Eventually I was able to explain myself, but I wouldn’t blame them if they kept an eye on me.
Having just left the snowstorms and bleak, wintery days of Chicago, I was delighted to step out of the Cape Town International Airport into a sunny and warm summer evening. I had both flown into the future (moving forward eight time zones from Chicago) and crossed the Equator (moving from the Northern to the Southern hemisphere), so the seasons flipped and my internal body clock was super confused. Plus, the man who drove me to my hotel was on the right side of the van, driving on the left side of the road! I find it very exciting to be in situations like this, where everything is different than what I’m used to.
When I arrived at my hotel, I saw several members of the Endurance22 Expedition team eating dinner. They had already moved into their cabins aboard the S.A. Agulhas II, but were eating away from the ship as a safety precaution during the loading of helicopter fuel. After my long journey, I was happy to drop my bags, clean up, eat some dinner, and begin my quarantine period at the hotel with a long sleep in a stationary bed. I feel asleep to the sound of seagulls and a humming air-conditioner.
It’s a beautiful day in Cape Town today—84 degrees Fahrenheit and not a cloud in the sky. It is hard for me to be stuck in my hotel room. I want to go outside and explore Cape Town so bad. There are beaches, museums, restaurants, and so much more within an easy walk from here. For now, I feel lucky to have made it this far, to be healthy, and to be so close to the adventure of a lifetime. I will catch up on sleep, drink a lot of this delicious South African rooibos tea, and eagerly await the next leg of this journey. Talk to you again soon!
