Two More Days in Capetown

Beautiful Capetown

Self Portrait at Cape Point

View of the Cape of Good Hope from Cape Point

Cage from My Shark Diving Trip

Yesterday I took a trip to Cape Point, the southern most tip in Africa. Okay, technically, it isn't the southern-most tip, but I think most people don't drive the 200+km to the real one (and it's a little disappointing I've heard). So, for purposes of this discussion, let's assume that where I went was the real thing - it was certainly pretty enough to qualify! Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope are within a few minutes of each other and are within a national park. The area was very barren - lots of large boulders, rocks, and small shrubs that made it look like the end of the earth, with stunning scenery all around.

I hiked up to the lighthouse at the Point and took a few snapshots there. It was especially windy yesterday at the Point, but blue skies nonetheless. The drive was also gorgeous, down the Atlantic side and back up the Indian, with beaches lining the entire way. Definitely a must-see if you visit Capetown.

Afterwards, I met my German friend Ina, and we went to a place on Long Street (picture a bar/restaurant area) called Mama Africa for dinner. Very good local food (as we were told), and we shared a nice bottle of South African red wine in honor of her last night in the city. She left this morning to return to Johannesburg to meet up with another friend, and I must say I was sad to see her go. We had a great time together over the past week, and I hope that any future trip to Europe will include a stop to meet her along the way.

Today I went shark cage diving!! How many times in life will I ever be able to say that?? After hearing my college roommate Amanda rave about the trip a couple of weeks ago, I decided to do this as well. We traveled outside of Capetown about 2 hours, and then we rode a boat off thecoast for about 20 minutes. I had to wear a full wetsuit because the water is SO cold, and then five of us on the tour climbed into a cage that was tied to the side of the boat and waited for sharks to swim by. I didn't see anything the first few times because of poor visibility, but then I had TWO sightings of a great white! Certainly a memorable experience and one that won't be forgotten (although the small bout of sea sickness is hard to forget).

Tomorrow I head up to Stellenbosch, where I am meeting a colleague of my mom's and then taking a wine tour on Friday. I am looking forward to having a relaxing couple of days there before I head to Tanzania to prepare for my climb, which starts on Monday.