lions...

We are currently sitting in port in Cape Town, South Africa. We cannot leave because of high winds. They also made an announcement about how the seas were going to be rougher than usual until we get to Mauritius, which is something to look forward to. I have also heard that rounding the tip of Africa is pretty bad, since it is the place where the Atlantic and Indian oceans collide. 

But enough about that... Time for South African happenings!!! The first day in Cape Town we got off the ship and got some lunch. Then I went on a trip to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. They are found on the eastern base of Table Mountain, and all the plant life besides a few trees, are plants that are found in South Africa. A lot of them are only found in South Africa. I took lots of pictures. After the botanical gardens, I returned to the ship and got ready for a night at the theatre. We went to a production entitled Pictures of You. Before the show we were welcomed with drinks and a snack and speeches by the theatre director and the artistic director of the production. The play was about the changing relationship of a married couple revisiting their past, and was done without dialog. The actors (there were only two) wore masks and there were a couple puppets used in the show. The company that put it on has a mission of incorporating the deaf into theatre. This production was completely deaf in relation to the story and actors, because not only did they not speak, but they wore masks so there was no facial expression to relay emotions. Yet I felt that you could understand everything they felt, meant and said. I thought it was a beautiful piece. The next day I went to Cape Point (note: Cape Point is not the most southern part of Africa, but it is the point were the two oceans meet and it is the more visited point than the actual most southern part of Africa). We drove along the peninsula and stopped in Hout Bay, which is a little port city. We hiked up to the Cape Point Lighthouse and saw the view. Then we drove a little, seeing baboons on the side of the road. We then stopped for lunch at a seafood restaurant, which was delicious. After lunch we went to one of the largest colonies of African penguins, and got to see them. That was pretty cool. Then we returned to the ship, where I meet up with friends and we went out for sushi and then some hanging and dancing on Long Street. Wednesday, me and some friends went on a wine lands tour. We weren't able to purchase any wine cause we can't bring alcohol on the ship, but we did get to taste it and some cheese that was made on the premises also. Then we got to pet a cheetah, which was pretty sweet. That night we went to bed earlyish cause we had to be up and at the pier at 5:15am the next morning... to go on safari!!! The safari was fun, and we got to see quite a lot of animals. We saw all of the big five except leopards because they are nocturnal. We also saw zebras, giraffes, antelope, wildebeest, crocodiles, hippos and a variety of birds. Hopefully I didn't miss any, but I did take lots of pictures! After the safari we went out for dinner at this restaurant called Gold. It had a set menu, but they explained everything to you, and it was a menu based on traditional African dishes. We also had a drumming lesson at the restaurant. Then we went out dancing. Today was our last day in South Africa, and we spent the day shopping. We went to a couple different craft markets and also the malls that were right by our ship on the water front. It was a lot of fun just walking around and looking at all the goods.

I had a blast in South Africa, but I am looking forward to Mauritius. We are only there for one day, which is not fun, but I plan to spend it snorkeling!!! I got two underwater cameras in South Africa, so I will also be taking tons of photos of fishes in crystal clear blue water! 

Midterms are coming up, we have an exam on Tuesday and I have many others around the corner. Lots of paper are coming due soon also, so I have a lot of work ahead of me. Hopefully it will keep my mind off of seasickness. We still have not left port so I am doing good. Though it is hard to believe what it is like out there since the reason we haven't left yet is apparently because of bad weather. Oh well, we will cross that ocean when we come to it. Ciao!