Thursday April 12, 2012-Sunday April 15, 2012
Started off the weekend with a long bus ride to
Plettenberg Bay. We arrived at the hostel at around 2am in the morning. This
weekend I experienced a lot of firsts. The first one was the hostel. I have traveled
a lot but I have never had the opportunity to stay in a hostel. I had a great
experience and loved it. I shared a room with five other girls we slept in bunk
beds, which reminded me of camp. We chit chatted into the late hours of the
night. It was
like being able to have a sleepover with your best friends every night. This
weekend was a great bonding experience and I have realized how close and
comfortable I am around all the other UConn students on this trip.
On Friday twelve of us went kloofing. If you do not
know what that is basically we were all geared up in wet suits, life jackets
and sneakers. We hiked to get to the river, swam and stopped at cliffs to jump
off of them. We jumped off a total of three cliffs. The highest one was 11.5m,
which is a little bit over 30 feet high. That was the scariest one because you
had to crawl up a hill in the woods and you had to dodge a rock on the way
down. As soon as I got to the top some were waiting around but I knew that I
couldn’t wait and I just had to go and do it. This was a good bonding
experience because we were all encouraging each other and cheering each other
on. Some got very afraid at the top and were afraid of heights so these cliffs
were a big challenge. It was just so satisfying not only for those girls but
also for me when they jumped off the cliff. I was so proud of them and excited
that they conquered their fear. We were able to explore the Main Street and
shop and look for a place to eat. We found a restaurant with a nice variety
that seemed suitable for everyone. All us went out to dinner in celebration of
Theresa’s birthday!
Saturday was another unforgettable day. We all
started off with bungee jumping! It was 216m jump! The bridge is the highestbridge in South Africa and the highest commercial bungee jump in the world! We
all walked over together and the whole time there was music pumping and we were
all dancing and cheering others on. This was another great accomplishment for
those who were afraid of heights. There was this one lady who you could tell
was very afraid but we cheered for her and encouraged her and she did it. She
said that in the end our encouragement really helped her. I was nervous when I
got to the edge and my toes were dangling off the side. It was an indescribable
feeling when you go from pump up music to complete silence and peacefulness.
There I felt the most relaxed and at peace. For those quick 30 seconds or so it
was just me free falling in the sky. It’s scary thinking that I only had a rope
attached to my feet but when you jump it is the most peaceful and beautiful
thing. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Later on that day we went over to an elephant
sanctuary where we all were able to pet the elephants and feed them. They were
all so gentle and nice and their skin was so rough. It was awesome being able
to get that close and touch them. These elephants were orphans and there is no
beating or physical violence done to the elephants when they train them. To
finish off a perfect day we all watched a movie, Mean Girls together and sat
around the campfire and talked. It was nice because everyone was so relaxed and
comfortable there. I really enjoyed this weekend with all of the adventurous
events and bonding. I missed the people who had to stay back in Cape Town and
wish everyone could have come. I wish we would have had the chance to
experience this earlier but in a way it was a nice way to spend one of our last
weekends in South Africa.
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