IT'S TIME FOR AFRICA!!!! Cape Town 2012: DAY NINE:

And the adventures begin!!! Up at 7 AM this morning to board the trucks aka safari/military vehicles for the trek to our first hostel. And we began the trip with a bang when our truck broke down not once... but twice!! On the way to the hostel we stopped for lunch in the Wilderness National Park. It was the cutest little town and the restaurant, Blue Olive, was so good!! I has this honey chicken stir fry and rice. And, most importantly, I SAW THE INDIAN OCEAN FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! Check that one off the bucket list! After we explored around there, we piled back in the truck and headed to our next stop on the Garden Route: Knysna. We got out at the Waterfront and were able to walk around all the cute ships, get gelato, and see the amazing view of the harbor. Then, it was back to the truck, which was becoming very homey despite how ridiculously bumpy it is, to make the final trip to our first hostel...kinda frightened not gonna lie. ON the way we really got to know everyone in our group since it was such a smaller setting than we were used to the first week. We played "Whomp it," the creatively titled game that entails each person going to the front of the truck and telling the group about themselves and then allowing the group to ask them whatever they desire in return. And here's where the title comes in, to choose the next person to play the person whose turn it currently is hits someone else with this foam stick thing; thus whomping them. We finally made it to the hostel after dark, so we had absolutely know idea where we were. Our tour guide Martin, who becomes our go to guy for anything at all, merely told us we were in the middle of the forest. But, surprisingly enough, the hostel is really nice!! It's kinda like being at camp again, in the big rooms with bunk bed after bunk bed. Once we got settled in our rooms, we had dinner: chicken, sausage, squash, beans, and bread. Oh, and the biggest beers I have ever seen....it was like a two liter!! After we ate, we went out to the bonfire and I got to talk to one of the locals, who actually ended up being the driver of our truck. He knows over ten languages fluently, and tried to teach me some Zulu, but i failed miserably!! The clicks between and in the middle of words were just too much for me! I was able to comprehend that the vowels in the alphabet in Zulu are pronounced the same as those in spanish, so at least I learned something! We also got to go explore deeper into the woods to see the stars and oh my gosh they are like I have never seen before. The African night sky is amazing! And then the night took a turn when we were introduced to the bartender, Freddy. He is straight cray cray...Martin had tried to warn us of Freddy but we did not take him seriously! He just walked around all night "icing" people and practically pouring drinks down our throuats. I made some type of deal with him that if I survived the bungee I have to drink straight whiskey. I think... but I didn't really understand. Freddy seemed to think it was a GREAT deal though so I couldn't help but agree haha. But, into bed early now cause we have a long day tomorrow and I would be lying if I said I wasn't (in Martin's words) "scared shitless" because we are bungeeing tomorrow.....first group of Global LEAD 2012....world's tallest bungee....seven story free fall down...AHHHH.