Cape Town, South Africa

Hey everyone,
Sorry, I havent had internet acess for quite a while. I didnt feel safe taking my laptop out and about. Anyway...
This one is going to be a long one for the simple reason that I LOVE SOUTH AFRICA!!! I swear, I could live here. Brief Summary: Stuck and Sick, Beautiful Waterfront, table mountian, nightout with crew, last min safari, cheetah handling, Amazing wine, comedy club, aquarium, more cheetahs, birds of prey, vine tasting, sand boarding.If you wish to get details read the blog. I assume thats why you are looking at this in the first place.
 The first day was not that great. Everyone was excited to get into this port but 60 mile an hour winds prevented us from entering the narrow harbor. So instead of having an awesome time in Capetown our first day, we spent it pacing back and forth in front of the port while rocking violently. To say the least, I was not thrilled. I was sea sick, and actual sick and just needed desperately to get off the boat whether that meant swimming through great white shark infested waters or making wings out of table cloths and attempting to fly to Capetown.
Eventually, though we managed to make it in but too late in the second day for me to make my Safari. It was cancelled and I was crushed. I wasnt the only one either others were crying which is something I kind of felt like doing. I decided that crying wasnt going to help me in anyway so I tried to find an alternative Safari because I cannot travel to Africa and not see the wildlife.
Anyway, the first day we actually got to be there, I was stunned to see this beautiful harbor. It is called V&A Waterfront and it looks like a vacation place. It is like Europe in Africa. Its really nice, filled with restarants, bars, craftshops and a huge mall. The mall had every american and european brand that you could want. Even an Aston Martin dealership where I drooled over expensive, fast cars. Below is a picture of the waterfront. Yes, there is a Ferris Wheel.

There are also sealions that play in the harbor and by the ship. They are really cool to watch!
Anyway after viewing the waterfront we saw the market and walked into downtown. There was a U2 concert that night and the streets were super crowded. We eventually got a cab up to the cable car station of Table Mountain, though one of the taxis over heated on the climb. Most of the girls I was traveling with were cool but a few were slow and indecisive so that eventually got on my nerves. Once we got to the top, though, the stunning view made me forget my annoyance. We stayed there til sunset and this is what it looked like:

After that, we went back down into town. We showered and changed then left to have dinner at this waterfront restaraunt where we met some of the crew and enjoyed talking and dancing to some really good live music! To be honest i probably drank a little too much. It was alright though, I went back to the room to talk to a friend for an hour and a half and then went to bed.
The next day I woke up and had breakfast and wouldn't you know it, one of the girls I sat with was going on an overnight safari! She invited me to join them in half an hour. I packed a bag and we got a cab to take us 2 and a half hours away to a game reserve. The place was beautiful and was a five star resort. We got a free cocktail then ate lunch, were shown to our rooms, had tea then pet the reserve's cheetahs. Basically, I walked out of my room and there in the grass were three cheetahs all accompanied by girls of about my age. I walked over and pet the cheetahs and talked to the girls about their internship there.
 I couldnt believe I managed to go to this amazing place on impulse. After that we went on a Game Drive. I cannot describe the excitement I felt when we saw lions, rhino, zebra and so much more. After that we had a 5 course meal with wine, sat by a fire pit and talked then went to bed in really comfy beds. The next day started at 6:00am when we got tea and went on another game drive. This one we saw Giraffes and we even got to get out of the vehicle and walk around with them as seen below!!!

After that we returned to port. Me and some of my friends were going to go horseback riding but we decided against it. We went, instead, to a comedy club in, to be honest, a sketchy part of town. It turned out to be a good decision because we got smirnoff ice drinks and sat through 8 comedians. Most of them were really funny and being such an intimate setting, they asked us questions and made a lot of american jokes.
The next day, we went to the aquarium which was really good quality and then went on a SAS tour to a cheetah outreach program. Unlike the cheetah reserve, the cheetah outreach program is for educational purposes more than actually breeding cheetahs. I still got to pet, yet another cheetah. THis one was larger.
Then we went to the Birds of Prey rescue center. They had trained a few permenant residents and we got to hold them like below. I freak out with these types of experiences.

After thet we did a wine tasting and went back. The wine in this country is SPECTACULAR. I wish we could bring it on the ship...
The final day (today), consisted of going to the sand dunes and sandboarding. ITS AWESOME. Its a lot like snowboarding but you get more exercise and its really hot out and you usually only curve with the curve of the dune. It provided lunch and I only went with one other person and so it was nice. I enjoyed it thouroughly. However, I did manage to get sand in places I never thought I could get sand.
Now we are waiting to leave this beautiful port and I think about the people I encountered. The people here are extremely kind. They are always willing to help no matter if they are from the townships or the ritzy part of Capetown. They are very laid back and I felt very safe and at home here. The place is the exact opposite from our last ports and is a needed break between Ghana and India. I, to be honest, dont care much for the whole poverty and dispair part of the countries. Some people eat it up. I care more about what people are doing to wildlife and ecosystems than what they do to themselves and each other. But that is just me.
I hope you all are well and hopefully enjoying this blog. I still welcome emails.
its gefuller@semesteratsea.net I write back quick. It is my one consistantly available form of communication.
Ive got to go do some homework now. Take care everyone!




Genevieve