During the winter in Japan, Kyoko and I travelled to South Africa. It is in the Southern Hemisphere, which means that it was summer when we went there. It was very warm, with the temperature sometimes near 50 degrees celsius.
We were interested to visit this large country because of its diverse landscape. This means that the country looks very different in different places. There are beautiful and tall mountains, large deserts, green wine regions, and lovely beaches...all in one country!
We were also curious to visit South Africa because of its special history. In the last twenty years, the country has changed very much. It went from a system of government that helped only a small part of the population, the white people, to the system it has now, where all people are treated equally. This change was not easy for the country.
South Africa is a great place to visit if you love nature and outdoor activities. I really enjoy surfing and was excited to surf at some of the world's most famous beaches. My favorite place was a small town to the south of Capetown called Muizenberg. In that town, there were very few buildings. Most people visit there to enjoy the beach.
The beach is long and clean. The size of the waves makes it a perfect place to learn surfing. The only problem is that there are often great white sharks in the water! There are people on the beach and in helicopters who watch the water to look for sharks. If these people see a shark, they warn swimmers with an alarm. This tells swimmers to leave the water. When I was surfing, I heard this very loud alarm. Of course, I swam very quickly to the beach!
