I'm warning you...this is a long one....
I am once again baffled at how fast time can fly by. It's now been a whole week since my family went back home! Which means it's already mid January! Ah!
Somehow the time keeps slipping through my fingers...faster than water would it feels like. But anyway, I suppose it's time for me to share some stories of what has so far been my FAVORITE week in South Africa. THE FAM VISIT!!!!
Those of you who know me know how big a role family plays in my life. They are truly my everything, so to be reunited with them halfway around the world and four months removed from when we last saw each other really was a treat. I was so excited and giddy and anxious the whole day on the day they were meant to arrive. I was nervous that the flights would somehow be delayed, or luggage would get lost, or SOMETHING. I was so nervous I couldn't help but arrive at the airport about an hour before I needed to. JUST IN CASE. Haha. But of course, they arrived just fine and without event. It's such a great feeling watching your loved ones walk toward you in the airport. The arrivals terminal is really the place to be if you ever doubt the power of love. In my hour I had to myself to sit and wait for them to land, I saw SO MANY happy homecomings. It almost made me feel like I was in the opening/closing scenes of the movie Love Actually. And then my very own family came out of the big sliding door and hugs and [some] tears (mom) were exchanged.
They were finally here! Our first night, as they got in fairly late (after 10pm) we headed back to my place here in good ol' Capri Village, (and I got to show off my driving skills along the way!) and I got them all settled in their rooms. I don't actually even remember too much of what we talked about, all I remember is our being together.
They of course weren't tired at all and still on U.S. time, but I was beat. So after a good night's sleep I woke up to find them NOWHERE. I looked all throughout the house and literally all their rooms were empty. Strange. Then I heard them! Up on the upper balcony! Of course! They decided to head out there to check out the pretty nice view of the beach!
I had almost forgotten, or rather, I just have become so used to my surroundings that I don't take as much notice anymore. It took their awe at how beautiful it is here to really remind me. So thanks for hat guys :)
After breakfast, we headed out for Boulders Beach. This is the beach with the penguin colony on it that I can't stop gushing about/sharing pictures of. Haha...I think they enjoyed it...
After spending some time at the beach we took a nice little drive along the peninsula and the fam got to see some of the crazy beautiful coastlines and beaches I like to call home.
After that it was back home to shower and get ready for New Years Eve! We went out to a nice dinner, where they got to try bacon and banana pizza (sounds gross..but tastes amazing!) and then had a wonderful bottle of champagne at home. It was a quiet New Years for us really..but the best kind of one. We were in a new and different place and we were together. Which is all that matters. So so glad I got to ring in the New Year with my mom, Adam and Michelle by my side. It made me feel like I'm starting out 2014 on the right foot if that makes any sense?
The next morning, a.k.a. the very first day of 2014, we decided to start our year with a BANG. We decided to hike up Table Mountain! It was a rough day for the hike. It was SUPER hot and the sun was pretty intense. And the hike is not exactly easy to begin with. Imagine thousands of steps, each about two-three feet high. It took us a few hours..but we made it to the top! Now THAT was one spectacular start to 2014!
After our climb and some quality time on top of the mountain, we took a drive around Chapman's Peak, or Chappies as it's affectionately called, and I got to show them the most beautiful road ever created. Well..not really the road. The road just looks like any other road haha. But the VIEWS from the drive are out of this world. LIke actually they all look photoshopped or something. But they're not. Insane.
And then from there we headed off to dinner with my friend and co-worker Derryn's family! It was a wonderful meal with good food, great wine, and lovely conversations at one of the cutest little seaside restaurants around. So bummed I didn't remember to take a photo of us all together. :(
After dinner we went back to Derryn and Mike's house and GUESS WHAT?!?! The badger game was on tv! Sooo needless to say we spent the next hour or so watching the end of the game! They may have lost, but I could NOT have been happier. It's every badger's dream come true! Watching the game with friends and family half way around the world when we didn't think we had any HOPE of catching any of it! It made for the perfect end to the perfect first day of the new year.
Then the next morning it was off to Gondwana Game Reserve for our safari! It was a kind of long drive to get there (4 and a half hours!) but we made it in one piece and from the moment we crossed through the gates and saw our very first herd of zebras and a friendly little rhino...we were hooked. IT was impossible not to fall in love with the place and fall in love we did. We had an afternoon game drive that was such an amazing experience! We saw giraffes and zebras and antelope and lions! and all sorts of things! We were SO close to the lions it was crazy. And terrifying. And exciting..all at the same time! And our ranger was fantastic as well..I learned so much!
Our drive was followed by a wonderful dinner. Then it was up early the next morning for another drive! Where we saw even more fantastic animals! And got to watch some of the lions play and interact for a while! Then after the drive we had a nice big breakfast and had some free time to just enjoy our surroundings and the magnificent pool. Talk about soaking up some sun!
Then from there we had one more game drive to round out our safari experience. Or..almost. We thought we were all done seeing animals after that night. But on our last morning, just as we were packing up to leave....we had a visitor in our little villa!
It was a genet! (wikipedia page). And it was adorable! But quite silly/stupid as well. After trying for ages to get out through a closed window, it couldn't seem to figure out that the wide open front door I opened right next to it would be the best route out of the house. Haha what a funny way to end our safari experience!
Then it was back to Cape Town! On the way home we stopped at one of the biggest wine farms in the Cape, Spier. We did a little wine tasting, did a little craft marketing, and had a wonderful afternoon.
After a dinner right on the beach we were ready to head home and get some sleep. BECAUSE the next morning we were going paragliding! SUCH fun and so glad we got to have the experience.
From there we headed off to a local open air market and did a bit of shopping and had a nice quiet evening together just watching a movie and enjoying each other's company. That is until the packer game started at about midnight South Africa time. That meant Michelle and I going to bed and my mom and Adam staying awake until almost 4am to watch the last packer game of the season. (They're nuts I know). Sooo needless to say they were a bit tired in the morning haha.
The next day would mark our last full day together. It was a sad day. Not only because it was the last one, but also because the weather here in Cape Town took a turn for the worst. Up until now we had enjoyed fantastic weather, not too hot, not too cold, sunny days, etc. But on our last day, as if the heavens knew we would be separated soon, it rained and rained and rained. And in between the bouts of rain it misted and spat at us. And not only was the weather not ideal for sightseeing and outdoorsy things but it meant we couldn't do the one activity we had all been looking forward to for months..shark cage diving. I am still so sad that it didn't work out to go. I know I cannot control the weather and everything happens for a reason, but when I realized we wouldn't be able to go out do to the poor weather I had a wash of disappointment unlike anything I've felt in a long time. The rest of my family did a fairly good job of rolling with it and staying positive...and it was only their fronts of positivity (as I'm sure they were just as disappointed on the inside) that kept me going and focusing on the positives as well.
SO even though our last together didn't go as planned, we still made the best of it. We spent the morning at a cheetah sanctuary and got to pet a cheetah!
Then we headed to the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, an attraction in and of itself with all it's interesting shops, restaurants, museums, and people. We had some lunch and then spent some time at the 2 Oceans Aquarium! Pretty neat stuff and a fun rainy day activity.
After that we headed to a place called Arnold's for dinner where we all tried some....local delicacies. (Think warthog, crocodile, ostrich, kudu (antelope), and the like). I highly recommend the place if you're ever in Cape Town!
And then it was our last night, and then it was our last morning. After packing up we headed back down to the beach one last time for one last iced coffee shake and taking in the views.
And then it was off to the airport and a quick (but nonetheless very difficult) goodbye.
They were here, then they were gone and the trip went by way too fast. It was re-energzing for me but also made me more homesick than I've ever been. It meant the world for me to have them here and share a piece of my life here with them. Now when I talk about certain places or certain people they won't just have to imagine it...they'll be able to picture it and remember it. And that makes all the difference.
After I dropped everyone off at the airport and said my goodbyes I spent a fair amount of time reflecting on our time together on the drive home. And here's the conclusion I reached: I have got to be the luckiest girl in the entire world. To have my family's love and support is one thing. But to have so much love and support that they travel thousands of miles and commit time and money to come visit me is another. I feel so so blessed to have gotten the chance to make those memories together. And I know we'll all remember them for a long time to come. I spent a long time thanking God that day that we could all be together for at least a little while and that we're all blessed with a tiny spirit of adventure (although I'm not sure mine is exactly tiny....). But still. I was very very sad to see them go, but very very happy to have had the time together.
Ok ok I know that's enough with all the mushy stuff. Sorry. I'm DONE. And sorry the post is so long! Congratulations if you made it to the end! And thank you for caring enough to keep up with me... :)
Until next time!
I am once again baffled at how fast time can fly by. It's now been a whole week since my family went back home! Which means it's already mid January! Ah!
Somehow the time keeps slipping through my fingers...faster than water would it feels like. But anyway, I suppose it's time for me to share some stories of what has so far been my FAVORITE week in South Africa. THE FAM VISIT!!!!
Those of you who know me know how big a role family plays in my life. They are truly my everything, so to be reunited with them halfway around the world and four months removed from when we last saw each other really was a treat. I was so excited and giddy and anxious the whole day on the day they were meant to arrive. I was nervous that the flights would somehow be delayed, or luggage would get lost, or SOMETHING. I was so nervous I couldn't help but arrive at the airport about an hour before I needed to. JUST IN CASE. Haha. But of course, they arrived just fine and without event. It's such a great feeling watching your loved ones walk toward you in the airport. The arrivals terminal is really the place to be if you ever doubt the power of love. In my hour I had to myself to sit and wait for them to land, I saw SO MANY happy homecomings. It almost made me feel like I was in the opening/closing scenes of the movie Love Actually. And then my very own family came out of the big sliding door and hugs and [some] tears (mom) were exchanged.
They were finally here! Our first night, as they got in fairly late (after 10pm) we headed back to my place here in good ol' Capri Village, (and I got to show off my driving skills along the way!) and I got them all settled in their rooms. I don't actually even remember too much of what we talked about, all I remember is our being together.
They of course weren't tired at all and still on U.S. time, but I was beat. So after a good night's sleep I woke up to find them NOWHERE. I looked all throughout the house and literally all their rooms were empty. Strange. Then I heard them! Up on the upper balcony! Of course! They decided to head out there to check out the pretty nice view of the beach!
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| View from my place :) |
I had almost forgotten, or rather, I just have become so used to my surroundings that I don't take as much notice anymore. It took their awe at how beautiful it is here to really remind me. So thanks for hat guys :)
After breakfast, we headed out for Boulders Beach. This is the beach with the penguin colony on it that I can't stop gushing about/sharing pictures of. Haha...I think they enjoyed it...
After spending some time at the beach we took a nice little drive along the peninsula and the fam got to see some of the crazy beautiful coastlines and beaches I like to call home.
After that it was back home to shower and get ready for New Years Eve! We went out to a nice dinner, where they got to try bacon and banana pizza (sounds gross..but tastes amazing!) and then had a wonderful bottle of champagne at home. It was a quiet New Years for us really..but the best kind of one. We were in a new and different place and we were together. Which is all that matters. So so glad I got to ring in the New Year with my mom, Adam and Michelle by my side. It made me feel like I'm starting out 2014 on the right foot if that makes any sense?
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| My yummy drink on New Years! |
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| Our New Years Eve dinner |
The next morning, a.k.a. the very first day of 2014, we decided to start our year with a BANG. We decided to hike up Table Mountain! It was a rough day for the hike. It was SUPER hot and the sun was pretty intense. And the hike is not exactly easy to begin with. Imagine thousands of steps, each about two-three feet high. It took us a few hours..but we made it to the top! Now THAT was one spectacular start to 2014!
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| All smiles so far.... |
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| Whew. Getting tough. |
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| View from the top! |
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| Check out this shot of coming back down in the cable car! Eeeee!!! |
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| Love these people. :) |
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| Enjoying the views after our climb... |
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| This is my mom. She's fantastic. |
After our climb and some quality time on top of the mountain, we took a drive around Chapman's Peak, or Chappies as it's affectionately called, and I got to show them the most beautiful road ever created. Well..not really the road. The road just looks like any other road haha. But the VIEWS from the drive are out of this world. LIke actually they all look photoshopped or something. But they're not. Insane.
And then from there we headed off to dinner with my friend and co-worker Derryn's family! It was a wonderful meal with good food, great wine, and lovely conversations at one of the cutest little seaside restaurants around. So bummed I didn't remember to take a photo of us all together. :(
After dinner we went back to Derryn and Mike's house and GUESS WHAT?!?! The badger game was on tv! Sooo needless to say we spent the next hour or so watching the end of the game! They may have lost, but I could NOT have been happier. It's every badger's dream come true! Watching the game with friends and family half way around the world when we didn't think we had any HOPE of catching any of it! It made for the perfect end to the perfect first day of the new year.
Then the next morning it was off to Gondwana Game Reserve for our safari! It was a kind of long drive to get there (4 and a half hours!) but we made it in one piece and from the moment we crossed through the gates and saw our very first herd of zebras and a friendly little rhino...we were hooked. IT was impossible not to fall in love with the place and fall in love we did. We had an afternoon game drive that was such an amazing experience! We saw giraffes and zebras and antelope and lions! and all sorts of things! We were SO close to the lions it was crazy. And terrifying. And exciting..all at the same time! And our ranger was fantastic as well..I learned so much!
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| Our villa! SO amazing! |
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| Very large spider on the window...yuck |
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| Annnd another spider. On a pillow. Great. |
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| Out on our first game drive! Yippee! |
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| Giraffe! |
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| We stopped for a little break mid-game drive. Wine and beer and snacks! Perfect! |
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| My favorite zebra. I think. I can't quite tell him apart from all the rest. |
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| We saw the lions right at twilight. Their eyes were crazy! |
Our drive was followed by a wonderful dinner. Then it was up early the next morning for another drive! Where we saw even more fantastic animals! And got to watch some of the lions play and interact for a while! Then after the drive we had a nice big breakfast and had some free time to just enjoy our surroundings and the magnificent pool. Talk about soaking up some sun!
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| Aww a baby impala feeding. Too cute. |
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| The lions were very...awake in the early morning. Lots of energy |
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| Monkey! |
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| Rhino! |
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| He was a runnin'!!! |
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| This guy was actually terrifying. |
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| Hey look! It's Adam and a rhino! |
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| THe amazing little pool we spent our afternoon at |
Then from there we had one more game drive to round out our safari experience. Or..almost. We thought we were all done seeing animals after that night. But on our last morning, just as we were packing up to leave....we had a visitor in our little villa!
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| We spotted the lions AGAIN on our last game drive. Our..lion rather. She lost her pride somehow... |
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| And we saw an elephant! He was a bit camera shy though... |
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| Our genet! |
It was a genet! (wikipedia page). And it was adorable! But quite silly/stupid as well. After trying for ages to get out through a closed window, it couldn't seem to figure out that the wide open front door I opened right next to it would be the best route out of the house. Haha what a funny way to end our safari experience!
Then it was back to Cape Town! On the way home we stopped at one of the biggest wine farms in the Cape, Spier. We did a little wine tasting, did a little craft marketing, and had a wonderful afternoon.
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| Playing around at Spier |
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After a dinner right on the beach we were ready to head home and get some sleep. BECAUSE the next morning we were going paragliding! SUCH fun and so glad we got to have the experience.
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| View of Table Mountain from Signal Hill where we did our paragliding from |
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| All strapped up! |
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| Me! All ready to go! |
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| And take off! |
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| Michelle going for it! |
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| There she goes! |
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| Mom's officially up in the air! |
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| Me! |
From there we headed off to a local open air market and did a bit of shopping and had a nice quiet evening together just watching a movie and enjoying each other's company. That is until the packer game started at about midnight South Africa time. That meant Michelle and I going to bed and my mom and Adam staying awake until almost 4am to watch the last packer game of the season. (They're nuts I know). Sooo needless to say they were a bit tired in the morning haha.
The next day would mark our last full day together. It was a sad day. Not only because it was the last one, but also because the weather here in Cape Town took a turn for the worst. Up until now we had enjoyed fantastic weather, not too hot, not too cold, sunny days, etc. But on our last day, as if the heavens knew we would be separated soon, it rained and rained and rained. And in between the bouts of rain it misted and spat at us. And not only was the weather not ideal for sightseeing and outdoorsy things but it meant we couldn't do the one activity we had all been looking forward to for months..shark cage diving. I am still so sad that it didn't work out to go. I know I cannot control the weather and everything happens for a reason, but when I realized we wouldn't be able to go out do to the poor weather I had a wash of disappointment unlike anything I've felt in a long time. The rest of my family did a fairly good job of rolling with it and staying positive...and it was only their fronts of positivity (as I'm sure they were just as disappointed on the inside) that kept me going and focusing on the positives as well.
SO even though our last together didn't go as planned, we still made the best of it. We spent the morning at a cheetah sanctuary and got to pet a cheetah!
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| Pretty kitty... |
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| SO playful! |
Then we headed to the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, an attraction in and of itself with all it's interesting shops, restaurants, museums, and people. We had some lunch and then spent some time at the 2 Oceans Aquarium! Pretty neat stuff and a fun rainy day activity.
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| Michelle + Finding Nemos. Who's surprised? |
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| We may not have gotten to dive with them..but at least we got to see them! |
After that we headed to a place called Arnold's for dinner where we all tried some....local delicacies. (Think warthog, crocodile, ostrich, kudu (antelope), and the like). I highly recommend the place if you're ever in Cape Town!
And then it was our last night, and then it was our last morning. After packing up we headed back down to the beach one last time for one last iced coffee shake and taking in the views.
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| Beautiful harbor |
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| Fish Hoek Beach |
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| I think the trip tired them out. This was our last night together haha. We were attempting to watch a movie together.... |
And then it was off to the airport and a quick (but nonetheless very difficult) goodbye.
They were here, then they were gone and the trip went by way too fast. It was re-energzing for me but also made me more homesick than I've ever been. It meant the world for me to have them here and share a piece of my life here with them. Now when I talk about certain places or certain people they won't just have to imagine it...they'll be able to picture it and remember it. And that makes all the difference.
After I dropped everyone off at the airport and said my goodbyes I spent a fair amount of time reflecting on our time together on the drive home. And here's the conclusion I reached: I have got to be the luckiest girl in the entire world. To have my family's love and support is one thing. But to have so much love and support that they travel thousands of miles and commit time and money to come visit me is another. I feel so so blessed to have gotten the chance to make those memories together. And I know we'll all remember them for a long time to come. I spent a long time thanking God that day that we could all be together for at least a little while and that we're all blessed with a tiny spirit of adventure (although I'm not sure mine is exactly tiny....). But still. I was very very sad to see them go, but very very happy to have had the time together.
Ok ok I know that's enough with all the mushy stuff. Sorry. I'm DONE. And sorry the post is so long! Congratulations if you made it to the end! And thank you for caring enough to keep up with me... :)
Until next time!
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