12/31/2011

Today we started our day early in order to get to the Cape of Hope before the rush! On the drive out there our driver Sideck stopped for us to take pictures at some cool secret spots on the way. Getting into the Cape of Good Hope we saw crosses that were left from the Portuguese which was really interesting because they were still the same crosses just repainted. Once we arrived we began our hike up to the top! With intermittent stops along the way for some good photo-ops, we made it all the way to the top with the lighthouse. The view of the ocean was absolutely breath-taking. We all were just taking in the sights for as long as we could. After a few more pictures we headed back down! Once we got down some of the group hiked down to the beach and some rode the van down with Sideck. On the way down we ran into some Rock Dassies which we were told are the squirrels of South Africa, they were really big though!

The beach was so beautiful, the waves were crashing on rocks and it was so serene. So we decided it was a perfect spot to have our packed lunches from Ivy. Again, her lunch was amazing and we all ate in silence partially because of the great view but also because of the awesome lunch. On the way out of the Cape of Good Hope the line of cars to get in was so long, we were all really thankful to have Sideck’s inside knowledge and got there early enough to beat the crowd.

Next we were on our way to Boulder Beach, home of the African Penguins! We were all so excited to see penguins, and they did not disappoint. It was so fun to see penguins outside the zoo and also in the sun! They were all waddling around in the sand and some actually got pretty close to the deck we were on, which was awesome for pictures!

After the penguins we stopped at a beach for some ice cream and then one more stop at a Shark Watch. The shark watcher told us they saw one shark, so a red flag was flying at the beach which is just a warning about seeing one shark earlier in the afternoon.

Then, it was time to go home and get ready for New Years Eve! We went to a local bar in Obs called Trenchtown to ring in the New Year. We all had such a great time getting to know each other more and playing games. At midnight, we all brought in 2012 together with a glass of champagne; what a perfect way to start the new year!

- Sarah