Africa August 2009

So we went to Africa in August 2009. It was a jam-packed adventure, so I am condensing many things into important events/places and the things I loved the most. First of all I must say that I was amazed at how nice everyone was there. By far, we had to worry more about the wildlife than the people. We flew via Delta airlines and their affiliates KLM, and Air France. I can tell you that KLM is the best airline I've flown on regarding in-flight customer service and comfort. I can also say that if you are connecting through Amsterdam with checked luggage, pretty much expect your luggage to be lost/behind you by about 4-5 days. We arrived in Cape Town after a very long day and a half of flying to find out all of our luggage had been lost in Amsterdam and had not made the flight to Africa. Our plan was to spend a couple days with our rented car, driving down the coast to Plettenburg Bay and then back to Cape Town via the "wine route"; so it's not like we could cancel our plans, so we embarked on our journey with only the clothes on our back and whatever we had in our carry-on luggage...which mostly consisted of our medications for the trip, important documents, money, and then some personal hygiene stuff we had brought along for the long flight. We would wash our clothes in the sink of wherever we were staying and dry them on the heater over night, and when we made it back to Cape Town all of our luggage had made it in except for Monica's. So we took her to the nearest grocery type store that we could find that was open and bought her some new threads :) So lessons learned were: watch out for connecting flights through Amsterdam, no matter where you fly pack some essentials (like underoos) in your carry-on, so-pack with someone else in your group so that if your luggage gets lost you'll have a few pairs of clothes in someone else's luggage (unless everyones gets lost haha!). Okay, now on with the trip!

In Cape Town, that first night we were tired, and frustrated and came to our bed and breakfast called 18 on Crox; it was an oasis! The owners were very understanding and helpful with our luggage plight, not to mention the place was gorgeous. I would recommend it to anyone. The next day we took a tour of the "townships" which are neighborhoods of shantys that people have built; some out of cardboard/tin/plywood, some out of concrete blocks (if they are legal citizens and have received help from the government.) It was very humbling experience which made me feel blessed for all the luxuries that I consider "needs" in my life. I also love learning about the history of the place I'm visiting, it helps me relate to it more than as "just a visitor." We also visited Boulder Beach to see the penguins and ate at Boulders Beach Restaurant inside the Boulders Beach Lodge and it was delicious. The seafood was fresh out of the sea, and everything cooked perfectly. The other bed and breakfast we stayed at was Nine Flowers. It was older than 18 on Crox, but had larger rooms, comfy beds, and the woman operating it was also very kind and helpful. We also got to see whale's migrating past, and they were amazing!

We drove along the coast to the city Knysna and stayed at Bamboo. It was a beautiful B&B which you stayed in your own little cottage type room that was connect by walkways through a goregously landscaped wetland. The owners were a delightful couple with plenty of pets, who loved accomodating you and their breakfast was delish! Driving along the coast there are acres of white callalillies which grow wild like weeds, it's gorgeous.

Next stop was Plettenburg Bay where I bungee jumped the tallest commercial bungee jump in the world on Bloukrans Bridge. It was 216 meters!!! And the most awesome thing ever! Better than skydiving but it would have been more fun for me if Monica was doing it with me. Monica couldn't go because of her broken collarbone, so we will be planning a trip back so she can go. 

Free fallin'

 We then drove to Monkeyland where we got to walk around this monkey sanctuary and they were scrambling around all around us, it was amazing. We then drove to Oudtshoorn to go to the Cango Ranch where we got to see all sorts of animals and also got to pet tigers...I know they aren't indigenous to Africa but it was still awesome. 
We stayed at Montagu Vines in the town of Montagu, which was a delightful vineyard that was meticulously and beautifully decorated and landscaped.

The next day we were scheduled to drive to Franschhoek to tour a couple vineyards but we ran into road construction and were also pushing for time because we had to get back to Cape Town to finally pick up our luggage... so we had to choose one. We picked Tokara, which was a beautiful wine and olive farm located in Stellenbosch. We didn't have time for a tour, but we did sample the olive oil, and my mom sampled the wine, and all of it was very high quality. Apparently, South Africa makes more wine and is known for wine as much as, if not more than, Italy is. Needless to say, since I love olive oil so much I bought ALOT of it, in numerous flavors they created with different olives and crated in different barrels.

Our next section of the Africa trip meant we flew out of Cape Town into Nelsprit and Kruger National Park. We rented a car and self-drove from the Numbi gate to camp Skukuza. Many people said the self drive wasn't worth it because you don't see many animals, but within 10 mins of entering the Numbi gate we had spotted baboons, giraffes and saw our first rhino which was only like 20 yards away! Sleeping in the Skukuza camp was an adventure, we were on cots in a giant canvas tent, surrounded by an electric fence so that animals couldn't sneak in at night and steal food...or attack us haha!

The next morning we finished self-driving through Kruger and went to the Sabi Sands game reserve to stay at Elephant Plains. This part of the trip was the ONLY time during the whole trip that we ran into people who were not friendly and we were nervous. We were driving in the middle of nowhere to get to the reserve when there were 4-5 guys walking down the road we were coming up on. One guy in the group started waving like he wanted us to stop, but we decided right when we saw him that we weren't going to. As we neared him he kept stepping in front of our path, if we went to the right of the road, he moved over... finally he was like 3 feet in front of us and we had to swerve to get around him. Once at Elephant Plains, we told the people about him and they told us guys like that stop visitors, give them directions expecting a tip, but the directions are wrong and the people end up driving in a big circle. So luckily, that was our only run-in with weird, scary people! And all I can say about Elephant Plains is that it was surreal staying there. All meals were included, the days were scheduled out for you so you could get the most out of your stay, and most importantly, the people who worked there felt like family! I couldn't ask for more hospitality, and the whole experience was just amazing. I mean, after sunset, if you walked from one building to the next there was a guy who would walk behind you with a flashlight, lighting your way! Furthermore, every single time we went out on a game drive, we saw one if not more of the big cats, elephants, rhinos, etc. Never in my imagination would I dream that I would be in an open jeep, sitting 15 feet under a sleeping leopard in a tree, or see a leopard and her cubs get treed by a pack of lions. Surreal!

Sleeping leopard above my head

 We spent 3 nights at Elephant Plains which, to me, was the perfect amount of time to stay there, enough to get to see all the animals and enjoy the experience, but yet not too long to get sick of the same structured day. After leaving Elephant Plains we stayed in the B&B Ku De Ta which was very modern, had outdoor showers, and simple yet graceful.

The Boiling Pot

The final section of Africa was flying out of Johannesburg and into Victoria Falls. This is essentially the only portion of our trip that we spent multiple nights in one B&B and used it as our "base camp" for our adventures. We stayed at Amadeus Gardens, which was older, yet beautiful and, as we found with most of the B&B's we stayed at, the owners were kind and eager to help with whatever you need. We did so much in Victoria falls it's hard to describe it all. But we walked through the park to see the waterfalls, hiking down to the Boiling Pot, my mom got "jumped" by baboons and had to fend them off with a rolled up painting she had just bought.

Wary of baboons now...

View of Devil's Pool from across the chasm

I was the only one in my family (since my sister was injured) that got to go into the Devil's Pool, which is a ledge pool on the edge of the falls. Such an amazing experience to be on the edge of a waterfall. But that water was pretty cold! I would suggest this to EVERYONE who visits, but you can only do it during certain times of the year, so check before you go if this is a must-do for you (which it should be!)

We took microlight flights over the falls, you get to hear and see the whole scene much better than if I were in a helicopter. Another extraordinary experience that I HIGHLY recommend!We got to visit a village where it is primitive living, and to pass the time the kids created their own pool table, from mud, sticks, and the balls are the hollowed out casings from a fruit tree, I think called Monkey Fruit.

 We did a canoe safari, and had brunch on a quaint little sand bar, was saw an elephant swim the river. It was serene and beautiful until the hippos started growling and wading towards us, that's when we got out of there!

 We went fishing, I was the only one to catch anything and it was a little guy maybe 4 inches long- so that was  a bust... but again we were confronted by hippos and this time they followed our boat. It was pretty intense for a while.

 Went on horseback safari, which I would recommend as long as you are prepared to sit on horseback in saddles that are NOT the newest thing around. Lets just say I had my share of sore bum the rest of the day. But it was unique because the animals don't see you as a human, they see the horse, so we walked right through a whole herd of water buffalo. Amazing!

 It was a trip of a lifetime, one we'll have to make again sometime so my now healed sister can partake in the bungee jump and Devil's Pool.

Making syrup solo

When my husband and I bought our house, it was the middle of winter so we had no idea what the different trees were in our yard. And the first growing season surprised us with a couple bushels of apples as well as a few handfuls of plums. Now that it's our second year, we were surprised when what we thought was a nuisance tree produced a fruit that looked like grapes. I researched it and found out they were choke cherries! On a visit to my friend's grandparents a long time ago, I had my first and only taste of homemade choke cherry syrup. And I was hooked. So, I decided to try to make my own. Picked them when they were dark purpley on the outside and I was afraid birds were going to begin eating them.
I didn't have a juicer- correction: my mom had a juicer that she swears I knew about yet I didn't so I did it the hard way... so I cooked these babies in some water with some underripe chopped up apples off our tree. Smashed them up as they simmered, and at the end mashed them with a flat tater masher. Then strained through cheesecloth.
Now that I had juice I boiled it away with added sugar till I was content with the consistency. Was still runny compared to fake maple syrup, but I think I'd have to put a thickening agent in if I wanted anything more. In the end I added some lemon juice, because it helped cut the medicinal taste that choke cherries are known for, and added some almond flavoring. Bottled it up, stored some and gave some to family :) I was pretty proud of myself on my first attempt at making and bottling something without my mom, and that it turned out pretty good!

The small town of Erie, PA

Went to Erie on a business trip and was glad I didn't go there for a vacation... While the lake, beaches, and sunsets are gorgeous:the rest of the town is not so tourist friendly. Restaurants close around 8-9pm. Many stores are not open on Mondays (of all days, why Monday?) And we wanted to visit the maritime museum, but that closes at 5pm on weekdays. Also, getting around is difficult: To hail a cab ride is a 45 min wait after you find a phone number for one. And besides the immediate downtown area, Erie does not have pedestrian sidewalks! Kinda scary having to walk in the bike lane >.<

I guess the majority of income there is from making trains for GE, and there are alot of railroad tracks around. It's pretty fun to watch the trains blaze by, except when you're having to sit and wait for them over and over until you can cross the street... Longest one I counted was 86 cars.

Went to the beach at Presque Isle for the sunset, and saw a guy out on a paddleboard blowing gigantic bubbles. It was beautiful the way they would catch the sunset in their irridescent outlines! I thought to myself, how magical that I happened to be on the beach at the same time this guy was and got to witness this beauty. I found out the next day that he's a regular, and works his magic at the various festivals in and near Erie. Nevertheless, I was glad I saw it while I was there!

Went to an free outdoor concert sponsored by Erie's 8 Great Tuesdays, that was really fun. An oldie's band, some snacks for purchase, beer (for those that drink), and a beautiful sunset over the lake.

Ate at various restaurants, some delicious with a fun historical story: Under the Clock shares the building with a clock that everyone used to meet under saying "meet me under the clock". Others were not so great: Brewerie was subpar.

So in the end, I was grateful to have seen the gorgeous sunsets, but would have rather spent maybe a day or two in this town, rather than a week.

Kanab, Utah

My family and I went on a trip down to Kanab, UT to visit the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Which is a place where unwanted animals, some of whom have severe health or mental problems, can be loved and taken care of until they either find their "forever home" or "cross over the rainbow." It was such a neat experience to see how happy these animals are. However, I would highly recommend to anyone that if they actually want to interact with the animals, you will have to register to volunteer. We took a guided tour, and while it was very informative, interesting and heartwarming, I was hoping for a bit more animal interaction. We did the walk around the horse corrals and pig place, and that was HOT! Not alot of shade around there, but really great to see all these animals happy.

We ate at the Canyon Bistro one night, and it was amazing. More pricey than other places around, but everything on my plate was delectable! Would definitely recommend this place to anyone going to, or through, Kanab.

We attempted to win the lottery to go hike the Wave, as you typically have to put in for permits a year in advance. They give away something like 6 or 8 (I think) tickets in a lottery each day, but we didn't win any. So we just did some slot canyon hikes instead. It was beautiful there. Then we ate lunch at a lovely little park called Jacob Hamblin Park, it had a large grass area, picnic tables, a water pad to get wet in, and nice restrooms. Such a great place to pick up sandwiches and eat at!

The only strange and awful thing that happened to me during my stay in Kanab, would be one crazy lady. I was standing on the road's shoulder, taking a picture of a restaurant sign, when I hear this car honk really long down the road. It is this lady, honking at me to move out of the way so she can park on the side of the road! I couldn't even believe it, so I move forward about 10 feet thinking she'll pull forward and then back up like any normal parallel parker would do. No, she just sits there, and makes me move all the way off the road so she can pull forward... to a spot she could have easily gotten to without me moving from my original picture-taking spot!! We just sat there and stared at her. She sat in her car for a good 3 minutes, thinking we were going to walk away. She must have been late for her hair appt though, because she finally gets out and waddles to the salon down 2 doors down. Ahhhhh, some people. Other than that, I loved Kanab, very quaint and quiet, and beautiful red rock!

Grandeur Peak: Night Hike

At 2 a.m. some friends and I decided to hike Grandeur Peak. We arrived at the camp ground that houses the trailhead but the gate was locked. So we parked on the road and walked in from there, which added probably an extra mile to the hike.

The beginning of the climb is easy/moderate and then as you traverse across to climb towards the peak, it gets more strenous.

The last stretch of the climb to the peak is the hardest because it's more vertical and rocky. But anyone would be able to complete it if they just took their time. We hiked by flashlight (3 people to 2 flashlights=bad idea) and made it to the top in about 2 hrs.

But the view from the top was amazing! We decided to stay until sunrise, which would have been more enjoyable had we brought warmer clothing in order to spend 2 extra hours on the top...



But the wait was worth it, the sunrise was glorious and hiking down just after the break of dawn while others are barely hiking up was another plus!