Day 233: Knysna to Cape Town

Our last leg of the Garden Route from Knysna to Cape Town was the easiest, and probably the most beautiful. We stopped off in Hermanus for lunch and some whale watching- it’s not exactly the season to see the most whales, but as soon as we sat down in a restaurant right on the water, our waiter pointed out and I saw a giant tail-fin disappear. After some soup and seafood, we were only about three hours away from Cape Town.

The drive into Cape Town was stunning. We drove along the coast and it reminded me so much of driving the Pacific Coast Highway winding around bends along steep cliffs that led down to the water. Andrew was in the passenger seat and it was up to him to film how beautiful the scenery was while I tried not to think about how scary the drop was off one side of the road. We made it to the hostel after dark and were overwhelmed by how nice – Really. Nice – the B.I.G. Backpackers Hostel was.

We checked into our room, chatted with the two Brits who we would share the room with for the night. Afterwards, I apologized to Andrew for not having as much product and make-up than they did. Homeboys had a LOT (hair-dryer included) and the room resembled a sorority girl’s college dorm more than it did a room you stay in for a couple of nights while traveling in a different country. They were nice though, and very quiet when they came in after a long and I’m assuming by the smell intoxicating night out. We were out earlier than them the next morning, so I unfortunately couldn’t tease them about their crazy amount of products.

Day 231: East London to Knysna

Clear skies! Finally! We hit the road early and halfway through the morning, pulled over to see how Andrew would do behind the wheel. Aside from a few start then stall then start again moments, he did great!

I thought the houses along the way were so beautiful, dotting the landscape of green and brown with bright punches of color. We rolled into Knysna towards dusk and were given directions to Mitchell’s Brewery for a beer tasting before we called it a night.

Day 123: Repelling in Ras al-Khaimah

In continuation of Kate having the hook-up, her and Andy (her Andrew) took us repelling in Ras al-Khaimah. A quick drive through the desert and we were in the mountains (kinda) for an afternoon of walking down the sides of a canyon. We didn’t have time to rock-climb in Thailand, so I was super excited to get on a wall, even if it was just to do the easy (sometimes most fun) part! Just like TJ, Andy knew exactly what he was doing (it’s his job, after all!) and was super professional as he guided us down the canyon walls.

Guess who made everyone pose for scenario pictures again? (It’s me! It’s me!) Only we weren’t as organized, and I forgot what each scenario was… Maybe being silly in climbing harnesses for all of them?

After repelling, we headed out of Ras al-Khaimah to drive and spend the night in Abu Dhabi for some sightseeing the next day. The normally two hour drive turned into five because we couldn’t find a gas station ANYWHERE! On empty, we were a little nervous, driving in the middle of the desert, but finally found one with Andy’s (Kate’s Andy) help using the internet at home. Whew! We were in the clear, until Andrew (my Andrew) took a turn behind the wheel and learned the hard way there are speed bumps on the expressway. We were in the midst of finding our way back to the right expressway to Abu Dhabi and all of a sudden the car is airborne and Andrew is freaking out out in the front seat apologizing to Kate over and over again, who was also apologizing on behalf of the UAE for the crazy amount of speed bumps without warning paint, lights, or even signs. Andrew couldn’t stop referencing The Office, whenever he talked about there actually being a speed bump in the middle of a highway...