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Published: April 27th 2015
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After my long 3 day conference I met Jared in DC. Our flight was out of Dulles. After quickly repacking, changing, showering and having lunch with Meredith (Jared's sister) we were back at the airport. Even though Dulles is enormous we noticed the lack of security checks. We did not have to remove our shoes, take out our toiletries, or remove our laptops, they waved us quickly through and we were on our way. After waiting nearly two hours we finally boarded our first leg of our flight into Senegal. We met along the way a nice lady from Fort Worth, she was traveling alone and happened to be sitting in the seats in front of us. One of the first things we noticed was how nice the staff of South African Airways was, putting the US airlines to shame. This flight was 7 hours and was quit bumpy over the Atlantic. You know the type of turbulence you wish you never had to experience except we were over water. No sleep was had on this leg. Five mins before we touched ground in Senegal a man on our flight got up and wanted to go to the restroom. One of
the flight attendants and him had a huge disagreement as we were descending. It got a little scary for a bit, just because the gentleman refused to sit down. However we safely landed to refuel and changed flight crew. Being that we were in Senegal, the crew had to spray the aircraft inside for any unwanted Ebola floating around. After about an hour, we popped sleeping pills and were well on our way for our last 8 hour leg. Luckily the back of the plane was empty. Jared was about to score three seats and I had our two. Needless to say we both slept for about 6 and half hours. After landing in Joburg (as the locals call it) we had a beer and chit chatted with our new friend from Ft. Worth.
Once we arrived in Cape Town, we were pumped. We got to our car and quickly realized the next 45 mins were going to be intense. Not only were we tired, but we now have to drive on the opposite side of the road and car. Jared did an amazing job, although he hugged the left side more than he should have. When we arrived
at house that we rented in Simonstown, we felt a relief. The person that we rented from lives right next door and was there to greet us with food and drinks, she even included a bottle of red wine, (always a fan in my book). After a quick shower we were off to bed. The home we rented is on a mountain cliff over looking False Bay with amazing 360 degree views. Its a quaint bungalow with a pool and every necessity two Americans could need. The only issue is the coffee maker, aka a pot to heat up water to pour into a french press. AHHH the Americans have it so easy. We also bought the wrong adapter and as two Americans who need social media and email to survive this was going to be a problem. EEEK!
The next morning we woke up bright and early for our adventures. We started the day by making coffee in our pot and and french press. After taking in the views we did not see the night before, we left for the grocery store. One of the perks about being in a house as opposed to a hotel other than
saving money, you get to go experience the local markets. This was not only a grocery store but a very confusing mall. We walked in and it appeared to be an American mall with lots of different shops. At the very back there was a grocery store. It was extremely packed and for two people who had no idea how this worked was quite entertaining. Our first mission was beer and wine. Everything of course is in Rand which is nice, but can be quite deceiving. I picked up a bottle of white wine for 45.99R and it basically translates into $3.96 US Dollars. I thought no way a bottle of wine for 4 bucks, so I had to buy two, even splurging for an $8 dollar one. While in the produce section we noticed a lady sitting by a scale. In America paying someone to weigh produce would never exist. When we checked out with our bananas, the lady had to send them back to be weighed. Can you believe there is someone that gets paid to weigh produce???
After returning with our groceries, we then choose to head down the road to the Penguin Colony. Originally these
Penguins were called Jackass Penguins. Now they are referred to as African Penguins and are the only Penguins in the world that can survive in a temperate zone. They are even endangered. This is a nature reserve and we had to pay 60R to enter. You can not mingle or touch the Penguins as they are protected. The walkway along the beach was extremely windy. We got some great shots. We then we walked over to Boulders Bay which was extremely breath taking. The beach was small and the water was shallow and extremely cold. Many people were in swimming, but not us! Simonstown has a historical section that had many shops and restaurants. We walked into several of the unique African shops and even picked up some gifts. After walking around Jared thought it would be a great idea to get something to drink. We ended up at this cafe called Monocle & Mermaid. Their coffee was delicious! We sat outside and took in the culture and locals. After our long first day we decided to go to a restaurant called Harbor View. The Hake, which is the local fish caught fresh daily, was to die for.
Tomorrow
will consist of going to the Cape of Good Hope and hiking around the area so stay tuned.
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Rebecca
non-member comment
Awesome
Very descriptive and felt like I was there with you. Look forward to the next post if you find the right adapter