting air. I couldn’t stop laughing…until the boat stopped. Then I got seasick. I had to climb into my wetsuit and was either throwing up or sleeping for the rest of the time on the water unless I was in the cage. It was great. Pretty much this one other guy and myself shared the rail taking turns throwing up. He won the battle though—he threw up in the cage in the water. Grooossss.

Being in the cage was awesome. There were maybe seven of us in this box made from 1/2inch steel rods. Honestly, I thought the bars would have been a lot thicker, and the cross hatching much smaller. Nope. We got in and they threw out some chum and the bait and the sharks came a-comin’. They were SO CLOSE TO US. I literally could have stuck my hand out and either pet them or had it bitten off. They would swim past and look us in the eye. We had to hold our breath every time we went under but you didn’t even think of that when they were there. You didn’t want to miss anything so you just stayed under. Even the ice cold water wasn’t a problem when the sharks were there. It was sooooo cold when we first got in and whenever we were just sitting there waiting for one to come, but other than that, nothing mattered except the shark. We would look right into it’s open mouth as it went for the bait. So crazy. I was taking a breath when one came to bite the bait and saw it from the surface grab it, and then went under when it took the bait down. We watched it wrestling with the bait, spinning around on it’s back and flailing all around trying to get it off the line. It was awesome! We saw seven huge Great Whites in total and have the video to prove it. So sweet. Allie and I tried to think of which was cooler, repelling down Table Mountain or shark diving, but they’re just on two different levels, each of great epicness. It was totally worth being majorly seasick.
After the shark dive we got back into the van and stopped in this small town for some Kentucky as our driver called it. The KFC was actually pretty good, and the town was really cute. We had some time to walk around and explore and I finally found the headbands I’ve been wanting! The rest of the time back we jammed out to some South African toons and took on and off naps. That would be our last night in Cape Town so we had to rest up for the night on the town.

We got back, ate dinner on the ship, and then got ready to go out for the night. Obviously, Mitchell’s was the first stop until everyone was ready to go to Mercury. The club was pretty cool with multiple levels and an awesome play list. They had something for everyone and kept mixing it up. We had a great time made even better by the late night stop after we danced our hearts out. We had to argue with multiple cab drivers before we found one who was willing to take us to McDonald's on the way back to the ship. And ooooh my was it glorious. Totally fresh, hot, delicious McDonald's. Sometimes it just hits the spot when you’re away from home. We killed our orders in a matter of minutes and were completely satisfied. Walking back to the ship we were happy and full and entertained by the sea lions that were always right by our ship hanging out on the dock. As cute as they were, they smelled so bad. Like rotting fish oil amplified by 1,000,000. Disgusting.

The next morning after a semi-good nights’ sleep, Allie, Ali, Gabbi and I went to this bookstore café for some delicious breakfast and internet. After uploading some pictures (check the Facebook yo!), chatting with some friends and straight up wasting time online, I got to call my parents for a little bit (As you’re probably my only readers, it was great talking to you guys!! Thanks again for making this all possible! I love you!). We did some last minute shopping in the mall and around the Waterfront before getting lunch and the coolest sweater in the world at Mitchell’s. Stopping back into the mall, we got a few more things and then headed back to the ship to make on ship time at 6:00pm. We were really hoping that the time would be extended due to our late arrival, but it didn’t work out and we had to keep to the original plan.

Overall, South Africa was incredible. If I could do another semester abroad, I would easily choose Cape Town. Even though I didn’t get to see everything I wanted, I did some awesome stuff and wouldn’t have spent my time any other way. I can’t wait for the day when I make a return visit, hopefully for a lot longer next time.