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.

Portland: 2008

July/August 2008

My boyfriend and I took a trip to Portland, Oregon. We went there to see the Red Bull Flutag as the primary reason and then found other exciting and educational things to do while visiting. So firstly, I highly recommend going to see a Red Bull Flutag event! It varies where it's hosted at, but various major cities sponsor an event every year and it is the most fun you and thousands of other people could have together. No matter where it's at, get there early to get a good seat, don't take lawn chairs because then the people behind you can't see... just take a blanket (don't forget the sunscreen!) and enjoy a full day of people making fools of themselves.

***Lodging***

We went cheap and stayed at the Days Inn Gresham/Portland, which I predicted would be slightly unclean and definitely not fancy from the one picture on the website. However, the website photo was either wrong or they rebuilt the place because it was a nice-looking little motel, very clean, with excellent rooms for the price. They even provided free breakfast which was much more than coffee, juice, and pastries and they re-stocked it often while it was open in the morning. The location was great, right off the freeway, simple to get to and very easy to get back onto the freeway as well.

***Food***

~Macaroni Grill in Portland... national chain restaurant that's always yummy.

~Driftwood Inn on Cannon Beach...quaint little restaurant right on the beach, pretty crowded so expect a wait or make a reservation. Very intimate dining experience and their clams are served in a bucket and are fantastic!

~Western Culinary Institute in Portland... this is a school to learn to become a chef and everyone from the cooks to the servers are students. Subsequently, their prices are reduced yet their food is innovative and delicious. The menu changes from day to day, but you can get a 5 course meal for the same price of an entree elsewhere. I suggest wearing something more dressy than a t-shirt and jeans to this place, although you'll see a range of wardrobes worn to it.

***Activities***

~Bungee Jumping in Amboy, W.A.... Amboy isn't too far outside of Portland plus it was on our way to go see Mount St. Helens. This is currently the tallest bungee jump in the United States from what I've heard and it is amazing. If for nothing else, the drive to get to it is gorgeous as it's located on some back road near the mountains. The owners were cordial and knowledgable and made you feel relaxed (well, as relaxed as you can be when you're bungee jumping!) You need to book ahead because they're not out there everyday: http://www.bungee.com/

~Mount St. Helens... Not a terribly long drive from Portland if you don't mind seeing the non-exploded side. The side with half the top gone is on the other side, so we didn't have time to drive to see that. However, we were able to go into Ape Cave which is a lava tube cave that you can rent a $5.00 lantern and walk through. Wear warm clothes and good shoes though, there were two different ways to go, and long and a short one, but I wasn't dressed for a cave so we took the short one. They say you might see various cave-dwelling bugs and animals but all we saw were some mice. Nonetheless, it was a fun and inexpensive experience and the trail to it was through a beautiful wooded area with numerous hiking/walking trails you could take as well.

~OSMI Museum... A nifty museum, I think it would entertain kids endlessly as there are numerous interactive exhibits. They had a good collection of dinosaur fossils some of which I had never heard of before then.

~Shanghai Tunnels Tour... I had never heard of "Shanghaiing" before we looked up this tour. It goes over the dark history of Portland's past in being the largest city to have drunken or drugged young men imprisoned underneath the city, waiting to be sold as slaves to the ships which came to port. They offer 2 different tours, one based more on the history and culture and the other based on the haunting factor of the tunnels' past. It was definitely worth the money!

~Mt. Gleall Castle... Not really a castle, but was built by a man for a woman he loved. Supposedly one of the most haunted places around those parts. We drove up to see it, but couldn't go inside as it's now someone's house. The view from the mountainside it's perched on is a gorgeous sight to see as well.

~Cannon Beach... Portland is not known for it's 90 degree weather, so be prepared for on the beach front any type of weather might roll in. The day we went it was overcast and chilly but made for a unique experience on the beach. This beach is occupied with gigantic boulders that loom in the surf and it has a much more earthy feel to it than say, Newport Beach. There are quaint little shops to buy souveniers in and a homemade candy shop with sweets that are to die for! There's also little motels/condos you can stay at right off the beach, but beware...they are pricey.