My spring break started on Monday, which means that I’m half way through the semester and about two months away from coming home (I’m much more excited about the former. The latter is kind of bittersweet).

On Saturday morning at about 8 am, a few friends and I set out on the Garden Route for break. The Garden Route is a scenic route up the east coast of South Africa with lots of things to do along the way. I slept most of the ride, but what I did see of  it was beautiful. The first night we got there, we stayed at the Tsisikama backpackers. Besides the one we stayed at in Johannesburg, I had never stayed at a backpackers before so I was a little apprehensive. When we got there, though, I realized I had nothing to worry about. It was fairly decent. We stayed in a dorm room and had our own bathroom, so I was pleased. That first night, we didn’t do much besides go to dinner, which was kind of pricey, but delicious.

The next morning we woke up pretty early to get started for the day. We went to breakfast at Marilynn’s Caf� down the road from the backpackers. The caf� was like nothing I would have never expected to see along the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It was a 50’s style diner dedicated to Marilynn Monroe. I’m pretty sure they had every picture she had ever taken on the wall. The menu, the chairs, and even the bathrooms were dedicated to her.

After breakfast, we went on to the adventure store where we booked our canopy tour, a series of zip lines in the woods. I have to admit, I was kind of scared about doing the it at first, as I’m not a big fan of heights and the dreary weather didn’t make it much better. But I sucked it up and strapped on my equipment. The tour was about 2 hours in length and I had a blast. The zip lines of the play set we had in our backyard when we lived in Rochester.  The views were amazing and our tour guides were so comforting. It was definitely a great time.

When the canopy tour was over, we headed to our next destination, the Wild Spirit Backpackers. This backpackers was a little more outdoorsy than I had bargained for, but it was a great place nonetheless. The view was breathtaking. The reception desk is outside and overlooks a forest for as far as you can see.  Upon our arrival at the desk, we met the owner who was extremely hospitable and took us to our room, another dorm-styled room. This time, however, we weren’t the only travelers staying in the room. The owner explained to us that dinner would be at 8o’clock “African time” and that we were having a vegetarian dish for dinner. We decided to hang out on the balcony until dinner. The music they were playing was pretty relaxing and we saw crayons on the table, so we figured it would be a good time to doodle. We asked for some paper and pretty much went to town. Shortly after dinner was served, one of the girls I was traveling with and I went to bed and the other two came in shortly after.

The next morning, we woke up early and got ready to go to the major activity for the day: the bungee jump. The three girls I was with found out that along our route was the highest bungee jump in the world. They couldn’t resist; I stayed behind and took pictures. The jump was situated under a bridge that we drove over on our way, and if you weren’t looking for it, you wouldn’t have ever noticed it. I watched each one of them as they plunged from the bridge supported by nothing but a rope. I was happy for them, but I did not regret not jumping myself.

When the jump was over and while the adrenaline was still pumping, we got in the car and went back to the backpackers to go for a quick hike before we got on the road again. The backpackers we had stayed at for the night had a trail, which led to a waterfall. It was about a fifteen-minute hike through the woods and it was definitely worth it. After returning from the walk, we packed the car once again and headed off to the elephant sanctuary, where Brittney and I got to walk, pet, feed, and ride elephants. It is amazing to me how such huge creatures can be so gentle. While it was cool to touch an elephant while I was there, when I left, I started thinking about how tamed these wild animals were, and how they were basically there for our entertainment. Their living conditions were great and they seemed happy, but it still bothered me that they were being held captive.

Anyhow, after the elephant ride, we had lunch at a nearby place where we met a woman named Suzanne and her nephew, Ben. She told us how her nephew was on holiday (spring break) visiting her, and that they were basically doing the same trip as us. We told her that we planned on paragliding the next day and she told us where we could do it really cheap. We exchanged numbers with her and finished our lunch before getting on the road once again.

The next place we stayed at was about an hour away from the elephants and we traveled through at least three towns to get there. The Fairyknowe Backpackers was situated in a town called Wilderness and had a homey-woodsy feel to it. Dylan, the cute receptionist at the desk, greeted us. He asked if we would be joining them at the backpackers for dinner and when we realized there were no vegetarian options for the night, we refused. Instead, we had dinner at a quaint little Italian restaurant in town. We ate by candlelight as we listened to American pop music over the speakers (checkout that irony). After dinner, we headed back to the backpackers and turned in early.

On Tuesday morning, we awoke to a phone call from Suzanne (the woman we had met the previous day) telling us she had talked to her friends and that paragliding was a go. We quickly got dressed and rushed off to meet her there. When we got to the hill, there wasn’t any wind and we had to wait a while for it to pick up before we took off. Once it finally picked up, the pilot took us up one by one. The scenery from the sky was beautiful. We flew over a few lakes, tons of mountains, and some of the most gorgeous houses I’ve ever seen. When the flights were finished, we said goodbye to Suzanne and headed back to the backpackers. After a quick rest, we headed to our last stop on our route; the Map of Africa. The map is a naturally shaped piece of land that looks exactly like the continent of Africa. It is truly amazing how nature works.

Wednesday morning, I was jolted awake by an upset stomach. Luckily, we were heading back to Cape Town so I didn’t have much to worry about. We hopped in the car and I slept the entire way back.

Spring break was fun, but I think it was also the most homesick I’ve been since I’ve been here. It made me miss my family and my friends, who I’ve realized are definitely one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable. Along the way, we met a lot of interesting people. One guy we met said this: “Want to know what home is? Leave home.” That definitely resonated with me. I think I’m starting to come to the conclusion that although Cape Town is wonderful, when it’s time to come home, I’ll be ready. I have a family and a wonderful life back in the states that I wouldn’t give up for the world.

With that being said, to all of my family and friends reading this, I miss you, and I can’t wait to see you in November!

Location: Cape Town, South Africa