Goodbye South Africa

So on our last night in South Africa we decided to go to a traditional African meal. We were served Kudu, a large antelope, and different African delights. During the course of dinner we all got African tribal paintings on our face, of course everyone gets normal paintings except for Tom who asks to look like a mix of The Coronel and an Antelope, as seen in the photo to the left. We also had walking live music from the African drummers who would come up to your table. The following day we relaxed by swimming and sun bathing in the beautiful Intercontinental Hotel. The plane ride to London was awful as we were cramped in small seats with no personal TV and an awful selection of movies. We were able to see Annie's family during our 7 hour layover including my new cousin, Jayden. It sure helped the time pass by and pretty soon we were back in Novato. The trip overall was an amazing experience and something I will remember my whole life. South Africa is a truly majestic place and somewhere i hope to return to many times in my life. I recommend you all journey but there at some point in your life and you will understand what i mean. I will attach a Picassa Albulm with the best 200 photos of the trip including the Underwater Camera pictures from Great White Shark Diving. Thanks for reading the blog and following our adventure back to normal life now.

The End

Addo National Elephant Park/Soweto Tour

So our last two days left we decided to visit both the Addo National Elephant Park and the Soweto, Shanty Towns. First we went to the Addo National Elephant Park which was amazing. We took the option of going on a game ride where we saw a herd of around 200 elephants. 200 elephants were roaming in front of us some coming within five feet to the edge of the Jeep. It was such a fascinating sight and a great way to end the Garden Route. Following the Safari ride we flew to Johanesburg and stayed in the Intercontinetal which was a beautiful hotel. The following day we went on a private tour of both the Soweto where over 4.2 million africans live and is considered the dangerous/porous part. We also visited a shanty town where we were able to see how life truly went on by talking to the people. I was amazed at how bad these people lived with tin roofs, no electricity, no running water or showers. All they had was government provided porto potties yet they were still very cheerful and high spirited. They would come up and talk to us as they loved America and California especially because Tupac was born there. It put an elightenment on my life and made me truly see how good Americans have it compared to the African Nation. It was a life changing experience and something i suggest everybody sees in their lifetime. The follwing day we flew home and 34 hours later we arrived in Novato. The plane flight was awful but overall it was worth it. South Africa was amazing and a place i want to go back to many times in my life. Maybe even as soon as 2010 to see the World Cup.

Tsitsikamma National Forest Adventure

So as we continued our trip we stopped at the Tsitsikamma National Forest. This forest has the Largest World Bungy Jump site of over 650 feet high. We contemplated it but in the end decided not to make the jump. Instead, we went on a Canopy Tour where you slide throughout the forest harnessed to a wire as you can see the Rainforest Canopy from 270 feet high. It was quite exciting as you picked up speed sliding through and your only brake was by putting pressure on the wire with your hand. Annie got stuck once, I did a 360 half way through, and Tom just was unable to break. It was a great experience and something i would do again as it was exciting. After experiencing the Canopy Tour we stayed at the Fernery Lodge which was beautiful as it was situated above a 100 ft waterfall with voews of the gorge and the Indian Ocean. The following day tackled the Waterfall hike, which was 3.5 miles total and leads you to an amazing lagoon situated below an 150 foot waterfall. We chose to bring no water as we all forgot until half way there which was very stupid. However Annie ended up begging water off some hiker who was on their way back. Once we reached the Lagoon it was fabulous and we were so hot that we dove into the water. The water was Black due to the tannen in the trees which made it frightening as you could see nothing below. Kaylie and I climbed part of the waterfall but due to wind conditions we were unable to go any higher. On the hike back we saw over 20 dolphins swimming near the shore. Now we are off to the Addo National Elephant Park and then back to Johanesburg.

Big Five Safari Trip

After leaving Cape Town we decided to venture out and go on a Safari Tour. We stayed at the Garden Route Game Lodge which was a Big Five Safari with Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo, Giraffe, ETC. It was great as we went on both a morning and afternoon game ride which allowed us to see all the animals. We were unable to spot the Leopard as they are very hard to find. The Rhino gave birth while we were there and was very protective over its babies. We stay in thatched roof huts that overlooked the Watering Hole. It was a great experience as we were able to see all the animals up close. Also Tour Guides gave great insight on animals and we learned quite a bit about every species especially some interesting stories between the Rhinos and the Elephants. As an Elephant had killed a Rhino that year after it tried to mate with the Rhino and was rejected and then for revenge the other Rhinos killed the elephant. Overall I think the Cheetah or the Lions were by far the coolest animals we saw.

Tom Struggles in Cango Caves

Cango Caves are a series of caves that contain some of the oldest stalagmites and quartz rocks in the world. Some which are up to a million years old. As a result they now do popular tours throughout the Caves one which is the Standard Tour which does the first 4 chambers and the other Adventure Tour which leads you 1 mile deep into the cave as you crawl through tunnels as small as 11 inches tall. So when we first arrived at the Caves, Kaylie and I instantly decided to do the Adventure Tour whereas Annie chose the Standard Tour. Tom however stupidly chose the Adventure tour after seeing the real life dimensions where he clearly didn't fit and by seeing the Danger Caution signs advising anyone over 170 LBS and 50 years old to not take the Adventure Tour. Tom being Tom however disregarded everything and attempted the Adventure tour. The start of the tour was simple going through the basic Chambers and then the two groups split up and the adventure tour began. First we descended into the Love tunnels 4 feet high and 3 feet wide which were fairly easy compared to what was coming up however Tom was panting after coming out which got quite a few laughs from the other group members. So as we slowly descended further into the Cave reaching 1 mile deep we came to the two hardest tunnels The Devils Peak and The Letterbox. The Devils Peak was a climb of 20 feet up crawling through a 2.5 feet wide tunnel. Kaylie was first to volunteer and made it up in 30 seconds. Then after several more people climbed up it was Tom turn. As he tried to climb up the first step he struggled taking over a minute to get up the first step getting chuckles from the other members and the tour guide. So after finally getting up we hear silence for several minutes finally after 5 minutes passed we finally hear that Tom is ok. Next came the Letterbox which was an 11 inch tunnel where you are supposed to slide down headfirst. Tom thinks that it will be easier going feet first disregarding all of the guides tips crawls into the small space. I am behind him laughing histerically along with others at his decision. When he finally reaches the Letterbox he goes to slide down and is stuck. His belly was to large to get in so the guide pushes him back out. Next Tom has to flip over in a 2 foot high tunnel which amused me amazinly. Then he decides to try headfirst. Tom gets stuck again. He tries to push but his legs are just waging in the air as there is nothing to push off. The guide tells him he is turning blue but he still tries and after a minute of effort finally falls through. He is completley out of breath, drenched in sweat wearing his tight red shirt. It was definetly one of the funniest occurences i have seen in my life. Truly histerical. We stayed at Knysna the night and had Oysters at the Knysna Oyster Company on top of the Oyster beds. Tom got flashed on the way so we think he got a speeding ticket. Was not his best day. We are now off to the Tsitskamma National Forest for Canopy Tours and Nature Walks.

New Years Eve 08'

New Years Eve was a great night. We started during the day just exploring Cape Town and the different shops/markets in the city. That night we went to a fabulous African Dinner where we had T-Bone steaks which were awesome. After dinner Kaylie and I split up from Tom and Annie and went off to the Clubs. Kaylie and I went to this one club Vertigo for the countdown which was a lot of fun especially since we were allowed to buy drinks from the bar. We left Vertigo at 1 AM to the dismay of the many Capetonians that we had met. We then headed down to the other part of Long Street which is where all the action is and went to some clubs Long Street Cafe and Baghdad. The streets where insane we cars honking, people drinking, and complete chaos. We ended up staying at Baghdad until it closed at 4:30 AM where we then headed to a party at an apartment with these people from Jo'Burg that we met. Finally at around 6:30 AM Kaylie and I stumbled our way home and passed out. It was an eventful and tiring New Years. Tom and Annie roamed the streets a bit, Tom with an open bottle of wine in hand walking down the streets and watched the Cape Ministrel Carnival before heading up to our balcony and watching the parade. On New Years Eve we went to lunch which took 2 hours as all the waiters in Cape Town are extremely slow and it takes forever to get food, drinks, bill, etc. Tom gets really angered by their pace. After lunch we headed to the Botanical Gardens at the base of Table Top Mountains and took a nice stroll through the forests. We then drove around the Constantia Winelands. We are all tired from an eventful New Years and are leaving Cape Town tomorrow, sadly, and heading up the Garden Route to the safari. Will try to post pictures when get computer running as we are currently using internet cafes. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hiking Table Top Mountain

On this day we decided as a family to hike to the 2,500+ feet summit of Table Top Mountain. We started off the day by visiting the Green Market Square which is a local flee market with many curio shops. Kaylie and I stocked up on many African goods. Following that around 1:30 PM we drove to Table Top Mountain and began our hike. Since it was such a beautiful day the Cable Car was packed so it was a smart idea to hike up and avoid the hour+ line. Less than 5 minutes into the walk Tom was already complaining because we parked the car closer to the Cable Car and it was going to be a 10 minute walk to the trail. Once we reached the trail however it was a steep climb up. Tom took his time but did make it up in a little over 2 hours. Annie however had to get into deep conversations we every person on the trail slowly our pace. The hike was amazing though as the views of the Cape Town City Bowl were extraordinary. The hike was tiring due to the steepness but was well worth it when you reached the top. Once on Top of Table Top Mountain we had extraordinary views of the City, Atlantic Seaboard, Winelands, Cape Point, etc. Good thing however we read the guide books and brought sweatshirts as the wind chill made it freezing on top. Due to the fact that there were so many people and neither of my parents wanted to hike down we ended up waiting in over an hour line for the Cable Car Ride. The hike made us all extremely exhausted so after going to the African Cafe for a traditional 16 course African meal we all passed out. Now we are resting up for New Years where we are going to the V&A Waterfront for dinner.