Nothing ever goes fully according to plan when there is one, right? In Denver, heavy delays on the outbound leg to Washington left us wondering whether we were even going to make the evening departure to Cape Town. What caused the delay was never known, yet the crew was made aware that many had tight connections, evidenced by the fact that many hands shot up when those passengers were asked to raise their hands. Come to find out, there were 14 people continuing to Cape Town - who would have guessed that there was that much traffic between Colorado and South Africa in the off season?

With an arrival time now estimated to be almost exactly that of the departure time of the next flight, the crew of the second flight was gracious enough to wait on the last passengers; another feeder plane from Los Angeles which also carried a portion of the Cape Town passengers arrived immediately after us. Added to this was the fact that my parents had a high status at United, and that the Washington - Cape Town service only flies every two or three days, so they would have waited regardless. At the gate all of the last few nervous passengers made jokes about missing the flight.

The second we sat down, the doors were shut, and we were on our way. Sitting so far forward in the 777 was a special experience. The airplane equipped with capable GE 90 engines thundered out of DC with a buzz incomparable to any other aircraft. A bank past the city of Washington would be the last thing I saw before we viewed the sunset and ventured into the cloudy Atlantic nighttime. I had ginger beef and a top blade steak with some new movie playing before getting 6 hours of spotty but well needed sleep.

This was our "day at leisure" as per the itinerary. We figured it would be the prime opportunity to take the hop-on-hop-off bus service that runs through the city regularly. But first, breakfast at Den Anker, a small Belgian brunch place that offers excellent views of the Bascule Drawbridge and the small boats exiting the adjacent marina. The morning was sunny and relatively temperate, but that would be the last we would see of the sun that day.

A lengthy stroll throughout the waterfront ensued. Lots of luxury apartments and condos with direct access to the marina. And what visit wouldn't be complete without falling for one of the tourist traps? I checked that box off when taking a short video of local marimba band in the street, who subsequently invited me to play for a few seconds, then charged me and made me buy a CD of theirs. Whatever, lesson learned.

The bus ride was very enjoyable if not a little bit cold. I subjected myself to this cold in order to take photos and videos. First we cruised around the entire waterfront and saw all the sights we had already seen on foot in addition to the famous boat repair docks. Then we went into town, a very eclectic mix of skyscrapers, old European colonial buildings, Dutch names, and colorful houses. Legitimately, every element of the experience made it feel like Europe, from the climate, weather, city style, and especially the names of everything. The bus held at the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway station, where we got a cloudy view of the city from above. Impressive at the time, but incomparable to the views we would have in the coming days.

Down to Camps Bay, which was the spot I wanted to see on foot. The audio guide made sure to inform us that houses in the price range and quality of those found on the cliffsides of Camps Bay and Clifton are the exception, and that the vast majority of South Africans cannot afford to live like that. From the beach down below, you could look up and see endless neighborhoods lined with palm trees, expensive cars, and panoramic windows. To say I had stepped foot in the ocean there, I dipped my feet in the water, something I instantly regretted upon feeling how cold it was. It was pretty, but Camps Bay is better enjoyed in good weather to say the least as it was cloudy, cold and drizzly. Not to mention the endless vendors relentlessly annoying anyone who looks like a tourist - the less tourists there are, the more likely you are to be targeted by their sales pitches of the same artwork that every other vendor also mysteriously sells. 

This day was all about wine. No visit to Cape Town is complete without at least sampling some of the wide variety of South African wines. We had already been primed - Pinotage had become one of our new favorite types of wine. Now it was time to see where and how they got made.

Noel picked us up bright and early to drive us through the city and out to the winery fields near Paarl. As we passed through the foggy, fairly well-off suburbs of northern Cape Town, he told us the entire history of South Africa from beginning to the colonial eras to Apartheid to the modern-day and painted us a very holistic picture of the country. He explained the geography of the country, how wine was introduced to this very fertile part of Africa from Europe, and told us that its main highways could take you to Egypt if you wanted.

What really captivated me was his explanation of the people, racial issues, and languages. How segregated the people really were during Apartheid and how they were confined to live in certain parts of the country against their will. How some cities despise using the "colonizer language" Afrikaans, how some almost exclusively use it, and how some cities like Durban are more Indian, for example, than anything else. How whites still own most of the wealth after all these years. How the black youth felt there should have been more of an uprising. How Christianity took its hold on the country. How Johannesburg had a booming gold rush. How the upper classes of South African society neglect and ignore the problems of the poor and how little was done to accomodate the influx of black Africans to the cities. And perhaps most disappointing of all, how hopeless it is for those at the very bottom to escape the system's confines - they don't know any different and accept life for what it is. Because while seeing the country's beauty is amazing, one also needs to see the whole picture. He would proceed to tell us more over the course of the day.

The first winery we stopped at was called Fairview Wine & Cheese. This wine estate specialized not only in the production of its Fairview branded wines, but also goat cheese. I selected to try a combination of White, Rosé, Pinotage, Malbec, Shiraz, and Homtini wines while pairing them with the appropriate cheeses. It was incredible. While my palette is not as refined as that of my dad, I did my best to distinguish the different characteristics of each wine, while chatting with Noel about me finishing my studies at college.

The first day of July was another day partially at our leisure. We met up with Jason, a tour guide that takes people through various routes up to the top of Table Mountain. Originally we were supposed to hike up Skeleton Gorge, but with concerns of it being too challenging we asked Noel to change our planned route to the Platteklip Gorge, which was apparently easier. At the starting point, we set foot in a foggy environment. 

The first 15 minutes were gorgeous. Through the mountains and fog we navigated through narrow passageways and natural stairs. Eventually we reached the last exit point trail which would lead you back down to the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway station, and we as a group were not fit to continue as the trail would soon become steeper. There were some pre-existing injuries that made continuing impossible. We decided to bail and took that alternate path back down. For a bit we stayed level with the side of the mountain before descending, walking between mossy faces of stone, overhangs, and dripping water coming off the cloud of fog passing through. 

Along the way Jason stopped us a few times to tell us some geological facts, as well as the work that he does out in the townships to pull children out of poverty through sport. With a charity that he runs alongside being a tour guide, he aims to prevent the youth in the townships from getting involved in gang activity, and coaches several age groups of children's soccer to provide them with something to look forward to. It was an inspirational, yet also a humbling story to hear. At the same time it was also another fantastic opportunity to trade life stories.

From the cable car station, we were able to take the cableway to the top. The cable car features only two cars, each capable of carrying upwards of 60 people and rotating 360 degrees so everyone can witness the view going up - the view being the thick cloud layer that blocked everything for the entire duration of the ascent. Even upon exiting the station and walking around on the top of the plateau was there little to see. For about an hour we walked around the top of Table Mountain surrounded by dense fog, taking in what little vegetation and eroding rock formations one was able to see before returning to the café somewhat disappointed, having a coffee and returning back down to the station.

Noel picked us up from the hotel bright and early to take us on our final tour down the length of the Cape Peninsula, with numerous stops along the way. In the White Toyota, we first drove once more through Sea Point, Clifton, and Camps Bay, stopping in Clifton briefly to take in the fresh morning sea breeze under a cloudy sky. For a minute he told us some of the same information we learned on the bus tour as we watched the waves crash against the rocky shore.

The windy M6 took us past Llandudno and into Hout Bay, towns that both feature very upscale and high-end communities. Hout Bay struck us as a very cozy town, with heavy foliage blanketing the large estates we were driving past. For a few minutes we stopped at a local market in the Hout Bay Harbor, where we took in views of the cloudy bay, looked at some artworks, and witnessed seals swimming between the parked boats.

Noel informed us that typically he would continue to take guests down the M6 past Chapman's Peak, one of the country's most scenic drives. Unfortunately for us it was under seasonal construction. Instead we briefly parked at a trailhead a little bit up the road, took in Hout Bay from the other side, received a brief history lesson about the historically colored neighborhood that sits at the foot of The Sentinel, turned around and continued back into Cape Town through Constantia. Along the way, we were once again reminded of the stark contrast of the region's living conditions upon seeing the Imizamo Yethu shanty town built quite literally in the backyards of mansions.

Next stop: Muizenberg. This vibrant southwest suburb of Cape Town is known for a few things - surfing, colorful beach huts, and supporting a young, active population. Despite the sun only peeking through the clouds for a brief moment, the waters, which face False Bay, were full of people enjoying the water that was significantly warmer than those on the eastern coast. Noel would go on to explain how this was a result of the clashing Benguela and Agulhas Currents. Highrise apartment buildings peeked over the red, yellow, green, and blue rows of changing boxes, which in themselves provided fantastic photo opportunities with the background of the foothills. In our opinion, this beach town made a much better impression than Camps Bay, as it seemed more livable, genuine, and full of life. Combined with the miles of sandy beaches, this quickly became a new favorite part of Cape Town for my parents and I.

The landscape got progressively more and more barren, and the Cape Point Nature Reserve came into view. The winding road eventually led to a parking lot at which countless larger tour buses were parked. First through, lunch at Two Oceans, a seafood restaurant located above a cliff providing astonishing views over the False Bay and all the way up the coast of the peninsula we just traveled down. All four of us ordered fish and chips. Plain, simple, and delicious.

Where there is normally a funicular to take tourists to the Cape of Good Hope Old Lighthouse lookout point, was a replacement bus service. This bus hauled a load of tourists up an insane grade to the top of the hill, from where it was only a short hike to reach the lighthouse itself. There it was, the end of the continent. A huge grassy cliff face with turquoise waters crashing into the rocky beaches hundreds of feet below welcomed us here. My mom and I stood there in awe as we processed that we really were looking at the famed southeastern tip of the African continent.

The lighthouse, now defunct and covered in stickers from past visitors, featured a sign that pointed in the direction of many other European and North American cities. It was possible to take an additional hike to reach the absolute end of the peninsula, but we elected to take it in from the lighthouse. The expanse of the ocean was laid out in front of us, with the peninsula's length reflecting in the sun behind us. Just to the west was another cliff, with a boardwalk that could take you down to the beach below. The weather, luckily cleared up for us, and we went back down for a quick look into the "curio shop" before leaving with Noel. I wanted to make sure that our presence in this part of the world was made permanent by carving our initials into a stone near the lighthouse, as many, many others had done.

There was actually one more stop: the Cape of Good Hope itself, which was a short drive away from the tourist zone. This zone was the geographical southeasternmost point (not the southernmost or easternmost - these are not located here!) of Africa, denoted by a sign that we all took photos in front of. Here, it was possible to observe seals lounging amongst the rocks that waves were regularly and violently crashing onto. In the distance, and MSC cargo ship that was taking the long route around the world. Due to geopolitical developments around the world in the last decades, many ships have reverted to taking the Cape route to get to and from the Americas, as we found out. It was not just a backup route.

We passed many small farmers markets, rustic villages, and another shanty town belonging to Simon's Town on the way back. Upon explaining to us that this shanty town was safer than other slums due to lack of gang activity, Noel took the opportunity to tell us about his upbringing being labeled as a colored person in Apartheid South Africa. He explained to us the hierarchy of races set up by the government, and how colored individuals had a tough time even after Apartheid, as all jobs that were for whites were now delegated exclusively to black Africans, leaving the massive colored and Indian population out of the question. Noel was directly affected by this growing up as a half-Indian, half-British descendant, and appreciated me asking about his upbringing as he liked storytelling (as we had come to learn) and was waiting for the right time to tell us his. I was grateful that I had someone to ask all the tough questions to, as I had for a long time been interested in South Africa's unique and troubled history and how its citizens today cope with the wrongdoings of the past.

These stories he told us as we passed through the communities of Kommetjie and Fish Hoek, where it was once again very easy to see this prominent divide. We took the mountain route back through Constantia, and encircled the entirety of Table Mountain as we passed through the wealthy suburbs of Claremont, Rondebosch, and Woodstock. We thanked Noel for an incredible few days, showing us the absolute best of the town. Our last evening in Cape Town was spent back at the waterfront Ferris wheel, watching the sunset as we had on day 1, and shopping in the mall for a small duffel bag. There were a few things we needed to leave behind in Cape Town to save weight for Namibia and pick up on the way back. For dinner, we enjoyed some Mozambican food at the waterfront mall.

Let's check in on the family - how is everyone doing? Mom, who has low appetite and faced her claustrophobia on a small plane, is not used to this much activity on a vacation, and is still recovering from being shuttled around Cape Town. Absolute trooper, but still having fun overall. Dad, on the other hand, is getting used to driving on the left, with the steering wheel on the right. Every few minutes he activates the windshield wipers instead of the blinker, adding some hilarity to the day's mood.

First we drove for half an hour through wide open spaces into Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Briefly we entered into a small shopping mall, which had a Checkers grocery store inside. We needed a few essentials before setting off on our journey to Otjiwarongo further in the north, namely water, bread, snacks, batteries, and Biltong - a form of jerky traditional to southern Africa, which had been recommended to us prior. While the Namibian Dollar is fixed to the South African Rand, we figured it would be best to attempt to change the latter into the former at the checkout lane. Namibia has a heavy tipping culture, as we would soon find out upon tipping the security guard in the parking garage.

We spent no longer in Windhoek than necessary, as we were already behind schedule. The city had notable German colonial influences and was very clean and organized, despite people walking and selling on the sides of the road everywhere you went. You could tell which cars were tourists - they were all driving white SUVs or pickups of sorts. Most tourists that come to Namibia do exactly what we did and take a self-driven road trip to see all the country's attractions. Nearly all of them first stopped in Windhoek before embarking. We had to focus to make sure our driving was fine, and while I offered to alleviate my dad of his driving duties, we decided it was best for him to take control as we left the city heading north.

I couldn't believe we were just in Namibia. It had, for the longest time, been the #1 most fascinating country to me due to its wildlife, landscapes, and remnant German influence, and it was on the top of mine and my dad's bucket list for the longest time. And here we were, just taking the country head on in a nearly two-week road trip. The four hour drive would lead us close to the town of Otjiwarongo, our first stop. We soon realized how expansive the country was. Everywhere you looked, there were endless, open expanses of sheer nothingness. With rest stops every few kilometers, we were able to stop the car and eat our food along the way. The roads were fenced off with incredibly intricate fencing to keep the wildlife out, and every so often one would pass by a small farm or the entrance to a ridiculously remote nature lodge. Most fascinating of all - the thousands of countless 10+ foot high termite mounds, that you would see every few seconds, everywhere. Why Otjiwarongo of all places? This is the location of the Cheetah Conservation Fund.