Hike up Lion's Head & V&A Waterfront

The students were ripped from their cozy quarters in the early hours of 9am (*Editors Note: the students all wake up on their own accord, we have never ripped anyone out of anything. As you were Emma...) Sunday for the pain of physical activity. Riding to the base of Lion’s Head Mountain, we embarked on a journey to stress our mental and physical capabilities. We first divided in the fast, medium, and slower paced groups according to our ideas of hiking speed. I, foolishly, joined the speediest group, and was soon humbled as I quickly retreated to the back of the pack after meeting the first incline. Mariella and I struggled yet persevered, and soon put on some Taylor Swift to fuel ourselves up the mountain. With the music and adrenaline, all of a sudden Mariella and I were pumping up the mountain, passing students left and right until we met Abbie and Matt leading the hoard. The four of us ventured on together, as the path turned from a gravel incline to full on rocky cliff side climbing with chains, staples and ladders. We enjoyed a lovely foggy view of white mist the entire way up, but the weather was quite pleasant. Reaching the top, we waiting for a solid 45 minutes for the rest to catch up, then the entire group enjoyed the (now clear) views together. We could see Robbin Island in the distance, Table Mountain behind us, and Capetown below from the rocky peak! On the descent, my group once again decided to make a competition against absolutely no one to race to the bottom. Running, jumping, frolicking and sprinting down, Abbie, Isaiah, Mariella and I took first place. We rewarded ourselves with victory smoothies as we waited for the others. Everyone had a blast going up and down, and the views were definitely worth the next day soreness:)

Next we traveled to the V&A waterfront! We sampled various dishes from the food market, before wandering around the mall and waterfront shops. Many of us enjoyed the African Trading Post, purchasing authentic souvenirs to satisfy our parents’ yearnings. Coming back to the accommodation, we enjoyed free time wandering the beach and stores. I personally tried a scrumptious local popsicle brand before gathering together for a dinner by the accommodation staff. Between dinner and reflection we enjoyed more free time at Starbucks and on the beach jungle gym. David was disgruntled at the lack of strawberries at our nearby Starbucks, but we enjoyed a new tropical refresher flavor. Reflecting on our day, we concluded the hike was everyone’s highlight, and scurried off the bed, sore yet content with the day’s activities. Soon we begin community service and enjoy Nelson Mandela Day! Peace out

- emma:)