We were supposed to leave on our overland camping tour with Intrepid Travel at noon following our Lion’s Head sunrise hike. We boarded the truck, lunches in hand, and realized after a few moments that our truck wasn’t moving. Turns out, we weren’t purposely idle – the truck wouldn’t start and no one knew why. Our guide, Chris, asked us to get off the bus while they tried to figure out what was wrong.
Fast-forward five hours, and the truck still wouldn’t start (even with a new part). Chris came over to tell us that we would no longer be departing that day, as the bus wasn’t fixed. This is Africa.
Once settled in our new hotel for the night, we decided that we might as well make the most of our final night in Cape Town. What did that consist of? Watching sunset at Camps Bay, of course! We perched up on a rock and had a beautiful view of the sunset in front of us, the 12 Apostles (the back of Table Mountain) next to us, and Lion’s Head behind us. It was a perfect sunset with great people – a very positive end to my time in Cape Town indeed.
Initially I was bummed that I wasn’t going to have time to climb Lion’s Head for sunrise or watch the infamous Cape Town sunsets, but thanks to the truck breaking down, I was able to accomplish both. Everything happens for a reason.
Boulders Beach is one of the most unique, pristine beaches I have ever encountered. What makes it any different from say, De Hoop Nature Reserve? Well, there are PENGUINS! And it’s not like they’re hiding – they’re basking in the sun only a few feet away from you, they’re swimming alongside you in the water, and they’re waddling over to check you out. We were there on a weekday, leaving the beach virtually secluded; it felt like our own private getaway for the morning.
Travelers Tip: Hit the beach Monday-Friday because the beach gets crowded with locals on the weekends.
Most tourists head right for the Boulders Beach Observatory and miss the actual beach entirely. DO NOT SKIP IT! If anything, skip the Observatory, or at least leave it for last as it’s a total tourist trap. While you get to see hundreds of penguins on the beach, you also get to see hundreds of tourists. If you only have time for one aspect of Boulders, choose the beach.
After what felt like ages driving from Outdshoorn to De Hoop Nature Reserve, we finally made it without breaking down. We passed four broken down cars along the way…
Travelers Tip: As soon as you arrive at the De Hoop reception area, the receptionist will try to sell you on a “stunning” 3.5 km hike. It was neither a hike nor stunning, so do yourself a favor and skip it.
De Hoop is known for its white sand dunes. It’s 16 km farther on tricky dirt roads, but completely worth it. I knew there was a reason I wanted to go to De Hoop. We exited our car, walked a few feet, and were greeted with beautiful, sweeping white sand dunes juxtaposed against a turquoise and dark blue ocean – literally, the ocean’s blue was split like water and oil. De Hoop is hands down the nicest beach I have ever encountered, and the sand was so unbelievably fine that you couldn’t feel it on your body.
Travelers Tip: Bring a picnic and eat it in the shaded areas while absorbing the spectacular views.
If you’re continuing along the Garden Route, you should take a photo at the obligatory pit-stop – Cape L’Agulhas, the southern-most tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet.
5:30am, and we were at the gate ready to enter Addo Elephant National Park (thanks for the suggestion Savi and Vid!). For a while, we had only seen a mouse and a hare, so we were a bit concerned that we wouldn’t see much wildlife due to the chilly, damp morning.
After a bit of time, the elephants slowly made themselves visible – first a baby elephant, then a pair of elephants, then another. We watched as an elephant approached two other elephants and sat amazed as they began to fight. They wrapped their trunks around each other and interlocked their tusks; they rough-housed for about forty minutes. All the while, no other cars joined us, so we felt like we were given our own very special moment with the elephants.
It wasn’t until we hit the southern portion of the park that we saw a breeding herd of elephants. They weren’t at all afraid of the cars, and walked in between them without hesitation. All in all, it was a very successful game drive.
After a fabulous braai with some friends we met at Bulungula, we attempted to sleep. It was a freezing cold night by anyone’s standards, but especially when you consider the fact that we were in Africa! After much tossing and turning in my tent, I finally fell asleep wearing three layers of clothing, a fleece sweatshirt, an earband, gloves, and wool socks…Who would have thought?!
The following morning, we were up at 5am to go on one final game drive before continuing with our road trip. We didn’t have much luck, but the highlight of the morning was seeing a cape buffalo right next to my side mirror! 4 of the Big 5 down, 1 to go!
We headed back to camp to grab breakfast, and heard from our friends that they saw two male lions walking down the road that we drove down. Considering the fact that all of us left the campsite at the same time, it is likely that we missed them by a few seconds! Such a bummer.
As I was in our tent packing up, I looked up to see one very hairy leg on the tent above my head. I froze. It moved, and a second hairy leg made an appearance. I can handle most things, but gosh I hate spiders…especially ginormous, hairy Rain Spiders. Luckily, the boys took over breaking down the tent…
We decided to head to Jeffrey’s Bay (JBay) via the Southern exit of the park so that we had one more opportunity to see elephants. I first heard of JBay many years ago when my brother was watching the movie Endless Summer II, which featured a segment filmed there. It is well-known amongst surfers as being one of the best surf breaks in the world. JBay reminded us of a small Californian beach town, and a surfer’s paradise. There isn’t much to do other than beach it but, obviously, that’s the draw to JBay.
The whole time I was there, I couldn’t stop thinking about my brother and how much he’d love it! Anyone that knows me knows that my brother has always had a passion for surfing (as I type this, he’s streaming the Volcom Pipe Pro on our TV). While on the search for the perfect shirt for him, I began chatting with one of the shop owners. As it turned out, he just happened to be a former ASP judge for the major surfing competitions in Hawaii; ironically, he knew some of my Mauli Ola Foundation friends, Kala and Hans! Small world.
Travelers Tip: Head to the Surf Shop outlets before 5pm. The Billabong outlet is a must, as most shirts are under $10 USD.
What’s the best way to begin your day? With pancakes and a gorgeous backdrop of course! With sleepy eyes, we walked faaaaar down the beach and climbed a sand dune to watch the sunrise over the ocean. We sat watching the whales breach in the distance while one of Bulungula’s cooks made us nutella crepes for an early breakfast.
An hour later, we journeyed back to Bulungula and decided to make the most of our thoroughly sunny day (rather than pass out, which is what our bodies would have preferred). It was our first relaxing day since the beginning of our trip, and we so enjoyed spending it on the beach…and burning (Hey Nick, have the tops of your feet recovered yet?).
After spending hours on the beach, we decided to shower off the sand before our next activity. Fun Fact: Bulungula doesn’t have flush toilets or easily obtained hot water. In order to have a hot shower at Bulungula, you have to pour a bottle of paraffin into a small hole at the bottom of a furnace-like shower pole. Then, you grab a wad of toilet paper and shove it in the hole on top of the paraffin. The final step? You take a lighter, light the toilet paper, and hope that you don’t blow up the building. Luckily, my shower stall did not light up in flames, and successfully managed to have warm water for five minutes.
That afternoon, we went on a village tour. Who knew how many hills were in the Nqileni Village?! Forced exercise at its finest…
Some highlights of the tour:
Village Party: We watched part of the last soccer game of the year. The village had a big tent and food for the championship, and much of the village was gathered around to cheer on their friends.
The Local Bar: The local “bar” is far from a bar. It was a room of loud, older women sitting on milk crates and drinking Umqombothi beer. They motioned for us to sit down and pretty much shouted at us in Xhosa for 45 minutes, as we nodded in agreement. We learned that the women speak so loudly so that no one could accuse them of gossip. I can’t say that it was the most comfortable experience, but it was definitely the most cultural. Eventually, the women loosened up and wanted to pose for our cameras. They sang and danced into our lenses, and it was priceless.
Head of the Village: We went into the home of the Head of the Village and learned that he resolves conflict within the community. There is an old head and a young head, which come from different families. We were then shown the spear that they use to kill the sacrifice during weddings and funerals; if the animal doesn’t scream, it is no good and they have to kill another.
The Local School: There are three classrooms that have 14-16 students per class, ages 3-6 (split into classrooms ages 3-4 years old, 4-5 years old, and 5-6 years old). We spoke with the teachers and found out that pre-school is mandatory so that every child in the village attends. The rooms were very well-kept, albeit small. At that level, they only teach Xhosa; it isn’t until primary school that the children start learning basic English. A little boy walked into one of the classrooms that we were in and wanted to play, so we ended up in a full-blown tickle fight. He was absolutely adorable, full of smiles and laughs. The joy in his face warmed my heart – most definitely the highlight of my day. Who knew how exhausting children were?!
Bulungula is an absolute must for anyone traveling to South Africa that’s looking for an authentic, fulfilling cultural experience.
I slept restlessly that night and woke up around 5am to check the time. A text showed up from my mother saying that David and I might need to re-think heading back to Jerusalem later that afternoon. When I asked why, she sent me a link to an article: “Palestinians shooting into Israel. Israel retaliating by attacking 20 terror sites. Alarms being set off in Jerusalem.” Fantastic (please note the sarcasm). We spent the morning trying to figure out where would be the safest place for us to go, if Jerusalem was out of the question. We had decided to go to Sinai then Tel Aviv, but after much consideration we opted to head back to Jerusalem as planned.
With that figured out, we went downstairs for yummy breakfast. The Eilat Youth Hostel definitely has the best breakfast spread I have ever seen at a hostel. We hailed a cab and headed toward Dolphin Reef. The cab driver was so friendly and we chatted the entire time. I told him that I want to come back and work on a Kibbutz and he said that after a week of working on one I’d call home saying, “Mommy come get me. It’s too harddddd.” It was hilarious and we had quite the laugh. Upon entering Dolphin Reef, we were struck by its beauty. It was virtually empty when we arrived, so it was just us, the glistening water, and the dolphins.
It really was quite a unique area. The snorkeling was a major letdown and a waste of time, but oh well.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing (and unintentionally frying) on the beautiful beach, and made our final decision to catch the 4:45pm bus back to Jerusalem. We left Dolphin Reef, grabbed a quick falafel, and caught the four and a half hour bus. We stayed at the oh-so-fabulous Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem, watched some of the USA World Cup game in the overcrowded and rambunctious common area, and passed out for a few hours.
I was up with the sun after a short but deep sleep in the tent, despite virtually sleeping on the ground. We had a quick breakfast and went to our canyon hike at Ein Ovdat. The gorges of the canyon were a different, and welcomed, change of scenery from the desert that surrounds Masada. We had assumed that we were walking through the canyon. And we did…until it was time to go straight up. Through a series of ladders and stairs, we made it to the very top of the canyon and looked down from where we came. It was stunning.
We headed back to the Bedouin tents for our camel trek. The “Four Humps” rocked the caboose of our camel-chain. We trotted along, laughing and joking around for a bit before riding back to the tents.
Can’t say camel riding is the most comfortable experience in the world, but it’s an experience nonetheless. Naturally, I had to take a selfie…
We departed from the Bedouin village and went to Midreshet Sde Boker, the site of Ben Gurion’s grave. He and his wife are buried on the cliff overlooking the Zin Valley. David Ben-Gurion was Israel’s first Prime Minister and is commonly known as Israel’s founding father. On May 14, 1948 it was Ben Gurion who officially proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel and was the first to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence. What’s most interesting though is that after retiring from political life in 1970 Ben Gurion moved to Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev Desert, and spent his final years there trying to fulfill his vision of cultivating the Negev.
After a quick falafel for lunch, and the discovery of guaraná in Israel (!!!), we stopped by a goat farm in the Negev, held baby goats, tasted delicious goat cheese, and reflected with the Israelis (as it was our last time gathered as a group).
Honestly, it sucked. It sucked knowing that seven members of our newfound family were leaving, and I felt like the dynamic just wouldn’t be the same after their departure – their presence, smiles, laughs, and viewpoints would all be sorely missed. We hugged them goodbye and waved to them from the bus as we watched them walk away.
We made it to Netanya, and as soon as we arrived we were greeted with an outstanding sunset right outside my bedroom window. I took in the beauty as I reflected on how I already missed my new Israeli friends.
That night we went out in Tel Aviv, and the Israelis just “happened” to show up in the same place at the same time. Hmmm, I wonder how that happened?! 🙂 We all sat around a large table drinking, chatting, and enjoying each others company for what we knew would actually be our last time hanging out together. There was a lot of love and respect going around that table.
We spent the following day in Tel Aviv. We began in Rabin Square, where Yitzhak Rabin, the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, was assassinated in 1995; he was assassinated by a radical right-wing Orthodox Jew who was against the creation and signing of the Oslo Accords (to which he won the Nobel Peace Prize).
We spent the morning wandering around Tel Aviv before ultimately entering Independence Hall – it was at this site that Ben Gurion officially declared the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 (despite being in the midst of a Civil War). The following day began the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Armies from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria all attacked the newly-deemed land of Israel. It wasn’t until 1949 that Israel signed armistices with everyone (Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria) except Iraq and Palestine.
After learning quite a bit about the creation of the State of Israel, we headed to Jerusalem Beach to relax on the Mediterranean. The water was beautiful and the sun was shining; it was some much-needed downtime.
We boarded the bus to Tiberias, ate, and had a fascinating talk about the West Bank. As I crawled into bed, exhausted, I rolled over to check the time and saw an urgent email from NYU Buenos Aires. I quickly opened it to discover that my tango buddy from my Buenos Aires program, Zake Morgan, had passed away during his travels in Nicaragua; it’s amazing how truly fragile life is. Zake brought laughter and smiles to everyone he interacted with and will be forever missed. I pray that his parents find peace and comfort in these difficult times.
Since we were pretty exhausted on New Year’s Day, we all slept in and headed over to Ipanema Beach for the afternoon. It was so hot that I spent solid 4.5 hours in the water (day 4 and, yes, still 114 degrees). We watched the sunset from the water and it was outstanding, even though we were getting tumbled the entire time. We were at the mercy of the waves, unable to withstand their power, yet enjoying every moment of it.
We woke up early the following morning, our last day, to head to Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain). We took the cable cars up and were greeted with stunning views of the beaches dotted along Rio’s coast. After a bit of looking around, we headed down and went to Santa Teresa – the old part of Rio de Janeiro with cobblestone streets and cutesy shops. Unfortunately the intense heat prevented me from doing some pretty wild hikes, although now I have yet another reason to go back sometime soon! We wandered for a while, stopping along non-touristy parks and beaches, and it was the perfect ending to my South American adventure.
As midnight approached, 2.3 million people arrived on Copacabana. The main stage and smaller stage were pulsing – people were dancing, drinking, and chatting, all while trying to avoid stepping on pieces of broken glass and smashed beer cans. Time was flying by and, suddenly, everyone started the countdown: “dez, nove, oito, sete, seis, cinco, quatro, três, dois, um…” FELIZ ANO NOVO!! Cue the most spectacular fireworks that I have ever seen. With a boom, fireworks filled up the entire sky – spanning the length of the beach. All colors, all shapes, all styles. Nonstop for 30 minutes. Through sips of champagne, we all hugged and cheered and listened to the Brasilians singing what I could assume to be their equivalent of Auld Langs Syne.
It’s another tradition in Rio de Janeiro to increase your luck by jumping over 7 waves while making 7 wishes. Our whole group was aware of this notion so, as the fireworks ended, we took off to the water’s edge, going completely into the water instead of just jumping the waves at our feet. What we didn’t know was just how strong the waves were – we were laughing hysterically as we were repeatedly tumbled, which led to some of the funniest moments of my life. The view from the water blew my mind; there were thousands of people standing on the beach jumping waves in front of us, and eight cruise ships beautifully lit behind us.
Some of our group passed out soon after, others wandered home, but a few of us were determined to make it until sunrise, and we did! The music blasted and the dancing never stopped. At the first signs of sunrise I became giddy like a five year old – it was the beginning of one of the most beautiful mornings I’ve ever witnessed. The sky turned outstanding colors of purples, oranges, yellows, and pinks. The deep red colored sun finally made an appearance and it looked as if flames were coming out of it. We packed up our things, grabbed some empanadas for breakfast, and finally climbed into bed around 8am.
And finally, the day had come: New Year’s Eve, Rio de Janeiro, 2013-2014. Rio is known for being one of the best places in the world to ring in the New Year, and I was about to witness it firsthand. Last year I was numb with cold counting down to midnight in Times Square, so the idea of sweating on a beach as midnight approached was rather appealing.
While the others slept in, I headed to the beach for some downtime before what was bound to be a crazy night. After four hours in the sun, I went back to the hostel to shower and get into my all-white outfit for the night’s festivities. On New Year’s in Rio, no one should wear a color more predominant than white, however, it is typical to accent colors through bathing suits and underwear. The colors all represent different kinds of luck – white represents peace, green means good health, yellow for money, red being passion and romance, and purple denoting inspiration.
A group of newfound friends (from Ireland, Poland, Germany, France, Mexico, and the US) all gathered in the hostel as we took some photos and headed to the beach to get a spot for the night! Our plan was to stay out until sunrise so we had to be well prepared – ice, beverages, limes, sugar, snacks and, for some reason, an Irish flag. We set up camp and awaited the mass amounts of people that were bound to flood Copacabana Beach. We were ready.
Take me back. This past week I went to Itaparica, Brasil and had the time of my life. I’ve always been a Club Med girl and have been wanting to go to Itaparica since I was 9 years old. Well, it didn’t disappoint. This was hands down the most relaxing vacation I have ever taken, while simultaneously being a blast. I couldn’t have asked for better weather – 90s and sunny everyday – and I can’t remember the last time I was this tan.
It was strange in the fact that I was the only America. Maureen and I seemed to be the only white girls in the club, yet it was fantastic. Since I didn’t speak Portuguese, but still wanted to chat with everyone, I resorted to (broken) Spanish, which ended up being so good for me. And hey, by the end of the week I even picked up some Portuguese!
You may ask: What was the highlight of the week? Well, some answers may not be very blog-appropriate and thus…FLYING TRAPEZE. While it has been my favorite activity for years and years, I hurt my shoulder flying about a year ago and have been out of trapeze for the past nine months. I was nervous to fly again, but I’ve always associated Club Med with trapeze, so I decided it was time to get back up there. It’s such a great feeling to be able to say that I flew quite a lot all week with absolutely no shoulder pain! Maybe I won’t need surgery when I get home after all…now, onto shoulder strengthening exercises…
I couldn’t be more thankful for Maureen and the fact that she got my booty all the way to Itaparica, despite the 16 hours of travel time. She was such a gracious host, roomie, and lovely, crazy friend. Who would’ve thought that a plan we made in February (in Mexico) would actually happen?!
So…who wants to go back with me? 🙂
On a separate note, I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I am so blessed. Sending love to everyone back home!
Every time I stand before a beautiful beach, its waves seem to whisper to me: If you choose the simple things and find joy in nature’s simple treasures, life and living need not be so hard
This past weekend I went to Uruguay…with no plan. First we took a ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento then busses to Montevideo, Piriapolis, and Punta del Este. Considering the fact that I took this trip on a whim, I was completely unprepared and, thus, absolutely freezing 3/4 of the trip, but oh well.
A breakdown:
Colonia del Sacramento: Deemed an UNESCO World Heritage Site, this cobblestone town was both adorable and beautiful. We took a ferry straight from Buenos Aires into Colonia del Sacramento Thursday night – it was a breeze, but finding our hostel in the pitch black was a bit tough, so I was happy to be with a guy! We walked around for a bit and I was amazed at the silence; it was so peaceful. The next morning it was raining, but we woke up early to wander the town anyway. The lack of a rainjacket was a bit…tough…but all was good. Luckily it cleared up after about an hour or so and we were graced with beautiful blue skies. The little quaint town definitely didn’t disappoint.
Montevideo: I didn’t really have much of an interest in the capital of Uruguay, but it made for a good pitstop between locations. We got there with plenty of sunlight and decided to tour the city on our own; I loved that you could look down the streets and see the water. We cooked our own dinner that night and planned on having a quiet evening, until we realized that there was a pre-game to a Brasilian bachelor party happening in the courtyard. Needless to say, it got a bit rowdy, but it was a blast. We started talking about music and a few of the guys love Damien Rice and Glen Hansard, so we instantly bonded.
Piriapolis: I hadn’t really planned on hitting up Piriapolis, but my Spanish professor said that it was his favorite city in Uruguay, so I figured I might as well check it out. So happy I did. This beach town felt very homey. We were stuck schlepping around our backpacks, but that didn’t keep us from seeing everything. It was beautiful, but extremely windy. Due to this, we didn’t feel how strong the sun was. Needless to say, I fried (and consequently have some very awkward burn lines thanks to my backpack). Oh, and I had the best hamburguesa complete – yummm.
Punta del Este: This was our final destination in Uruguay, and the city I’d heard most about. I figured it’d be a letdown, but it wasn’t. It was gorgeous; we arrived right in time for sunset on the beach. Although I was freezing, it was quite enjoyable. That night we hung out with some guys in the hostel, which was fantastic for my Spanish since very little English was spoken. The following day was the absolute perfect day to spend on the beach – not too hot but outstandingly sunny, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky! Man, the sun in Uruguay is strong…
All in all, such a fabulous and relaxing weekend 🙂
The Five Foot Traveler 