Groovy Routes

I am once again posting about something in the not so distant past, but better late than never, right? Last month, I finally had the chance to see the lovely Garden Route that I had heard so much about. The Garden Route is comprised of a hand full of adorable little seaside towns (think Laguna Beach or Santa Cruz) with the furthest point being about 10 hours away. So, after a sick Avicii concert to kick off our break, Karina, Holly, Shannon and I loaded up our gear and spent Spring Break on the coast!

 Everyone does the Garden Route their own way, but if you ever find yourself out that way, let me give you a few hints..

Say YES to...

1. Staying at Wild Spirit Backpackers in the Crags (pictures 2,3, and 4). If you have a bit of vagabond gypsy in you, you'll love the organic breakfasts, amazing views, roaming family pets and general vibe of this hippy haven. Make sure to spend a day at the lagoon in Nature's Valley and hike Pigs Head for a 360 view of the area!

2. Bungee Jumping in Tsitsikamma! At 216 meters (708 feet) it's the world's tallest commercial bungee. I'm desperately afraid of heights, but it was really fun to watch the crazies fly and be around all the adrenaline.

3. Making a trip to Jeffery's Bay (pictures 5 and 6). It's a world renown surf spot so there are really cheap lessons everywhere. That also means that it's got quite the population of fun kids that want to surf by day and get ultra rowdy by night. We stayed at Island Vibe the first two nights, which was great because it's known for its parties and locals hang out there all the time. But, for our third night, we opted for a cleaner, quieter place called Hard Rock Backpackers which was also awesome with an insanely friendly owner.

4. Going to Addo (pictures 7, 8 and 9)! Addo National Elephant Park was by far my favorite part of the trip, and a highlight of my entire year. It was amazing to see the freedom that the animals and the visitors had, as there are no gates, fences, anything between you and the animals. We were lucky enough to see 3 out of the 12 lions in the whole park, and although we didn't see as many elephants as other trips I've heard of, the hand full that we saw were up close and personal. Quite honestly the most humbling experience I've had in a long time.

5. Staying at the Fairy Knowe. This was our last stop before Cape Town, and even though it was raining and miserable out, I loved this place. It was a great deal for a private, 4 person room, they have 2 friendly stafford bull terriers that wanted to play all day, and it was in the midst of the beautiful town of Wildnerness which hosts quaint shops, amazing eateries and hiking/kayaking adventures of all kinds.

Say NO to...

1. the drive to Oudtshoorn. Now, maybe I'm a bit biased because our experience was not great, but the drive to Oudtshoorn did not seem worth the time. It's home to the Cango Wild Life Ranch and the Cango Caves, which both seemed pretty cool at first. But, in all actuality, the ranch was a hardly glorified zoo and we didn't even make it to the caves because they were even farther out of the way. However, I have heard that it's basically just a guided tour and it's not natural or adventurous at all. 

2. Stopping in Sedgefield. It's just past Wilderness, and it's where we spent our first night. The backpackers was okay, but the town had nothing else to offer besides being on the beach. I would suggest either stopping in Wilderness or powering through to the Crags which is only about an hour more!

3. Saying no! My biggest lesson from this trip is to say yes! We didn't do a few activities because we thought something better would come along that we would rather do. But, by the end of our trip, we felt like we hadn't done much at all. Of course we had fun, saw amazing sights and enjoyed the trip, but we didn't do much. Raft, hike, zip line - just do!

Live positively,

KG

Sunday Funday

My sincerest apologies for the lack of updates. We are in the midst of final exams, and UCT is a force to be reckoned with. I think it's only fair that I give a certain warning to anyone coming to study abroad here... University of Cape Town is not for the faint of heart! If you're someone who needs your advisor to hold your hand, and your professor to feed you exam answers - this is not the place for you! If you're looking for an easy semester of non-major art and wine tasting - this is not the place for you! But, if you want to truly immerse yourself in interesting classes that you would never be able to attend at USF or other American Universities, with prestigious professors, challenging discourses, and the opportunity to mature as a student and person...come on over. I can't honestly say that my two semesters at UCT have been easy. But, they've been interesting as hell, and I've learned a lot. There are certain attributes of a small university that I love, but that don't really prepare you for real life, like the personal care you receive from the administration and professors, or the strings that are pulled and deadlines overlooked by people that like you. But UCT is brutal in that sense. Most people don't forgive missed deadlines, and the administration is actually annoyed if you ask too many questions. And while it took some getting used to, I find myself feeling like a better student and more mature person for it. I used to tell everyone that I hated UCT, but in the final few weeks of my time here, I've come to regret ever saying that. It's just a real school that has forced me to be responsible and professional. In a way, UCT has given me a lot of tough love that I didn't want, but I would do it all over again. Anyway...

It's been a few months since this day took place, but I'd like to write about it anyway because for anyone looking to come study, live, work, retire or simple visit, this was the quintessential Cape Town Sunday.

We rounded up the gang in the Bus O' Fun and headed out to Gugulethu, the township that hosts the famous Mzoli's braai. I know I've posted about this before, but it was almost a year ago, so we had to go again. Mzoli's is a wonderland of dancing mixed with a shmorgishborg of meat and beer topped with extreme heat. It's the one place that people from any walk of life, socioeconomic background and color come to mesh. I don't know what they put on their meat, but it's the most deliciouso stuff around, so this place is absolutely a must for anyone in the area. And even those who aren't. Make a trip, it's worth it.

From there, we continued on to another Cape Townian favorite: Summer concerts in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. It brought me back to summer days when I would ride my bike to the concerts in the park that Tustin put on... except it's 10 times as big. Hundreds of families brought full on picnics, bottles of wine and their dancin shoes because the band performing that night was none other than our Cape Town claim to fame: GOLDFISH! I've seen them a couple of times, but the show is always so groovy you can't help but dance the entire time. Amama (David's grandma that stayed with us for just over a month) was rockin out alongside Karina, Holly and some other good friends... so, to say that it was a successfully stellar night would be a complete understatement. It was the first, and sadly only, summer concert that we attended (Kirstenbosch hosts one every Sunday for a few months), but it was a perfect evening with friends and family and I wish we could have gone back for more (damn studying abroad).

Truly, the perfect Sunday.


Live bravely,
KG