Table Mountain...I did that!!!

Table Mountain, one of the seven modern wonders of the world, elevation reaching 3,558 feet up and we hiked it! It was no easy task. It took us about 2 hours and 45 minutes. I wanted to give up at some points but thanks to my fellow hikers, I kept going. It was an amazing feeling to reach the top but I also said I would never climb it again ;) Once was enough for me. Table Mountain is a prominent landmark in Cape Town, overlooking the city once you reach the top. Unfortunately the day we went there was very low visibility and we could not see anything besides the clouds once reaching the top. Enjoy the pics!

So excited at the start! Durriyyah, Chase and I ready to hike Table Mountain.

We had to get alllll the way up there...

The cable car that goes up and down the mountain. You can only get on at the top or bottom, no in between.

Table Mountain

View from the Mountain, not even halfway up yet.

Taking a break...

Getting closer to the top...

Leaving our mark on the mountain

That was behind us, we could barely see anything below

The light at the end of the tunnel!!

We did it!! Do you see the pain behind our smiles? ;)

On top of the world!!! Well maybe Cape Town!

It was freezing at the top.

After all of that, we took the cable car back down and it took under 7 minutes! We were all glad that we climbed it, it was worth it for the experience. Even when I told them to leave me and I would be "the girl that lived on Table Mountain". 

A Trip to Robben Island

Robben Island is where the political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, were held during the apartheid era. South Africa's current President, Robert Zuma, was also once held there. Since 1997 Robben Island has been a museum and heritage site. We had a bus ride of the island itself then a walking tour of the prison. Our tour guide of the prison was a past prisoner on Robben Island. It was good to hear from someone who was imprisoned on the island. He spoke very candidly and answered all questions we had for him. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to share in that piece of history.

On the boat heading over to Robben Island, I didn't get seasick this time ;)

A Church on the island

The prisoners worked in this rock quarry. In that small cave they would gather to talk politics and also teach other.

This stack of rocks was started by Nelson Mandela on a reunion visit back to the island. After he dropped the first rock, one by one past prisoners also dropped a rock on top of his.

A typical cell in the prison.

The ID card of each prisoner. It was interesting to find out how each prisoner received their ID number. It was based on when you arrived on the island. Nelson Mandela's number was 46664. He was the 466th prisoner in 1964.

Typical menu for the prisoners

Nelson Mandela's actual cell on the island.

Have I Told You About My Friend Joseph...

Ahhhh Joseph, how I miss thee! Joseph is the Cheetah I met and pet while visiting the Cheetah Outreach Project in Stellenbosch. He was so handsome! Joseph is 10 years old and has been with the Project since he was a baby. He is very close with his trainer and even slept in the same bed as him as a cub. It was very sad to hear that cheetah's may soon become extinct. The Cheetah Outreach Project was founded to highlight these gorgeous creatures and deliver conservation interventions.

We had to approach Joseph from the back and only when he was laying down. We had to specifically kneel the way I am here. That is in case he gets up it will be easier for us to jump up and go. Thankfully he did not...at least not during my group's encounter.

I met Joseph the day I lost my cell phone so I don't have as many pictures of him left. These were the ones taken on my camera.

South Africa Loves Rugby!!

So while in Cape Town I wanted to live and experience everything the locals did. Rugby is definitely one of them. As baseball, basketball and football are to Americans, Rugby is to South Africa. The team is called the South African Springboks, Bokkies for short. A couple of us were lucky enough to get tickets to the Junior World Championship game (players under 21). They played New Zealand, whom they have a big rivalry against. I even got a Springboks women's jersey for the occasion. There was so much energy in the stadium, it was a sold out game. We had great tickets and were able to get very close to the field. Guess who won...the BOKKIES!!!

You can't drink alcohol in the stadium so we took a break in the bar.

The Springboks celebrating their win!

Lions & Tigers & Bears...Oh My!!!

Well not really but I did meet Gerry the Giraffe!!! One day after classes Ramona, Tisei and I went out to Giraffe House and it was so much fun! Despite the name, Giraffe House only has one giraffe. They also house zebra, springbok, ostrich, meerkat, duiker and more! There are normally reptile shows but on this day they did not have it. The handler did bring some special friends out to meet us before we left . Enjoy the pics!

The giraffe's are definitely my favorite animal! They are so beautiful!!

I keep kissing frogs in hopes of finding my Prince ;) (Y'all know I didn't really kiss that bullfrog)

The zebra's were not as big as I thought they would be. They looked more like ponies to me. They were pretty either way. This one wasn't feeling me because I kept stretching out the food but he couldn't reach. In the end we just threw some food at him.

They were so wild! 

Keeds loves the animals!!

And for my grand finale....

Yes that is a Chilean Tarantula!

And yes that is a snake around my neck. As little as he is I was scared out of my wits! If you notice, he gets tighter and tighter around my neck and I could feel him moving around my neck. I was laughing to keep from screaming but it was fun! I do not remember the exact name of this snake but the trainer told us he had no venom inside and this is the type of snake children usually have as pets. Either way, it's a snake!!!