"Oh, I just got back from South Africa."

I know, I know - I've been slightly MIA the past couple of months. Please, allow me to explain...

The beginning of May was infused with final exams (for FIVE classes, mind you) and the relocation of my entire office to multiple buildings. Two days after my last final, I left for a two week vacation to South Africa. Upon my return, I was sick for a week and then had to get acclimated (read: unpack) to my "new" office which is, in essence, a cubicle. (Thank God I'm only here for 2 months.)

Now that my suitcase is finally unpacked and my routine is once again somewhat normal, I can now tell you about my wonderful vacation to South Africa!

Except that I really don't know how to describe it. It is truly indescribable!

Adam, Kristi, and I hit all of the touristy hot spots:
- Lion Park outside of Johannesburg -- feeding giraffes and watching lions feed
- a 3 day all inclusive safari in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve (my personal favorite)
- a drive to/through/along The Garden Route
- riding elephants in Addo at a sanctuary through the mountains, with views of giraffes, zebra, and wildebeest
- visiting the infamous surf town of Jeffrey's Bay (J-Bay, to the locals)
- bungee jumping from Bloukrans Bridge in Tsitsikamma National Park -- Note: at 216 meters, this is the highest commercial bungee jump in the world! (Miraculously, my mother was not too concerned about me doing this.)
- stopping at the Southernmost Tip of Africa, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet
- Gansbaai for cage diving with great white sharks (Mom was, however, eager to hear about this. She was actually excited for me to do this! Maybe she was on medication that day...)
- Franschoek & Stellenbosh for a few (ok, a dozen) winery tours and tastings
- Cape Town -- Table Mountain/Lion's Head/cable car ride, Cosy Bay, Boulder's Beach, V&A Waterfront
- and a few other random and miscellaneous stops at wherever the wind blew us

This was, hands down, the vacation of a lifetime. I can't choose one vacation over another as being my favorite because I feel that each vacation I've taken has lent itself to completely different adventures. We met some wonderful people along our journey and had amazing experiences that brought us together as even closer friends than we were before.

I am just so so so thankful that I have the support and resources to take such amazing vacations!

Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip. (If you want to see more, check out my Facebook or email me for a link.) Enjoy!