When I think about South Africa, only one word comes to mind…. Adventure.

For many of my shipmates aboard the M.V. World Odyssey, South Africa was a port favorite. Despite the lingering post-Apartheid issues South Africa is dealing with, the country itself is beautiful; the endless wineries, big 5 safaris, and abundant amount of thrill-seeking experiences make it a dream destination for many travelers.

*I want to start out by saying I have always been the kind of person to have a positive attitude and try to make the most of any situation, no matter how wrong things may go. However, this was the port that really challenged my belief that I was meant for traveling. When I describe this experience to friends and family I often describe it as a place that was filled with a lot of highs, and a few really bad lows.

Some of the highs included: skydiving, seeing the big 5 on a safari drive, shark cage diving, seeing BoKaap street from a hotel rooftop.

The Lows: having my phone pick-pocketed (see picture below of me having a meltdown in the middle of downtown the morning after), witnessing someone getting kicked off of the ship for being too drunk, a booking issue with a safari, and seeing the aftermath of the Apartheid.

*As I have said before, I try to be as real as possible with myself and others. While I never took this amazing experience for granted, I think it is important to include both the good and the bad in these posts. When people look into Semester at Sea, they usually only see and read about the good, but it is an experience that is filled with many REAL life-changing events, both the beautiful and the ugly.*

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Day 1/2- October 7-8

Upon arriving in South Africa, everyone was very eager to get off the ship. Unfortunately, the ship was delayed due to the rough seas that we had faced the previous days. I can’t stress the importance of not making elaborate plans on the first day in port- many people were missing flights and plans that they had made because of this issue.

I was originally scheduled to have a field class on the first day, but the activity got moved to the very last day. Instead, my friends and I spent the afternoon roaming around the V&A waterfront, shopping at the mall and listening to live music at the Ferryman’s Tavern. It was nice to have a relaxing day to explore a small section of the city.

 

Since the majority of the people spent the day just hanging around the city, most of the students decided to go out to a bar at night. Dubliner(the bar) = not my friend.

This is where my first low began…. With the majority of people at the bar being my classmates, I let my guard down. Big mistake… Within 3 minutes of having my phone out, it was stolen by a local pick-pocketer. If you’re a future SASer reading this, I can’t stress the importance of never letting your guard down, no matter what. Not having my phone created many obstacles later in the trip such as logging into my accounts, paying my credit card bill, contacting people, or even using Venmo.

I did my best not to dwell on my loss and focused on spending time with my friends. The next day (day 2), I spent the late morning on a food adventure… that’s one thing I love about exploring with my friend Haley, is the fact that she loves food just as much as me. We made a pit stop at The Velvet Cake co. for some cupcakes (yes we had cupcakes for breakfast) and then went right next door to Giulio’s Café for Brunch.

 

Later that afternoon, I hopped into an Uber and traveled to the opposite side of Table Mountain to spend the day relaxing at Camps Bay Beach. The drive up and down Table Mountain was absolutely mesmerizing. The houses were so large and beautiful; I couldn’t help but to be in awe, but also feel uneasy. Less than 10 minutes away was extreme poverty and people living without running water or electricity, I couldn’t stop imagining how many shacks could have possibly fit into one of those houses. I am fully aware that each country struggles with different issues of their own, but it was all very real to me after learning of Apartheid. 

On a brighter note, the beach was beautiful. I could have sat there for hours without moving. Not only were you able to see the ocean for miles, but in the opposite direction were a large array of mountains that made you feel as if you were stuck in a painting. This was also the place where I discovered my love for sushi…. not Japan, but a random day by the beach, in South Africa. Before heading to the beach that day we made a quick pit stop at the Codfather Seafood & Sushi where I tried my first pieces of sushi straight off of a conveyor belt. 

 

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Day 3- October 9

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to go skydiving. Cape Town is where I got to cross this item off of my bucket list. It didn’t really surprise me how fast I agreed to join my friend Evan and several others to spend the day sand boarding and skydiving.

Sand boarding was much more challenging than I thought it would be, I’m not sure why I pictured myself gracefully gliding down the hills of sand? In reality, the first time I tried to stand up and do it, I face planted and almost knocked myself out with my GoPro. Needless to say, I sat down all the other times and enjoyed the morning laughing with new friends.

Later, we drove 45 minutes from the dunes to the skydiving place. Jumping out of a plane was probably one of my most anticipated moments of the entire trip… maybe even of my entire life. I joked about being more scared to talk to a cute boy on the ship, than I was to jump out of a plane (still true btw).

It was in that moment that I felt the most fearless. I watched the surroundings go by through the tiny window that made up a fraction of the small 3-person plane. And then my moment came… the door swung open and I jumped, without a worry in the world. I was free. I replay this moment in my mind often and I dream about doing it over and over again.

We ended the day with our guide dropping us off at the waterfront for dinner. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Quay 4 and laughed about life and the amazing day that we had just experienced.

When I got back to the ship again, I met up with my roommate back up with Evan and my roommate Hana to catch a movie at the V&A waterfront movie theater. We had the entire theater to ourselves and had a blast eating popcorn, drinking wine, and watching Blake Lively’s A Simple Favor.

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Day 4- October 10

Before leaving,  I asked people their opinion on the one thing I needed to do in South Africa- almost every single person answered that going on a safari would be their first choice. That’s exactly what I spent day number 4 doing. A friend and I signed up to do a safari which included a game drive and horseback riding at Aquila Game Reserve.

Early in the morning, a van picked us up just outside the port where our ship was docked. We began our long drive to my second most anticipated part of the port. Along the way we passed beautiful landscapes, various wineries, picturesque mountains, and tiny towns.

Upon arriving, we were welcomed with glasses of champagne and a fancy all you can eat breakfast. The reserve itself was so elegant, I could have spent a few days there lying by the pool or even treating myself at the spa; but we had wildlife to see!

I loved every second getting to learn about the different animals that coexist on the reserve and how they all get taken care of. I even got to see the big 5, which consists of lions, zebras, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, and leopards. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see Vin Diesel who was apparently there the day before (some of my classmates got to meet him!).

Remember when I said South Africa was filled with many highs and a few lows? Well it turns out the reserve mixed up our paperwork upon arriving and we spent over an hour trying to figure out our horseback-riding situation… which we did not get to go on. Luckily we were compensated with a complimentary massage at the spa (which wasn’t really complementary because we never did get our refund for the horseback riding). I always try to keep a positive attitude, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by this situation. In reality it wasn’t a huge deal, but it felt like one thing kept piling up after another.

Even with the mess up of our reservation, I left feeling happy that I got to experience something so unique. I can even say I got a massage for the first time in my life (it certainly would not be the last during the trip).

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Day 5- October 11

The day I swam with Great White Sharks. That’s right- my friends Connor, Austin, and I suited up and locked ourselves in a cage to see some of the most fascinating creatures in the world.

Most people spent about half the time in the cage and half on the boat. The three of us were so intrigued, we spent the entire time in the water waiting to spot a Great White Shark. Even though I swallowed a mouth full of chum (10/10 don’t recommend it), it was incredible getting to see the world from a new perspective. I guess it was a little scary thinking back on it, but I’ve never experienced anything like it in my life.

Upon arriving back at the cage diving shop, we were met with a much-needed lunch that included warm drinks and soup. We were all freezing but would not have traded the experience for anything.

Once back to the ship, I knew I needed to see Table Mountain before leaving Cape Town and this was my last chance to do so. I set out in a taxi on a solo adventure and had just enough daylight to make it up and back down in the cable car.

For the first time in my life, I was uneasy about traveling by myself, which is something that really hit me unexpectedly. I have always been super independent, but started to feel uneasy without my pick-pocketed phone or anyone to talk to. I knew I needed to conquer this new fear of something bad potentially happening, so I set out to do so.

I spent about an hour roaming around the top of Table Mountain taking pictures and learning about the history of the mountain itself. I was even able to spot the M.V. World Odyssey from the very top!

I’m glad I ventured out by myself; it was some much needed alone time and I learned that finding your way is still very possible without technology. Semester at Sea pushes your boundaries and teaches you a lot about yourself; I found that conquering my fear that developed from getting pick-pocketed, I grew as a person and I’m thankful for that.

That evening I met with a group of friends and walked down to the V&A waterfront to grab a late dinner at my favorite restaurant in Cape Town, the Life Grande Cafe. The food is amazing and it sits right on the water.

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Day 6- October 12

For my very last day in Cape Town, I was expecting to go on a field class to Robben Island. This is where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner during Apartheid. However, there were very rough seas and terrible winds, so the ferry was shut down for the day. Instead, my journalism class spent the day roaming around downtown Cape Town in small groups.

My group of three decided we wanted to get the chance to dig deeper into Cape Town’s dark history. The first stop we made was to District 6 and the District 6 Museum.

Here is a quick history for those who do not know, please keep in mind this is a very brief history based on what I gathered from my own personal learning experience and on the Internet:

“During the 1970’s over 60,000 people were forced out of their homes due to unfair reasons made up by the Apartheid government. Government officials stated that removals were happening due to “interracial breeding” which was forbidden at the time, the area being classified as a slum, and it being crime-ridden and dangerous. However, many people believed the government wanted the land due to its closeness to the city center and the harbor.

On February 11, 1966 the government declared the space as a whites only area. Many of the coloured people resisted and refused to leave while they saw their homes being bulldozed. Plans were drawn up to refurbish the area, making new renovated buildings for white people only.

After the 1994 election, families that were separated from their homes made claims of restitution. A large number of residents have been given the option to relocate to district 6 no matter their skin color or race.”

We had the opportunity to see the effects with our own two eyes and to learn of the heartbreak and tragedy that took place during this time at the District 6 Museum. It undeniably broke my heart to learn about injustice that took place and see the effects that still linger till this day.

Next we wandered up the street to see an area called Bo-Kaap, which most people know as the place with ‘the colorful houses’. We spent time learning the history in the museum and supporting the local economy at some of the stores where most of the residents work. What most people don’t know is that this place has so much significance in the history of Cape town.

Bo-Kapp is more than just an Instagram picture. And when I realized that, I realized that I am not a tourist… I am a traveler.

Here’s what I learned: “Bo-Kaap is formerly known as the Malay Quarter and the majority of its residents are of Muslim descent. Many of the residents are also descendants of slaves that were purchased by the Dutch and imported from Malaysia, Indonesia, and other parts of Asia.

In between 1760-1763 slave owner Jan de Waal bought the land and built small homes which he leased to his slaves. Upon leasing the homes they were all colored white. After the rule was lifted, the homeowners were able to buy the houses and painted them bright colors as an expression of their freedom.

Today, generations of the same families are living there today. After Apartheid ended, this area became extremely popular and tourists started flocking to the streets to take pictures, often times regarding the history. Residents today are struggling to preserve the culture and character due to the significant increase in tourism”.

We spent the remainder of our afternoon wandering into local shops, learning about the history/residents, and appreciating our surroundings. Finally, we boarded or bus and ended our day at the Zeitz Museum of of Contemporary Art Africa.

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It was interesting getting to learn about a different country and it made me realize that each country has its own dark past. But at the end of the day, it’s not about the past, it’s about the steps the country is making to progress into the future as a better version of itself. South Africa has made a lot of progress in the past 15 years, but still has a long way to go.

Even though I faced my own struggles in South Africa, I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world. I enjoyed the challenges, realization, and beauty that I experienced over the course of just 6 short days. I crossed countless items off my bucket list and expanded my knowledge of the world.

Even if I have a million more things to do during my lifetime, South Africa was one Hell of an Adventure.