Week Four in Cape Town (Garden Route)

Garden Routes Beautiful Drive 

This past week was hands down one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had the pleasure to partake in, and therefore, this weeks blog will be a bit different from the last couple of blogs I have written. I want to try and attempt to describe as best as possible my adventure. Along with seven other girls, I took off for the West Coast of South Africa on what is known as Garden Route.

I would have to say the first major challenge was having to drive on the left side of the road. As designated driver for the trip, I took on this task as confidently as possible. Besides the several times I drifted too far into the right side of the road nearly driving off the ledge all together, and the time I took a right hand turn and drove into the wrong side of the road, my driving on the wrong side was a success, or so I believed. The scenery we got to experience was astonishing; the drive alone could have sufficed as an exceptional trip.

After having driven for 5 hours we reached our first destination, which was the most adorable hostel, nestled into the small town of Oudtshoorn. The eight of us shared a bunkroom where we chatted like schoolgirls at summer camp until the exhaustion of driving overcame us, and we all fell fast asleep. The following morning we woke up bright and early and hurried off to our first adventure: the Cango Caves. The Cango Caves are located in Precambrian limestone’s at the foothills of the Swartberg range in the Western Cape Province, and were first discovered in 1780 by a local farmer named Jacobus Van Zyl. The caves are a series of breathtaking chambers. Unfortunately, being the Closter phobic wimp that I am, I was unable to partake in the adventure tour with the other girls, which consisted of crawling through tiny tunnels ranging from 30 centimeters to 50 centimeters wide. Instead I took a nice stroll through 5 different spacious chambers, where a guide explained the detailed history of the cave. The stories were spectacular.

Later in the day, after having rid an ostrich, yes you heard that correctly, I proceed to walk a cheetah at the Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Center. It was quite spectacular being in the presence of such an amazing animal, yet alone being able to walk with him. Bearing in mind that I believe myself to be an animal lover, I was at first quite skeptical of the idea of visiting wild cats in captivity, but after having spent a couple hours at the sanctuary, I grew quite appreciative of the work the trainers were doing. It was not so much as domesticating the animals as it was to helping to inform the population of their endangerment. 

They served as a sort of ambassador for all other species of their kind to remind people that they are wild animals and that if we continue to kill them there will be none left. That evening we stayed at Wild Spirits or what I like to call a hippie’s backpacker’s paradise. It’s quite difficult for me to paint an accurate picture of this hostel, since the way I will attempt to depict it won’t be able to capture the vibe and spirit that lived in this amazing spot. 

To put it simply the hostel consisted of one of the most beautiful views I have seen so far, along with the most diverse crowd of people, all the while baboons chaotically run around. We had the luxury of staying here for two nights.

Friday, which had to be by far my favorite day, the girls and I went canyoning in the morning, and then later that day I bungee jumped off the tallest bridge in the world. Canyoning is one of those sports that must be experienced in order to be explained. Hiking, ziplinning and jumping off cliffs down a river doesn't do it justice. After several rolled ankles and near death experiences, we arrived at the end of the river. Now, after 4 hours of hiking down a river one would think to take a nap or even a little breather before proceeding onto next activities, but not us. No, we decided instead to go bungee jumping off the tallest bridge possible to bungee jump off of. 

I wish I could take the feeling of launching myself off a bridge and capture into a little box. I know for a fact that unless I jump off that exact bridge again I'll never get to experience that feeling of complete and total take over of adrenaline in my body as well as the the way I had to fully clear my mind of any thoughts to leap off this bridge. It was truly exhilarating. I would hands down do it again. Sorry maman! 

On Saturday, I got to familiarize myself with the majestic animal known as the elephant. We got to walk and feed them, as well as watch them in their natural habitat. These creatures are incredibly fascinating not just due to their enormous size, but also due to their patience and humble demeanor. Later, we kayaked and liloed through storms river. Overall this trip has been one I will never forget. The company I was able to share this experience with made it all the more exciting and unforgettable.