African Adventure Pt 2: I Bless the Rains

While Cape Town was amazing, and I would have been happy to spend the rest of the week there, we had a lot more traveling to do.  Next up was our safari!

I think for about five months straight I had the Toto song "Africa" in my head because I thought about it every time I did any planning.  Let me just tell you, if you start looking into safaris, the sheer number of options is quite overwhelming.  I kid you not, I watched all the safari documentary videos I could find on Netflix in hopes of making a more informed decision.  I mean, there are good options all over the entire continent of Africa, though we narrowed our choices to the Kruger Park area of South Africa and the Serengeti in Tanzania, mostly because we were spending time in those countries already.  Plus, there are dozens of tour operators who can coordinate everything for you, but also charge a good bit to do so.  I think if we had been traveling during the great migration of the Serengeti (Sept-Nov I think) then that would have been a better option, since the big open plains are really what most people picture when they think of safari.  However, Tanzania was also more expensive and seemed harder for us to get around on our own, so since we weren't going to be seeing the migration anyways, we chose to go to Mala Mala.  We'd heard from a friend that since it is a private game reserve, you could see a lot of animals in short amounts of time without too many other people around, which sounded perfect.  We've had good luck finding lower rates for our honeymoon though Latin Destinations and were able to do so again in Africa on (you guessed it) Southern Destinations, though I'm not actually sure if the companies are affiliated.

We took the one hour flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, where we picked up the rental car for what I thought would be about a 5 hour drive.  Turns out things are a little tricky when you hit construction, don't have a GPS, and also read the directions a little bit wrong.  Try 8 hours.  For the last 2 hours of the drive I kept thinking we were only 20 minutes away, which was not the case.  Mala Mala is a private game reserve in what is known as the Sabi Sands, which is right next to Kruger National Park.  Our tiny compact rental car got great mileage for the first 6 hours, but was definitely not the right choice for hilly dirt roads in the wilderness, some of which were entirely covered in puddles of water.  We entered the main gate as the sun started to set, which was a relief, but we still had about an hour on dirt roads in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone signal in the dark.  Jason (or shall we say "Steve Erwin"?) had a great time holding the flashlight outside of the window in search of wild animals, while I did my best to mentally will us not to get a flat tire, stuck in the mud, or attacked by a herd of wild animals.

God answered my prayers, and we made it to the lodge just in time for dinner. Our guide, Gary, greeted us: "We were literally just about to send out a search party for you."  At least we didn't miss dinner.  Good thing too, because everything was delicious.  There was usually a buffet with appetizers, salads, some sort of game, vegetarian options, desserts, cheeses and coffee and tea to top it all off.  The next couple days went like this: meet at 6 am for a game drive, come back for breakfast, nap, have lunch, hit up the pool, meet for our evening game drive, dinner then bed.  It felt like we were eating or sleeping all the time there.  Not that I'm complaining.

Our games drives were amazing, and our guide so kind and knowledgeable.  Gary drove us and one other couple the whole time, which was lots of fun.  The landscape was very brush-y: lots of trees and shrubs with roads in between them all.  We saw most of the animals you could think of in just the two days we had: leopards, an entire pride of lions, elephants, rhino, hippos, a giraffe, wildebeest, cape buffalo, zebra, and all sorts of antelope and birds.  And we were really close to them all.  Just check out the picture with the leopard and notice how close the car in the background is.

The second day it started raining, which wasn't a big deal, except that I kept thinking of how awful our drive out of there would be, considering how hard it was just to get in.  Well, it kept raining, and eventually the camp confirmed that they were evacuating everyone, and since our car would never make it on the washed out roads, they would arrange a transport back to Johannesburg.  The downside of DIY-vacation-planning is that there is no travel agent to contact the airline, hotel and rental car company for you, but what's a few hours of stressful last-minute rearranging plans?  Even though we had to leave a day early, Jason and I still felt like in two days we got the full safari experience and were not disappointed at all in what we got to see.  Guess all my Netflix "research" paid off.

African Adventure Pt 1: TIA

Eleven flights. Sixteen days. The last two weeks were amazing, but I don't think I've ever been so glad to be going home.

After so much planning I've considered becoming a travel agent, Jason and I boarded a plane to Africa. Our trip started in Cape Town, to a safari outside of Kruger National Park, diving in Zanzibar and finally a short few days in Addis. I think those weeks, especially the last one taught me what TIA (this is Africa) is all about.

I did learn some lessons on this trip that if there ever is a "next time" I would try to better prepare for:

-As my accounting professor used to say, "Cash is king." Don't count on using credit cards or having ATMs everywhere (additionally, some ATMs only took a Visa) but still have a couple credit/checking options available

-Don't count on common American rules to apply (i.e.: spouses can drive rental cars at no charge) even if the company is American

-The only country we drove in was South Africa. Cape Town was fine, but we had to drive on some dirt roads on our way to our safari making me wish we’d had an SUV. We got a compact rental car that we had to leave behind after a storm washed out the roads. Everywhere else I was extremely glad to have a driver.

-Times and schedules are more of a rough generalization so leave a buffer between things you have to be there for like catching flights.

-Even the major airlines do not have 24 hour customer support so it helped us to be able to call the US customer service numbers when flights had to be changed

-Speaking of calling home, neither we nor the locals had dependable phone or internet connections

-Keep tissues handy as toilet paper is a luxury in many restrooms

-I did take a pepto bismol pill everyday to try to prevent any food related illness. It seemed to work or at least nothing made me sick.

-Of course things like getting immunizations and your visas ahead of time should be obvious but might have caused some last minute stress at times

That being said we experienced some amazing sites, extremely friendly and helpful people and wonderful food. Friends or friends of friends were often our local experts which also made our trip a lot easier. I know this sounds cliché but the best thing honestly was experiencing it all with my best friend (who I am also married to).

And with that I'll try to describe what we did and some of the highlights:

I was hoping Cape Town would be a favorite and it did not disappoint one bit! It helped that it was like any US or Western European city but with so many beautiful environments surrounding it: beach, mountains, and wineries.

Capetown

We rented our own car and ended up booking the Westin when they were running a sale, though I would have also stayed here. We were a bit north of the city center, which I was a little concerned that we’d regret, but we were doing day trips most of the time and the 15 minute walk downtown was fine (though we didn’t attempt it too late at night). Our view and the breakfast buffet were both amazing and that was just the beginning. Jason also loved the steam room and hot tub, which offered some beautiful views of the city especially at night.

View from our hotel room

Our first full day we drove along Chapman's Peak to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. So beautiful.  The views were amazing, and the most dangerous part was when Jason decided to pretend we were James Bond (Jason Bourne perhaps? He decided he was both and called himself "James Bourne") on a high speed chase while driving along a steep drop off. My idea of playing along was to say nothing and grip the sides of the seat until we were safe. On our way back we stopped in a cute village called Kalk Bay where I'm still day dreaming about the seafood bouillabaisse I had at Cafe Olympia.

Cape Point

We also made a quick stop to see penguins in Simonstown.

The next day was equally as scenic and delicious as we toured the wine country of Stellenbosch and petted baby cheetahs! We stopped by the Cheetah Outreach before the wine - I thought having my wits about me while encountering wild animals was best. This place raises local animals to ensure the survival of wild animals. For a fee you can see the cheetahs running or have an “encounter,” which was about 15 minutes of carefully supervised turns stroking adult or baby cheetahs. I was especially excited about the cheetahs after falling in love with the cubs born at our local zoo this spring. They weren't quite the fuzzy new norms that I wanted to adopt but still... Where else can you do this?

We went to some really beautiful wineries and with the exchange rate in our favor, stocked up on as many bottles as we thought would still pass the weight limit. Though not advertised, Rust En Vrede winery has a wine maker's lunch special, which, for a top tier winery and restaurant, was a great way to have some outstanding food (steak, fries and a glass of Shiraz) without going broke. My only regret was not having more time to also explore the neighboring town of Franschoek, which is also known for its wines. Other wineries we visited were Ernie Els, which had the best view, Asara, and our favorite, Tokara.

Rust En Vrede

On the way to Ernie Els Winery

The last day we stuck around Cape Town exploring Green Market Square, Table Mountain and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. All things were somewhat touristy, but also things you kind of "have" to do if you are there. In hindsight, I probably would have enjoyed more wine tasting better (so obvious now) or a trip to do great white shark diving. No matter since we ended the night with an excellent dinner at the Savoy Cabbage where we tried some local game, springbok and impala.

Table Mountain

Victoria and Alfred Waterfront

Greenmarket Square

For sure we both felt like our trip so far had been wonderful, and the crazy thing was that it had only just begun.

That's a Wrap

You want to know the downside of pinterest? One, you spend so much time looking at projects that you now no longer have time to do them.  And two, things sometimes don't end up looking as they do in the picture.  I was inspired by the pinterest pictures of items wrapped in brown craft paper, with beautiful bows, lace, etc., so this was my attempt to do the same.  While this project wasn't a complete failure, it did take longer than I expected.

I liked the idea of getting the brown craft paper for wrapping because it is less expensive and more versatile.  However, in order to keep it from looking like something the UPS man just dropped off, I tried to get creative.  I also didn't want to lose all the cost-savings by buying too much ribbon and lace, so I just got one roll of shiny stretchy stuff from target, and used up some red and green fabric scraps I already had on hand.

I tried to make fabric poms by following similar instructions to this tutorial.  Instead of yarn though, I just made fabric strips about a centimeter wide and used 3-5 depending on the length.  At first I just used scissors to cut the fabric, but liked the look (plus had straighter lines) when I tore the fabric.  Just a warning though, some fabric is easier to rip than others (ie: anything too thick or too soft will be tough).

Since the poms took longer than I thought, I also just used fabric strips as you would ribbon and sometimes added the shiny stuff from target.  Since I did a lot of it while watching Christmas movies, I didn't mind the time it took, but I kind of have a feeling my packaging will just go downhill from here.  Hopefully this provides some inspiration for you during the Christmas season!

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

"The most wonderful time of the year..." I love Christmas.  The lights, the pine, shopping, eating, tradition, family and friends - I love it all! And hopefully I'll be sharing more of my highlights in days to come.  However, this year, maybe more than other years, I've been more keenly aware that it isn't all joy and cheer for everyone.  Sometimes Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year.  Sometimes Christmas reminds us of what we lost, who we don't have, and ways we hurt.  Heartbreak still occurs during the holidays, making the contrast all the more striking.

Maybe that's why the words to one of my favorite carols gave me pause: "Rejoice."  Why? In each verse, the reason to rejoice isn't because of the presents, reindeer, snow or anything else associated with commercialized Christmas.  No, the present time being sung about is "lonely exile," "gloomy clouds," and "the path to misery!"  And I know some of us have been there or are there.  So why rejoice?  I don't think we're supposed to gloss over trails and put on a fake smile because it is Christmas.  We live in a fallen world.  Because of it we experience hardship, death, and relationships that aren't as God created them to be, and we mourn the effects of sin. 

But, there will be an end.  That is the reason we celebrate Christmas.  "Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel."  What a good reminder this song was to me that Christ is what we have to rejoice about.  And unlike the Israelites being sung about, we are not just rejoicing at the thought of a Savior yet to come, he has already come!  We already know the story of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection. We already know that we have a Savior, that the trials will come to an end, and that there is more for us than this fallen world.  "For unto you is a born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)  What a reason to rejoice!

San Fransisco

So my husband and I just got back from an extended weekend to San Fransisco (though as I was packing, I realized it was closer to a week).  While waiting at an airport at some point within the last year we decided to make a list of places we wanted to go and also prioritize the ones we needed to do before kids.  San Fran was on the top of my hubby's list.  I had been there on a family road trip and thought it was fun enough to go back and also to experience as a couple.

We spent the first day walking around Chinatown, heading up Coit tower and walking up Lombard Street.  You know, typical tourist stuff.  We had a delicious Turkish dinner at Machka, whose decor I liked equally as well as the food.

Day two was also pretty touristy.  We rented bikes and biked across the Golden Gate Bridge as well as Golden Gate Park.  Two lessons learned: biking really close to cars going 60mph is not fun. It is terrifying.  It took about the entire length of the bridge for me to start breathing normally, unclench my jaw and get blood circulating in my hands again after gripping the handle bars so tightly.  I just couldn't help but imagine the whole time that a bump I didn't see was going to send me flying into the cars, or something that was not securely zippered was going to fly out of my pocket to the bay below, never to be seen again.  That is actually what happened to my transit pass, but thankfully not my phone.  (Side note: this is why I am also getting over my fear of walking over sewer grates.  It's really a legitimate fear that you will drop something in them or that they will break and you will plummet to a tragic doom.  I know people that have had those experiences.  Biking along this bridge was like that to me just way way worse.)  And the second lesson was that dang, those hills are really hard to walk and bike up.  You know that I just ran a marathon, but that did not at all prepare my hill climbing muscles.  After about 5 hours, the magic of biking had worn off slightly, but the day was still amazing due to one of the best biscuits and gravy dishes I've ever had at the Pork Store Cafe in the Haight district for brunch and Aziza in far away Richmond.  I think we capped off the night with drinks at the Top of the Mark, which while it did have great views of the city, was a little touristy/gimmicky to me.

Day three was full of more tourist activities and eating.  We rented a car and spent some time hiking in the Muir Woods.  All that activity made me feel really good about eating what was literally the best pasta I've ever had at Flour + Water.  (I know, I've used a lot of superlatives, but I really like pasta, and it was really that good.)  Because the weather was surprisingly warm, we took an evening walk around Union Square and rode the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf.  I was a little sad that because it was dark, there really wasn't a good way for me to get a picture hanging off of the side of the cable car kind of how I picture it would happen in some sort of movie montage. Probably for the best as I'd have lost my grip while cresting a hill and then would have had a long a fall.

Our last full day was kind of the "catch-up" day.  Plus after all that activity, we were kind of pooped.  We basically shopped for some of the things that had caught our eye and spent the rest of the day eating our way through the ethnic areas of town.  We started the morning with pastries from a bakery in little Russia, coffee, and a snack from Tout Sweet, the bakery from Top Chef Just Desserts winner (the chocolate chunk sea salt cookie was one of the best cookies I think I've ever had).  We did some shopping in Hayes Valley where we split a burger at Flipper's, whose toppings were better than the burger itself.  Dinner was at a hole-in-the-wall type Vietnamese restaurant, Pagolac.  The waitress was so nice and the best Vietnamese dinner I think I've ever had was under $10 each.  If you go to San Fransisco, please go there because I think it was my favorite meal of the trip.  Not to miss out on the remaining cultural areas, we got sushi for a snack in Japantown (hey, dinner was early), and cannoli in Little Italy at Mara's Italian Pastry.  I think all we missed out on was Mexican in the Mission District.  The perfect way to end the last night was drinks at Bourbon and Branch, a "speakeasy" type place with a secret entrance and bar tenders who know more about their craft than I will know about anything.

If I ever go back again, I'd really like to do the California Academy of Sciences, some of the gardens (Japanese Tea Garden, Yerba Buena Gardens, or the Conservatory of flowers), as well as some of the art museums (deYoung or the MoMA).  As far as eating recommendations, I basically went off anything on the eater.com list as well as recommendations from other blogs and friends.  Because I'm crazy and did this for myself anyways, I've actually compiled a list of neighborhoods and restaurants and addresses based off these sources that you can also access in case anyone cares as much as I do about these things.

As far as where to stay, our location downtown was central enough to get to most places we went within a 10-15 minute walk or public transit to anywhere farther (Haight, Golden Gate, Mission).  If we were to come back again, I think I'd stay farther away from tourist stuff and closer to eating (Tenderloin or Mission).  Of course, 5 days doesn't make me an expert.  Although it is long enough for me to say with some authority that, you guessed it, this city has some of the best food ever.