Cape Town, South Africa

First off: Thanks to everyone who sent me mail! Aunt Debbie & the Harpers!

 

Second: If you don't have time to read this really long post, here's the synopsis: I LOVE Cape Town.

 

We were supposed to arrive in Cape Town on Thursday morning but as many of you know that definitely didnt happen. It was such a tease. We were headed straight to Cape Town on course on Thursday morning. It was an amazing sight to see 21st century civilization. There were seals in the ocean flipping and barking as though they were greeting us. As we got closer to the harbour the ship began to turn to the left and eventually made a full 180 degree turn. We were all wondering what was happening and trying to rationalize the abrupt turn around. "Maybe we're backing in?..."

Announcements (which we call The Voice) finally came on stating that its too windy for us to go into the harbour and that the winds are being monitored to get us in as soon as possible. An hour passes as we continue to watch Cape Town disappear into the distance. We decide to head back to bed in disappointment thinking that by lunch we'll most definitely be there.

As I woke up before lunch and looked out the window...Cape Town was no where to be seen. Lunch was a disappointment. The Voice came on again and said they'd be playing Karate Kid in the Union to pass the time....No thank you. By this time it's about 1PM and we decide to relive our childhoods and watch Beauty and the Beast. Surely we'll be to Cape Town by dinner time....

 

We stuff our faces with popcorn, candy, and ice cream for a mid afternoon snack. And then put on our hoodies and sweatpants and pull up some deckchairs to the railings and watch the ocean for another hour. We pass the time by playing the Price is Right on our iPods. Cape Town is still no where to be seen. And we also see some other ships out in the ocean circling. Dinner finally comes around and its stirfry! And then the movie Salt followed by Toy Story 3 plays in the Union so we're SUPER stoked. After the movies there was an open mic night to help take our minds off things. It was time for bed when we were told the winds were cooperating and we would surely be there between 11PM and 1AM. Tons of kids planned on getting off the ship in the middle of the night to explore and hike some mountatins to watch the sunrise. I chose to hit the sheets and wake up to a docked boat in the morning. We were planning on horseback riding on Friday so we were going to meet at 7AM for breakfast.

 

As I wake up to the annoying beep of my alarm on Friday morning....I think to myself "The boat is still rocking...and the boat doesnt rock while we're in port. What is going ON??" I find my friends for breakfast and we're all in a very grumpy state. We want to know why we arent there and WHEN we will be! We're no where near Cape Town. And the Google Earth map that shows the rout the ship has taken is absolutely insane- it was a bunch of circles like the Captain had been stearing the ship while sipping on some hard liquor! So we decided to hit the sheets again and wait it out. At that point we couldnt handle the thought of another extra day on the ship, joking that we should try out the lifeboats and take them to shore. As I was sleeping, The Voice came on saying we should attend the Positive Energy meeting in the Union where they would send good vibes in hope we'd make it to shore.

 

At about 10 AM we were told that we were on Pilot's watch where the South African Pilots (the tug boats) would tell us when it was safe to come in to the harbour. By 11 we were being tugged into the harbour and it was an amazing feeling knowing we would get off the ship! I watched as the people on the docks were thrown the huge ropes that secure us to the dock. They literally use an electrical cord and tie it around the rope and then throw it to the guys on the dock who wind it up as the huge ship ropes are being pulled with it. It take three men to lift it out of the water....they're REALLY heavy!

 

We had to go through immigration on the ship where we get our passports, look at an immigration officer and get a stamp. It took a surprisingly short amount of time to get all 800 passengers through. By 1PM we were off the ship! It was one of those moments where I really wanted to kiss the ground. The next thing we noticed was we were offered taxis and we said "No thank you" and they immediately left us alone, unlike other places we've been! I'm gonna like this place...

 

As we walked further into the V&A Waterfront, there was a huge fancy hotel in front of us, a Ferris Wheel, stores, fancy restaurants, shops, and...I know this is going to sound really bad...but people that actually look like us! We're no longer the outcasts! People dont give us a second look. There are so many people here and I love their accents! British with a twist! The weird thing is, I defiinitely felt reverse culture shock. It's so Americanized...well more like England-ized...everything is so clean and fresh. The food and water is safe to eat and drink. And there are stores we actually recognize. It was a bizarre feeling.

 

We spent much of the afternoon walking around and going into many stores (Soccer jersey stores galore!). But an ATM was first on the agenda! The exchange rate is 1 USD to 7.29 Rands. We tried to get tickets to a soccer game at a World Cup Stadium but the team wasn't playing at the stadium near the harbour. We were crushed! I found a vuvuzela to buy! And a South African flag. We booked a horseback riding trail ride on the beach for Saturday and learned about some Safaris. We had Haagan Daz ice cream which was delicious and found some wifi too. Then we rode the huge ferris wheel which has air conditioned gondolas with flat screen TV's that show cool pictures of the ferris wheel. The Germans built it and apparently it is traveling around the world....soon to be in America. Last night we ate at a South African Grill. I wish I could remember the name of it...it was delicious! Many of my friends had crazy meats like Springbok and Ostrich. I had some kind of local rice dish with chicken. But the best part was the sour cream on top!!! And we all split three traditional desserts which were outstanding too!

 

Last night we went to Long Street which is the main strip in Cape Town. There are so many bars and clubs....including some interesting looking gay bars...They don't call this the Rainbow Nation for nothing! We ended up at Long Street Cafe which was a little more laid back. We ordered some beer followed by the best drink EVER. Choco Berry Cooler. I dont know what it was made with but I sure do need to find out!!! After that we went upstairs to a place that had a DJ. It had a balcony looking out onto Long Street and we saw some friends up there so decided to join them! The DJ played a strange mix of old American rap songs with South African music. There were some creepy South African guys there who were totally loving dancing with American girls. When we were there, we ran into these college kids who happened to be from England and a girl from Washington state. They decided that they were going to move to South Africa after college and have been rooming together. The girl we met, Lucy, bartends and told us how little she gets paid. Basically $35 for an 8 hour shift. They gave us some info on the waterfront as well...

 

Cape Town is the most dangerous port we are going to. The reported number of stabbings is very high and rape is also a problem. Mugging at knife point is common. Lucy was telling us that just a block away from where we were, it is a common occurence for people to be mugged at knifepoint. She said that even locals take taxis everywhere. During the daytime it's fine but night time is a different world. This information has made us really cautious the past two nights but overall, we tend to feel very safe in the areas that we've been in. We caught a taxi back to the ship that night and ended up trading numbers with the taxi driver who said he would pick us up in the morning to take us to the horseback riding stabels which are 40 minutes away.  

 

Today (Saturday) we got up really early to head to horseback riding. The taxi guy picked us up and charged us 800 Rand for the total trip. Apparently, after talking to many people, he gave us an awesome price. Plus he waited for us and took us back to the ship. He was awesome and really friendly. Horseback riding was beautiful! I hadn't ridden a horse since I was about 10. My horse's name was Conac (sp?) and only had one eye. It had been abused but was taken to the stables we were at  (Sleepy Hollows Horse Stables) to be used for therapeutic riding. He was very tame which was comforting. We were taken through the brush and dunes to the beach which was pure white sand. The ocean is crystal clear and absolutely picture perfect. The mountains were amazing with the clouds wrapping around them and spilling over like you see when the water makes mist at the bottom of a waterfall. Two women were also with us who were from Johannesberg and Cape Town. They were great to talk to and ride with. After the two hour trail ride we were exhausted and came back to the waterfront in search of booking a Safari for sunday, wifi, and food. We ate these really weird chicken and mayonnaise sandwiches at this cafe called Love Revenge and Cappucino. They were interesting but I'll definitely have to go back and hit up their awesome looking gelato. Safari was next on the agenda. We're going to Inverdoon (sp?) Game reserve tomorrow morning at 6:40 AM...yikes! It will be AWESOME. Wifi was next and I got to facebook and also skype Mom, Dad, Pete and Chris! It was SO awesome to see everyone! It made my day complete!!! We had the South African version of Noodles & Co. for dinner. It was out of this world....fresh peppers, peas, bamboo shoots, and yummy noodles. I wanted more!! We also hit up the grocery store to stock up on some things like granola bars. I found Special K with berry cereal and I can't wait to eat it!!!

 

Thats it for now...more to come after my safari tomorrow!