South Africa/Dubai Trip Part 1: Cape Town

So much I loved about this trip. So many pictures to prove it. I finally whittled my way down from 1500+ pictures to about 300 that I absolutely had to edit. 

This trip was not only beautiful, but Caton and I crossed about a dozen things off our bucket lists. Things like diving with great whites (not so much my bucket list as Caton's), riding an ostrich, riding an elephant, riding a camel, petting a cheetah, holding lemurs, diving with crocodiles, riding the world's fastest roller coaster, riding in a helicopter, going on a safari in Africa, seeing the Middle East, skiing indoors at the world's largest mall, standing on the tip of Africa, seeing Victoria Falls, and so many others... 

 I suppose the best and most effective way to document our two week trip would be to break it down by area. 

 We left Salt Lake City, flew 4 hours to Atlanta, and then boarded the dreaded 15 hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg. When we finally arrived bleary eyed in Johannesburg, we boarded yet another 2 hour flight to Cape Town. We arrived in Cape Town close to midnight and had a difficult time finding our condo in our rental car. After about an hour of aimlessly guessing our destination, we finally found our condo and went to sleep. It was about 30 traveling hours door to door. 

 When we woke up our first morning in Cape Town, I was blown away by it's beauty. Our condo was right on the beach and it reminded me of Malibu - not the Africa I had imagined. Cape Town was beautiful and the weather was so perfect. We drove around all day and explored. We made it down to the tip of Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. We saw baboons and penguins. And lots of Japanese tourists.

The next day we drove west to dive with great white sharks. The one photo I have wasn't even taken by me. Rachel was the only one taking pictures that day. After a few hours of rocking on a stormy day, I was puking off the side of the boat. The great whites were amazing/terrifying but it was difficult to get past the puke. Not my favorite day. 

 The day after shark diving, we went to a wild life preserve and had some animal encounters. We all spent some time with the cheetahs and then Rachel and I hung out with some lemurs while Caton and Levi dove with crocodiles. After that, we drove to an ostrich farm where Rachel and I rode an ostrich. It is probably one of the most fun things I've ever done. I was laughing/screaming the entire 30 seconds.  

Back in Cape Town, we spent a morning on the the waterfront and took a ferry to Robben Island - where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years.

 I loved Cape Town. So beautiful and interesting. I had expected all of Africa to be more rustic and dangerous. Cape Town felt very westernized and safe. I loved every minute of Cape Town (except ones on the shark diving boat).

The view from our condo.

This sign made me laugh all day. Caton didn't think it was funny at all.

This makes me laugh too. Today's exit time is 7:34. Precise.

Caton liked using his binoculars.

Cape of Good Hope.

This picture is blurry, but it shows that the cheetahs were not just drugged or asleep. 

This picture makes me laugh so hard. Japanese tourists...

Our Robben Island tour guide was an ex political prisoner who spent 7 years imprisoned on the island.

Nelson Mandela's small cell.

The great whites. How can you not think of Bruce from Finding Nemo? "Fish are friends, not food."