I have been up and down on whether I should write a blog lately. We have been pretty chill since we got to Cape Town and have basically been laying low, catching up on rest, cooking and going to the gym. We really needed this little break midway through the trip. Not just to recuperate but also to work off every pound we put on in Europe. Now, dont get me wrong, I dont regret a single pound but it is nice to get back on track and feel better in my clothes again.
We’re staying in a busy little area in the heart of Cape Town right on the booming Long street. This is an extremely lively street lined with bars and clubs that blast music until the early hours of the morning. Thankfully I am accustomed to ear plugs and Mark sleeps with his headphones on listening to his podcast. If you’re a light sleeper there is no way you would get any sleep in this apartment. Its a cute little bachelor pad, just enough space for the two of us in a high security building. Its everything we need at the moment.
We have done a little bit of exploring our area. We dont tend to go too far other than to the grocery store and the gym which are both less than a 15 minute walk away. Our area is fairly safe during the day but we have not gone out after dark. We’ve had a few situations since we’ve gotten here about taking our safety seriously. Not just from a friend who grew up here but 2 Uber drivers that we’ve had as well. There is a lot of issues with inequality and driving outside of the city it really shows with the types of housing offered to different races. Yes, certain areas of the city are race designated. Its hard to hear but its true. Although democracy began here as late as 1994, they still have such a long way to go. I hope that in my life time this can be accomplished.
Our days off from the gym have been full of exploration! One of the days we took a visit to Boulders Beach just passed Simon’s Town. Beautiful ancient granite boulders with ideal swimming spots rich with flour white sand. Among this area lives a colony of African Penguins (used to be called Jackass Penguins). At just under a foot and a half tall, these little guys are known for their braying that sounds very similar to a donkey. We enjoyed watching them play in the waves and waddle around on the beach.
Walking through Table Mountain National Park is just as heart warming as visiting the little penguins. Not only are you following the water hopping along marble designed boulders to the front of you, turn around and you are completely surrounded by lush green farm land and rolling hills. It was the perfect day and a huge highlight of this trip so far.
We’ve gone down to the gorgeous V&A Waterfront to explore, shop and visit the local Two Oceans Aquarium. A very large exhibit with all types of jellyfish, tropical fish, sharks, penguins and stingray. You are even able to walk through a tube that goes directly under one of the largest tanks and watch the animals swim over you. Pretty amazing and I havent seen one of those since I was in the Australian Aquarium in Sydney.
One of our days off we visited the Cheetah Outreach program just outside of Stellenbosch which is less than an hour drive East of Cape Town. An amazing little sanctuary created to raise awareness about the decline of Cheetahs. All of them are hand reared by humans to be ambassadors of their species. For only 2$CND per person, the entrance fee to freely walk around is extremely minimal. You also have the option of having a hands-on experience with one of the animals at an extra charge. With several species to choose from, good luck picking just one! You have choices of adult or cub cheetahs, meerkats, bat eared foxes and servals. They also have a program breeding and raising Anatolian Shepherds for guarding livestock. Their sole purpose is to guard farm animals from wild predators including cheetahs. This is turn helps the farmers with their animals as well as stops the killing of wild cheetahs as there is only about 6600 left. These dogs are incredibly large and its no wonder they’re used specifically for this as they are roughly the same height as the cheetahs. It was such a wonderful day; Mark and I both had cub encounters and enjoyed every second of it. 
I am so far in love with South Africa and its only getting me more and more excited for everything else to come. A few more weeks until our first safari and actually trekking into the wild to track elephants, lions and hippos. My heart couldn’t be more full at the moment! Until then I will enjoy killing my workouts at the gym and being incredibly spoiled by Marks cooking.
Love you all ❤ Thanks for following.
More info here on the Cheetah Outreach program
Ami Grieve Photography 
Once again enjoyed your blog, the pictures and your insight into South Africa. Good that your taking time to ‘refurbish’ yourselves.
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