Just Another Week in South Africa

First of all I would like to apologize for not posting in a while. I had a busy week, including being ill for two days. Therefore this post will cover my entire AMAZING second week in South Africa.

To start off with I'll go back to last week Saturday. The exchange gang and I went to Ratanga Junction which is one of the main fun parks here in South Africa. We had a great day in the sun enjoying the rides. The best ride was the human slingshot which cranks you up 30m in the air and then drops you. It is basically a giant swing reaching speeds up to 90 km/h. After completing all the rides we went to one of the biggest malls in the Southern hemisphere, called Canal Walk, to have lunch.

The next day my host family took me to Hout Bay. Hout Bay is one of Cape Town's suburbs which lies along the ocean. It is known for the amazing views and the Chapman's Peak Drive, which is one of the world's most scenic drives. As I told you in my introduction I had been in South Africa several times when I was young. We stayed in Camps Bay during our favorite family holiday. To get to Hout Bay you drive past Camps Bay, so a lot of old memories came back to my mind. After Hout Bay I met Seumus' grandparents. Their house is built at the foot of Table Mountain and has an extraordinary view of the harbor and Lion's Head. Both the grandmother and father are great individuals. 

After a great weekend I went back to school. The school days are very long. I wake up at six and come back home around four to five. It is quite an experience to go to Bishops when you are used to RLW. I enjoy the school days, especially hot lunch and meeting new people. Unfortunately I was ill for two days. Apparently a stomach bug has been going around the country. Staying at home gave me a chance to follow the Africa Cup of Nations which started last Saturday. It is a real pleasure to watch African football. Watch for yourself and you will understand why.

Friday was the big day. It was the first day that the whole exchange group came together on a trip. Friday it was time to go on the Elandspad hike. It was absolutely astonishing. We went up into the mountains north of Cape Town. To start of we hiked for about an hour to get to the river. From there on we stuck to the river, jumping from rock to rock, swimming and jumping off the rocks into the pools. It was nature at its finest. The best part was when we went up to the origin of the river, which was a waterfall. We swam in the water, the freshest I have ever tasted, and swam through the waterfall into a small cave behind it. It was there that Lotte, Loic and I looked at each other and said:"This makes school worth it." 

To finish off my week I wanted to go on a speedboat ride along the Cape. I picked up Loic and headed for the Waterfront. When we arrived we went to an atm machine but both of us failed to get any money. Loic's card simply didn't work and I forgot my pin. Not the most intelligent thing my dad told me when I was talking to him later that day. Luck wasn't on our side that day because the speedboat was broken so we had to leave early. However Loic and I finished of our day sitting on a bench on the balcony of Seumus' grandparents in the sun with a coke and chips watching a massive container ship leaving the Cape Town harbor. Can it get any better than that?