I never imagined the people that I would meet and the sites that I would visit while in South Africa. Cape Town was my first trip to Africa and I have nothing but praises for it's culture and attractions. This city is truly amazing. And with the 10 to 1 exchange rate, our American Dollars took us a long way.

Upon touchdown, the first thing I wanted to do was hold African soil in my hand since I had achieved one of my Lifetime Dreams of going to Africa. From Day One, I would be cast on an Adventure of a Lifetime.

I tried to do as much homework as possible before departing for my trip. I left for Cape Town in July, but I knew that it would be winter there. Average high 75 degrees. So I packed several sweaters and light jackets as my fraternity brother (already there for graduate studies) advised me to bring some hiking boots. His tip to bring an extra bag also proved valuable as a result of all of the shopping that I would do at the flea markets.

We arrived at our guest house, Villa Surprise, and I was floored by the creativity and decor of our villa. The 'African Room' was incredible and Rolf, the owner, took very good care of us the 10 days that we occupied his guest home. It wasn't until the morning that I was able to truly realize and appreciate the area that we were staying, Camps Bay. The mountainside beaches and breathtaking scenery gave me the illusion that we were at Malibu Beach, Cali. But not to be confused, I was in Cape Town. South Africa! The misty morning introduced me to Africa with a rainbow that seemed to touchdown at the beach just half a mile away. That was proof that somehow I had found the 'pot of gold'. 10 day Villa Stay: $550

It rained and was quite overcast the first 2 days that I was there. This prevented us from taking on Lion's Head mountain. But the third day, we trekked up the mountain which was not an easy task for me, but seemed to be a cake-walk for my buddy who is currently serving in the Navy. Once we reached the top and after I recuperated, I could not beleive the scenery that I would be rewarded with. Atop Lion's Head, I was treated to a complete panoramic view of Cape Town, Table Top Mountain, and quite an awesome ocean scene. Breathtaking. We took a few pictures, wrote in our journal, talked to a couple of locals, and headed back down. The next day we would follow the same regiment, but different mountain: Tabletop! I think we made it up in 2.5 hours but I was able to convince frat to take the 2.5 minute Cable Car ride down. After all of the strenuous physical activity, my buddy and I treated ourselves to a Swedish Massage, manicure, and pedicure! Of course we left this part out when discussing details of our trip to our other fraternity brothers. Day Spa Outing: $15 including tip.

My buddy Scott had done a marvelous job in meeting several people while in town for the 4 weeks prior to my arrival. He introduced me to new friends from Congo, Botswana, and we had no problems making others. We befriended students from the Univ of Cape Town and had the extreme pleasure of running into a group of female researchers from NYU. Given our sizeable network of new friends, we decided to have a wine and pizza at one of the restaurants in Camps Bay. What a blast!! Party of 20, 8 Bottles of Wine, 6 Pizzas: $120 with tip

The next day we decided to take a drive to Cape Point, 'advertised' as the southern-most tip of Africa. The Point Where 2 Oceans Meet: Indian and Atlantic. I have a picture that I took here that could win a Pullitzer Prize. The baboons were harrassing a family penned up in their car. I had to get a picture of that. They eventually walked off with a few smirks.

Friends for Life, Neils and Peters, were the local Capetonians that we hung out with quite frequently. They gave us an up-close-and-personal tour of a few townships and shantylands. We would like to thank the citizens of Guguletu, Kiyumundi, and Stellenbosch townships for their hospitality and warm greetings. Neils and Peters actually knew the community leaders and we did not hesitate at the opportunity to get an eyewitness account of the true conditions of most Blacks in South Africa. This was an UnTour because we did not get the watered-down, commercialized, spectator view of most tours that you sign up for at the airports and tourist centers. We were so touched by the deplorable living conditions that we felt compelled to start a foundation to help Cape Town's youth once we returned to the States.

Some of my fondest memories were made in at the city's favorite fleamarket in downtown Capetown: Greenmarket Square. I could not beleive the ecletic and authentic African Art that they had on display. I could not pass up on the kente cloth, wooden statues, masks, and artifacts, as well as the authentic cloth paintings that I had shipped back to the States. To interact with the locals and contribute to their economy was very gratifying. 6 ft Mahogany Giraffe: $30.

For the weekend, we decided to do something very different and reserved a winetasting at Spier Wine Estate near Stellenbosch. We also took a horseback ride through the winery that gave way to some very amazing photo opps. Big Brother, my horse, was very temperamental at first, but we bonded half way through our journey. Wine Route Tour, 3 Bottles of Amarula Wine, 4 Bottles of Spier Estate Wine: $30 90 120= $240

Before heading to Johannesburg on Day 10, we took a ride to Soweto to collect history and get a tour of the site where youth uprisings started the real spark to end Apartheid. In Joburg, we visited the Apartheid Museum and was astonished by the plethora of information, video footages, interviews, artifacts, and other material organized into an amazing museum paying tribute to Nelson Mandela and others who fought against the Apartheid Regime.

Lesedi Cultural Village gave us an express-perspective on the lives and cultures of 4 tribes including the Zulu Tribe. We were able to fellowship and exchange cultures with the inhabitants after their tour and presentations were over. The impromptu festival that we put together with them around the campfire later on that night gave us the extreme pleasure of singing and dancing with our African brothers and sisters. Overnight Stay at Village: $35

Oh, I can't forget Kruger Park! I felt like I was a photographer with National Geographic. We documented almost all of the animals that we spotted and they did not fit on one sheet. On our 2-day tour, we were fortunate enough to see the Big 5! 2 Day African Safari: $200

I have left out several other aspects of my trip that I will only briefly mention in the interest of time: cigar bar in downtown Cape Town, Nightclub downtown, Penguins at Simons Town, numerous restaurants. I know that I am forgetting more. But this was my version of the Amazing Race and I tried to soak up as much of the South African culture as I could in the 14 days I was there. Can you agree that I did a pretty good job at it! 14 Day Adventure in South Africa: PRICELESS

Cheers!

Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May