Danielle in South Africa: Lazy day at the Beach in Llandundo :)

By the end of my first official 5-day work week, I had never been more happy to say hello to the weekend! Although it was a great week at work getting introduced to all the intricacies of the office, it was the first time I've worked a 9-5 job in a while from Monday through Friday so it took some time getting used to. The walk home from work on Friday was so relaxing and enjoyable knowing that I had 2 full days to continue exploring all around Cape Town! First things first, my roommates and I arrived home and poured ourselves glasses of wine to celebrate. The night was pretty low key just hanging around in the apartment because of the rain. Nevertheless, we had a great time.

All my roommates and I on our deck before heading to the beach!

Saturday arrived with glaring sunshine and 67 degrees out...such a nice surprise! It was a former intern's last weekend, Sarah, here in Cape Town. She had been here since August and was leaving on Tuesday so we wanted to make her last weekend memorial. Therefore we packed our bags and hit the beach!!!! Keep in mind, it's winter here in Cape Town. It's nice quite warm enough for bathing suits but definitely still comfortable enough to sit on blankets with a t-shirt and shorts and enjoy the beautiful beach.

Sarah swung by the intern house and picked the five of us up and we all headed to Llandundo. Llandundo is about a thirty minute drive away and much less crowded than the more populated beach, Camps Bay. It's a bit farther drive but definitely worth it. The drive there is absolutely amazing. Although I've never been to California, I couldn't help but think that I was driving along the Pacific Coast highway. The road curves all along the ocean front for miles and miles with beautiful waves crashing below. Good thing I wasn't driving because I certainly wouldn't have been paying attention to the road. Approaching Llandundo, you are greeted by hills of gorgeous houses with incredible views of the ocean. It was one of those moments that makes me think twice about the fact that I'm actually in South Africa rather than Laguna Beach, California. Then I saw the Caution sign in the parking lot.......and I remembered where I was:

My fear of swimming into a shark subsided almost immediately as I stepped out of the car and saw the aqua colored waves crashing on the shore, with beautiful white sea caps in the distance. This is a popular beach for surfing and I can see exactly why. The waves were forming magnificent tunnels. It was at this moment that I convinced myself when the weather gets warmer and the water temp rises a bit, I'm going to learn to surf! The minute my toes hit the white, soft sand, my body immediately relaxed and the smile on my face got even bigger. We all spread out our blankets and towels and sprawled out to soak up the gorgeous sun.

We were greeted by a few other GRS friends and after a full afternoon at the beach climbing rocks, playing frisbee, snacking on wine and cheese, we took a few final group pics and headed on home. It was overall a wonderful, relaxing afternoon and a great way to bid farewell to Sarah. Oh and did I mention, also a great way to catch up on my tan!