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Published: July 15th 2006
After a long and hellish 3 day flying experience, we made it to Cape Town, South Africa. Our three day journey was quite the episode, including: a 7 hour layover in D.C., a baby sitting the seat in front of us that cried the entire 9 hour flight to Dakar, Senegal (where we were supposed to refuel, but apparently we were not notified that Dakar was currently under an oil strike- hence...no fuel for us! We then had to fly an hour back from the way we came to refuel on Cape Verde, an island in the Atlantic). Aften another nine hour flight, we missed our connecting flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town. We finally managed to make it to Cape Town, after our plane got struck by lightning (no joke!!). The Pilot just about soiled his pants because it hit the front of the plane. Needless to say, we are alive and don't mean to complain, but thought we should indulge you guys in the hellish experiences that accompany a trip like this.
When we arrived to our B&B at around 8pm on Thursday night, we were so glad to be on land. A little woozy and with swollen
feet, we walked into the most amazing place we could have hoped for. Our B&B, The African Villa, was so swanky, comfortable, welcoming, and posh all at the same time. The decor was of a modern Africa that we certaintly weren't expecting. We were then led upstairs to our palacial bedroom. All that we could think was "This place is Awesome and just what we needed after our long travels!!" (Pictures say a thousand words)
Friday morning, we woke up and went downstairs where four African ladies in traditional African garb (picture Aunt Jemima) were cooking us breakfast. After breakfast, we decided to walk through the streets of Cape Town. Unfortunately, since it is winter, it was raining, but it didn't seem to dampen our spirits. We went through several market squares and checked out the African culture and some interesting artifacts (like masks and dancing figurines). We had a great little lunch at a cafe in a cute little plaza.
Saturday we decided to be a bit more adventurous and rent a car so that we could drive down to Cape Point, the SouthWest most tip of Africa. Mike, being the incredible driver that he is, mastered
the British/South African way of driving on the left side of the road. It was a beautiful scenic drive along the coast, where we traveled through tiny towns and sheer cliffs. Many of the towns reminded us of Sausalito, the Amalfi Coast (Itlay), and Bolinas (SF). After about an hour and a half of driving, we made it to Cape Point. We parked our car and hiked up to the lighthouse (what felt like the tip of the world). This point is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. It was gorgeous and quite the sight to see. After hiking up and down Cape Point, we jumped back in our car and traveled more up the Eastern coast of the cape. We passed many great towns and beaches along the way. We stopped at Simon's Bay to see some penguins. They are such peculiar animals and fun to watch. After that, we drove back towards Cape Town and stopped at the oldest vineyard in South Africa, Groot Constantia. Unfortunately, we weren't able to tour the wine cellars due to remodelling, but we were able to eat in one of the restaurants and drink some delicious chardonnay.
Tomorrow our
Quaint Plaza
This is where we ate lunchreal adventure begins. We are leaving this posh hotel and trading in our king size bed for a sleeping bag and a tent. We will be in the bush for a while, but we will update you as soon as we can.
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Micall
non-member comment
Hooray!
I am so happy to hear you two are safe. What better way to start off your adventure than to deal with a crying baby. The lightning though... that's another thing. I'm going to post your adventures on the bulletin board for everyone. Keep in touch and have fun! I love you guys! xoxoxo P.S. Lunch just isn't the same without you Megs. :(