RopinRita'sGrowingBucketList: Lions, Lions and Lions, Oh My!

Twenty hours in the air, three airports, and three continents later, I arrived in South Africa. Wow. Firstly, still cannot believe I was there. A place like no other, a country that offers new adventures that cannot be experienced anywhere else. Since joining Feld Entertainment, each year I have been asked the same question; “What was your favourite place”. I could never answer that question because I had so many places that I loved… Until now. South Africa is currently number one. And not so much because it is my ‘favourite’ place, but was a location I only ever dreamt of going to. I am so thankful I was given the opportunity to check another continent off my list J.

When we arrived in Johannesburg, we went straight into rehearsal mode. We had one week of rehearsals to prepare the show (Passport to Adventure) for opening night later that week. Our first few shows went great and the audiences’ response was better than expected!

Unfortunately, we only had four days off total during the three weeks. Fortunately, we had an amazing security team that hooked us up with amazing trips and excursions. On our first day off, we drove nearly two hours outside of Johannesburg to a Game for a Safari ride. A real African Safari. Pretty neat I must say. Live, in their own habitat, we saw a lion, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, warthogs (Pumba J), zebras, and more. Needless to say, it was pretty cool.

After the safari and some lunch, we hopped back onto the bus to our next excursion; a ‘Walk With the Lions’. The title says it all. We went on a walk with two full grown, tame, adult lions. Like a stroll in the park, a group of about ten of us walked along side a Female and a Male adult lion, accompanied by two employed trainers. The only things stopping these Lions from looking at us like a gourmet feast, were two buckets of raw chicken donated to the reserve by yours truly, KFC. Seems like the humans and cats have something in common.

We walked with them for about twenty minutes, making three stops to feed them. At each stop, the trainers had them jump, pose, and climb trees (Note: cats, including Lions, can climb trees. You will not out climb a lion. Trust me).

We were able to hold and cuddle with a 9 month old Lion cub, and later play with 1-2 year old cubs. These cubs were nicknamed ‘The Devils’. At this age, they are teething and are at their most playful stage. Many of us came out of the playpen with playful scratch marks and ripped clothing!

The next day was our second day off. We went to another Lion reserve only about 20 mins away from our hotel in ‘Joburg’. There, we saw African, White, and Albino Lions. The rest of the day was spent at our hotel relaxing. We stayed at a beautiful, five star hotel with a casino complex next door. There were all kinds of shops and restaurants at our disposal.

Before I knew it, we were off to Cape Town, the southern tip of Africa. What a beautiful city; very green, bright and full of character. Surrounded by mountains including ‘Lion’s head’ and the most popular, ‘Table Top mountain’. What a spectacular view! A cable car ride to the top will give you the most beautiful view of Cape Town, the southern most tip of Africa, and an island with the prison which housed Nelsen Mandela for many years.

A number of us spent our first day off in Cape Town by taking a tour to near by wineries. The scenery was gorgeous, the company was wonderful, and the wine was delicious! We visited four wineries and enjoyed them all very much.

On the second day off in Southern Africa, I went bungee jumping. Yes, bungee jumping J. Off one of the largest, and highest bridges in the world to be exact! A 216m jump off a concert bridge into a valley with a small river at the bottom. Although it only lasted 6 seconds, it was unforgettable, and I can now check that off my bucket list!

All in all, South Africa was, well, amazing, unforgettable, and inspiring. I want to travel and see as much of the world as I can. I have a wandering heart for the world and cannot wait to see where it takes me next!

I thought this quote was very appropriate for this post:

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

xox