A Forever of Nows

On the afternoon of October 5th we climbed in a van bound for the Hoedspruit Airport, then on to Cape Town. Still giddy, feeling like kids and recapping all the sights and experiences from the safari; we vowed to return for another safari in the future.

Our home for the next five days would be Camps Bay; a beautiful neighborhood within walking distance to downtown Cape Town and stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Fascinated by sharks since childhood, particularly Great Whites, Chad was very excited to get the opportunity to see these animals up close! Three meter (almost 10 foot) swells greeted us when we arrived to the port town of Gansbaai. The tour company dismissed what we thought were huge seas, reminding us this is the “Cape of Storms”, handed out 7 mil wetsuits and pointed us toward the dock. Dressed in wetsuits and rubber rain gear, we boarded the large twin hulled shark boat with about 30 new friends and fellow shark enthusiasts. We found the sharks after about 45 minutes – about 100 yards off a beautiful beach – dropped anchor, put some chum in the water and set up the cage. To steal Costanza’s words, “The seas were angry that day my friend. They were 10 feet tall if they were a foot…” We were selected as part of the first group to get in the cage. Due to the rough seas we only got fleeting glimpses of sharks from the water, thankfully no one in our cage group added there own “personal brand of chum” to the mix as some in other groups… Despite the rough seas, it was an incredible experience to see these animals up close from the cage and boat.

We spent the next few days walking around the city, beach-combing, relaxing and talking about the experiences of safari and shark viewing. On one of our last days in Cape Town, we toured the wineries of Stellenbosch. The South African wines we tasted, like everything else we experienced in Africa, were wonderful; we look forward to drinking them again at home.
We found Cape Town to be a wonderfully accessible city with fantastic parks, beaches, restaurants and views; reminding us a lot of San Fransisco. We loved our time in Cape Town and look forward to returning one day.

Now reading… Lindsay: The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead; Chad: Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire, a Story of Wealth, Ambition and Survival, by Peter Stark

Distance from Seattle: 10,205 miles