South Africa

Day 1:

Everyone in my hallway woke up for the sunrise as we pulled into Cape Town on the first day. The sunrise was incredible and Cape Town looked nothing like I expected it to. Tall buildings of the city lay ion the waterfront with Table Top Mountain behind them. We pulled into Duncan dock, a very fishy smelling fishing harbor right next to V & A Waterfront. The weather was incredible in South Africa, especially after coming from muggy Ghana. After we got off the ship, we walked to the post office to send some letters quickly. Katie, Lizzy and I then wanted to check out the waterfront so we jumped in a sailboat and sailed around Cape Town for a couple hours to get a good view of the waterfront. The sea life is similar to California so we saw some seals and dolphins around the kelp beds. The whole time we were out there I couldn't help but think about all the huge Great Whites that were below the surface. There is a ton of fresh seafood in Cape Town so we grabbed a seafood basket of calamari and fish on the waterfront for lunch. After lunch, we explored the "Two Seas" aquarium, which had the local fish of South Africa where the Indian and Atlantic Ocean meet.  At night we explored "Long Street," a street in Cape Town known for its lively restaurants and nightlife. My first impression of South Africa was that it is way cooler than I expected it to be and I was extremely excited to see what cool things I would see and do in the next week.

Day 2:

The second day we decided to walk around Cape Town and get a feel for the city. We started off by checking out the World Cup Stadium. It was awesome to see the stadium and hear from the locals what it was like in Cape Town during the World Cup in 2010. After the stadium, we went towards the center of Cape Town and checked out some shops. Cape town is lively and very developed; and there are many shops and malls similar to the states. The weather could not have been any better and we ended up walking around the town for many miles. We decided to go to see a local soccer game at the stadium at night and also wanted to stay at a hotel in the city. We grabbed tickets for the game and booked two rooms for six of us at "The Cape Town Lodge" in downtown Cape Town. We were exhausted from walking so we grabbed some chicken sandwiches at a restaurant on Long Street and relaxed there for a while. For some weird reason, shops started to close around 1pm which seemed weird for a Saturday but the locals said it was normal and that they would open up on Monday. Since everything was closing up, we headed back to the ship to pack a bag for the night, shower up, and then head back to the hotel to hang out before the soccer game. We hung out at the rooftop pool of our hotel before grabbing dinner downstairs and heading to the soccer game at the World Cup Stadium.

 

The Game was awesome! Vuvuzelas were buzzing and humming the whole entire game and the stadium wasn't even crowded. I can only imagine how loud the vuvuzelas were during the World Cup in 2010. We were rooting for the local Cape Town team, "Ajax." We had good tickets in the 8^th row and they were anly about $10 a piece. After the game, we taxied over to Long Street and hung out at a lively Reggae Restaurant on the 2^nd floor balcony watching the crowds of Long Street move below us. 

 

Day 3:

Every day we are in port, we get up as early as possible to get the most out of our day. Sticking to the norm, we got up around 6:30 and had a delicious breakfast at our hotel. Our plan for the day was to get out of Cape Town and check out the beach cities farther south. Katie, Will, Emily, Adri, Cody, and I all hopped in a train in downtown Cape Town and ventured 45 minutes south to Muizenberg. Katie is deathly afraid of trains and had never ridden one in her life so this was quite an experience for her. Muizenberg was incredible! It is a huge beach with plenty of surfing to be done. Will, Cody, and I grabbed 3 surfboards and headed out to surf while the girls relaxed on the beach. The surf was so much fun! The waves were playful, slowly breaking, and would go forever. The water was warm and only had an occasional jellyfish and the sun was in full force. You would kick out of the wave well before it was finished just so you wouldn't have to paddle back out. We kept hearing sirens from the beach but took no caution to them. We realized after we were back on the shore that those sirens were to warn swimmers and surfers that there was a shark sighting and do immediately evacuate the water, whoops.

 

This much-needed surf re energized us all and we decided to hop on the train again and continue south to a fishing village called Simon's Town. Simon's town was very cool and peaceful and there were many sailboats and fishing boats cruising around in the bay. We grabbed lunch on the water in Simon's town then walked to a place called Boulder Beach, where there is a penguin colony. Boulder Beach was awesome! There are hundreds of little penguins running around the beach and you are allowed to hang out on the beach and swim with them. We all had a blast chasing and swimming with the penguins. There was only an occasional peck from a penguin, but otherwise they were friendly. (I have funny videos to show when I get home)

 

We had our fair share of sun for the day so Katie, Will, and I hopped back on the train and headed back to Muizenberg to look for a hostel or hotel to crash at for the night. The train got crowded and we were lost in the commotion so we almost missed our stop. The train began to take off in Muizenberg and we were still on the train! Will opened the doors of the moving train and jumped off it at a slow jog, I jumped off second and by then it was a fast run, Katie was last and (I was barely still hanging on to her hand when she) jumped off at a full sprint! Keep in mind Katie is deathly afraid of trains and practically threw up from this adrenaline pumping experience. We walked around Muzenberg surprised to see that there were no shops open, and no hotels to be seen. This town became a ghost town in the few hours that we left it. We decided it was best to hop back on the last train  (Katie, reluctantly) and head back to Cape Town to the ship. The sun set as we took the train back to Cape Town and we arrived by nighttime. The three of us took a mini city bus to a cool burger restaurant where we got a plate of ostrich sliders accompanied by a local beer, Castle. This was a great way to end an exhausting day.

 

Day 4:

Lets see what you've got, Table Moutain. Katie, Will and I got up at the crack of dawn to conquer the hike up Table Mountain. We ate breakfast on the ship, filled up our water bottles, packed some snacks, and then took a taxi to the base of the mountain. The hike was basically like using the Stairmaster for 2 hours straight, as the incline was very steep.  We charged up the trail like mountain goat taking only a couple water breaks to hydrate and enjoy the beautiful view behind us. By the time we got the top, we could see for miles in any direction. You could see all of Cape Town and the harbor, as well as see as far south as the tip of Cape Point. It was incredible. We soaked up the view for a bit, and then grabbed drinks at the Table Mountain shop before taking the gondola down to the bottom.

A quick shower at the ship to rinse off the sweat from Table Mountain was all we needed before we taxied to wine country to do some winery tours and tastings for the afternoon. The wine area is called Stellenbosch and it is packed with many different family wineries. Before the wine tours, we stopped at the cheetah reserve to pet and play with some cheetahs! The first winery we went to after the cheetah reserve was called Spier. The winery grounds were pleasant and beautiful. The wine tasting at Spier was really fun and I felt sophisticated even though I had little clue what to look for in the different flavors of wine. We were given 5 different tastings of wines produced at this winery as well as some cheese and crackers. After Spier, we went to another Winery called Meerlust, which the Lonely Planet guide spoke highly of. Meerlust was much smaller and less touristy. We did a wine tasting at Meerlust as well as bought our favorite bottle to have later that night at dinner.  Feeling full on wine, cheese, and crackers, we taxied back to the V&A waterfront in Cape Town for dinner. Will, Katie, and I grabbed a few plates of delicious sushi on the waterfront. The sushi was some of the best sushi I've ever had and I'm really excited to see how Japan compares to it. We hung out after dinner on the waterfront until about 10, when we decided to head back and get a good night sleep for a big day tomorrow.

 

Day 5:

Katie, Will, and I got up at 4am in hopes of getting on a Great White Cage diving tour. There were a few tours going out this morning and we were hoping that people would miss their alarms since we didn't have any bookings. Luckily, there were a few people who slept in, so we hopped in a van and made our way 2 hours to the Boat launch. I was giddy with excitement the whole drive in anticipation of seeing one of the creatures I most respect and am in awe about. We arrived at the boat launch at sunrise, signed our lives away on a waiver, hopped in the boat, and made our way to Seal Island. Of the 14 people on the boat, about 4 of them "chummed the water" from seasickness in the big swells.  We anchored the boat about 20 minutes out and began chumming the water with a soup of tuna chunks and blood. After about 20 minutes of this, all of a sudden…Sharkk!!! I practically fell over at the first glimpse of this immense creature. We threw some tuna heads on rope out in the water to get even more sharks to stop by and soon enough there were 3 huge Great whites swimming around our boat. I could barely mentally process the sight of these massive, strong, incredible creatures that I have always been so curious about. People started hopping in the cage in groups of 5, and the crew would lure the sharks right up next to  (and sometimes ramming) the cage by dragging a tuna head past it. Everyone put on thick wetsuits, booties, and hoods, except me…who just wore my swim trunks. The water wasn't all that bad and I wanted to really be in the water with the sharks. Because the visibility wasn't too great, there was a huge element of surprise when out of nowhere, there was a shark right in front of you! We stayed on the water watching the sharks for a few hours before heading back to shore for warm soup and warm drinks.

 

The ride back to Cape Town was cool in the light. We saw baboons and also passed by some Townships. The severity of poverty in the townships is pretty heavy to see, especially since many of them border affluent communities. I got a chance to learn about Apartheid from the driver and it is an incredibly dark and interesting time in South Africa's history.

 

Back in Cape Town, the driver dropped us off in Camps Bay, where we grabbed lunch in the cool beach town and walked around the beach for a bit. From Camps Bay, we hopped in a mini city bus called a "cockroach" and for a couple bucks, made it to Hout Bay, a small fishing village. Out of nowhere, clouds covered us and it began to drizzle, so we sought shelter in a teashop and grabbed some tea. After the rain stopped, we walked around the Hout Bay along the beach and by all the fishing boats. The smell of fish here is even more overwhelming than any fishy smell we had experienced yet. Katie, Will, and I grabbed coffee at a restaurant on the water when I noticed 2 teens and an older man putting on wetsuits and hopping in a boat with a tow rope. I kenw exactly where they were going…Dungeons. Dungeons is a world-class surf spot in Hout Bay with waves up to 60 feet. I had been checking the surf report over the past few days and knew that Dungeons was over 20 foot right now. The only problem is that you cannot see it from shore or walk there, but you have to take a boat. I planned on coming back tomorrow to check it out. As Hout Bay quieted down, we headed back to the Ship to clean up. We got fish and chips on the waterfront for dinner then met up with tons of Semester at Sea Students at a Club in Camps Bay to celebrate our last night in South Africa.

 

Day 6:

With hardly any sleep in me, I got Cody at 4 am and convinced him that we should go to Hout Bay to watch Dungeons break. He was stoked on the idea so we packed a few things in a bag and jumped in a taxi at about 4:45 to go to Hout Bay. We got to the quiet fishing village well before sunrise and started asking around with the fishermen to see if one of them would be willing to take us out to dungeons. We finally found someone with a rubber dingy boat willing to take us so he ran back to his house to grab his boat and trailer. We got in the boat just after sunrise and rolled our way over the swells itching with anticipation to see what monster waves were breaking on the other side. We finally got out to the break and were blown away by these waves. They were absolutely huge! It was a bit scary being out in these waves in a tiny dingy knowing that we could flip easily and that there were huge sharks swimming below the surface. We got our fix of seeing the waves after 30 minutes so headed back in to the fishing harbor and taxied back to the Ship. I was thrilled that we got the chance to see Dungeons.

 

My last few hours in South Africa were spent on a Marketing class Fieldtrip at a winery. We learned about wine production and had a few samples of the different wines. Once I got back to the Ship, we all shared our stories of South Africa, and then I went to bed as we pulled out of Cape Town for a MUCH needed sleep. 

Pictures:

Sailing around Cape Town

The "Two Seas" Aquarium

I found Nemo at the Aquarium

Lounging seals at the Waterfront

Mexican fiesta at dinner

Exploring Cape Town

I wonder what was inside?

At our hotel with Lion's Head in the background

At the Soccer Game (Will, Katie, Emily, Cody)

Muizenberg Beach where we surfed

At the train station in Muizenberg

Our View from lunch at Simon's Town

Wading in Boulder Beach with the Penguin colony

Hello there Mr. Penguin

Penguins!

When penguins attack

Seeking shelter from the sun

Ostrich sliders

At the base of Table mountain starting the hike

Made it to the top! Our ship is in the dock on the right side

Table mountain yoga stop

Taking the Gondola down Table Mountain

At the Cheetah reserve

Spier Winery

Wine tasting at spier

Meerlust winery

Sushi on the waterfront

Our Shark diving boat

Sharkk!!!

In the cage (I'm at the far back)

Camps Bay

Hout Bay

Hout Bay waterfront

Hout Bay before sunrise, going to dungeons

Hout Bay at sunrise

The back of a monster wave at Dungeons

Adios South Africa!

Ghana, where to even begin

Day 1:
We woke up for the sunrise as we pulled into Ghana at 6am. A sunrise was a bit of an overstatement due to the thick smog, dust, and smoke in the sky. The air smelled of fire and exhaust and it was very hot out. Customs took awhile so we didn't get off the ship until 10 am. Right after we cleared customs, we hopped into a taxi and went from Tema to Accra, an hour and a half ride. I have never seen anything like Ghana before, there are people everywhere balancing different bowls and objects on their heads. The traffic was pretty bad, so people approach your window every time you come to a stop trying to sell you anything from plantain chips to bagged water to world maps. As we got out of the taxi, the overwhelming crowds, traffic trash, and street vendors created for a hectic scene. To get a feel for the city, we began aimlessly walking the streets and exploring. The streets are lined with open sewers, which fill the air with a great smell of human waste. I caught myself multiple times holding my breath for whole street lengths trying to avoid this awesome stench.

One cool area of Accra is called the art district, which has tons of artisans creating drums, paintings, and woodwork, to sell in their shops. We stopped by the art district for lunch and to check out the shops. For lunch, we had a local dish of fu fu and fish. We wondered why the locals were laughing at us eating the meal with a spoon and quickly realized that utensils were not used in Ghana. We met some local drum makers who gave us drum lessons in their shop. The people here completely redefine rhythm and I realize that I have none of it.

Random introductions are the best way to explore a country. We happened to be walking down the sidewalk at the same pace as a local named Joseph. After talking to him for a bit, he ended up taking us to his fishing village, introducing us to the chief and his family, and showing us all around Accra. We ended up walking almost 10 miles around the village of Jamestown and Accra with Joseph, in awe the whole time. Walking through this village made me much more aware of everything I have and take for granted. These people have hardly anything and are perfectly content. All the children in his town would run up to us and touch us as we were the only white people around. The only English saying they know is, "How are you", so everywhere you go you hear, "How are you, how are you, how are you, how are you." We entertained them by taking pictures with them and playing soccer. It was an incredible eye opening experience. We finished this mentally and physically exhausting day with a Ghanian Pizza Dinner and then met up with some other students at a local club.

Day 2:
I had a required Field trip for my Marketing class on day two at a village 2 hours away from the ship (3 with the bus breaking down). All the children of the village greeted us when we arrived and we went straight to meet the chief. We were all given Ghanian names according to the day we were born. My name is Komi (Saturday Born) Elolo (He is Great). The villagers showed us some of the daily activities they do such as make pots and cook, then we were taught the local dance. I once again realized that I have no rhythm. By 5pm we were back at the ship and I was eager to get where I truly wanted to go, West to go surfing.

I met up with my friends Cody, Tori, and Thomas who all wanted to venture West with me. (Will and our other friend, Katie had made it there earlier in the day so we would meet them there) We had no plans on how to get there so we just began asking around in Tema. A local named Collins said that he was willing to drive us to Busua, a 6 hour drive west. He was neither the smartest person I have ever met, nor the best driver. In Ghana, people drive on the right side of the street; Collins, however, drives on the left. He also only had one tape in his car that had 3 country songs on it… we listened to it for 6 hours straight… Aside from a few wrong turns and nearly running out of gas, Collins got us to Busua in one piece. It was dark and late by the time we got there but we were able to find Will asleep in a hammock between two palm trees at the place we planned on staying at. I couldn't see the ocean, but I could hear the crashing of waves and I could not wait to see it the next morning. We stayed in a cool hut on the beach with 3 bunks in it.

Day 3:
We woke up for the sunrise and were happy to actually be able to see the sun in Busua, unlike Accra. The air in Busua is clean and it has a very tropical feel to it. Chocolate and banana pancakes with fresh juice was the delicious breakfast we grabbed at a local's house across the street from our hut. We then walked around Busua to explore the beachy fishing town. We were given a quick tour of the fishing village by a local before heading back to our hut to find surfboards and get in the water. The only surf shop in all of Ghana is in Busua, called Black Star Surf Shop. It was 2 doors down from our hut on the beach so we ran over there to grab boards for the day. I have become desensitized to things that would weird me out in the United States, like dodging sheep and chicken as I'm walking down the beach to go surfing. I saw the fishermen pulling in a net as I was walking to the water with my surfboard so I ran over to see what they had caught. 3 swordfish and 2, seven food sharks were in the net. Instead of turning around and bailing on surfing, I offered the fisherman 1 CEDI for a tooth and then paddled out to surf right where they had just pulled the sharks in.

The surf was great and I kept having to remind myself that I was surfing in West Africa. The surf was also pretty heavy and I got thrown over a wave and cut my leg up pretty badly but nothing would stop me from continuing to surf. We stayed in the water for the rest of the afternoon and evening only to come in for a quick lunch on the beach. A few locals paddled out at sunset and randomly started to sing the song "The lion sleeps tonight" from The Lion King. They insisted that we sing along too, so we did. So there we were, in West Africa, surfing at sunset, singing "the lion sleeps tonight" at the top of our lungs with locals, dying of laughter.
It was Katie's birthday at midnight so we decided to go out to a nicer dinner to celebrate. A few locals also built her a huge bonfire for her birthday in front of the surf shop so we danced around the bonfire until midnight. Many of the kids and locals from the fishing village joined the festivities, too, and laughed at our poor dancing skills. It was an incredible day in Busua and I wasn't sure if I would ever make it back to the ship because I liked the place so much.

Day 4:
I had intended to take a 3am bus back to Tema this morning to make it back in time for my class fieldtrip but Busua was way too cool so I decided to stay for another day. Traveling is way more fun when you don't make plans and are willing to break plans I have realized. We were able to get some fishermen to take us out in one of their boats at 7am to an Island just off the coast. I have no idea how we made it to the island, because the swells were building and the boat could barely float in calm seas to begin with. It took about an hour to get back to shore, and we were happy to be back on land and out of the "boat". The surf had doubled in size over night so we decided to grab surfboards again and get a few more waves before we packed up and headed back to Tema. As we were walking out to the water we ran into a fisherman who offered to catch us some lobster and have his sister cook them up for us for lunch after we got done surfing so, of course, we said yes. The surf was much bigger today and it got the adrenaline pumping a bit. When we got in from surfing, the fisherman had just got in from catching 16 lobster for the 6 of us. I don't think I will ever eat fresher lobster again. They went from the ocean to our stomachs in less than an hour. We packed up and said goodbye to the monkeys near our hut before grabbing a taxi and heading to Takoradi, the nearest town where we could catch a bus back to Accra. The bus ride back to Accra was 5 hours and cost 11 CEDI (about $7). They played ear screeching soap operas the whole way back to Accra. In Accra, we grabbed a taxi back to the ship just after sunset to. I was absolutely exhausted when we made it back to the ship so I went straight to bed to rest up for our last day in Ghana.

Day 5:
Will and I had to do a fieldtrip for a class to a Bamboo Bicycle company in Accra at 8am. These were high-end bicycles with handmade bamboo frames. You should definitely look them up on Google, they are called Bamboosero Bicycles. With only a few hours after the fieldtrip before we had to be back on the boat, Will and I went to a market to grab some last minute plantain chips and other ship necessities.

Here are some pictures from Ghana:

Exploring Accra

Quality Restrooms

Fu Fu for lunch

Whoops

Drumming lessons

Jamestown

Fishing Boats in Jamestown

Joseph's home (5 people live here)

Jamestown Locals

Drying out the day's catch

Hanging with kids in Accra

The lighthouse in Accra (Cody, Me, Joseph, Katie)

Preparing Fish

The ride to Busua with Collins

Our Beach Hut in Busua

Busua Beach

Fishing Village Kitchen

Surfing in Busua

Lunch at Black Star Surf Shop

Playing soccer with locals

Katie's Birthday Dinner

Busua Beach Bonfire

Boating to the Island in Busua

Before/After

A rude awakening

Our Monkey Friend