On Day 1, Sarah and I hiked up the mountain gorge, while the moms took the cable car up and toured the top. The hike made me realize how cocky I am sometimes, because it was ROUGH. Each step was a 2 ft rock stair, and it was about 100 degrees in direct sunlight the entire way, so it felt like a 2 hr stairmaster in a sweat lodge. I had told Sarah earlier, "We need to bring LOTS of water, because I always seem to underestimate." Again with the cockiness, because for the second hour of the hike we were rationing. With each killer switchback, we'd pause and assess the desert in our mouths before taking the smallest swig of our remaining consolidated ounce.
It was definitely beautiful, especially at the top with a view of the coastline from above the clouds. There's a saying that each afternoon, the clouds cover table mountain like a tablecloth, and I really can't imagine a better analogy.My favorite moment of all was when we were scarfing down lunch at the restaurant on top of the mountain, and my mom and I became obsessed with a 1 year old sitting nearby with his parents. My mom asked the young, beautiful mom where she was from, and she said, "Windhoek," and my mom shouted, "THAT'S MY FAVORITE BEER!" (refer to momfar Part 1 for photographic evidence).
After the hike, we boarded a ferry to Robben Island for a tour of the former political prison camp during apartheid. We were exhausted, and they herded us onto crowded buses, where our guide began speaking in riddles and telling some pretty random stories, and referring to my mother as, "My American Lady." About halfway through, we got off the bus to take pictures on the rocky coast, and I learned from Valerie that all the guides are former political prisoners of Robben Island. That definitely shook me, and when our guide started telling stories about giving personal tours to Nelson Mandela and Obama, I definitely listened. Nelson Mandela spent the majority of his 27 years in prison on Robben Island, and the second part of the tour took us by his tiny cell. The men deemed most "politically dangerous" were kept basically in solitary confinement, while the other men were put in tight quarters of about 16 each. We heard stories about how sucking up to the guards and "behaving", meaning not being caught with a 3 month old newspaper among your belongings, meant 3 thirty minute visits from your wife per year rather than 2. 
Day 2 was market day. We hit the Green Market in the center of the city, and we shopped like animals. What did we buy?--animals. Mermis (corrected spellling for you, mom) bought one wooden carving of every animal she'd seen on safari, and then when she saw one she liked a little better, she bought that one too. She also got a beautiful tablecloth, two dresses, a couple necklaces, and fabric. If you live at all close to Lincoln, Mass, or ever thought about visiting, you should definitely come see our house's new Africa-on-crack theme. I'm pretty excited about it. You did well, mom!Here, I am definitely the pot calling the kettle black, because I went nuts too. I got my first African dress. It needs some serious tailoring, which will undoubtedly cost more than the dress. My favorite part of that shopping experience was the saleswoman's planted cheering section: a large woman in traditional dress sitting on a bench a few feet away who kept clapping and shouting, "So nice! So African! African lady!" A man in his early twenties also joined in by taking the sash and tying it around my head in a turban. "So African," he chimed. What can I say..they're good at what they do.
Afer the market, we drove along the coastline by Chapman's Peak, a treacherous but gorgeous road, which I will be tackling on foot on April 7!
We drove to the quieter and quaint fishing town of Simonstown, famous for having the worlds largest colony of penguins. We decided to join the colony for the afternoon, and if I'd brought my suit, I definitely would have been in the water with them catching fish with my teeth. The most surprising thing I learned about penguins was the intensity and frequency of their farts...
Our last day was WINE DAY! Our tour took us to 5 vineyards throughout Stellenbosch and Paarl, and by the end of vineyard #1, we were thoroughly intoxicated. The guide was smart to give us the wine-making part of the tour before we started drinking. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure Mermis and I would have giggled through the whole thing. Mermis took the liberty of shooting my future engagement photos at the second vineyard, when she targeted the extremely tall English hippie who was standing next to me at the tasting table as "my boyfriend". In between glasses of Pinotage, she snapped a picture of us, and then sheepishly leaned over to Valerie and loudly whispered, "Emily and her boyfriend," before bursting into a frenzy of spittle and giggles. If that wasn't enough, Sarah then joined the giggle fest by loudly whispering something about Mermis's taste in men. Poor man. All he wanted to do was save the whales in Mozambique...and I guess save water by not showering. Instead he got slandered by the drunkards of momfari.Our guide had announced towards the beginning that there would be a quiz to see who learned the most about wine-making in South Africa. As soon as I heard that, I leaned back to Sarah and Valerie and announced there was no way Mermis would allow herself to lose. I was right! Check out the awards ceremony below. I was technically on her team, but I contributed only about 0.5% of our team's fierce competitiveness. Mermis won a classy sweet wine, and we were all so proud!
Now we come to the end of momfari. It was a huge success. Definitely one of the most memorable and hilarious vacations of my life, and it was so special to experience Mermis's first trip to Africa with her. And no boys!!For Mermis, one of her highlights was undoubtedly the three parrots at our bed and breakfast: Elvis, Priscilla, and Lisa. I'd like to say I planned that, but sometimes momfaris take on a life of their own. Thanks for coming Mermis! I had so much fun, and I love you soooo much!
Merry Christmas and Happy Channukah! For me, it all happened in Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania. Sarah and I joined fellow Doris Duker Jess (next to me in the above picture) from Uganda and her colleague Beth for 6 days of intense R&R mixed with white sand beaches, ridiculous snorkeling, and craft shopping extravaganzas. 
Mostly, it was paradise, but Sarah and I found ourselves in a strange land of mosquito nets, suffocating humidity, no air conditioning , and daily power outages. Unfortunately, during an evening power outage, while we were all in town having a decadent dinner, our rental house was robbed, which definitely put a damper in the trip and set us back a few cameras, ipods, and a laptop. But no one was hurt, and a nearby lodge owner graciously made space for us in his rooms for our last couple nights. The following day on our tour de police stations, we learned that not all law enforcement is created equal, and that when canvassing a crime scene late at night, officers prefer to drink peach liquor.
Our final day was spent in Stone Town, the capital of retail therapy! We bargained like champs for dresses, jewelry, paintings, spices, soaps, and much more. My wardrobe has been revamped!
On the trip back, Sarah and I spent 12 hrs in Dar es Salaam, where Fogarty Scholar (and Dartmouth classmate) Alexandra Coria took us out for some savory Mishkaki. She then showed us her "posher palace" in Dar, which is only missing a giant diamond chandelier. It was great to see her stomping ground and to see her so happy!