The home of the dodo bird: the beautiful island of Mauritius- 2/27/09

Yes, there is an island called Mauritius. And the first thing I want you to do is look up Mauritius on a map (just Google Image it) so you know where it is. Hint: it is off the coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. There. Now you can’t say you have not heard of Mauritius. You can proudly say you know where it is :)

So, we arrived in Mauritius today around sunrise. I woke up early and got to the top deck to see us pull in and get pictures of the sunrise. The island was gorgeous. I saw a very green island covered with mountains and vegetation. It looked like a scene out of a movie, when they show those uninhabited islands that are picture-perfect: white sand beaches, lush vegetation, and green volcanic mountains. We waited patiently for our diplomatic briefing, which was ok.

An interesting fact about Mauritius: 80% of the population is of Indian descent, so Achal and I were going to feel very much at home ;)

Once that was done, we headed back to our rooms and waited for the ship to be cleared. We had read the Lonely Planet guide and done some research, and we had decided to head to a waterfall called Tamarind Falls. It was supposed to be an awkward hike, but well worth it. We would just have to wait and see. Our waterfall group was: Achal, Ruth, Rory, Audrey, and me, of course. Interesting story with Rory was that he was scheduled to go on a catamaran trip around the island. After waking up, he couldn’t find his ticket, and after several minutes of searching, he realized he had not even signed up for the trip. He felt like an idiot, but he was happy because he wanted to come with us to the waterfall, so it all worked out.

The ship was finally cleared, but we had to wait for all the SAS trips to depart first, which was lame. We only had one day on the island, and we waited for 45 minutes for all the SAS trips to get off the ship. Finally, we heard everyone could leave, and we ran to the gangway only to find a huge mob of students. Luckily, we were waiting in Ruth’s room on the 2nd deck where the gangway was located so we were near the “front” of the mob of students. We soon were off the ship and it was very warm and humid. We looked for the exit and saw a bunch of students walking toward the water. So, we followed them and found a group of “water taxis.” Basically, it was a small boat that would take us from the port to the mainland for $2 each. They could fit about 30 people on each boat, so I realized that these drivers were making a LOT of money from us. It took about 5 minutes to get to the mainland of Port Louis, where a huge shopping plaza was located. We got off the boat and asked a cop where the bus station was (buses are WAY cheaper than taxis in Mauritius). He directed us in one direction, and as we walked into the shopping area we were swamped with taxi drivers. We got a price of $70 for the whole day, which still sounded ridiculous to me (I knew the bus would be cheaper). We headed to an ATM, got some Mauritian rupees, and headed toward the bus station.

After taking 5 minutes to cross the main highway, which was a lot of fun, we got to the Victoria Bus Station, and looked for the bus to Henrietta. We found the bus waiting and got on. The bus departed in 15 minutes, and when the TC (ticket collector) came by, we asked for a ticket to Henrietta. It cost 26 rupees (which is less than $1)!! So, instead of $70, we spent $4 for 5 people. The bus ride was fun…there was no A/C but the fresh air from the windows felt very nice. We talked to a local guy on the bus, and asked him about the waterfalls, and what else we should do. He said the waterfalls were beautiful, and we should go to the Flic en Flac beach afterwards. After about an hour, we got off the bus in Henrietta, and it was indeed a small village. There was a guide waiting near the bus to take us to the falls. The trail is very hard to find, and a guide was highly recommended in the travel book. We walked to a viewpoint and saw the waterfalls. There were 7 falls, and the scene was absolutely gorgeous. There was a vast, green valley and along the side of one of the mountains, we could see the 7 falls. It was a pretty awe-inspiring scene. But, this was just a viewpoint, and we wanted to hike to the falls. The guide, who only spoke French, wanted to be paid for the hike, and we used a piece of paper to negotiate the fee. We agreed to pay him 100 rupees ($3), and began the hike.

The first part of the hike was easy, but after a few minutes, it started descending down the side of the hill. I started to see why the book called the hike awkward as the trail split in many places, and we would have gotten lost without our guide. We started to hear the sound of running water, and saw a small river. Once we crossed it, the hike became even more difficult and descended steeply downhill. I put my camera away in my backpack, and had to get down and crawl at a few places. After about 10 minutes, we reached a clearing and saw the first fall. The scene was beautiful. There was a river, with clear, cool water and it flowed off the edge of a 100 foot cliff into a lake below. We heard SAS students in the lake below, and we continued our hike. Now the hike got more steep and I had to use the branches around us as support to get down. After about 10 minutes, we saw the waterfall. The trail went around the back of the fall, and then the last portion of the trail was covered by bushes/shrubs, and it was wet from the mist from the fall. We finally reached the bottom and saw a bunch of SAS students swimming in the lake. I looked over to the rocks by the fall, and saw a small ledge from which a guy jumped into the water. It was a natural jumping point.

We changed into our swimwear, and we climbed up the rock to the ledge. Rory jumped first, and then Achal. Next, it was my turn. I stepped up to the edge and looked down. It was about a 30 foot jump, and it looked a lot more intimidating from up here. One of the locals next to me told me not to worry because the water was very deep. I took a deep breath and jumped…I fell, and fell, and plunged into the cool water. It felt sooo good. I surfaced and swam outward so the next person could jump. I swam around in the water for a while, it was very refreshing. Then, I got out of the water and took out my camera. I took some pictures of the other people in my group jumping off the ledge, and then we all got back in the water. We were short on time, so we had to head out. We dried off and changed, and took a group picture with the waterfall. Then, we started our hike back to the top and it was much more difficult than the hike down. I definitely felt out of shape, and I think my diet on the ship has affected my physical fitness.

We finally got to the top, and our guide called a taxi for us. Near the waiting point for the taxi, there was a small Hindu temple dedicated to Hanuman (monkey-God), and Kali (goddess). I said a quick prayer (I haven’t been to a temple in a while), and the taxi arrived. We got in, and headed to Flic-en-Flac beach, a fairly short taxi ride. We got to Flic-En-Flac and we were starving. We found an Indian restaurant, and I was soo excited to eat some good Indian food. BUT...it was closed :( So, we walked to another one, and it was closed too. We found out the restaurants were all closed from 2-5, except for a few. We found a Chinese restaurant that was open and I ordered some fried rice. It was GOOOD! They had some very spicy chutney (sauce) and I laced my rice with it. By the end of the meal, my mouth was on fire, and it felt GREAT. :)

After our meal, we headed to the beach, and the beach was picture-perfect. White, fine sand…clear blue water…palm trees. We changed again, and I went in the water…it was WARM and it felt AMAZING. The only problem was that there was some dead coral at the bottom and it hurt a lot to step on it. The waves were very small, and we spent about 30 minutes just chilling in the water. We took some group photos and I got some funny pics of everyone else too. Funny story…

Rory was drinking the local Phoenix beer, and he was in the water, and he said that he didn’t care if he lost his sunglasses as long as he had his beer. SO…later, he picked up Ruth and threw her into the water. When both of them surfaced, his sunglasses were, you guessed it, gone! But he still had his beer. We could not stop laughing as he frantically searched for his sunglasses but could not find them. That is what you call ironic.

We boarded the Port Louis bus, and headed back to the port. Rory asked if he could bring a beer bottle onto the bus, and the driver didn’t care. So, on our ride back, he was drinking a beer on a public bus. It was pretty hilarious, not going to lie.

We got back to Port Louis, and realized we had quite a while before on-ship time, so we went shopping. We walked around the local market, and it was interesting but eventful. The only thing I bought was a pirated DVD of Wall-E (yea, Rel, I could not resist after seeing it on the shelf) for less than $1. We left the market area and headed towards the mall, where we found almost all the shops closed. I bought a few postcards, and we headed into the only shop open. I found a flag of Mauritius, and I bought a T shirt with a map of Mauritius on it (so, when I wear it at home, people will understand that Mauritius does exist and where it is located).

We were all very hungry and we still had a little time left, so we headed to a restaurant in the area. It was SWAMPED with SAS students getting really drunk, and I was in no mood to interact with wasted SAS students, so I went to McDonald’s with Audrey and Ruth to get some quick food. They had a veggie burger (why don’t they have that in the US?) and it was pretty good. By the time I finished my food, it was about 1900, and we had an hour to get back on the ship, so we headed toward the water taxis. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a big line yet, so we climbed on to the taxi and departed for the ship. On the ride back, I looked back and waved good bye to Port Louis. There was a beautiful sunset with the ship in the background, so I took several pictures.

We got to the port, got off the taxi (which was interesting, cuz there were SO many wasted students trying to climb a ladder to get out of the water taxi), and got in line for the ship. The entire line was filled with SAS students who were extremely inebriated, and it was ridiculous. I just shook my head as one of the girls in front of me was trying to finish all the beer in her can, since we can’t take it on the ship, and then she threw her can on the ground. So irresponsible. One of the LLC’s told her to pick up her can and throw it away…he didn’t look so thrilled by her drinking in line. After about 20 minutes, we were back on the ship, and I was exhausted.

The opening ceremonies of the Olympics were later that night, but I was too tired. I was supposed to take part in our sea’s chant, but I decided to just watch the happenings from the comfort of my room while working on my paper, and talking to other students who were not wasted, about Mauritius. The ceremonies looked crazy, and everyone seemed to have a blast (keep in mind that 99% of them were VERY drunk). Our chant was definitely more uncoordinated than it had been in practice…whatever. The night was pretty much over after that, and I outlined my paper and went to bed.

Oh, and if you were wondering why I called Mauritius the home of the dodo, Mauritius is the only known location in the world where the dodo bird lived, so the dodo bird was everywhere here (on towels, on keychains, on posters, etc…). So now you know.

South Africa Day 5: Farewell, Cape Town- 2/22/09

I woke up very early, and realized it was my last day in South Africa. It was disheartening, not going to lie. We still had to go to the top of Table Mountain, one of the highlights of South Africa. I had breakfast with a bunch of people and then we got together a group for Table Mountain. We decided to go to Kirstenbosch first, which is the local botanical garden. I had heard amazing things about it, so we decided to stop there for 2 hours or so, and then go to Table Mountain before returning to the Waterfront area.

Our group consisted of: me, Rory, Ruth, Achal, and Z. We walked outside to find a taxi and we ran into Ivan again. We were very excited and we all got into his cab. It was a pretty tight squeeze. I sat in the front since I was the tallest, and there were 4 people in the back. Ruth had to lay across Achal, Rory, and Z just to fit.

The taxi ride took about 30 minutes and it was lots of fun. Ivan told us all about the gardens and asked us where Michelle was (he called her “pop-up” girl but that’s an inside joke I can explain to you personally later ;)). We all talked with him about South Africa and how amazing it was. We also talked about the upcoming elections because there were signs EVERYWHERE advertising people who were running for office.

We finally got to Kirstenbosch, and told Ivan to meet us in 1.5 hours at the entrance. We went to the kiosk to pay the entrance fee and realized we could use our SAS ID’s and pay student price, which was a lot cheaper. Being college students, this of course made us very happy. We entered the garden, and it was gorgeous! As we entered, we were treated to a view of the entire garden with the mountains as the backdrop. Amazing place, this garden. We split up into 2 groups: the expensive cameras and the not-so-expensive cameras…hehehe. Ruth, Rory, and I went off to take lots of pictures, while Achal and Z went off another direction. Rory had recently purchased his camera, so I was teaching him about the features. He was messing around with the settings and experimenting, and I am proud to say, he was slowly becoming a photographer ;) Taking shots on ur knees, or lying on ur back, or walking a few steps off the trail….yep, he was on his way.

We walked around a majority of the garden, and of course took TONS of pictures of the flowers, some of which were very interesting indeed. We came upon a trail after about 30 minutes and decided to take it for a little while. It crossed a river, went through some thick brush, and then we came up to a split. One part of the trail went straight uphill, and I think it went to Table Mountain, which was several miles away! We decided to take the not-15-hour-trail…hehe. The trail went downhill and eventually we came across a small clearing. And there were some really cool birds (they looked like quails), so we let them cross the path, and then proceeded (Make Way for Ducklings, anyone?). We arrived near the entrance and saw Achal and Z chilling on a bench. We joined them, and sat and talked on the bench for a while. There was a really cool view of Cape Town from there, so we took a group picture with Cape Town in the background. It was, however, really hazy, so the city looked like it was covered in smog. After the picture, we headed down to the entrance to check out the greenhouse. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as cool as the rest of the garden. They basically had a few rooms organized by type (orchids, desert plants, etc…) with a small exhibit of each. We walked through rather quickly and headed to the gift shop. I picked up some South African Rooibos Tea, and a magnet and keychain of South Africa.

We headed to the parking area and waited for Ivan. He showed up at the exact time we had specified, and we packed in the taxi, and drove to Table Mountain. We were all very hungry, but apparently there was food available at the top of Table Mountain, so we decided to wait. After all, what’s better than eating a meal with a view for miles around of Cape Town, Cape Point, and the ocean? The drive took about 30 minutes again, and we got to the base of the mountain. Let me tell you a little more about the mountain. It is fairly tall (1500m, I think), and is on the Eastern part of Cape Town. There are 2 ways to get to the top. If you want, you can hike all the way up along a very challenging series of trails (which takes about 1.5-2 hours). OR, you can take the 4 minute cable car ride up to the top. We chose the latter, because we were tired and were short on time, not because we were feeling lazy…of course not ;)

Anyways, the cable car starts about a third of the way up on the mountain, and Ivan drove us to the starting point. We bought our tickets (yay for SAS ID cards and student prices!), and packed into the cable car. The car itself was very cool. It rotated, so you got a 360 degree view on the way up. As we rose higher and higher, the view got better and better. By the time we got to the top, it was spectacular. We climbed out of the car and walked outside. There were warning signs everywhere regarding high winds. Basically, if the winds get too strong, they blow a siren, and everyone has to get to the cable car center ASAP and get off the mountain. Since it is a tall mountain, this happens fairly frequently. We walked outside, and it was already pretty windy. I walked to one of the sides and looked at the view…and…I could not believe what I WAS SEEING! One of the most spectacular views I had ever seen. I was looking south, and I could see Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, and part of Cape Town below me. I could also see the Atlantic and Indian oceans! It was very, very beautiful. Excited, we all walked to the restaurant to get a quick bite to eat cuz we were starving. We realized the food court was not as amazing as others said. The food was limited and fairly expensive. I ordered a small pizza, and it cost $6! It was VERY small. I ravenously devoured it, and after we all finished eating, we went to check out more of the view. It just got better and better. From the West end, we had a full view of the entire city! We just sat and stared for a long time, it really was that spectacular. I took sooo many pictures. After a while, the wind started to pick up more, and there were some VERY strong gusts. We, of course, walked farther from the center to see more of the view. We heard an announcement that the horn would be sounded soon if the winds got stronger. Meh…we kept enjoying the view. After about 10 more minutes, the wind really picked up, and we heard the sirens go off. An announcement was made…everyone was to report to the cable car center immediately as the mountain was being shut down due to high winds. So, we headed back, along with EVERYONE who was on the mountain. It was chaotic. There was a HUGE queue to get down. After about 30 minutes of waiting, it was our turn and we got on the cable car to go down.

At the bottom, where it wasn’t windy at all, we checked out a few shops. I bought some souvenirs and had a brief conversation with one of the shop-owners. I told him I loved Cape Town, especially the people. They were so hospitable and friendly and relaxed. He asked me if I was from the US. I said yes, and he told me that everyone in the US isn’t like that. I definitely agreed with that, and told him people in the US were so different, and not always so welcoming and friendly, unfortunately. We don’t treat tourists the same way as we were being treated in Cape Town. He then told me something amazing…he told me that all you had to do was be that nice, friendly kind of person. He said you were like a burning lamp then, and as long as you stayed lit, there was still hope. He told me to carry the friendly spirit back with me and “keep it burning.” Others would then catch on, and join in. I thought that was very well put, and I thanked him and left. Ivan was back, and it was time to head back to the ship.

We got back to the waterfront, and we still had 2 hours. A bunch of us wanted to go on the internet for a little while, so we got our laptops from the ship, and headed to the hotel that was right by the ship. We sat down in the coffee shop inside, and got on the wifi. We had to order something, cuz it would look bad if we didn’t, so we looked through the snack menu. THEY HAD MOROCCAN MINT TEA! Rory, Achal, and I were ecstatic and ordered some mint tea. Meanwhile, I got on the internet, and uploaded more photos. It was pretty slow, and Skype wasn’t working, so it was disappointing. The tea was good, though, and after we finished, we decided to go make phone calls, since it was cheap. We only had 30 minutes to get back on the ship, so we had to make it quick. I called home, and talked for about 10 minutes. I ended the call and realized I had to goooo! I ran back to the ship, concerned I was going to be late, only to find NO LINE! I was very bummed out, because I could have continued to talk for 15-20 more minutes. Usually there is a line to get back on the ship, but there was NO LINE this time. I could have stayed out for 30 more minutes, talked more, and gotten some lunch. But it was too late now, and I reluctantly got back on the ship. I looked back and waved goodbye to South Africa. Thanks for the memories, South Africa. I had a truly amazing experience and I will come back one day for a second visit!

Later that night, we had a post-port reflection, which is an informal gathering where students share their experiences. I got up and talked about Namibia and South Africa, shared our funny pick-up truck story, and talked about how much hospitality I had been shown in these 2 countries. I told everyone to think about bringing that full-of-life spirit back to the US, and I asked everyone… “If a South African came to the US, would he/she be treated the same way we were treated by South Africans?”

South Africa Day 4: What an adventure!- 2/21/09

I was up early, for the millionth time. I feel like I have gotten up early every single day of this voyage so far. The latest I have ever slept in is 10 AM, once. Other than that, it has been 6:30, 6:45, 7, 7:15, etc… Anyways, we got together with Tanmoy, and Michelle joined us too (she had told us earlier she wanted to travel with Achal and me cuz we seemed to have a great time everywhere we went). We walked outside and found a taxi. One of the drivers approached us and was asking for 1500 Rand…we brought him down to 1000 for the whole day ($25/person for the whole day). We got into the taxi and left for Cape Point. Our driver’s name was Ivan, and he was a great guy. We talked the whole way to Cape Point, and we found out a LOT about Cape Town. He was a wealth of information and what amazed us was that he was not required to tell us anything. We had paid him to take us around for the day, but he was going above and beyond, and I learned SO much inside information about South Africa.

We got to Cape Point about an hour later. It was an absolutely beautiful drive, and most of it was uphill. There was a point where we could see the entire city of Cape Town. Right outside the park entrance, we stopped at an ostrich farm. There were TONS of ostriches just roaming around inside their pens. We took lots of pictures with the huge non-flying birds. I had seen ostriches before so it wasn’t anything amazing…but we were in South Africa. We left and entered the park, paid the entrance fee, and drove to the first point. The first thing we noticed about Cape Point was how beautiful it was…just huge, green hills everywhere with rocky beaches below. From our first stop, we saw the Cape of Good Hope (different than Cape Point) from a distance, and then we drove to the Cape of Good Hope. Upon arriving, the first thing I saw was the sign…welcome to the Cape of Good Hope, the Southwestern point of the African continent!! We were at the point of Africa!!!! Of course we took lots of pictures with the sign and then proceeded to the beach. There were huge rocks everywhere, so we climbed around and took several group pictures everywhere. Ivan had told us there was a trail that went up to Cape Point, and that it would take a LONG time to do. We saw the trail, and after several group photos with the beautiful, rocky beach in the background, we headed up the trail. The trail climbed fairly steeply, and it took about 15 mins to climb to the top. What…a…view! We could see miles in all directions. We saw the Cape park to our right, and Cape Point to the left (east), the point where the oceans merged (they don’t merge at the Cape of Good Hope as some people think). It was an awe-inspiring scene, and we relaxed on the top for a while, taking in the scenery. Tanmoy and Achal were being stupid and climbed to the edge of the rocks to get cool pictures. I took the pictures, but Michelle and I were constantly yelling at them to come back on safe ground.

We climbed back down to the parking area, but Ivan was gone. We looked around but his taxi was nowhere to be found. We were very confused, but then I remembered what he had said. He had told us the trail went to CAPE POINT, and it would take A WHILE. We had gone up and down in less than 45 mins, and there WAS a trail that went all the way to Cape Point (looked like a very long trail from the top of the Cape of Good Hope). And then we realized that Ivan probably drove to Cape Point to meet us there! We didn’t know what to do. We could hike it, which would take over an hour, or we could try to hitch a ride there. We looked around and saw a German tourist bus parked nearby. So, Achal walked over and talked to the tour guide and narrated our story. He laughed a lot but agreed to let us ride with them to Cape Point, which was coincidentally their next stop. Relieved, we climbed on the bus and sat in the back. The German tourists on the bus looked SO confused, and we talked to a few of them and tried to explain the situation. They knew very little English, so it was VERY difficult, but I managed to tell them I was from Los Angeles. On our short ride there, the tour guide would give information in German, and then in English for all of us in the back. It was very nice. We got to Cape Point, thanked everyone, and went to find Ivan. We found the taxi, and decided to leave him a note. Then, we found him anyways and narrated the whole story to him. He laughed hysterically for a few minutes. I gotta admit, it was really funny.

There was a tram that went up to the top of Cape Point, but we decided to take the free hike route instead (tram wasn’t cheap and c’mon, we are broke college students). It was a fun hike, and as we got higher, the view got better and better. Halfway up, I set up my tripod and we took some funny group photos of us jumping (ok, yea it was a little lame). Michelle’s camera had a self-timer where it took 10 photos at a time, so we did 10 different poses for the camera. Everyone was staring at us because we looked ridiculous changing our pose every second ten times. Whatever. We kept climbing and climbing, and we were finally at the top. We had thought the view from the other cape was beautiful, but this one was SO much better. We could see the Atlantic and Indian oceans mixing, and we are at the point so that if we looked back towards land, we could see the Atlantic coast going to the West, and the Indian coast going to the East. It was gorgeous. My camera was constantly taking pictures, and we took some great group photos. Also, there was a VERY cool landmark at the top. They had a sign post that had signs pointing to all the famous cities of the world and their distance from where we were (e.g. Delhi, Jerusalem, New York, etc…) After taking LOTS of pictures and soaking in the scenery, we decided to head back down. On our descent, we ran into John, the trip photographer. We talked for a while, and then saw another trail that went to another point, so we took it. This trail was along the Indian Ocean side of Cape Point. And…this was very interesting, you could feel the difference! Since the Atlantic part is cold because of the Benguela current, that side was cooler and windier. But, the Indian Ocean is warmer since it is fueled by a warm current. So, this hike felt hotter and more humid. I am not kidding; you could feel the heat rising from the water…it was insane. We got to the end of the trail, took a million more photos, and headed back to the taxi. I can go on describing all these scenes, but one picture will depict all of it. I will upload all my pictures and post the link here in India, when I have normal internet again.

We got back to the taxi, I went and bought some water, and we decided to go to the Penguin Point next (yes, penguins). It was a short drive, and we got there quickly. I saw a really funny sign at the entrance that told us to be careful cuz the penguins bite. We got out of the taxi, and sure enough, there was a small colony of penguins on the rocks! We stared at them in disbelief for a while (we were in South Africa), took lots of pictures, and decided to grab some lunch at the restaurant nearby. I looked at the menu, and it did not look vegetarian-friendly. Plus, the food was expensive anyways, so all of us decided to just eat in Cape Town. We got back in the taxi, and drove back to the city.

We went to a restaurant Tanmoy suggested called Cubana. It was Cuban food, and it was supposed to be delicious and cheap. Tanmoy wasn’t lying. At first, we all got some drinks (the drink menu was 5 pages long, and I ordered a non-alcoholic mojito), and mine was SO good. Mint and lime taste so good together. I looked at the menu and decided to order nachos. The portion sizes were grandmother (small) and grandfather (large), which cracked everyone up. We told Ivan to come eat lunch with us too. The food took a while to come, but it was worth the wait! It was DELICIOUS. The nachos were covered in a lot of sauces, and they came with a spicy chutney and salsa, and guacamole. SOOO GOOOD! I could NOT finish the grandfather portion, but I tried to eat as much as I could. VERY satisfied with our meal, we thanked the waitress and thanked Tanmoy for recommending the place, and headed out.

On our drive back to the port, we drove right by the cricket stadium. We asked Ivan if we could stop and look for tix. So, he pulled over and Tanmoy, Achal, and I got out and walked to the box office. We found out all the tickets were sold out, and we were kinda bummed, but we didn’t lose hope. We were standing near the members-only box office, and after a few minutes, an elderly man (late 60s/early 70s) walked up behind us. He asked if we were in line, and we explained our situation to him (we were US students who were visiting and we were obsessed with cricket but they were sold out). To our astonishment, he said I will see what I can do, and went to talk to the attendant. A minute later, he picked up his tix, turned around and told us it was our lucky day. Then he said something I won’t forget. He said, “I wanted to do a good deed for the day, and this is it. Enjoy!” In disbelief at what just happened (A VIP member just hooked us up with tickets that were his guest passes), I walked up to the window. The attendant told us she had 3 tix, but they didn’t have the best view in the world. We did not care, and asked for the price. They were 60 Rand EACH!!!! ($6) FOR A DOMESTIC CRICKET CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH! Amazing! They did not jack up prices here as they do in the US. With the tickets in hand, I was giddy with excitement. WE WERE GOING TO A HUGE CRICKET MATCH IN FRICKIN SOUTH AFRICA! YES!

We got back in the taxi, very excited, and told Ivan and Michelle how events had transpired. They were very happy for us, and we drove back to the port. Once we were there, we told Ivan we would change and come right back. We still hadn’t paid him, and he let us go get ready! We could have just ditched him, but he trusted us, which was very nice. I ran to my room, dropped off my DSLR (no way I was going to risk anything happening to my baby), put on a jacket, and ran back to the taxi. We got in, and drove back to the stadium. We were just a little late, and as we got out of the taxi, we paid Ivan and thanked him for everything as we heard the players being introduced. We heard a HUGE roar erupt from the stadium, and my adrenaline started rushing. I was actually here, doing this. We hurriedly got in, and found our seats. The game had just began, and Cape Town was batting first. It was a T20 match, which meant each side got 20 overs, or 120 balls bowled to them (Wikipidea for the rules if you are interested) as opposed to a traditional 50 over match (300 balls bowled to each side). These matches were known for explosive hitting since the game was so short. We sat down and the atmosphere was amazing. I looked at the scoreboard, and saw that Graeme Smith was batting! He is the captain of the South Africa national team, and I was very excited. But, 2 balls later, we heard a roar from the other side as he got out. Next, out walked Herschelle Gibbs, another SA national player. And the game went on…

The guys next to us were awesome, and we started talking to all of them. They asked where we were from, and we explained SAS to them and the program. They all told us what we were doing was great, and told us to live life to the fullest. I have pics and videos I will upload that will do a lot more justice than anything I write, and I will post the link here. Anyways, the game was great, and Cape Town scored a lot of runs. Gibbs batted till the end, and the stadium was chanting…6!6!6!6!6! On the last ball of their innings (when you hit it out of the park, you get 6 runs). And damnit…HE HIT A 6! And the stadium went nuts! After a short innings break, the other team batted, and they weren’t too hot. They started dropping like flies, and every wicket that got out resulted in a HUGE cheer. They couldn’t match the Cape Town total, and on the last ball of the innings, everyone counted down, and as soon as the match ended, everyone went insane!!! It was SOO awesome. We ran down to the field and the players did a victory lap. As they ran by us, I saw all the faces of players I had been watching on TV my whole life. I was very excited. We all cheered and yelled, and then we left before the crowd got crazy. We said goodbye to our friends, and they told us to enjoy life and come back to South Africa. Also, since the FIFA world cup is in South Africa next year, they told us to come back and find them again, and that we could stay with them. They told us not to worry about it, and they said fate would bring us together again one day. It was very, very cool, and we left smiling. The crowd was CRAZY outside, and it was very hard finding a taxi, but we finally found one. We got back to the waterfront, and headed to the food court to get some food. After eating another falafel and getting some AWESOME gelato, we headed back to the ship. I was dead tired, and decided not to head out that night. I fell asleep very quickly after an insane day. What a day!