We were among the first to arrive and board the boat - very fortunate for us as we were on high alert, dealing with Brandon's motion sickness disability. We were able to snag first dibs on the top level seats, selecting only those allowing for fresh air and fully equipped with "lean over edge and release" capabilities (should it come to that...). Then we waited, which leaves little to be desired for the anxious...
The sea was angry that day, with swells that felt as though we were co-stars in the Perfect Storm 2. All of that said, Brandon was a champ. No vom jobs to report, as he kept his sights on the horizon to maintain his stability. Claire on the other hand was not so comfortable with the rocking of the boat for the 45 minute ride. On numerous occasions she squeezed Jason in fear that we were capsizing. It was definitely the choppiest of waters I've ever been on (as was evident by the German girl ralphing off of the edge), but we were on a South African navy vessel built for such disturbances.
Boat ride aside, the tour was so captivating because the guide was a former inmate. INCREDIBLE. He was so interesting, with a great sense of humor. I only wish we had more time with him, and that others took more interest in his own experiences as opposed to the photo opps of Nelson Mandela's garden and former prison cell. Of course those hold great significance to South Africa as a whole, and I imagine he is used to such overlooking, but can you imagine what stories our guide could have shared beyond what was on the surface?!
The moment we returned from the island and stepped off the boat, we received some pretty devastating news - our shark encounter for the 28th had been cancelled due to high seas. I wanted to cry... Instead, I went into total work mode, finessing every possible angle I could with spotty internet access and a single cell phone.
My husband can talk his way into anything - which is arguably the single most powerful gift a human can possess - but I thrive in high stress environments, using whatever resources I may have at my disposal to create the best possible outcome in a given situation. I only mention this because no one ever sees that side of me. Jason and Claire were floored when they saw how quickly I managed this situation on the fly, adjusting our schedule accordingly without compromising a single reservation or experience we had planned. Brandon knows these types of activities are my strong suit, so he took over in calming Jason and Claire - wining and dining them while I attempted to work some logistical magic outside our lunch spot. In the end, we had to adjust some things, but we are still swimming with the sharks as planned. Crisis averted!
In the midst of our Jaws fiasco, we randomly walked by a guy who Brandon knew from SLU! It was a friend of a friend situation, but how amazing it was to see a familiar face clear across the globe - especially in such a large city and very random location within it. Such a small world... We spoke for awhile, compared itineraries to see if anything may overlap, and then parted ways.
After dealing with the chaos of the day and bouncing around the Woodstock area once more, we headed out to what would be our final dinner in Cape Town. We saved the very best for last, dining at The Test Kitchen for our final hurrah. Apparently an extremely difficult reservation to secure, we took nothing for granted as we splurged for the tasting menu with wine pairing. It was the best possible end to not only the extremely stressful day, but also the incredible experiences that took place in Cape Town over the past 5 days.
Each day was better than the last. Filled with culture, experience and culinary delicacies, the first leg of our travels was truly an ideal combination for our crew. While we were sad to leave, we stayed up late talking about the exciting new chapters yet to come in our African journey instead of dwelling on this first one coming to an end.
On to Franschhoek!
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