Day 1

//Saturday 8.5.17//

We started our day with breakfast at 8AM. We had a delicious meal (I had eggs easy over, homemade toasted bread with jam, chips, and bacon) and then we set off for a day of sight-seeing. PS. 'Chips' here are French fries back home.

Our first stop was Boulders Beach. This beach is best known for its wild penguins. The great thing about the stop was that not only did we get to see penguins, but it is breeding season so there were BABY PENGUINS. Don’t get me wrong, adult penguins are the bomb-diggity, but small baby creatures are always cuter. We had fun walking along the boardwalk trail, pointing out penguins, chatting about the beautiful surroundings and just soaking up the sun. We even saw a Dussie (a South African version of our American Prairie Dog).

We then headed off to a scenic overlook of a part of Cape Town. It was GORGEOUS. I still can’t believe that a place can be this beautiful. Dr. Hicks and I snapped a quick photo together before we jumped in the van and traveled to our next location- THE BEACH.

The van ride was full of laughs and jokes, some about my fear of heights and some about sharks (apparently Cape Town has Great Whites) until we arrived at the ocean (still the Atlantic apparently). The beach wasn’t exactly what I expected, it had a lot of dead washed up seaweed and brain coral, but it was the beach nonetheless so I was satisfied

Our last tourist-esqe stop was at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. We had lunch there (I had a cucumber sandwich and delicious scones) and then made our way for orientation time in the gardens. It was one of the most unique and awe-inspiring places I have ever been. There were so many different plants, flowers and trees, not to mention various exhibits to walk through and trails to hike. I was so impressed with the beauty and diversity in the the plants that are natural to South Africa. I don’t think any photos can capture just how amazing this place was but here are some to give you an idea.

We ended our day with pizza at the Meekins home with their three adorable girls. We got to see their chickens and rabbit and spend time connected to wifi for the first time since arriving in SA. That night once we were back, I hit the hay early (I’m an old woman at heart so I was in bed at 8:30) which means I didn’t notice when the power went out at 9:30. It was unexpected, and it didn’t come on until 6:30 the next morning, but what’s SA without a little power outtage?

#InAfrica #CapeTown #SouthAfrica #Africa #CapeTown #SASA