Now that I just left Ghana I guess it’s an appropriate time to finally write about South Africa! I think every Semester at Sea student put Cape Town as one of their favorite ports, and I can’t disagree. Cape Town is a fascinating city with a heavy history that has aspects tailored to any type of person. For those who prefer to party in ports, there was a huge nightlife scene that had bars upon bars that were filled with students and locals. For those who prefer to eat their way through cities (me!) there was an array of restaurants that had the most amazing food! I lucked out in my experience for Cape Town because I got to share most of my time there with one of my favorite people, my friend (and swing dancing partner!) Jack, who came to visit. We were able to rent a car which made a world of a difference in terms of traveling around because we covered so much in so little time. I’m so happy I got to travel with someone who enjoys eating as much as I do because we found cheap, delicious food all the time. From wine tasting in Stellenbosch, to playing with penguins at Boulders Beach, to swing dancing in downtown Cape Town, to going up Table Mountain, to feeding ostriches, to visiting Cape Point, to eating the best steak I’ve ever eaten in my entire life, to attending the International Jazz Festival; we packed an incredible amount of activities into a couple of days. One of my favorite parts of the trip was meeting the people of the swing dancing scene in Cape Town. I love how so many different personalities can be united by dance. It was like being back in San Diego again where everyone was so welcoming and how we went out for milkshakes after dancing. Beyond our luck with finding great food everywhere and making awesome friends, there is an incredible history that Cape Town possesses. I knew very little about apartheid before coming on SAS, but it was pretty shocking to learn about it before we arrived in South Africa and furthering my education about it while we were in port. We were supposed to have Desmond Tutu come onto our ship to talk to us (he had previously spent an entire voyage with our ship—how cool is that?!) but unfortunately he had a family emergency and could not make it. It would have been amazing to hear him talk, but I can’t complain about not getting to see him since I had fantastic time in South Africa. I really like Cape Town. It is so diverse, it has a history that is unsettling but also uplifting because of the admirable emphasis placed on forgiveness and reconciliation, and it’s hard to imagine someone ever getting bored there. I had the greatest time with the greatest company and ate the greatest food. I can’t wait to return!

Right now my ship is circling a buoy that marks where the equator (0 degrees latitude) meets the prime meridian (0 degrees longitude), so I am writing this post from the middle of the world!

Happy Zero/Zero Day!!!