Bungee Jumping, Shark Diving, and Saying Goodbye

So, a lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. I feel like every time I sit down to update my blog the same problem comes up... there's so much that I could write about, I feel like it would take me days to say everything that I want to say. But again, I will just stick to the highlights and save the rest for later.

When I last updated my blog, we have gone to several different places, including the Drakensburg Mountains, which contain the 2nd largest mountain in Africa (2nd to Kilimanjaro). They were absolutely beautiful- lush green valleys with mist-covered mountain peaks. Absolutely gorgeous! We went on a huge 6 hour hike through these mountains, and visited a cave which was used by the first civilizations to settle in the mountains. There were cave paintings that were over 8,000 years old. It was pretty amazing to see something still in tact from that long ago, but the even more amazing thing to me is that our guide told us that the caves were still used for spiritual ceremonies today by the ancestors of those first settlers. That is definitely one thing that I am coming to learn about many of the cultures throughout Africa. It seems like there is a strong connection to the past and ancient customs that have been in practice for thousands of years. I think it's pretty cool, and I consider myself lucky to be learning about it from the people who live it.

From the Drakensburgs, we went through Addo Elephant Park where we saw TONS of elephants- big and small, male and female... I got some great photos that I'll download when I get home (I've given up trying on these computers!). Once outside of Addo , we headed towards to coast to a place called Tsitsikama National Park. We were really fortunate to make it there, as they had been experiencing heavy flooding which had shut down many of the roads in and out of the park. But, we lucked out and made it there. The campsite was right on the beach, which was awesome!

Just outside of Tsitsikama is a gigantic gorge with a bridge from one side to the other... this is home to the largest bungee jump in the world (216 meters) AND where I did my first bungee jump ever! (although I don't think it ill be my last!) I was surprised that there were only two other people who wanted to do the jump- Johan and Ben. I was glad though, because they are two of my closest friends on the trip, so it was really cool to have them there.

I really didn't think that I would have the guts to do the jump myself- I thought that the staff would have to give me a little nudge, but I surprised myself and when it came time to take the plunge, I didn't hesitate at all. The feeling of my feet leaving the platform is one that I will never forget as long as I live. The adrenaline rush was definitely on par with sky diving... even a bit scarier because it was just me- I didn't have the comfort of being strapped to someone who knew what they were doing. The freefall only lasted about 5 seconds, but according to our bungee guides we reached a speed of 12o mph! Pretty crazy. After the initial fall, the rest of the experience was so peaceful... just hanging mid-air in the most beautiful gorge, facing the ocean. It was truly amazing.

We all made it safely through the bungee experience, and were on the road again before we knew it. We headed through the wine country of South Africa, which was again SOOO beautiful, and were in Cape Town within a few days. On our first day in Cape Town, we climbed Table Mountain, which was an experience. Apparently we there is more than one trail to get to the top, and we took the most difficult route... there were points at which we were basically clinging to the sides of rocks, just trying to find any way up the mountain that we could. It was difficult, but a lot of fun, and the views from the top were totally worth it.

The second day in Cape Town wasn't really spent in Cape Town, it was spent with Great Whites! Four of us from the group wanted to go shark diving, so we hired a guide to take us out to "Shark Alley." The guide picked us up early in the morning and drove us from Cape Town out onto the peninsula, where we were dropped off at Ultimate Shark Diving, a company along the coast in Shark Alley. There, we had a bit of breakfast and went through a briefing on what to do when we got out to the sharks. After a 30 minute boat ride, we were in prime Great White territory. Our guides baited the water with fish blood to attract the sharks. Within about 10 minutes of the bait being in the water, we caught our first glimpse of a Great White. It was a fairly small one, but it came right up to the boat and we all got a good look before it was off again into the deep.

Shortly after that, the first group of divers were fitted with a wetsuit and were in the water. There were about 3 or 4 sharks that came swimming up, and we all got a good look at them from the boat. Then it was our turn to get in the water. We waited for what seemed like forever in the freezing cold water before we saw our first shark. There were a couple that swam fairly close, but the visibility wasn't great under the water, so we didn't get a good view. But we didn't have to wait long. Another shark came swimming up about 10 minutes later and took the bait right in front of our faces. It was huge and swam right past my head. I was amazed by how quickly it came and went. I didn't see it for long, but it was enough to make me realize what powerful and graceful creatures they are. The next shark that came along also got right up to our cage, although this time it grabbed the bait and the cage that we were in along with it. It grabbed the cage not 3 feet from me and came right out of the water. It shook the cage quite a bit, which was pretty scary, but it was over about as quickly as it began. It was an awesome thing to see an experience- again one of those things that will stick in my memory forever.

After a few more sharks came and went, we hauled our boat back into shore and headed back to Cape Town. We said our goodbyes, as our tour was over. It was a lot more difficult to say goodbye than I thought it would be. I have made some great friends on this trip. It's funny how much you get to know about someone when you spend every waking minute with them for 25 days!

My flight took off the next morning, and I am now writing to you from Nairobi, Kenya where I will be leaving for a safari in the Serengeti tomorrow. I am excited for my next adventure, and will keep you all posted.

I hope that you all are enjoying the holidays! Take care!

PS- I was sitting in a cafe in Cape Town and they were playing CNN. A story came on about how much snow Snoqualmie Pass is getting- I couldn't believe it! I was sitting in Cape Town seeing a story about home! I got really excited, and it made me excited about the ski season! Save some powder for me!!