africa del sur.

           
         Our safari was incredible. The lodge we stayed at only housed 18 guests at a time and really did everything to make you feel like a part of their family while you were there. Everyone staying there had meals together, which included coffee, biscuits and fruits before the morning drive, and full spread for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We would leave for our morning drive at 6 in the morning, return around 9 or 10 and then go out again for our afternoon drive just after lunch at 4, returning at 8 or 9. We would go out in these large roofless Land Rovers that seat up to eight people. 
           Every day we saw new animals. We saw leopards, wild dogs, elephants, wildebeests, water buffalo, lions, giraffes, and more that I forget! And, they were literally right outside of the lodge. We would come back from our drive to see elephants wandering around the grounds of the lodge. In fact, we had to be escorted from one building to the next, at night, in case there was an animal around camp.

Everything about the lodge made me feel like I was in paradise. The rooms were not actually rooms but huts with outdoor showers, a large bathtub that they filled every night before we came back from the afternoon drive, and a fully stocked snack bar and mini-bar. The entire atmosphere was so relaxed it made it so hard to leave after three nights.

safari-ing.

            The morning of the fourth day, I went on the morning drive and then had to say bye to my parents who were staying one more night and then continuing on to another lodge. I was so happy I had gotten to see them and it was sad to say bye.

I was driven from the lodge to the landing strip to catch the small bus plane, which would take me to meet the larger plane I needed to catch back to Cape Town. After our first stop in the bus plane, it dawned on me that I had left my passport in the safe at the lodge! Visions of me being in Cape Town but not being able to get back on the boat and flashbacks of the Indian consulate in Ghana popped into my head. NOOOOO! As soon as I could, I told the pilot and, by some miracle, he contacted the resort, they got my passport and drove it the 25 minutes to the landings strip where we were waiting for them, all in time to catch our plane to Cape Town. Only in Africa, I guess. Or maybe, never in America...

I arrived in Cape Town, with my passport, a couple of hours later. I made my way to Cape Town University, were I got to spend the night with my friend Leah, who is studying abroad there. We walked around campus and then had dinner with some of her friends from her study abroad program. The next morning, we woke up early, took a cab to this amazingly beautiful beach called Klifton Beach. We had an breakfast at a gorgeous café and then walked on the beach until Leah had class. When Leah left, I took a cab to meet the boat. It was an amazing day. An amazing end to an amazing port.

Leah and I.