CAPETOWN!!!

OK so far Capetown has DEFINITELY been my favorite port city. It is an absolutely beautiful city and the waterfront itself where our ship was docked had awesome places to eat, cute shops, and a beautiful view of Table Mountain. I should mention though that the night before we pulled into port, as we were coming around the cape we hit quite a bit of turbulence. I think I only slept for 2 or 3 hours because it was literally impossible. All of the drawers were opening and slamming shut- we had to stuff them with clothing and whatever else was around to just keep them open- everything in the bathroom/shower was all over the place and the majority of the boat was throwing up. So that was interesting. And supposedly Capetown is most beautiful port to pull into because the view is amazing and the city is just huge (most of the port cities are rather small) but of course it was raining and overcast and gross outside. We have yet to have a nice morning where we have pulled into port…
So once we finally got to port (it was closed for a few hours due to high winds) and were able to get off of the ship, a group of us decided to skip right through the waterfront and walk right to Long Street- the main street downtown where most of the restaurants and bars are….so we had a drink at the Purple Turtle and met some locals who told us what we should definitely do, and what is more or less a waste of time- which was cool. Then we stumbled on Green Market, which is a huge outdoor market selling paintings, jewelry, instruments, wood carvings, fabric, all sorts of handmade crafts, etc. After browsing around there for a bit, Mitch and I walked back to the ship because we had FDPs (Faculty Directed Practicums). Mine was for my Philosophy of Love, Sex & Friendship class and it was to the Triangle Project, which is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Community Center in ALL of Africa. We got to meet the director and talk with him about what their mission is and how they serve and support all LGBTs in Capetown. It was really interesting and something that I really had little knowledge about so I was really glad that I went. The most interesting thing I found was that in Namibia, homosexuality is actually illegal, and it is widely accepted in South Africa (they called Capetown the “white light” of hope and promise for all LGBTs in Africa because it is an accepting community. The Triangle Project fights for rights as well as provides health services such as free HIV testing to the community- all in all a really fascinating place.
After napping and taking a shower, Lacey and I went out with a bunch of friends for my friend Chad’s birthday dinner. We went to a place called Der Anker, a very upscale and delicious Belgium restaurant. The food (and dessert) was great and definitely filling- and it was SO refreshing to have a really good quality meal- it had been awhile. That dinner was quite lengthy (service in Africa is SLOW) and after that we went to Long Street and the nightlife in Capetown is awesome. Luckily this was a Friday night, so there was a lot going on. My friend Blake and I approached several different locals at a bar to talk with them about politics in both the US and South Africa as an assignment for our politics class which was extremely interesting to hear their views. They are currently changing Presidents and there were some very opinionated people that we talked to who claimed not to be racist, but everything coming out of their mouths were exactly that. We didn’t stay out TOO late that night because shark diving was the next morning, but we all had a great night- quite different from Namibia because there were more than 3 bars in the city, so every place was not swamped by SAS kids which was very nice.
So bright and early (by that I mean 930am) we got picked up to drive to Gansbaai, where Shark Alley is located, about 2 hours from Capetown. We had a group of 8 (4 guys and 4 girls) and once we got there and had lunch and our safety briefing- to the water we went!! Our boat was 10 meters long and there were 10 of us total along with 4 guys on the ship who we were literally trusting with our lives. Well the ride out there was quite rough- our boat was literally airborn, then the front would go under water a few feet- and this went on for about 5 minutes. Those who were hungover and those who get motion sickness were NOT feeling it- but I was fine =)
Once we got out to the spot where they wanted to drop the cage in, they had told us that most of the other boats had not been having much luck that morning and only a few sharks were around. But low and behold while they were giving us another briefing, they sighted a shark and the next couple of minutes was a blur because they wanted to get us in the water quickly thinking that it could potentially be the only sighting of the morning. So as quickly as I could I jumped into my wetsuit, put on the booties and the hoodie (the water was FREEZING- around 45 degrees I think) and they put the weight belts on us and basically threw us in the cage, which is attached to the side of the boat and holds 4 people at a time. I was freaking out to put it mildly. I didn’t know where to hold on or where to put my feet on the cage and there was a huge 10 foot great white about 2 feet away from my face. The cage isn’t deep so all you do is kind of float there until one of the skippers (guys on the boat) said “Diver Right!” and you hold your breath and go down and look to the right. There is only about a 2 meter visibility so before you know it they are right in front of you. I’m pretty sure I was screaming underwater. What they do to get the shark to come over is put out a chum line, which is just a mixture of fish oil and tuna blood, which attracts them by scent. Then once they get near the boat, they threw out a rope with a huge chunk of tuna on it, so they lure it right in front of the cage, then pull the bait away from them at the last second, so they never actually eat- but there is no hook or anything on the bait, so it doesn’t hurt them at all. I think at first I was probably stayed in for 10 minutes and saw 2 or 3 different sharks, all really close and absolutely terrifying- but they were so huge and powerful it was such a rush. Then they rotated us through, and when not in the water, we were up on the top deck of the boat watching and taking photos which was the best viewing spot ever. Then again awhile later I went back in for another 10 minutes or so. At one point while another foursome was in one of the sharks actually grabbed the cage, I would have FLIPPED so it was a good thing I wasn’t in the cage for that. But at some points we had two or three right around the boat which was AWESOME. So I guess you could say we got lucky compared to the other boats- we saw 6 total, all females (the great whites off of the coast are about 80% female). It was just so neat to be so close to an animal that will most likely become an endangered species in the near future and the coast the surrounding scenery was beautiful so I’m really glad I got to do the cage diving because it was definitely an opportunity of a lifetime and a huge adrenaline rush. The waves were really big and I think half of the people on the boat were vomiting almost the entire time- so that sucked for them, but they still said they had a good time overall. And one of the guys on the boat made a video of all of us so I got that and he is sending it back to my house so I am excited to see that again! The only bad part of the trip…the underwater housing for my camera didn’t exactly keep the water out, so my camera is fried as of now- and there’s not much hope for it. I don’t know how it happened because I tested it here on the ship before I took it out and it was fine, but I’m thinking it happened when I jumped in since it was so rushed and there was such a flurry of excitement. Luckily I do have my old camera with me, and my mom will send my charger to India so at least I will have that, but it does suck that I won’t have my good camera for the rest of the journey. Luckily a few of my friends had their cameras, so I will be able to steal their photos from them- and there was a guy from France who had really intense underwater housing for his camera, and he is going to email some of the photos to me, but I haven’t been able to check my email, but I will put some of those up when I get the chance also!!
So after shark diving we got back to the ship around dinner time- and then we went to a local bar that was right at the Waterfront before going out to Long Street- but I was pretty tired so it wasn’t a very late night, but still a fun one!
The next morning I met up with my friend Jonah around ten and we caught a cab to go hike Table Mountain! I don’t know exactly how big it is, but several thousand feet high- the total hike took us a little less than 2 hours and it was STEEP. We took our time though because we weren’t in a rush, plus the view as you hike up is breathtaking and gets better the higher you go- so we took our time and chatted and it really was a lovely hike. Then when we were really close we started to power it out because we were pretty excited and I can honestly say that it is one of the most memorable views I have ever seen. From one side you can see all of Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope and all of the white sand beaches along the coast, as well as where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, and the other side overlooks the entire city of Capetown and is just endless, endless miles of mountains. It was so beautiful, I will definitely have to steal Jonah’s pictures and get some of them up here. It was so windy at the top also, so I was really glad I had a jacket packed in my bag! If you get the chance look up Table Mountain on Wikipedia- it is absolutely a sight to see! Then we took the cable car down because we decided to conserve our energy instead of hiking back down. We grabbed some lunch and walked around the Waterfront for awhile before heading back to the ship to again shower and nap because a HUGE group of us…25 total I think went to another very nice restaurant called Quay Four right on the water for Sam’s and Ben’s birthdays. Again, a lovely restaurant with great food (I had the yellowtail) and a few nice bottles of wine. I sat with some people I had never met before, but who were all skiers, so we obviously got along very well- and Sam and Ben both enjoyed the dinner. After that we again just went to a local bar before I had to be back at the ship to leave for my SAFARI!!! We had decided to leave at 3am to get to the airport for our 5:30am flight, so I just decided to skip sleep that night and enjoy South Africa instead—so you can imagine the delirium that started to set over me the next morning. Well when I have some more time I will write about the Safari trip, but for now, that is the first half of my South Africa experience---and a great one at that.
We are approaching Midterms so classes and work are starting to get rather busy and allowing for less napping time on the ship. But I have been doing well in my classes and also enjoying them. Also, the Sea Olympics are on the 9th which I am very excited about. I am the Logistics Chair, so I have been very busy with finalizing all of the events and writing up the rules, making sure we have the right amount of supplies and setting the schedule. It has been a lot of fun and I really like the whole committee, so we are all looking forward to that day! The only event I am competing in is Pictionary (Honeysuckle, I will make you proud) and I will also be hosting a few events including Ithe Hot Dog Eating Contest! All right I think I have kept you reading for long enough! But check back in a few days for yet another recap…Love and miss you all….