We departed from Jo’burg on the morning of Saturday the 18th. We woke up, said our goodbyes to our hosts at St. Benedict’s, and hit the road. That day was a nearly 9-hour day on the road with a stop for lunch. We occupied ourselves with some games, music, conversation 
and a lot of procrastination of reading. We finally arrived at our destination in Colesberg that evening. Soon after arrival, we trekked about a mile to downtown Colesberg to eat dinner at a little restaurant in the area. The next morning, about 6-7 of us in the group decided we wanted to hike the little mountain beside our backpacker before church.
We woke up early and started the hike up the mountain. We sort of had to pave our own way as there was not really a definitive path. We eventually made it to the summit and spent a couple of minutes admiring the view before starting the trek back down. We made it down the mountain almost unscathed and showered before church. That morning we worshiped at Grace Community Church in Colesberg. Right after church we enjoyed a braii at one of the churchgoer’s homes, and then hit the road once again. This day we only traveled for about 3 hours and then arrived at our backpacker in Beaufort West. That night we grabbed dinner at our backpacker and went to sleep right after as most of us were pretty exhausted from our days of travel. The next morning we woke up early, grabbed a quick breakfast, and got on the bus to complete our last day of travel. After about 6 hours of travel through the Western Cape we saw the ocean, indicating we had made it to our destination.
Tuesday:
Today was our first full day in Muizenberg and we had a free day so we could transition into a new place. The most exciting part of the day came after lunch. As a big group, we walked to the surf emporium, rented wet suits and
boards, and got a one-hour surfing lesson! There was a lot of falling, splashing, and spluttering, but by the end, a few of us were able to stand up and are very much looking forward to surfing again.
Wednesday:
This morning we met with Caroline from The Warehouse. She gave us a lot of background on Cape Town and took us on a driving tour. A lot of the driving tour consisted of observing our surroundings and noticing the stark contrasts between the informal settlements/townships and the wealthier areas of Cape Town. We 
drove through luxurious Bishopscourt with wineries and lush greenery to overcrowded and condensed townships with countless small iron corrugated shacks shoved into a small area. Seeing these differences really didn’t sit well with me and it left a lot of us wondering how such poverty and wealth can be in such close and obvious proximity to each other. We had the opportunity to eat at Mama Nox’s house found in a local township for lunch. She gave us wonderful food and company before we continued on our way to the township of Langa. There we toured the Dompas Museum and learned about the struggles of black movement during apartheid. During apartheid, the government forced black people to carry passes (the dompas) that cleared them for traveling out of their township, into their township, and within their township. If they left home without it, they were subject to arrest. It was a very educational day and a great introduction to our “home” for the next few weeks.
Thursday:
On Thursday we spent the morning at the Castle of Good Hope. All around there were signs explaining how the castle had changed and was used for different purposes depending on who held control. I found it interesting seeing the ways the castle is being used today. Most of the rooms were empty, especially on the upper floors. On the ground level there was much more life as workers set up for a concert in the courtyard. On the edge of the main courtyard there is a small military museum exhibiting Afrikaaner and British military artifacts. One of the old stables had been repurposed to showcase an art exhibition on the poaching of rhinos for their horns. Tucked away in a back corner of the castle we found a small heritage museum. The heritage museum felt similar to walking through an antique shop but where all the objects told the story of so many displaced persons.
Friday:
Friday we headed out to take a tour of Robben Island. Unfortunately, we did not make it to Robben Island due to some traffic surrounding the Formula E-Prix. We still managed to have a great day exploring the V&A waterfront. There were so many different shops and live music on every corner. At the outdoor amphitheater there was a free open mic concert happening. A group of us tuned in right as the Ithemba Youth Choir took the stage. They were phenomenal! They sang with such power and beauty with joy on their faces. While there we heard two more local Cape Town artists: Daryn Govender and Divine Mahara.
Saturday:
Our group began Saturday quite early, heading out right after breakfast at 8am to visit Cape Point. There, we spent the morning hiking around the park, visiting a lighthouse, as well as being gifted with amazing views one after another. 
Baboons also inhabited the park, and it was funny to see them lounging around the rocks. We were also pleasantly surprised to see what we thought were whales, as well as Orcas out in the ocean. After, we drove down to the Cape of Good Hope, where we stopped to watch some seals, sit next to the beach, and build Ebenezers. For lunch, we visited Simons town, where we enjoyed different lunches ranging from cafe food to Korean, to African Cuisine. When lunch came to an end, excitement grew as it 
was time to head to the beach and swim with penguins. On the beach we got to see dassies (small cute rodents), as well as penguins everywhere. The water was cold, but very enjoyable, and there were rocks to climb on all over. It was a fun time, but we had to filter out as the park closed, although to top off the day, we stopped to buy some fresh ice cream.
