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Hello again for the last time,
Last time I wrote I had just stopped crying. So once I left Oz I boarded a flight to Johannesburg (South Africa) on my way home. It was very daunting arriving in Jo'burg on my own but once I was through customs I was met by our friends from Thailand. It was so nice to see them after having to leave Claire and Jo in Sydney and a very lonely flight.
I stayed in Pretoria about half an hour from the city. After a freshen up and a glass of vino we headed out for dinner. We had a lovely evening catching up and talking about our diving (which is where we met) and the fact that none of us have done it since. I was shocked about the amount of security in the houses, the house I stayed in had burglar bars at the windows, electric fencing around the walls, and when we went to bed they had to lock a cast iron gate in-between the living room and bedrooms!! I was only in Jo'Burg for one night before I made my way to Cape Town. Rosie and Helen took me to the airport - thank you guys. I had a great time and it was great to catch up, shame it wasn't for longer.
On the Monday 4th Feb I flew to Cape Town. As I was flying in I noticed how pretty it looked. I got to the hostel that I had booked and got talking to anyone and everyone as people had advised me to. I got into my room and felt very lonely but I went down to the waterside with one of the guys who had been to Cape Town before and knew it very well. The waterside is a working harbour and very touristy so I felt safe automatically and in the background was the magnificent Table Mountain. In the evening after something to eat I just crashed as the jetlag was beginning to kick in.
The next day we went on the City Sightseeing bus which took us to all the main sights and places in Cape Town. It was a real eye opener to see how divided the city is, between the whites, blacks and coloureds. We got off at the beach 'Camps Bay' it was stunning here where we just chilled on the beach for a while before the sand started to hurt when it hit you from the wind. We wandered up to Clifton Beach where the views of Camps Bay were stunning. The next stop was Table Mountain which we also got off at, but couldn't go up the cable car as they had closed it due to the wind. I could have walked up it but its a bloody long way!!! Lazy I know.
On the Wednesday I went on an organised tour through the hostel. I met a lovely couple who were on their honeymoon but they lived in East Grinstead. We went to a museum (I've forgotten the name already!!). We then headed to one of the many 'black townships'. We went into a hostel where there could be a family of four/six living in one room. It was dirty, smelly and poverty stricken. our next and final stop was to Robben Island which is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for his many years. We got taken to the limestone quarry where they had to work for hours and hours for weeks and weeks. At the limestone quarry there is still the small pile of rocks that Mandela put there when he was finally released. The only bad part of this trip was the fact that we had to get a boat to and from the island. On the way back the trip was so bad I thought I was actually going to vomit, it was horrible. The day was very informative and its not really a wonder that the country has as much conflict as it does and the divides between the races.
My last full day in Cape Town we hired a car (I didn't drive though) and we drove to Cape Point where they have the most amazing views of the coast line. And we also went to The Cape of Good Hope, which is the most South Western point of the African Continent. It was quite a lot of driving in the day but got to see some amazing scenery. It was definitely worth hiring a car. We stopped at Simons Town on the way through which was like a small English Village with a huge naval base in the middle. At Cape Point we walked (hiked) up to the lighthouse so that burnt a few calories. On the way back we saw a huge bush fire which wiped out hundreds of homes. We also went to Boulders Beach where we chilled out with the South African Penguin!!
My final day of the whole trip was a complete mixture of emotions. But I started the day on a good note because the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain was finally open as the winds had dropped. The queues for the cable car were fairly long so it took a while to get up there but once we were up there the views were breathtaking. You could see for miles. One side of the view was Cape Town city and the other was the ocean with Robben island in the middle. We walked most of the mountain which was fab. It began to get really windy so we had to make out way down in the cable car otherwise we could have been stuck up there!! Oh no!! I was really lucky to get up there as not long after we went up the mountain they closed the cable car because of the wind.
Then it was my final leg of the trip - home. The flight was fine and I managed to sleep a fair bit so it was all good. I had many feelings and emotions going on but also very excited about seeing ma famile at the airport and then catching up with all my friends. It was an emotional reunion at the airport but fab to see everyone.
I dont even know what to say to sum up the trip, like Claire wrote in my card, words like amazing, fab, stunning just dont do our trip justice. It has been the best experience I could ever had wanted or wished for and I will treasure every memory.
I want to thank you all for your support whilst I have been away. Thank you to everyone who shared our travels with us and were a part of them. And Claire, thank you for putting up with me. Continue to live our dream - C and C's Amazing Travels.
So, thats it from me.
Lots of Love
Carly
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