Garden Route Tour

Hey y’all!

So we started our Garden Route Tour at 4:30AM on Saturday! It was early, but we had a long drive and so many activities ahead of us. We had a nice, warm-cooked breakfast around 6:30AM and then still had 4 more hours to go. When we finally made it to our first destination, the Cango Ostrich Farm, we were beyond ready to get out of the car. The first thing we saw were two giant metal ostriches outside as we were escorted in for tea or coffee- that’s like a big deal here. We have tea or coffee before and after every meal! Needless to say, there are lots of bathroom breaks in ZA. Then out came Ranger, the main guy, who gave us a brief history of ostriches and showed us the ostrich egg incubator. Then, we went out to meet some of the ostriches!!! Stumpy was the first one. She’s a dwarf ostrich who is full grown and currently in need of a mate. After a couple more meet and greets, we were introduced to two emus. They were mean and ugly. Clearly, ostriches are the more beautiful bird! Next, we headed straight for the riding arena. Are you ready for this? For some reason it didn’t register with me that ostriches were birds so when I actually got on the thing, I freaked out. The group kept telling me to smile for the photo but I couldn’t get it out. I was terrified! It kinda felt like riding one of those child quarter rides but a lot more alive and bird-like; not sure if I would do it again. After everyone got a chance to ride, sit, or feed the ostriches, we went in for lunch, which consisted of ostrich steak and vegetables. Yes, I ate ostrich. Ain’t that something! The Cango Caves was our next adventure ahead and I was pumped with my headlamp in hand!!! But sadly, it was super touristy and I didn’t even need a lamp nor did we get to explore very much. After that we went to the Cango Wilderness Ranch to have encounters with wild animals. I got to be with the tiger cubs. Their names were Shakar and Shirav and they were 8 months old. I wasn’t scared or anything until I actually got inside the locked fence with the handlers. The tigers were very active because it was dinner time and they were HANGRY! I jumped away from him like twice and the handler got him away from me a few times because he was getting all wild. I was only with him for like 15 minutes or so. Next, we got to be with fruit bats, lemurs, crocs and snakes. It was such an incredible experience getting to be with God’s creation in their natural habitat, but also remembering that they were still wild animals. Finally, it was about 6:30PM and we were off to tuck in at Amie’s Beach House for the night. We got to stay at a hostel- one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced. It was sitting on the shore of the Indian Ocean with the most incredible view whilst a bonfire was waiting for us when we arrived along with a home-cooked meal. Needless to say, I slept so well that night.

On Sunday, I got up super early to watch the sun rise over the ocean and mountains. It radiated God’s glory in every respect. I wish I could’ve shared that moment with each of you as I sipped hot tea and basked in the wonder. It was “so nice” as the South Africans would say. It was literally freezing that morning and I was in chacos and a swimsuit because our first activity was to canoe down the Wilderness River. We got there and none of us wanted to get in the water because it was freezing, but Kierra and I just went for it. We just wanted to get it over with to be honest; it was cold. We canoed for like an hour and while we were on the river it struck me; I was canoeing down a river in Africa. Is that not sick? Like how amazing is my God. To not only have gotten me here safely but also to have given my parents and family the peace and resources to allow such an incredible opportunity. I was awestruck! We stopped and hiked up a nearby mountain to a waterfall and got some amazing pictures and then canoed back. It was a lot warmer on the way back and my feet finally started gaining feeling back in them. Next, we headed to Knysna for lunch where I had spicy squid, grilled hake, and rice. So delicious! After lunch, we raced for the Elephant Sanctuary to have another encounter. I think this could’ve been my favorite experience so far! I got to walk with, feed, do tricks and even ride an elephant. I was scared when I first walked up to the elephants because hello! They’re elephants who have tusks and are in the wild. We literally weren’t in any fenced areas or anything. I was finally calmed down once I got to walk trunk in hand with the elephant. It was so surreal! Next, it was onward to the “crazy” hostel as our tour guides called it. The ride there was out of control bumpy and uncomfortable but it was so worth it! The house was gorgeous and we had braai for dinner. Braai is the South African version of barbecue, which was just pork chops and sausage. It was delicious though! I literally haven’t had anything that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy.  After dinner, we all watched Remember the Titans and played games until bedtime. This hostel was a lot more cozy than the other one.

Finally, it was time to come home on Sunday but not before some activities. First things first, we ate breakfast. I was one of the few who ordered the hearty breakfast every morning- Mom and Dad taught me well. Next, we headed to the world’s largest natural bungy- 216m. It was nuts and I did not do it! That is the one thing my mama told me I couldn’t do. Everyone pressured me to do it and didn’t understand why I wouldn’t just do it anyways and tell my parents later. But it doesn’t really work that way in my family, you gotta respect your mama and daddy. They’re the only ones ya got! I did however go shop at the market nearby with the RAs while everyone was jumping and got some really awesome crafts for everyone at home. After the bungy, we went on a tour of a Rastafari community in the eastern cape. It was interesting but they didn’t really show us as much I would’ve liked to have seen. I did get some more crafts for people at home thought. I gotta hook y’all up! Next, we headed back to the pier at Knysna to go on a cruise around the cape. It was so beautiful and the water was cool. The only downside was that we didn’t get to eat lunch until 4 o’clock this day. We were all a little hangry this day and the tour guides clearly got the message haha. It took a little over 6 hours to get home after we ate lunch and I slept so hard!

Overally, the Garden Route Tour was beyond incredible. I haven’t been that exhausted in a very long time but it was so worth it to have experienced all of that. Hopefully, the rest of the trip will be just as culture-enriched and rewarding.