On December 2nd, we arrived in Sesriem, Namibia. On the drive there, we stopped in Solitaire, Namibia for some homemade apple pie. It was wonderful and it finally felt like the holiday season. It was in the desert and they had old cars and cactus all around the stop. I even got to see the sand wind funnel flying over. We got to watch the sunset behind the sand dunes which some dunes are over 300 meters high. The afterglow on the mountains opposite of the sunset was just amazing. They changed colors from brown to pink to purple and back to brown. And the stars that night were also just as amazing! It was a cold night (about 40 F) and morning came around 4:30 AM. We had to make sure to be on top of the dune before the sun would rise. We had about a 15 to 20 minute to the top of Dune 45 where we sat and watched the sun rise over the dunes. It was beautiful and there were animal tracks everywhere! The views were just amazing! After hiking down, we had breakfast and continued the journey to Fish River Canyon for our last night in Namibia. Kirsty, Joe and I made dinner at the campsite on December 3rd. I learned to make risotto and it was a good cooking night as everyone hung out with us as we cooked.
On December 4th, we drove about 10 km to Fish River Canyon where we walked along the edge from one view point to the other. It was really beautiful but not much water flowing thru the canyon. It was not as colorful as the Grand Canyon as it had more of just the brown, redish sand tints to it. We drove to the border and crossed into South Africa. It was another easy border crossing. We camped right over the border on the Orange River. We just hung out and read on the side of the river. That evening, we played a couples game (with three couples). I got to be one of the question askers (not sure that is a word). It was fun to hear the different answers from the boys and girls. We play a lot of games when we show up at campsites with not much to do!
On December 5th, we drove to Trawal, South Africa. Our campsite was on a vineyard (they called it a farm). The views were amazing with grapes all around us in the middle of the mountains. We did a wine tasting that afternoon and got to try the Highlanders wines. They were great! The tour and a bottle of wine cost me about $28 US dollars! On December 6th, we continue to Stellenbosch, South Africa. We got to upgrade to a hostel but that meant that food was not provided from African Trails. We went shopping that afternoon and walked around town. We stayed in that night knowing that we were going on a wine tour the next day. I did get to use skype and catch up with Gavin!
On December 7th, we headed to four wineries around Stellenbosch. We went to Simonsig, Fairview, Dieu Donne Vineyards and Boschendal Wineries. The first two were my favorites. Our guide was not very friendly and so he kind of brought the mood down. The views from the Dieu Donne Vineyard was just beautiful. We also stopped and had lunch at a little cafe along the way.
At 5:30 AM on December 5th, we woke up to headed to Gansbaai, South Africa where I would get to dive with the great white sharks. I had a hard time sleeping as I think I was just so excited to see them! We got on the boat around 8 AM and went about 15 minutes out from the dock. We had about 25 people on the boat and would all be taking turns in the cage that was attached to the boat. I went in the second group and had a wet suit, wet shoes and a wet suit hat on. The water was super cold and my teeth were chattering. The sharks swam right along the cage. It was awesome and they are HUGE! I jumped back in the cage with the last group as I may never get the opportunity to be that close to a great white shark again. On that note, I may never want to be that close to a great white shark again! It was really fun to sit on top of the boat and watch the sharks swim up for the bait. It was also a weird feeling know the sharks were swimming under the boat at times! You sure as heck did not want to fall out of the boat. We got to see a total of 7 different sharks that ranged from 2.5 meters to 4 meters which was a really good day for us! Jordan made a song that brought all the sharks to us! I will not share here but if you ever see her ask her to share it! The great white sharks get to be about 6 meters long and range in wideness. Once a sharks dies, they can use the cartilage to see the sharks age by cutting it and seeing the amount of rings on it (just like an old tree). The only problem is when a shark dies he sinks and the cartilage deteriorates in the water. We got to see a lot of the baby, younger sharks as they are more adventures in what they eat and go for. The older sharks don't take any chances as they don't want to waste their energy. Just like you have all learned on shark week!! On the drive home, we got to stop and see 4 southern right whales (2 moms and 2 babies). They are massive! I got a great photo of one of the tails. We also got to see dolphins swim by but I missed them. The views on top of the cliff were just beautiful! We got dropped off at our hostel in Cape Town, South Africa. That evening was Kathy's Birthday and our Chinese Christmas Exchange dinner. We went to a local African restaurant and I got to try warthog. It was really good! For the Christmas Exchange, I ended up with a Christmas bell that I will use next time I go hiking in Canada so it will scared the bears away! It made me miss home a little but was fun the have a holiday tradition in Africa!
On December 9th, we woke up to a not so windy day in Cape Town so we took the cable car up Table Mountain. We went to the top and had amazing views of the city and ocean. We just walked around the top admiring all the different capes. The water is so blue and one side you could see the clouds coming over the mountain range. Red Bull was having a festival down by the waterfront so we headed down there after the moutain. We had lunch and got to try the local Mitchell beer. It was a fun day out with the girls. December 10th was our last day in Cape Town. Jordan and I took the local train to Simon's Point where we walked to Boulder's Beach. It has the largest African penguin population. They were adorable and so cute when they walked. We walked around the little town and did a little shopping. Ryan - I got you a cool gift and I hope it makes it home! Nothing big but something you would only get in Africa. We also meet up with everyone as it was our last night with the original African Trails family. It was sad saying goodbye but everyone was looking forward to their next adventures!
Yesterday (December 11th), we drove to Knysna, South Africa along the garden route. It was really beautiful drive but not as green as normal and there were clouds over a lot of the mountains. We had lunch on the Knysna lagoon and did a beer tasting of Mitchell's beers. The beer is brewed in this town. Our hostel provided dinner and we just hung out for the night. Today, I am relaxing and going to rent a bike to ride around town.
Only 7 more days in Africa and until Part II of the adventure begins!
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