it began in africa

Yesterday we arrived in Africa for our honeymoon. It took us a total of seventeen hours to get here. Our first flight was seven hours from JFK to Dakar, where we refueled and had more food put on board. Then an eight hour journey to Johannesburg. Once in Jo'burg, we had a one hour layover.

When I walked off the plane in Jo'burg, I was thrilled. I love that first sensation of being in a new and foreign place. When we got into the airport, it was eerily quiet. Very different from New York. Lots of smiles and whispering, but noticeably calm. We were approached by a man that worked in the airport as a guide, in a bright orange jumpsuit, who offered to take us to our connecting flight to Cape Town. Immediately, I was suspicious. I stopped him and asked him where he was taking us, because he was diverting us from the crowds into an entirely different entrance. He looked at me with a big grin and pointed to a sign over his head that said "Domestic Departures" and said, "You don't want to be stuck in this crowd, do you?" It was then I realized how generous and wonderful the people of Africa are. Welcoming, friendly and always smiling. He even took my suitcase and said, "We don't want you lugging this around. You need to feel free and welcome. You are in Africa!"

Once we got our bright red Ford Focus rental car (with a rented GPS system) we were on our way to cape grace. Once we arrived at our hotel, our breath was taken away. Even in the dark, this place was spectacular. we were upgraded to a penthouse with a terrace view, due to us being on our honeymoon. It is a three room sweet complete with a terrace to sit on and a large tub, big enough to fit three people. We were walked to our room by the head of concierge where we were welcomed by a tray of sweets and fresh baked cookies, with the words, "Congratulations!" inscribed on the plate with chocolate. There was a brand new bottle of champagne chilling for us.

We ended up having dinner in the whiskey bar, Bascule, where we met a lot of really cool people. We got a personalized tour of the wine and whiskey cellars, and B enjoyed a cigar at the bar. We walked along the marina and listened to the sea lions bark and play in the dark waters. We were in bed by one in the morning.

Today, we woke to sunshine. From the terrace I got my first glimpse at Table Mountain. It was spectacular.


Fresh orange juice and coffee were delivered to our suite. We had an amazing helicopter ride at 11 am, given to us by my friends Jenna and Caitlyn as a wedding present. Then were off to a massage and pedicure at the spa at Cape Grace. Let me just say that I am still recovering from the unforgettable treatments that we had. I don't know about you, but I had never experienced a pedicure lying down with a hot lavendar compress over my eyes. I can promise you... it was phenomenal.

We just returned from dinner at Sevruga down on the waterfront. The menu was phenomenal. We ate a meal our of our wildest dreams. We even got a little adventurous and tried the Ostrich Carpaccio, the Springbok, which is their local game similar to antelope and the Langoustines, some large crayfish. So unbelievable!

I am so sleepy and am off to bed now. Tomorrow we are going to be swimming in a cage with the Great White Sharks. I am so pumped for it!

This truly feels like it is going to be an incredible experience...