South Africa
Look out for the change of address card in the mail; I think the Walker family might be moving to South Africa. Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and I was so blessed to share the experience with my whole family!

DAY 1:
I had been awaiting  March 31st for quite some time and I could not have imagined it to be any better. We pulled into port with the most gorgeous view in the distance. The sun was rising over Table Mountain and slowly the stunning city and waterfront of Cape Town were coming into sight. I was soo excited we were finally there! I ran up to the top deck in eager anticipation of seeing my parents. I saw them headed towards the ship in the distance and I jumped and screamed and shed a few tears because I was so happy to see them in person. 2 ½ months is a long time! When they got closer we waved, yelled hello and took pictures of each other, but it was still another hour before I could actually go see them. So as soon as the ship was cleared you better believe I was off of there. I ran down the gangway, across the dock, and jumped into their arms! Finally being in their embrace was one of the best feelings!
We hung around the dock area for awhile and my parents were able to meet all of my friends as they came off the ship. Taylor and Tanner showed up a little while later and I was able to bring them all on the ship. It was cool to show them what my “ship life” looks like. I showed them my cute little cabin, where I eat, where I hang out, where I email them, where I go to class, and all the things they have heard me talk about in emails but could never really picture. After the tour of the ship they were all planning when they would take their voyage!
We left the ship and headed to the hotel to meet our driver. The first stop of the day was the township of Karaleshya, but what we passed on our way there was astonishing. Just minutes outside of the downtown area, there were miles and miles of bright colored, tin shacks. Lining both sides of the road, they went on for what seemed like forever. It was amazing how the disparity of wealth changed in such a short distance. Once in the township of Karaleshya, we went to a daycare and spent a few hours hanging out with the kids. Taylor and Tanner played football with all of the boys and mom and dad fell in love with each and every one of the children. They were absolutely adorable and beautiful!
After the township we stopped at the African Chick-fil-a, Nando’s for lunch. We enjoyed some “peri-peri” wedges and learned that in Africa, chips are fries and crisps are potato chips. Then we began our scenic tour around the coast. The views from all of the stops along the way were unbelievably beautiful with breathtaking views. Chapman’s Bay, Halk Bay, Simon’s Town, so many stunning places! 
Later that evening we met Lee and Tina Riedinger and Victoria(my roommate!) for dinner at The Africa Café. Lee and Tina are two professors from UT who have been like my second parents on this voyage. They always have their eye on me and its possible my dad might have hired them as his spy for me! It was fun for them to finally meet my family. The Africa Café served traditional African food and had live music by local Afrikaans. We all really enjoyed the atmosphere as well as the wonderful food!

DAY 2:
We left Cape Town early on a flight to Hoedspruit, where we landed on the longest runway in the southern hemisphere. Having the longest runway, you might think it would be a legitimate airport, but quite the opposite. We walked off the stairs of the plane, onto the runway, and then into the two-room airport. We were greeted by our safari guide and then shown to our ride to the lodge- a safari vehicle. The guide loaded up our luggage into the vehicle and we were off. It was like a safari just getting to our lodge! We stayed at the Kapama Lodge and Game Reserve. We were shown to our chalets and then met for high tea with the rest of the people staying at the lodge before our afternoon drive.  We piled into the vehicle and were off! We immediately saw a zebra and giraffe, my safari was complete the instance we saw a giraffe, but luckily we saw a lot more that afternoon too. We saw rhinos and probably one of the coolest animals of the whole safari, a male lion. Our vehicle was able to pull up fairly close to him and just after a few minutes of sitting there he began to roar. When he roared you could see it coming from his whole body. It was one of the most powerful sounds I have ever heard and even after we left the sight of the lion we could here it for miles away. Even though we saw impalas fairly often, it was one of our favorite animals because of the way the guide said “impaaala” in his South African accent! After a short snack stop on the reserve, we began the night safari. I thought my mom was going to have a heart attack because of the number of spider webs and HUGE spiders we passed and went under. However, being in fear was worth it because we were able to track down the three lion cubs of the pride. It was just a quick glimpse as they ran through the brush, but they were adorable. We finished our evening drive around 7:30 and then went back to the lodge for a wonderful dinner with our safari group and guide!

Day 3:
Tea and coffee were at 530am and by 600 we were out on the hunt again. Except for the rain, it was another successful drive. We saw the rhinos in plain sight, a herd of buffalo, baboons and monkeys, and elephants. We had quite the encounter with the mama elephant of the group as we turned the corner. We were head on with her as she flapped out her ears and made sure to let us know we were stepping on her territory by letting out a loud trumpeting sound! I wasn’t sure the lady in the front seat of the vehicle was alive after that encounter! We followed the elephants down to the watering hole and were able to see the whole herd in plain view. After our drive, we went back to the lodge for a wonderful breakfast and naps on the porch. I think we all enjoyed a day of relaxing! We went on another afternoon/night drive, but didn’t really see anything but a chameleon! We came back to the lodge for another great meal and then I got to share my pictures from all of the other ports with my mom and dad!

Day 4:
One more early morning drive before we left the reserve. Unfortunately we didn’t see a whole lot and it was rainy and cold, but I guess it was worth a try! We left the reserve in the late morning to go to the Krueger airport for our flight back to Cape Town. We arrived back in Cape Town around 4 and were in for a treat when we arrived at our hotel, Cape Grace. All 5 of us were surprised when the receptionist showed us to our apartment on the third floor that overlooked the harbor (and my ship in the distance!).  The apartment was beautifully decorated and the kind of customer service we received was unreal. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in our humble abode☺ and then later walked down to the waterfront for dinner. We shopped around for a little while after dinner and then my mom and I went back to the ship to gather some souvenirs I had gotten for the fam!

Day 5:
Our plan for the day had been to hike Table Mountain, but due to the high winds the mountain was closed. Although a little disappointed at first, our day wound up being better than any of us expected. We drove out to the Cape of Good Hope. The boys and I hiked up to the lighthouse and then all of us hiked down to the beach. The waves were bigger than any of us had ever seen before and they made thunderous sounds as they crashed into the rocks. We really enjoyed our time playing around on this beautiful beach until we tried to get back up. Talk about a hike! We all finally made it up and then continued on to the most southern tip of the continent of Africa. Every direction from this point had a fantastic view with miles and miles of coastline and ocean that went on forever. I don’t think words can adequately describe what we saw. If anyone is ever in Cape Town I would say it is a place you must visit! I think we would have stayed there all day if I didn’t have to get back to the ship. We took a family picture at the infamous Cape of Good Hope sign and then headed back into town.
My mom, dad and Tanner walked me to the ship, we said our goodbyes, and I was off again. Although I would be home in just a little over a month, it was hard to say goodbye again. I couldn’t believe something we had been looking forward to for sooo long was coming to an end. However, I could not have asked for a better week and I was extremely happy we got to share this South African experience as a family!