Cape Town is a city of adventure and we had plenty of opportunities to get our adrenalin pumping while there. The first exhilarating experience we had was taking a few sailing lessons – we’re certainly not ready to charter our own sailboat yet, but we were responsible for crewing the 42 ft. boat. Whether we were sweating a sail, tying buoys, or standing at the helm, we were totally involved in every aspect of sailing – maybe a little confused at moments, as the instructor would prefer to say “winch the halyard” three times than explaining what winching means and which line is the halyard. The good thing is you eventually figure it out. These lessons, coupled with the fact that the Volvo Ocean Race was in town made for a pretty exciting sailing experience. The Volvo Ocean Race is a sailing race that occurs once every four years where teams of 8 (all men) to 11 (all women) compete as they sail all around the world. This is considered the most intense sailing boat race of all sail races. This year is especially special as it is the first year that a team of all women is competing and they debuted a new sailboat that all 7 teams are required to sail from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport, Lisbon, Lorient, The Hague, and finish the race in Gothenburg. We felt fortunate to see each boat up close while in port, to be able to watch the in port race from the water, and then watch the send off as the boats left for Abu Dhabi from the coast. By the time the boats left Cape Town, we were so familiar with the race and each team; we could identify each and every boat as they sailed around the harbor. While in Cape Town we had enough time to hike on the Table Mountain range on 3 different occasions. Although we attempted to hike a few additional times, we were unable to due to fogging or wet weather; it was surprising to us how often the weather prevented many people from actually completing hikes. Two of our three hikes were exactly the same (the Full Moon Hike on Lion’s Head) just one month apart. We were pleased we managed to get all 3 hikes completed in favorable conditions, and although some would say it was a bit hot, we certainly would prefer a clear, hot, sunny day, than a rainy and foggy day. Our first hike and our last hike was up Lion’s Head. The fun and interesting aspect of the hike (besides the challenge) is that it’s great to do when there is a full moon, so you can watch the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean and the moonrise over the city of Cape Town. This is a very popular hike and both times we did it, it felt as though a good many Capetonians also hike this on a regular basis. The hike began as a wide sloped path before turning into rocky steps and eventually jagged rocky outcrops with a few ladders, clips and staples to climb up before making it to the tiny summit. It is a beautiful site and as you sit to enjoy the views, some are eating snacks, having conversations, taking lots of pictures and some found smaller, rocky outcrops to simply reflect and be quiet as they enjoyed the incredible beautiful views. Once you have taken in the views and the darkness has set in, the next challenge is to hike down the mountain in the dark. It’s slow moving and thank goodness for head torches and the flashlight on the iPhone to light the way, or at least the 2 feet in front of you. The second time we hiked Lion’s Head for the Full Moon hike was the last night we were in Cape Town before embarking on our 19-hour flight back to the states. We were so happy to do this hike with many of our newly found friends. It was a pretty fantastic way to say good-bye, but it was also bittersweet. This was another one of those moments when we realized how much we would miss our friends and Cape Town. Our other hike was Table Mountain itself. Most people who visit Cape Town want to see the top of the flat top mountain that sits behind the city and protects it from the southern winds. One of its most interesting features is how quickly very thick cloud cover can encompass the tabletop and it often looks as though a tablecloth has just been placed over the mountain. On the day we finally hiked, we were pleased there was no cloud cover; it was a sunny, beautiful 85-degree day. We chose to hike up Platteklip Gorge, one of the more commonly taken trails up the mountain. It starts about a mile from the bottom cableway station and ends about a 10-minute walk across the mountain to the top of the cableway where there is an ice cream shop, a gift shop, and a restaurant. It was a good hike with many steep switchbacks and significant climbing steps, some up to 3 feet in height. It was tough hike on the quadriceps, knees and hamstrings, but oh so rewarding. We had very little shade on the day we hiked, so anytime we found some we took a nice rest and then continued on. All in all, it took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to reach the top and it was so well worth it to hike up. We were fortunate that the winds were low when we reached the top, so we enjoyed lunch and then took the 360-degree rotating cable car down to the base of the mountain. The next time we visit Cape Town, we want to hike the Skeleton’s Gorge trail, a much more challenging scale of the mountain face, and hike Devil’s Peak, the third mountain that protects the city. Since our first attempt at seeing sharks in Gansbaai was unsuccessful, we decided if we had time, we would try it again. We are happy to report that our second attempt to see great white sharks was successful. We took our last weekend in Cape Town to return to Gansbaai and as soon as we got there, we boarded the Shark Fin and headed out to the shallows. We had heard there had been good sightings early in the day, so we decided we wanted to be first in the cage once everything was set up. Once we anchored about 40 minutes away from the dock, they lowered the cage and we volunteered to jump in first. We were in the two positions on the far end of the cage, which put us closest to the sharks on many occasions. The water was cold and it took a little while to get accustomed to where your hands and feet should and should not go. We were playing around with the GoPro, when quickly and suddenly there was our first shark directly in front of us. We got so excited, we fumbled a little bit and then steadied ourselves as the next shark passed from left to right and used its very strong tail to smack the cage. The visibility was low and the water murky here in the shallows, but the sharks were interested so they hung around the boat for quite some time. We never seemed to get a good shot from inside the cage, but the experience was dynamic and fun. We were in the cage for about 30 minutes when we got out to let the next group in. After drying off and enjoying some hot chocolate, we got our camera ready for some above the water shots which turned out to be so much better than what we could see from inside the cage. Part of the reason we wanted to do the cage diving was because of Taylor’s fear of sharks, but once we were in the cage and got to watch them from the boat, they didn’t seem so bad. We are so happy we made the second attempt at shark cage diving – it seemed like a strange idea to drive all that way again, but it was so worth it. Most people ask… we even asked ourselves, “Why would anyone voluntarily jump off a bridge with a rope tied around their ankles?” Well the best answer we have is for the sheer adventure and adrenaline rush, with no logic involved. When we arrived in Cape Town many people asked if we were planning to bungee jump at Face Adrenaline, the highest bungee bridge jump in the world (at 216M). We initially said the logical thing, “No.” But then, as we heard the stories from others and watched several videos of those who had jumped, we began to change our mind. We learned that when jumping from a bridge instead of from a cliff or a platform there is a greater chance for the dive to be more like a pendulum swing versus a jump and snap. Of course there is still great risk in jumping off a bridge, but that fear and risk seemed to become something we were willing to accept. As we scheduled the trip to go on our Garden Route weekend, we looked at each other almost simultaneously and said I think I am going to jump. Once we arrived at the site, we never hesitated and surprisingly neither of us found the nervousness we thought we may encounter. The team at Bloukrans had weighed each of us and written our weight on our hands, they carefully checked all the gear and determined (but didn’t tell us) the groups according to weight, they gave us a safety briefing, and we were ready to go. Out on the bridge while getting ready for the jumps were 24 other volunteers, most of who were jumping and a few who had just come to watch. The music was blasting, the winds were blowing, and we were dancing and cheering each other on as we were waited for our numbers to be called. Ann: It’s tough to describe in words that feeling of jumping – it was like doing a swan dive off of a diving board with a beautiful green mountain landscape as your view and no water to land in. The speed in which you fall is exhilarating and once you are at the bottom hanging and bouncing upside down you realize, I really just jumped off a 718-foot bridge. Amazing… Simply amazing. Taylor: For me, jumping was the easiest part of the day. You sit waiting while the bungee team ties your ankles and attaches them to the cord, you shuffle out to the edge, wait patiently as they get the final ok, you smile for the video camera, hear them say “3, 2, 1, Bungee!,” and then dive. It’s an amazing feeling and crazy adrenaline rush as you watch the ground underneath you get closer and closer and by the time you realize you can see things waay more clearly than you should be able to, you’ve already begun to ascend and feel as though you’re floating through the air. It’s an experience unlike any other, and I’m so glad I did it and even more glad that that pesky fear thing didn't make an appearance.
3 Comments
Jane
1/13/2015 01:23:58 pm
OK , walking down a mountain in the dark, sharks , and then jumping off a bridge! Crazy ladies but no more than I would expect. I cannot imagine what the next challenge will be. I sat here reading your blog with a huge grin as I saw your smiles. So glad you are having so much fun. What an experience. I think you should write a book.
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Ken
1/19/2015 02:45:43 am
Love reading about the adventures! Please be safe! :-)
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