South Africa

I don’t know what has my heart in South Africa. The people, the food, the views. Or maybe it’s all of it together. The culture, the wine, the mountains, the animals, the music, the kindness of the people.

I wish I could capture every single moment from my time in South Africa, but some things are just meant to appreciate in the moment.

Addo elephant National park was incredible. Within two minutes we saw a bunch of zebras.

Then a few minutes later we saw more than 2 dozens elephants all by a watering hole.

We also got to watch some elephants on the hillside, as well as, my personal favorite, a very close up encounter with one elephant.

There were an array of animals that we saw: Hartebeests, Dung beetle, Wart hog, Ostrich, Buffalo, Sheep, Monkey, Goat.

Cape Town

Our first day in Cape Town was spent doing all the iconic things: Cape of Good Hope, the penguin colony, and lunch with wine from South Africa.

"One of those lifer pics. Won't ever get that again" - Bill

Our tour guide was great and helped us capture the moment a little more. He pulled us aside and we had a little moment when he told us "We're at the southern most point in Africa. Take a small little stone to commemorate that!" so, even though we were pinched for time shauna and I took the extra 45 seconds to grab a small rock! It was so endearing to see someone care about their work so much. They way he excitedly whispered to us to snag a rock, like a kid in a candy store.

I also saw the biggest spider I’ve ever seen in my whole life on this tour in the botanical gardens. It's body was just a tad smaller than the size of a golf ball.

The botanical gardens also had a canopy walk in the treetop which was really cool! It was a very foggy day, otherwise we would've been able to see Table Mountain. But I liked the vibe that the fog was giving.

That night we went out to Mama Africa, a bar in the heart of the city. The prices were great! I had 3 cocktails for less than $10. I tried the Savanna cider and they had mojitos on tap!

Tom also got some food to try and share with the group and it was really tasty. But what was cool to me is that they brought out a bowl and hot water to wash our hands with at the table before eating!

As soon as we walked in Tom went up to the live band and they gave him the sticks to play the instrument they had which was an incredible moment! I'm not entirely sure what the instruments was, but Tom played like a pro while the other band members also continued playing their instruments.

Next we found ourselves at a beer house where we spent hours chatting. It was so great! The bartenders were very welcoming. It was late when we arrived, and they already closed, but they opened their doors and decided to stay open late just for us. We grabbed a beer and all sat out on the second story balcony that overlooked the street.

The second day we tried to paraglide, had a tour booked and everything but it didn’t work because it was too windy. We also couldn’t do cable car up Table Mountain because of the wind so we walked the waterfront instead. Then wound up out of town for lunch with beautiful views of Table Mountain while watching wind surfers and enjoying a delicious chicken wrap with good friends.

Back in town we walked around some more, did the aquarium which had a great jellyfish enclosure, and a market with lots of handmade crafts.

As the sun was setting we enjoyed a bottle of South Africa red wine, while watching the sunset on Table Mountain, and listening to the roar of a high school student choir perform in the street. It was a perfect end to what began as a chaotic day. It was cinematic.

So far, South Africa is definitely top 3 of my favorite places we've been so far. I hope some day I get to go back, but if not, I'm grateful for the experience I had.

Cheers,

Tay