DAY THIRTEEN:

I refuse to believe that adventure week is over, but what i way to start my trip!!! Today was the last day on the Garden Route and let me just say I have never enjoyed hours upon hours in the car so much! Every  single road we drove on was unbelievably gorgeous; the landscape is so diverse! There's desert, beach, mountains, and just amazing farmlands. I risked motion sickness just so I could look at my window and take it all in; it was so peaceful. This morning was the earliest all week, which is hard to believe we could possibly get up earlier than we have been, but we did! We began our day at the glorious hour of 4:30 AM!!!! We boarded the truck and said goodbye to our hostel. We began to make our way to shark cage diving ahhhhh!!! This was like a six hour drive, so I learned many new card games, like spades!! So now I can play with my mom! Although I'm not really a fan because its so confusing since I know hearts! But anyways we finally made it to the shark diving place, which just so happens to be the same place that Discovery Channel films shark week.... uhhhh what??? Have you seen shark week? Cause I have! Anyone that knows me knows that besides bridges sharks are my number one fear. So needless to say I was straight freaking, full on panic attack. The captain of our boat made sure to make a point again and again of saying that the only sharks we would see are great whites. You know just the biggest shark in the world..... I honestly did not know if I would do it. However, lucky for us, a storm was coming in, so the sea was SUPER choppy and everyone was getting sick. So to escape the sea sickness, I just had to get in the water. And, luck for me again, I was put on the end of the cage, like closest to the sharks. I asked the crew if I could change and they said that positions were not negotiable....okaaaay coooool. So in the freezing water I went. OH MY GOD!!!! These sharks were freaking giant. Thirteen feet!!! AHHHHHH! I was so scared i could barely even work my camera to take pictures. But basically the crew would lure the shark sin by throwing out tuna heads on this line and then pull the tuna towards the cage and as soon as it got in front of the cage they would pull it out of the water, forcing the shark right into the cage. And let me just tell you this cage was not like a sturdy protective structure. No it was some metal bars put together, like picture a jail cell door. All I could do was think that one of my limbs was floating out of the cage. Eventually, I tried to be calm and actually experience it since I was trapped in the cage anyways. Even though i hate sharks, I have to admit they are awesome! It was unreal to be that close to them! After we finished with the sharkies it was back on the truck for the final leg of our journey back to the hotel. This week was amazing! We did so many things that most people can merely wish or hope to experience one day. And I did them all in one week!! I am so exhausted but wouldn't change a thing about this week! What an adventure!!! 

yeaaaa.......