To Sum Up

Now that we're home and getting back into our daily routine, we've been talking about the highlights of our African holiday. Our experiences were so varied and numerous, it is challenging to limit our favorites. As you can tell, it was a vacation enjoyed by the entire family.

Steve - Victoria Falls, Devil's Pool, hippos next to our camp in Zambia, following wild dog on safari, elephant charging us, surfing, visiting Vrygrond, running on the beach, basically everything

Margaret - Our stay at Savuti camp, jumping into the Devil's Pool, watching lion cubs and Carmine Bee-eater on safari, listening to bell frogs by night, beautiful vistas

Tyler - surfing, safari, the bridge swing

 Isaac - Everything, especially safari

 

Nathan - surfing, fishing, observing penguins up close and personal

Surfers' Corner

The beach at Muizenberg is also called Surfer's Corner. On Thursday, while Nathan and I went to see the penguins, Steve and Tyler and Isaac took surfing lessons. They had such a great time they wanted to repeat it immediately. After lunch they convinced Nathan and I to take lessons also while they surfed. Although it wasn't my cup of tea, all my boys loved surfing and long to go to the beach again as soon as possible.

Penguins Galore

 
On Thursday Nathan and I drove to Boulders Beach - about a 20 minute drive. This area is protected by the National Parks as a sanctuary for the endangered African Penguin. There is a boardwalk from which visitors can view the breeding ground of thousands of penguins. We were also able to enter a beach where we could wander in among the penguins which live there. We were hoping to swim with them, but none were in the water at the time.

When we first arrived it was blustery and raining. An hour later the sun came out, so Nathan played in the sand and splashed in the water, exploring the boulders that give the area its name.

Cape Town

Boxing Day on December 26 is a big holiday in South Africa. The beach was very crowded, so after a swim in the morning we opted to drive the 30 minutes to Cape Town.

We attempted to take the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain but the winds picked up and it closed it for the day just as we were about to purchase tickets.(We attempted to go up again the morning we left, but the line was too long).



We went to the Green Market where local people sell their arts and crafts and it is easy to bargain with them. We went out to dinner on the wharf and ate seafood for Tyler's birthday. There were some excellent street performers that would draw large crowds: a magician, a troupe of acrobats, and a living statue.

Christmas - Cape Town Style

Christmas morning
we emptied our stockings and opened the small gifts inside them. After a few hours of game playing we went swimming in the bay. We were not alone.



For Christmas dinner Steve baked a ham and I cooked potatoes. Our meal was delicious. Although we had a nice day, we missed the snow and the traditions we have become accustomed to at home.

In the Spirit of Christmas

Steve and I were hoping we could find ways to keep Christ in our Christmas celebration while we were away from our traditional celebrations at home and spending time at the beach. We were able to attend a local church service on Sunday where we sang Christmas carols and heard wonderful messages delivered.

Steve had arranged, with a colleague of his, to help with a service project on Christmas Eve. We drove to a nearby township, which was originally a squatters community and now a neighborhood set apart for the local people. Frygrond, meaning free ground, was land given to the people by the government. The lifestyle of the people living there is so far removed from anything we have seen. The homes, if you can call them that, are made of sheets of tin, plastic, cardboard, or wood. Many don't have windows, electricity, or running water. The nicer ones have a cement floor and have been painted and fenced in.

Many of the adults are addicted to alcohol and drugs. Abuse is rampant. Unemployment is very high. Although most children receive early education, it is not likely that they will attend secondary school.
We went there with a couple who work with a nonprofit organization whose cause is to help the people help themselves so they can help others. After a tour of their trailer which housed a library, computer center, community center for teens, and an office, we toured the community garden.

We then helped them move donated furniture and other items into a home they had quickly built for one of their volunteers who desperately needed a place for herself and her children, one of which was four days old. It was a Christmas present for her. It was like an episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition on a small scale. The home was dedicated with prayer and all the glory was given to God and His mercy. It was wonderful to be a part of it. Later in the week we returned to the township with some books, toys and clothes that we weren't going to fly home with and gave them to the center. Even the worst of what we have would be a bounty for most of these people. It made us feel fortunate and so grateful for our many blessings.

Muizenberg Beach

The week of Christmas we spent on Muizenberg Beach on False Bay in the Indian Ocean. In the distance we can see Cape Point and the southernmost point in Africa. The sand is very fine and soft. The first morning I awoke around 5 a.m. with the light coming in our beachfront window. I went and strolled the beach for more than an hour, walking in the tideline and collecting shells.