Yesterday afternoon we took a couple hours off work and decided to head down to Waterfront in Cape Town. Aaron and Nichole thought it would be fun to explore the pier.
Growing up on Lake Michigan I have seen a lot of boats, but not ocean boats. Ocean boats are a whole new kind of big. That being said Cape Town has been a world renowned shipping and transportation capital. Meaning the marina here quite epic.
The pier itself is worth the trip out to the water, but the shops and markets within the Waterfront are a bonus surprise. I kept thinking, this is Africa? Ok maybe the entire time I’ve been in Cape Town I have been thinking that. The entire waterfront is clean and feels familiar.
On the waterfront, we experienced our first Market in Cape Town. When Aaron and Nichole said Market I was not sure what to expect. Instead of food trucks or carts, they have a space where various food vendors rent out spaces to sell their food. It is really nice to be honest. Think of it like a food court but with better design, healthy homemade options, and happier people. We enjoyed some awesome curry, craft beer and handmade chocolates.
While wandering Waterfront we saw a gorgeous Catamaran and decided sailing was a must do. Why not, right?! We paid $12 a person and were splashing through this historic port just minutes later.
Sailing on Lake Michigan is one thing, but sailing in Cape Town in the Atlantic ocean is another. The water is intense here. It may be absolutely breathtaking, but it is also frightening to me. The waves are huge and powerful, there are great white sharks in the water and other things that can eat you. But despite me fears of what lies beneath the water I was not about to turn down the chance to sail in new waters.
We sailed out about half way to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for nearly 25 years. It was pretty chilly the further we went out, but the view of both Robben Island and Cape Town was totally worth it. Plus it’s Africa so they don’t really have many rules, so we all went straight to the front of the boat and hug off the side.
As we moved out into the deeper waters the ocean swells began to get larger and larger. Have you ever been in a swell? We get some good sized ones in Lake Michigan, but as you can imagine nothing like the ones in the ocean. There were points when the water was higher than you, which was a bit CRAZY! Especially when you think about what is in the water…
I know that when we return to Michigan by the end of the month from all of our travel there will likely be no more sailing. It is really sad to think about as we pack up, so having the chance to get out on the water just one more time was really wonderful.
It was also Nichole and Aaron’s first time out on the water here, so it was fun to experience the views and excitement together.
Almost everyday Aaron says “You cannot discover if you do not explore” and this was one of those awesome discoveries that came out of tossing caution to the wind and saying, why not?
The view of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head from the water was worth being slightly chilled and maybe a little nauseous from all the up and down of the swells.
As we came in we got our first bit of South Africa wildlife on the docks. We caught some Sea Lions (the most only lion we will see in Cape Town) bathing in the sun on a dock. It was my first time seeing Sea Lions in the wild.
As the day closed, we grabbed some snacks and headed back to our apartment for a late night of working on a *top secret* 😉 project for Over. We spent the night brainstorming and watched the sun set from our “office” for the week.
Being here is teaching us a lot about how we work, our thoughts on culture and community, and it is showing us that you truly can live your life, do the work you love, and see the most amazing things in the world. Life is good friends. Work hard. Live with serious intention to live the life that fulfills you no matter where or what that may look like. Life can be an amazing adventure if you just let it be. More on this though over the next few days. I have been thinking a lot all these things over the last few days that are pushing us to live more fully.
Cheers friends! Till tomorrow.