I can’t decide whether it was fluke or fate, but we did not see ANY Great White sharks today. After a sleepless night, I woke up at 5 this morning to my stomach in knots and instant regret for this day ever coming. I had nightmares about getting seasick, about hopping in a fragile cage, and about seeing the largest, scariest Great White in all of False Bay – anything that could go wrong, I worried about.
My mom, whom I’ve always known as the ultimate worrier (definitely got that trait passed down) has told me in the past that “Most of the things you worry about never wind up happening anyways.” Which is true, I have worried for months over this and, lo and behold, nothing even happened. I’ll be honest, I was actually disappointed. I handled the boat ride and being in the middle of HUGE swells very well, so I was on an adrenaline rush that would have probably landed me in a cage surrounded by Great Whites, if there would’ve been some to be surrounded by. I just want everyone to know, for the record, I did not chicken out. The sharks did. They didn’t know what they were dealing with.
After seeing some other marine creatures (seals, penguins, and dolphins), we moved onto the rest of our day at Spier, Stellenbosch’s well-known winery and nature conservation area.
Since we weren’t able to get up close and personal in a cage with sea-based predators, we jumped into a cage with a land-based one: the cheetah.
Spier was a blast – we loved the experience and would highly recommend it. After such a long day (and yes, I fell asleep on multiple car rides AND on the shark diving boat – jetlag isn’t doing me any favors here), we retreated to one of our trip’s highlights – the Ellerman House, where we’re staying in the Ellerman Villa – one of the (if not THE) nicest accommodations in Cape Town. My words can’t do it justice, besides noting that the word “villa” is an understatement for this 3 bedroom estate.
We are beside ourselves with excitement over spending the next 2 nights here. Right now, we’re sitting around in our living room as the private chefs are preparing our meals to serve in the villa. WHAT THE HECK?! How did I get this life? I am so blessed beyond belief and grateful beyond that.
Leave a Reply