After coming back from safari, I’m unfortunately dealing with some pretty strong heated blanket withdrawals. I have a new perspective on life after experiencing the warmth of the beds at Honeyguide Ranger Camp, and, of course, after seeing the incredible wildlife. After our first game drive, I was convinced that we had seen the most spectacular sights – the families of rhinos, graceful impalas, the silly-looking wildebeest. But when we got back to camp and were sitting around the bonfire, Elon asked Charles, our ranger, if he thought the afternoon game drive was successful, and to my surprise, he succinctly said “No.” I knew then that to raise my expectations, as there was plenty more to see. And after 3 more game drives, I can certainly say that the views of the landscapes and the beautiful creatures exceeded my expectations, particularly the lion cubs waiting for their mom under the sunset. Unfortunately, the safari being over also reminded me of the unfortunate reality that we will soon be heading home in a mere 2 weeks. This inspired me to come up with the following bucket list of things we should do, both big and small, as a group before we run out of time.
- Try more traditional South African foods!
While we’ve had a plethora of delicious cuisines with tons of vegan options, I realized that we really haven’t had that much South African cuisine. A couple of things that I’m eager to try/eat again before leaving are the following: chakalaka and pap, vetkoek, and Durban bunny chow.
- Visit the Maboneng precinct.
Maboneng, meaning “place of light” in Sesotho, is a renowned creative district, with up-and-coming restaurants, art installations, clothing boutiques, and more. A family friend recommended this area to me, and I’d love to visit next weekend.
- Gold Reef Amusement Park or Ziplining
Given how little time we have left, I’m not sure that we’ll be able to do both the amusement park and ziplining, but I’d definitely like to do at least one! I’m leaning towards ziplining, especially since we found a cool place with beautiful views and zebras and other wildlife in the area.
- Bake and cook!
I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that our rooms at Rivonia have little kitchenettes – perfect for making a quick lunch but also perfect for baking. If you know me, you know that I love to bake and that not having a kitchen in college was devastating. Evie and I recently got a chocolate chip cookie mix from Woolworth’s that I plan to make this week!
- Visit Egyptian Latino
This might seem a bit random, but every time we walk to Rivonia, we always see the Egyptian Latino, the puzzling name of a small lounge/bar that I think we should visit just for fun before leaving.
- Stop by Victoria Yards Market
Even though we’ve been to a few markets already and spent a little too much (I won’t call anyone out but you know who you are), I think I still have it in me to visit one more market next weekend. Victoria Yards seems like the perfect place with artisanal goods and delicious food!
- Finish the Divergent Series.
We’ve worked our way through the first couple movies, but we can’t just stop there. Even though there is no Allegiant part 2, we should definitely watch part 1, no matter how bad the story structure is.
- Buy “I ❤️ Joburg” shirts for our New Haven reunions.
Asia had the brilliant idea that we all get matching shirts, so when we inevitably meet up again in New Haven, we’ll have the perfect outfits!
- Revisit the best restaurants we tried.
Throughout this trip, I’ve had some of the best (and cheapest) food of my life! From the simple pleasures of a Kauai green smoothie to the impeccable sushi from Mama Samba, there are countless restaurants we’ve tried here that have been added to the top of my Beli list. Before we leave, I want to make one more stop at Annapurni, order from Fussy Vegan, indulge in a few more smoothies, and maybe even make a run to Casa Bella?
- Do hometowns.
Earlier in the program, Sofia had suggested that our group share our hometowns, or essentially tell each other our complete life story, to get to know each other better. Even though I’ve already made such amazing friendships and learned so much about everyone in our group, I’d still love to hear everyone’s retelling of their life with all the nitty gritty details, from embarrassing childhood stories to future goals and aspirations. It’s so sad to think that our time together as a group is coming to an end so soon, but I’m so glad that we’ve gotten to know each other and I’m certain that hometowns will take our friendship to the next level!
