Blog 11 : ”Survive or die” Week 13

Hello everyone,

I hope life has treated you well. I had one week of vacation left, but I spent it in Genadendal. Carina wasn't here; she was on tour with her family. It was nice to be alone, just relax. During my vacation I watched movies and sported a lot. It was really nice, but I must say that I really missed her. Shh don’t tell her alright?

I've written quite a lot travel reviews for all of you. Nice right? I will put them on my blog soon, so please be patient.

Carina came back and we had a really nice weekend together. Her parents are really nice and I really had to laugh a lot because of her brothers. Their trip in Genadendal was funny because they booked a room at a guest house for one night. When they tried to check in, the receptionist told them that there was no reservation on their name. After this and that, they got a room but it was not good.
So we tried to arrange a new place for them. Thanks God a sweet lady offered them her house. It was so funny because she was my neighbor. Her parents left on the Sunday and to be honest It was hard to say goodbye. We stayed behind with one propose. We don’t have so much time left so we have to complete our research and our Health promotion assignment.

This story is not about my week in Genadendal but it is about my weekend at Cederberg. Cederberg Nature Reserve is located 250 kilometers north of Cape Town. It is famous for spectacular scenery and rock formations as well as the ever rarer Clanwilliam cedar tree, of which the park’s name is derived. Geological Cederberg is part of the Cape fold and consists mainly of Table Mountain sandstone. The most famous sandstone formations are undoubtedly the Wolf Mountain Ark and the Maltese Cross.

I did some research before we drove to Cederberg, but believe me, I didn't have any idea of what I was about to experience. Ok let’s start with my adventure!
We drove like 5 hours from Genadendal to Cederberg. First we went to the Summerset Mall. After summerset we went to Cape Town to have a lunch with the parents of Carina. It was really nice to see them again. It was actually their last day at South Africa. We had some lunch at bistro “Society” near Long Street. The food there is wonderful; I really love that place. Ok, after that our real trip started. We drove nonstop to Cederberg. The view was nice and so magical. We took pictures, we played games and we had a talent show in the car. Believe me, Bob and Carina have great talents. Omg love u guys xoxo

When we arrived at Cederberg we couldn’t find the way to the camping Centrum. We were lost for like 15 minutes. Luckily we got some help from the other student. It was cold and the sun was already gone. I’m sure that the first things that you think when you hear the word “tent” are: sleeping bag, terrible night, little sleeping space etc…
But believe me, my tent was so big. I even had a bed and blankets. The only thing that I missed was light. The first night we had some BBQ under the stars. Everyone was around the campfire and the night was so beautiful. When we arrived we didn’t have electricity so the fire was a great idea to keep us warm and to give us light. I was aware that we were in the middle of nowhere, but I wasn’t aware of the activities that they planned for us the next day.

The next day we had some breakfast together. Around 11 am we went to a nature reserve to buy our tickets. We drove about an hour, but I really liked the trip. The road was bad but it was funny. Finally, we arrived and my walk began. First we started with stairs, then we had to climb over small rocks and then over super big boulders. I don’t like to climb because I’m not so tall and I always need some help. Climbing and I aren't good friends, my dear, but after all I was happy with the view.
I put some pictures below for you. Please, don’t laugh at me because some of my pictures are hilarious. All the guys helped me to climb. Thanks guys xoxo.

Ok, Cedar Mountain is really extreme. I had wounds and pain everywhere. I have seen many animals and even a spider. OMG I was so scared!
Let me tell you what happened. I was waiting for some help between two large rocks. After waiting for a while I was planning to put my foot on a small rock. On that moment I saw a big spider with a lot of colors. I think my heart skipped a beat.
I started screaming:

"Help me, I really want to go up, there's a spider next to my foot!!"

What a moment, but I’m still alive!
Another moment which was quite scary was when we had to walk in a narrow dark passage. I could not see anything, only a light at the end of the tunnel. Omg that was also so scared, I don’t like narrow and dark passages. Believe me, I was really happy when we reached the finish line.
I wanted to take a shower and just sit. Sit for hours!
That night we had another BBQ. The sky was filled with shining stars. I was happy because it was really nice. Everyone was tired but was talking and having fun around the campfire.

The next day I was awake at around 6 o'clock in the morning. We wanted to see the sun rise. I sat outside in the cold in my pajama with a cup of tea. Crazy right? But it was it was worthwhile.
God made this world so perfectly.

We climbed a large rock around 7 o’clock. The idea was that on that rock we could see the sunrise better, but unfortunately there was a big mountain in front of us. So it was not successful.
On that day we went to another nature reserve to see a waterfall. We hiked a lot but it was less than the day before. I took some pictures of baboons and flowers that I saw during my hike. The waterfall was gorgeous. I've never seen such a waterfall in my life. So high and perfect. We took a lot of pictures there too; I put some below for you. Enjoy it!

After hiking we drove back to Genadendal. We drove for like 4 hours but the view was so beautiful. I saw the sunset. The sky was red/orange. Everything was perfect. I was speechless. After my long trip I was tired but happy with the weekend.

I hope that my story was super fun and I hope to write you soon.

With kind regards,

Vaitiare