Holiday update!

Hey everyone! Right now I am in Mosselbaai which is located in the western cape of Africa. This is the first and only place where we can get internet on holiday. Soooo much has happened that it is hard to type it all on my phone so I will try my best.

Our entire holiday is throughout the cape of africa. First We drove 7 hours to Knysna on the eastern side. This place is known for seahorses. All of us stayed in a nice backpackers house. There we took a ferry across the seahorse estuary to the Featherbed Reserve. On the other side of the reserve was the Indian Ocean. We took a tractor type vehicle to the top of the reserve which was on a mountain. We hiked down on a path in the forest. They also fed us a huge buffet lunch. The views were amazing. The coolest thing was the fog that comes and goes quickly. It became so foggy that I couldn't see ahead of me and then it was crystal clear the next minute. I also got bit by something poisoness at this spot and had to go to the clinic for antibiotics. Its healing now.

Our next spot was Addo elephant park. We stayed in Forest cabins which housed 4 and had a bathroom. I stayed with kelly and laura. As soon as we arrived at the park we went out on our first game (safari) ride. Some people passing us said that they spotted lions on the far side of the park but it was closing in 2 hours. Since there are only 9 lions in the entire park, they are not spotted often and we went for it. Pierre our fearless guide sped through the park. We got to see 3 lions and many other animals. That night we went on a night drive and the next morning we went on a sunrise game drive. We have been one of the luckiest groups because of all of the rare animals we saw. We saw a rhino at night which is special because they will be extinct by 2015 due to poachers. I was face to face with an elephant. We also saw zebras, warthogs, buffalo, kudu, meercats, hyenas, monkeys, and much more. I cant wait to post all of my pictures when I get to good internet and have my computer back.

After Addo we drove to Tsitaikamma. We stayed at the national park in forest huts overlooking the Indian Ocean. I stayed with Abby. The bathrooms are in a separate area and it brought me back to remembering all of my WAC trips. We had some rainy weather but it didnt matter because the scenery was beautiful. The first night some of us climbed rocks to put our feet in the ocean. The first full day there we went zip lining in the jungle. There were ten different zips and it was awesome! I thought I would be more scared but after the first two I got the hang of it. Dont worry because I bought the dvd incase you want to see for yourself :) The next day we hiked to a waterfall which was 6.5km. The hike was on the side of the mountain along the coast of the indian ocean. The path was muddy and the rocks were slippery from all the rain which made it difficult. It was definitely unlike any hike that I have ever done before. When we finally got to the waterfall it was a shock to our leaders because it was so forceful. Usually students are able to cliff jump but due to the rain it was unsafe. That was a bummer but it was beautiful anyways. The pool was on the ocean too. That night I did laundry overlooking the ocean. We had some great group bonding time here and everyone on the trip is getting to know each other well.

Yesterday we arrived in Mosselbaai. We are staying In another backpackers house. This one is fully stocked with a bar, pool, and wifi! Today we left early for an ostrich safari. We were up close to the birds. I never knew how big they were. We saw an ostrich race and some people went for a ride. Then we went to the conga caves. After the caves we went to a Afrikaans Festival. It was awesome with sooo many craft booths, food, music, and culture. I bought some really cute engraved wine glasses. Also, My friends and I were also mistaken for africans today. We are finally starting to blend in a little bit and have learned a few words. Haha.

We have eaten out many times on holiday at all different kinds of restaurants. Its fun because you don't really know what you are ordering and most restaurants have gift shops. When we don't eat out we self-cater. We had a braii (bbq) and have had pasta dishes. Usually for lunch we have sandwiches if we don't eat out. It is a blast going grocery shopping for 20 people in a foreign country.

Tomorrow we have a free day and I am planning to try surfing and sitting on the beach. Pierre and Antoinette (our guides) are preparing dinner for us at there home. Hopefully I will update more soon! The trip is already a third over. I still have to remind myself that I am in Africa because it doesn't seem real! I miss everyone!