Our first stop was the Crags, a rural area near Plettenberg bay. We stayed at a hostel (called a backpacker in SA) aptly named Wild Spirit, as it had a definite hippie-vibe. On our first full day, we started off with a bang with the group attempting the world’s highest bungee jump off a nearby bridge. Four of the group-members decided to do the jump (Erin and I opted to save our money and satisfy our survival instinct by watching from the pub which overlooked the jump and serving as the designated photographers). Amazingly enough, nobody backed out, and all four jumpers came back smiling, satisfied, and adrenaline-filled, each with a DVD to document the event.
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| Spring-themed party and dinner of Potjie stew at Wild Spirit- this explains my nature-inspired headpiece |
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| the jumpers! the extra is Adrien, a french guy staying at Wild Spirit who came along for the jump |
That night, we headed to nearby Jeffrey’s Bay, a small surfing town. For the next two days, we hung out by the beach, wandering around the quiet town and soaking up the mellow surfer-vibes. It was a little cold to sunbathe, but being near the water felt great.
From Jeffrey’s Bay we went to Port Elizabeth, where we stayed at a cozy little hostel. We decided to use our one full day in P.E. splurging on a safari. The day started at 8 am, when we were picked up and taken on a driving tour of Addo Elephant Park. Driving through the park, we saw tons of elephants, some coming right up to the van! We then enjoyed a nice lunch at Addo before heading to Scotia Game Reserve for our afternoon safari.
At Scotia, we all piled into an open-air landrover, equipped with wool blankets to wrap up in with, of course, our cameras in-hand. For the rest of the afternoon, we rode around the park, seeing some unbelievable animals up-close and personal. Highlights included the giraffes (my favorite!) and zebras. Later in the afternoon, following a tea and coffee break, I got to ride on the tracker’s seat, a little bench perched on the hood of the landrover (the only condition was, according to our guide Peter, that I had to get back inside the vehicle when we found a rhino). For close to an hour, I got to ride around in this seat, clinging on with both hands during the rough ride and soaking up the animals, scenery, and beautiful African sunset. Finally we did spot a rhino, and Peter quickly pulled over in the bush for me to climb back in. We then drove over to the rhinos, who came right up tous. Suddenly, one of them charged at the front of our truck! Apparently we did something to make him mad- thankfully I had vacated my special seat, or the day might not have ended so well for me.
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| setting off to safari |
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| I managed to capture the moment when the rhino charged at the van! |
Once the sun had gone down, we headed to a bungalow on the reserve for a delicious African home-cooked dinner of stewed kudu, chicken, rice, potatoes, pureed squash, green beans, mushroom sauce, and fresh-baked African bread. Paired with a glass of wine and a slice of Malva pudding with custard for dessert (the best way to describe malva is a slice of thick syrup-soaked pancake cake- AMAZING), it was the perfect way to end an incredible day. Finally, as if this wasn’t enough, we piled back into the landrover for the final highlight of the experience- venturing out to observe the nocturnal lion hunt. Though we saw a few lions earlier in the day, this was nothing compared to what we saw once the sun went down. Driving out into the open grass, we got within 3 feet of TONS of lions. Though this was supposed to be their hunting hour, most didn’t seem in the mood- instead seemingly preferring to lay around in the grass. Lucky for us, this provided the perfect opportunity to see them up-close and take a million pictures. Overall, the day was an undeniable high-point of the trip, and an experience I will never forget.
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| picture's a little dark- but check out his pose. |
For our final spring-break stop, we stayed our last night in Knysna, a sweet little sea town. With a picturesque waterfront, lots of shops and restaurants, and a slow-paced charm, it was a nice opportunity to explore and unwind after a hectic week. When we finally piled back on the Baz bus on Friday for the long drive back to Cape Town, we were exhausted, happy, and full of stories and pictures to record our memorable week.
