Back to Capetown for the holidays

After a long (but amazing) month in Zambia, we were definitely excited to get back to friends and our new family in Capetown. We had two full weeks in Capetown before flying to India. We spent the time with Angi, Gaz, Cardi and the gang at the Sunflower Stop, which was home for us at this point! Christmas day, we met great new friends Phil and Vicky (from the U.K. and threatening to invade America in the fall!).

We also wanted to explore more of this amazing city. We rented a car and took a scenic drive to the Cape of Good Hope and hiked incredible trails along Cape Point. A long walk from Green Point to Clifton Bay Beach was one of the most scenic anyone could ask for; winding roads around plunging cliffs dotted with little coves and beaches with clear, turquoise water.

Angi and the Sunflower Stop crew put together a wonderful Christmas day celebration for the guests-complete with "Christmas Crackers". We watched a spectacular sunset one night at Signal Hill with the whole gang. It was a great vantage point as you watch the sun dip into the ICEY Atlantic while the lights of the city begin to shimmer below. Phil took home the sunset-photo trophy that evening, forcing Karl to give up photography on the spot.

One evening, we hooked up with Segrid, a friend we had met in Zambia (on the white-water rafting trip), and invited her and a friend of hers to join us for a very cool African drumming lesson/dance/dinner. It was fantastic!

For New Years Eve we pretended like we were 22 again and whooped it up with all the young backpackers. Karl got duped into working the barbecue (Phil, you sneaky bugger) and cooked for about 40 people. Later, we all went down to the Waterfront to watch fireworks at midnight. After the firework show, we went back to the hostel around 2am, where we attempted to stay up all night with Phil and Vick and send them off to their own trip to Victoria Falls. We failed! At 4:30am we said our goodbyes, crawled to bed, and were useless on New Years Day. Awww, just like at home!

Another great day was our hike up Lion's Head peak. We underestimated the difficulty of the venture (anyone surprised?) and paid for it with sweat by the gallon. Luckily, the payoff was stunning, panaramic views and a great feeling of satisfaction.

Someday, we will return.

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