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Hi All!
Well where do I start??
Cape town is a beautiful city, we really loved it. I feel really bad that we changed our dates as now my Dad hasn't come and he would have loved it. On our first day we took a walk along Long Street and had a look in some of the craft markets and bought a few souvenirs, we ended up with a bit more than a look and another box on its way home instead lol!! They have lovely wooden crafts and artists with their paintings an stuff we could h spent a fortune and have decided that when we buy a house we will now need an African themed room! After we took a walk down to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront which is a lovely vibrant area with lots of street musicians and lovely shops and restaurants. We got our tickets for Robben Island on Thursday then tried to choose a restaurant for lunch, they are all quite posh and expensive, well mains are like 100R which is a bout £7 so not really but it is for here. We went to Ocean Basket as they had tzaziki, when we got there they had none though and my sole was full of bones but Craig had a big platter which was nice. You could also get individual oysters so we got a couple to try, Craig loved them but I thought they were well rank lol! I also saw Mitchell's brewery here, I knew you had one lol!! Back at the hostel we booked our shark diving for Wednesday.
The next day we got up and went of lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant we had seen under one of the craft malls. I had curry type thing that same with all sorts of random stuff that we didn't know what they were as well as a kind of mashed up condensed rice thing. Craig got Ethiopian pancakes with beef and when he asked for cutlery the woman said he had to eat with his hands and showed him how to rip a bit of pancake and grab beef with it, it was actually really nice. The woman must have known it was not our usual diet as she kept laughing at us and staring at us eat. After we walked further into the city and got our bus tickets to go back to Jo'burg. On the way back Craig decided to get a haircut and he said for a laugh he would get a skin head so I dared him and he got one in this kind of tent barbers in a market, it cost £1.40 lol. Meanwhile I sat and laughed as all his hair come off and they rubbed a feather duster in his face lol!! At the end they asked if he wanted white spirit on, who knows what that's about??!! Tonight we had sosilas for dinner which we made in the hostel, they are like beef kebabs with a lemon chilli dressing - amazing!!
On Wednesday we were up at 4.30am for our pick up to go shark diving in Gaansbaii (Hans-by) which was 2 hours away through some stunning sunrise scenery on Tablelands. I was not sure if I wanted to go to this as it was quite expensive and it was low season so we didn't know how good it would be but its all Craig has wanted to do since we left home and it would have been pretty boring to go alone. The breakfast that was included was in fact a crap packed lunch type thing. We got out on the boat which I have to say was well small and as Craig pointed out "We need a bigger boat" from Jaws came to mind and they kept talking about if something happens what to do. I had to buy seasickness pills as Nicole was ill and she also never gets motion sickness and I'm glad I did as there was about 18 of on the boat and about 6 or 7 people were spewing over the side the whole time. We heard a Scottish accent on the boat and turned out they were from Trinity, Edinburgh and had just got engaged a few days previously. We anchored and got the bait in and waited quite a bit but then we got a shark, a female one they said so by far not the biggest one in existence and it was massive and well scary looking. They got the cage in and 5 people got in it but by this time the shark was away and they ended up in the freezing choppy sea for an hour before a couple of people got out as they felt ill. A while later there was another sighting so Craig got in the cage but it was again gone. Then it was pretty much time to go back, they asked if anyone wanted to go I the cage just to get their photo taken but I didn't think it was worth the hypothermia and I already smelt like an old sock from the wetsuit. We got back and had lunch which was worse than breakfast and then they tried to persuade us to buy the dvd of pretty much people getting on then getting off a boat with not a lot in between haha! We didn't get money back as we still saw something. I kind of wished I had not bothered going but I suppose you don't know what it will be like before you go. An early night with our books was had as we were shattered. I never knew I could sleep this much, I can go to bed at like 7pm and sleep for 14 hours now lol! Our room was next to the tv room and it was an old building and windy so the door rattled so it was not the best.
The next day we were up and walked to the Waterford for our ferry to Robben Island. This is an island that houses a now closed prison where Indian, Black and Coloured men were kept including my new pal Mr Mandela for 18 years. It has only been closed 12 years and is now a museum with an island community for staff. We got the ferry over and almost died when it completely veered off as it tried to avoid a whale lol. First we all got on buses and had tours of the island, where we saw an ostrich!! Then a previous inmate gave us a tour of the prison which was really interesting and sad to hear all about what he had been through, even the fact that they can go back and relive that hell everyday for the sake of tourism speaks volumes about the people. On the way back to the mainland it was really choppy and people were screaming and everything but we thought it was fun lol, so long as its not a plane.
The next day we got up with the view to go up Table Mountain but the cable car was closed so we didn't know what to do as Craig was really set on going up for sunset and I didn't want hike it as its huge. We decided to wait and see for the next day. So we took our box into town and had it posted. In 3 months by Dad is going to have boxes galore lol! Then we headed to Spar which has become our haunt as they have a huge salad bar where you can make your own fruit salads and smoothies. Craig has been living on fruit smoothies while I have been having fruit salad with muesli and yogurt mmmm!! There are also loads of funny couplings and it has quite a gay vibe to it, we saw one particular couple of guys dressed as girls with no teeth who looked like they met in prison lol!
Next day was Saturday the cable car was still closed so we decided to walk up Lion's Head which is just beside it and has as good view supposedly. They said it was an easy one hour walk. So I got on my hiking boots that I have not wore since Andy took Chloe and I skiing about 4 years ago now and got the camel pack filled with water and Craig had the first aid kit bag and everything, we were on a mission to make Aunty Betty and Uncle John proud lol! It was not too bad a climb at first but then my feet started to hurt so we had to stop to put blister plasters on then again to swap shoes as Craig's were a bit looser and mine were about a size to small for Craig. The views were amazing over the ocean and the city and great views of Table Mountain. As we got further up it became more and more rocky and even to the point that you had to physically climb rocks and ladders and chains. At one point you could keep walking the track or actually climb a chain, I did the first bit but couldn't d the second bit as it was too close to the rock face and I have well poor arm strength and had to stop, it was well embarrassing, kids were doing it lol!! At the last bit the wind had picked up and there was a lot of dodgy edges and not good for people who hate heights and edges but Craig kept me going, it sounds a bit patronising but "You're doing well, Im proud of you" actually works on me lol! Once we eventually got to the top the views were amazing and it was just the two of us, I was worried about climbing back down so I said we should go but Craig was like "In a minute but first there is something I want to do" then he got down on one knee and PROPOSED to me!! It was so sweet he had a nice wee speech about how much he loves me and wants to make me happy and would I marry him and he even had a wee tear in his eye. Meanwhile I was laughing which he later said was very disconcerting, it must be a new nerve thing and then of course I said yes. I have a lovely white gold and diamond ring that Craig bought when we were I Australia from his Christmas money, it's a token ring, neither of us is exactly loaded right now so I am going to choose one for Craig to buy probably when we get home. It was so romantic, it was nice that it was something we achieved together as well as we were so proud when we got to the top! We got back down the mountain and got a bottle of cheap bubbly and went back to the hostel - not quite so romantic but a good story to tell lol! I have a huge hole in my heel from an exploded blister which is agony. We were dying to call home and tell everyone but the phone cards were rubbish and people were not in or there was no answer and we didn't want to put it online before we had told everyone. My Dad already knew as Craig had called to ask his permission, aawww!! It was great to tell everyone our news but it made us kind of homesick as we wanted to be at home to celebrate with all our friends and family but we think we might have a bit of a party when we come home and celebrate properly then. I kind of had an incline Craig was going to do it soon as he asked Chloe to take back his Christmas present and I asked Chloe what he wanted money for and she said she wasn't sure and I said I think its for a ring and she just kind of smiled and I kind of knew then but I didn't now when although I was suspicious when Craig was paranoid about table mountain and what to wear lol! We had a few drinks in the hostel and then went to bed. May I also point out that at this point we look like complete drama queens as we both have our mossie nets up over our bunks as a reaction to the malaria pills is that Craig gets huge swollen bites and I get big scabs and do not look good lol!
Today we got up and I am sore all over but engaged, cant stop looking at my finger lol! I was telling Craig that when I can plan our wedding I'll be almost as happy, can you imagine the amount of lists and organising I will get to do lol?! House first though so don't go buying your new hats quite yet! We got some munchies and checked out and got to the bus station and are now on our overnight bus back to Jo'burg for a couple of days before we go on our overland tour to Kenya, through Botswana, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, cant wait!! The bus company we are with right now supposedly has lots of crashes so I hope I make it to Jo'burg if you are reading this it means I have lol!
Hope everyone is well at home and thinking of Kirsty and the family in particular at this sad time.
Lots of Love
(soon to be)
Mr and Mrs Scott lol!!!
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