Baboon Attack

It's been a crazy week. It all started with the goodbyes in Durban. Leaving the city limits of Durban one last time was really rough. Not knowing exactly when or if I'll be able to return to such a wonderful place is a hard idea to grasp. Luckily my program knows that these goodbyes are hard so they whisked us away to a safari. We spent an entire 10 hours riding in a safari jeep in the St. Lucia game reserve. Unfortunately we didn't see the "Big 5," but we did see quite a few animals, including zebras, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo. It was quite windy and cold, but we were able to cuddle up together under blankets and enjoy the ride.

The next day we went on a boat tour of the St. Lucia delta to see hippos! I greatly enjoyed this boat trip because hippos are by far the most interesting animals in South Africa. Did you know that they mate under water? Or that they have a bite pressure of 3 tons? Or that they can stay under water for 6 minutes? Fascinating. Anyways, after the boat tour we all hopped back into the vans and took the long journey back to Johannesburg. At about hour 8 I started experiencing cabin fever, but I managed to subdue the symptoms until we arrived. It was our last night together as a group of 29 students, so emotions were high. Saying goodbye to most of the group the next morning was another hard experience. We shared so many joys and challenges together. We often talked about how we were the only ones that really knew and would understand what we have been through and how we have changed. I guess that's what makes our experience unique.

So three days ago I hopped on a plane to beautiful Cape Town! There are 9 of us in Cape Town currently, and we have managed to see much of the city and the surrounding areas. On the first day we walked around town and beach front to get acquainted with the city. The next day four of us took a day-long tour of Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, and Simon's Town to see penguins. This city may easily have the most breath-taking views I have ever seen. Another thing that took my breath away was a run-in with a baboon. As some of you may know, I eat a lot and I eat frequently. Not really thinking I rolled out of our tour bus with a pb&j after our tour guide said several times that baboons are vicious and will take your food. This mother baboon carrying a baby literally sprinted towards me and started to climb up my arm to grab my sandwich. I threw it on the ground and the baboon took it. She didn't even share it with her baby. Needless to say, all of my friends really appreciated the visual experience of my baboon attack.

Well, last night was quite the experience. So there is this little thing going on next year in South Africa called the World Cup. And last night they had the final draw for the World Cup here in Cape Town and it was absolutely NUTS. There was a huge street party that of course I attended. It required a few stampedes across barriers and run-ins with crazy soccer fans, but it was amazing. They say that we attended one of the biggest parties in Cape Town :) Today we all recovered and went on a bike tour to go wine tasting. I don't drink, but I did selectively choose a few wines to taste. I must say that I don't really have an appreciation for wine, but riding around the wine country on a mountain bike was really fun.

I have two more days in Cape Town, which will consist of visiting Robben Island, a few beaches, and going on a few hikes. I'm loving Cape Town, but definitely missing Durban. Such a bittersweet time.