Even though I missed the cold weather, the Christmas trees,
and the family celebrations-I can’t really complain about how I spent my
holiday. I had planned to meet my family
in Cape Town on December 30 and when some friends decided to do a 2 week road
to Cape Town (along the Garden Route), arriving on December 29 I decided it was
too perfect to pass up. Since I could go
on for hours, I’ll just give some highlights from each stop.
Storms River Mouth:
We camped on the ocean and went on a great hike along the coast, ending at a
waterfall that I would put in my Top 5.
Cascading down into a great swimming pool, it was only separated from
the ocean by a rock wall.
The Crags: On the
way, Chris and I said our prayers and jumped off the highest bungy bridge in
the world. If you don’t jump, they give you a helpful nudge and the first 2
seconds of falling are some of the most terrifying I’ve experienced. Quite the
adrenaline rush. At the backpacker, we
discovered some fellow PCVs were living and working there so we had a jolly
reunion, including one of the most delicious farm stall lunches of all time.
Knysna (I’ll give
you $100 if you can pronounce that correctly without googling it): One of the
biggest towns on a gorgeous lagoon. We made it our mission to eat all of the
most delicious food (which we did), including an all you can eat seafood West
Coast-style braii. We also enjoyed some quality beach time and excellent views.
Sedgefield: Sedgefield
was probably the best all-round beach we visited with warm waters and sand for
miles. We spent Christmas Eve making fajitas (homemade tortillas and pico) and
sharing Christmas traditions with our new backpacker buddies. I was even able
to skype home for the annual goodnight Christmas stories read by Dad (I just
missed the back tickle). Christmas morning
we made homemade bagels and mimosas, soaking in the last of the beach.
Oudtshoorn: We
took an “adventure tour” of Cango Caves, having to climb, shimy, and crawl our
way through. After a tasty ostrich burger for lunch, we headed to the ostrich
farm for a tour where I got to ride an ostrich. Obviously, I was laughing
hysterically the entire time.
Robertson: Robertson
has a road full of wineries…and we hit them all. Free wine tastings and a handy
dandy mormon DD led to a great day under the sun and surrounded on all sides by
vineyards and mountains.
Hermanus: We went
on a beautiful coastal walk and had fun meeting other backpackers, most on
their way to the mother-city for New Year’s Eve.
Cape Town (the
mother city): Bright and early, I met my family at the airport holding a chauffeur
sign labeled, “Clauss Family”. To my disappointment, my mom didn’t even cry. After settling in to our great apartment, we
hit the streets, walking around Bo-kapp, city centre, and the waterfront. At the waterfront, we stocked up on picnic
goods at a market and made our way to Signal Hill for the sunset. To give my dad
some credit, driving up hill, with an unusual stick shift, on the wrong side of
the road is no easy task. Nevertheless, we were all happy to make it alive and crash-less. The next day we climbed up (and down) Table
Mountain from Kirstenbosch Gardens (and my mom couldn’t walk the next day). Other highlights included celebrating New
Year’s Eve, penguins at Simon’s Town, Cape of Good Hope, eating exotic meats
with other PCVS, and of course, our wine tour of the Stellenbosch areas with
Niki’s (another volunteer) family. At the
end of the wine touring, driving back to Cape Town, our guide announced over the
microphone, “All right, we are headed home. Feel free to close your eyes and be
quiet.” Instead, Niki’s dad commandeered the microphone and became the tour
guide. The volume went up tenfold.
Hluhluwe/Sodwana/St.
Lucia: We stayed at an excellent
B&B where my dad decided to pamper us, and get us all rooms. We spent the whole first day driving around
the game reserve where we saw everything except elephants and cats. I was the first to spot an animal, winning
the bet. Kevin was the last to spot an animal, losing the bet and owing me a
massage. Only my family could make a safari competitive. In St. Lucia we went
on a hippo and croc river tour and explored Slimangeliso Wetland Park. In Sodwana, we went scuba diving and relaxed
on the beach. That night we had a semi-proper braii-lots of meat and beer like
the South Africans do it, but with some grilled veggies-which is oh, so
American.
My Site: Our last
stop was my village where my real family finally met my host family. And then,
they fell in love. We went on a great
hike to two waterfalls in Cathedral Peak and had a Zulu party at my
organization. Even my mom got up to gaita (traditional dance).
Now alone once again, I am getting back to the slow village
life. Hopefully as I get things going, I’ll have lots of other great stories to
share!
