October Break Trip Report: South Africa

On a Wednesday in early October, Jonah walked into my office, tossed our passports - which had just been returned with renewed visas in them - on my desk and said "So, where do you want to go?". Our week-long October break was just ten days away and nothing had been planned, given the uncertainly about whether we would have passports back in time. We quickly took a glance at flight options and then went home to ask our tweens for their suggestions. Liam's response: "It doesn't matter where we go as long as there is a mall." Okay....... Asa gave it a bit more consideration then said: "I want to stay on a farm."

I'm constantly amazed at how different siblings can be.

The best and easiest option to satisfy everyone's wishes was Cape Town. We ended up with a week of beautiful springtime temperatures and a balance of farm life and city wandering. The farm stay - just two hours outside the city - exceeded expectations with a very warm welcome from our hosts, the five friendly dogs, and a large fireplace in our cottage.

It was a short drive from the farm to Cape Agulhas, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet and also where one can find a great serving of fish n' chips for lunch:

Heading back toward Cape Town, a stop in Hermanus for lunch where breaching whales were visible from shore:

Our Airbnb in Cape Town was in a great location so we walked (or Uber'd) and ate our way around the city. We also escaped from an escape room, ventured out for a second visit to Robben Island, and drove down to the Cape of Good Hope on a crazy windy day. And, it turns out all Liam really wanted to do in a mall was hang out in computer stores to check out the merchandise on display.

On our last day, we met up with our Table Mountain guide from when we did that hike in January 2015. She was pregnant back then and now has not one but two daughters. It was fun to reconnect with Lauren, meet her family, and get the inside scoop on a farmer's market when we ended up having lunch together. 

So that wraps up the overdue trip report from October, and now we are getting sorted and packed up for winter break. Very much looking forward to reunions with old friends, meeting up with new friends, and exploring a new country over the next three weeks. Nairobi and Tanzania - here we come!

Going Back to Cape Town

Last winter break, we thoroughly enjoyed our time Cape Town and there was not nearly enough time to do all that we wanted to do there. So, we incorporated a return visit into this year's Southern Africa itinerary and one month from today, we will be waking up in this amazing city. With the countdown to our big trip of the school year officially on, thought this would be a good time to (finally!) post photos from last year. 

The view of Table Mountain from our sweet little bed and breakfast:

We started our time in Cape Town with a day-long tour that hit the major sites outside the city limits. First up was a boat trip out of Hout Bay to see the seals on Duiker Island:

Vista along the route that day:

A quick stop at Boulders Beach:

And the Cape of Good Hope:

We later spent a day on a walking tour of Langa Township with an amazing guide, Siviwe:

Below, dancers from Siviwe's non-profit organization, Happy Feet Youth Project, demonstrate their skills. This dance troupe has performed gumboots and traditional dance all over South Africa.

 

Lunch with Siviwe in a Langa home:

Liam was not so sure about the meal, but the rest of us thought it was delish:

In the remaining and unstructured time in Cape Town, we visited the aquarium, took a boat tour around the harbor, shopped, and ate some great meals. 

Sea creature display constructed with plastic found in the ocean:

On our last morning, we got in line to take the tram up to the top of Table Mountain. Being peak season, the line was. so. long. And the sun, blazing hot.

After about an hour of standing in a barely moving sea of people, we realized we could be at our next stop - wine country!- by lunchtime and thus, bailed on our quest to reach the summit of Table Mountain.

We cannot wait to see Cape Town again in 2015 and this time, we plan to use our feet to get to the top of Table Mountain. And hopefully, it won't take a year to post the photos of our visit. 

Christmas Safaris

Early morning, day two. Off and running at 5:45am on Christmas Eve:

Liam loves any blankie:

Enjoying fresh air and the open road:

Elephant footprints in the muck:

Lots and lots of warthogs:

Asa asking a million questions:

Mid-day rest time in our room and by the pool:

Evening game drive:

Leopard stalking impalla. She looks hungry. Maybe she'll catch something tonight?

Back at the lodge, we were the first ones at the table for Christmas Eve dinner:

Game drive, Christmas morning:

This is a kudu. We liked their "gingerbread" stripes. They make for tasty steaks too.

Hyena:

We caught up with the leopard from the night before and followed her.....

Watched her climb up the tree:

Where she had hidden the impala she caught. We could hear her chomping on the bones:

A hyena waits below to catch the innards:

A bit later, surrounded by a breeding herd of elephants:

A private plane takes off from the lodge's air strip:

Liam is exhausted from the morning excitement:

Back in our room, the boys found their stockings. Instead of a balcony, Santa left them in the bathtub this year:

Swimming with elephants in the distance:

Afternoon game drive:

Dung beetles - so silly and entertaining:

Trackers in training: