Location: Cape Town
Today I woke up everyone at our normal time, 7 am, and we ate a quick breakfast and headed to meet our van. When we arrived at our destination, Cape Point, everyone split up into small groups and wandered around. Eventually, everyone made it to the top of the quick hike, where there was a lighthouse looking out over some stunning cliffs and beaches. While hiking we saw countless bearded dragons and amazing views the entire time. Some of us were faster to get to the top, while others struggled greatly. The one who struggled far worse than the rest was our Captain, Tom. He was complaining the entire time about his old age catching up to him as he limped up the path. After the hike, we ate some snacks and hopped back into the van to go to our next destination, PENGUINS!!! On our drive over I heard some excited shreieking and looked out the window to see what was going on. That was when I realized there was an ostrich staring back at me. Our van was filled with giddy giggles and shouts about how awkward and fantastical they looked in real life.
When we arrived at the penguin beach, there were literally hundreds of them waddling around, sleeping on rocks, and ducking in and out of waves. The babies were so chunky and fluffy, and the molting ones looked a little rougher around the edges. One penguin, in particular, caught the group’s eye because everyone was making fun of his attempt to surf the wave back into shore. That’s when we realized he was missing a leg that was most likely bitten off by a shark. After our thrilling penguin adventure, we grabbed a quick ice cream and headed to the winery for sushi and wine tasting. When we walked inside of the winery, we all felt out of place. The huge windows peered over rolling green plains, a big Koi pond, and, of course, the grape vines. We were then promptly introduced to our first wine, which was followed by three more sushi platters. When we were finished eating and drinking, Nico and Ayden went on a walk to the pond and allowed Koi fish to nibble on their fingers, which ended up in them being just a few minutes late to our meeting time at the van. But nonetheless, it was the perfect end to our day of excursions.
We wrapped up the day with a squeeze question, reminiscing on our most scared moments on the boat so far. The answers consisted of running from the banshee in the dark during boat checks, trying to use the heads with rough seas, and smelling unfortunate stenches wafting through the cabins. Today was an amazing day, and I can’t believe we only have a few days left of our semester and that this is my last time writing the blog. I am so grateful for all of the memories and friends I’ve made, and time has flown by.