Spring Break on the Garden Route

Hey Guys, sorry I haven't written in awhile, life got really busy around here towards the end of term. Thankfully we had a week long break between terms. For the week I traveled with four other girls along a highway known as the Garden Route. It's a gorgeous highway that runs all along the coast of South Africa. We traveled along a section from Port Elizabeth to the city of Cape Town. It was an action packed week, so here's a break down of how the trip played out…

First the travelers: Ashley, Harriet, Jesi, Jess, and me

Friday: The 5 of us took a bus from Grahamstown to Port Elizabeth where we stayed a friend of Jess's who is also studying abroad at Nelson Mandela University. The housing there is set up in small flats: 2 bedrooms connected by a mutual kitchen and bathroom. Jess's friend (who was also named Jess) had no extra blankets or pillows and her room had no heater. We spent the night curled up on the floor with bags as pillows and towels for blankets. Needless to say it was a long, cold night and without much sleep.

Saturday: Up at 6am to catch the BazBus, which is a bus that lets you hop of and off at any hostel along the route. We traveled to Plettenburg Bay, hopped off at Albergo backpackers, rested for about an hour before catching a shuttle to Bloukrans Bridge. Bloukrans is the highest commercial bungee jump in the world at 216m (about 700ft). We ziplined to the actual jump site and then I did the bungee. It was simultaneously the most terrifying and exhilarating thing I've ever done. Falling through the air at 75mph really puts things into perspective; once I'd taken the huge step of the bridge, I didn't have time to be afraid, it was too amazing. After the jump we went back to the hostel and grilled burgers, which tasted incredible and then had a lazy night and turned in early.

Sunday: We woke up and went down to the beach, walked around and took some pictures before catching the BazBus to Cape Town. On the bus we met an interesting 18 year old british guy named Rob whom we nicknamed Puffin. Upon arriving in Cape Town (CT) we met more of Jess's friends, Jessica and James Todd, a brother and sister who welcomed us into their home for the week.

Monday: The plan was for Ashley, Harriet, and I to visit Table Mountain and Robben Island. Unfortunately, it poured rain ALL DAY LONG. So instead Jessica and James took us bowling and then we had an amazing lunch of chicken strips and fries. That night we went to a club called Mercury where we met up with Puffin. Puffin was incredibly drunk although very friendly and willing to buy everyone drinks. He was also a very entertaining dancer. Overall it was a great night.

Tuesday: Time for a day-long cape tour. We saw the jackass penguins near Simonstown, Cape of Good Hope, and all the beautiful landscapes along the coast. It rained for most of the day again, finally quitting as we finished all of outdoor activities. After the tour we went to meet Jess' aunt who had invited us to make dinner at her gorgeous bed and breakfast. We made a delicious feast of chicken and pasta in a garlic and white wine sauce.

Wednesday: Again, a fail to see Robben Island and Table Mountain. Instead Jessica took Ashley, Harriet, and I to the District 6 museum and Signal Hill. District 6 is an area of the city that was declared all white during apartheid and the museum is a testament to everyone who were forced to leave. Signal hill was near Table Mountain and offered us a fantastic view of the city. We just hung out for the evening and made nachos, they don't really have tortilla chips so we used doritos. Not as good as home, but still pretty delicious.

Thursday: The celebration of my 21st birthday! Ashley, Harriet, Jessica and I spent the day wine and cheese tasting in Stellenbosch. It was FANTASTIC. That night we went out to a few different clubs and danced for awhile. There was some drama with lost IDs and not being able to get into a club. But overall it was a pretty good birthday party.

Friday: We spent all day on a crowded, hot, smelly bus riding to a little coastal town called Mossel Bay. We didn't get in until after 9pm and hadn't eaten in hours. After dropping our bags at the hostel (which was a refurbished old train 300 yards from the beach) we ran to the attached restaurant where I ordered a sandwich and onion rings. It may have been the fact that I was about to die from starvation, but it was hands down the best meal of the trip. After eating we headed to bed to catch up on our sleep. Unfortunately we were staying in the dorm and there were 10 drunk german guys sharing it. They came in around 3am yelling, singing, and acting like disgruntled train passengers. It was a LONG night.

Saturday: So today was my actual birthday. Instead of a crazy drinking fest, I spent it sun bathing on the beach. For dinner we went to a seafood restaurant right on the beach and I feasted on mussels, prawns, calamari, and fish. And for dessert, a warm chocolate brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. All in all, it was the perfect day and a great end to our trip.

Sunday: Another all day bus back to Grahamstown and a dinner of nacho's at a local restaurant.

I have a ton of pictures from the week so I'm going to just post them all on Facebook for now. If you don't have a Facebook don't worry, I'll get them on here as soon as I can.