After two long flights we are now officially back in the States. Uneventful; just the way I like it.
Feels like it was all a dream.
Luckily we were able to change our flight from Minneapolis back to Cincinnati. We now have the whole day to enjoy with Mike, Sara, Aasta and Sigg before our ultimate flight of our journey.
More stories and pictures to come over the next few weeks. I will finally have some time to get these things shared.
Look closely. In order to get this you must know that our cat’s name is Walvis. We named him this after the coastal Namibian town of Walvis Bay. It was a place that Shannon and I had great memories from and thought it fitting for our cat.
So here’s why I’m posting this. We’ve had our cat for 3 years and never thought anything of his name until yesterday while in Hermanus. With my great brain power I deduced that Walvis translates into Whale. We named our cat ‘Whale’ in Dutch/Afrikaans. Wow. Sorry buddy.
Thursday was Human Rights Day here in Cape Town. Due to a last minute cancellation of our boat cruise we opted for a picnic at a winery. I have no idea how to pronounce it but we spent the day at Buitenverwachting.
We had our own private table and 4 large platters of bite-sized food items.
We finished the day off with a soccer match. U.S.A, Italy & Germany vs. Denmark and South Africa.
Great day.
Shan saw the moment and had to capture it. Nice shot.
Anyone know what is on this ship? Shannon and I had no idea. The virtual absence of sides made me feel as though this ship is one small wave away from the bottom of the ocean.
During our first couple of days in Cape Town we quickly realized we’d be needing a car for the duration of our stay. We had heard about a lot of personal rental companies that rent cars to students and tourists for much cheaper than the going rate. We are talking around R100 per day which is about $11 at the time of this writing.
So we were pumped. We are going to get a car and free ourselves from our neighborhood, taxis and buses.
Then one night we went for a walk up the hill, Signal Hill, from our place. It was a great walk with a beautiful view of the city, but the best part of it was discovering that there is a market for mini rentals here in Cape Town. I’m not talking about those phonies you see on the roads today. I’m talking about real minis. Old school.
It took some time and a few phone calls but I went out today and picked up our new wheels. One of the best things about it is how cheap it was. Only R1900 per month. That’s about $200.
Not sure on a name yet but we will think of something. Any ideas?
I really had no idea but this city is windy! It’s the kind of stuff that blows you over.
Might be a good time to pick up kite surfing.
After a 22 hour trip we have finally made it. We got a nice 12 hour sleep last night to make up for the lack thereof on the flights.
We are currently meeting everyone in the 88mph offices here in Cape Town. The rest of the day will involve getting to know our neighborhood, getting our mobile phones working and relaxing a bit.
More to come soon.
My dad is doing well and on the mend. Looks like he will be out by this weekend, which is awesome. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers during this time.
Shannon and I are now set to leave for Cape Town on February 11th. We are focusing on what’s important right now and looking forward to our adventure ahead.
Our departure to Cape Town has been delayed for two weeks. My dad is set to have surgery later today to remove a growth from his abdomen. Please keep him in your thoughts.
If you haven’t heard the news or want to give him your support you can follow his recovery here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/stevewoodruff
It seems as if we’ve just returned home and we’re already making the big push to move out of our place in preparation for Cape Town. Yep, I’ll be doing it all over again for 3 months in Cape Town. This time around should be much better with Shannon joining me.
It’s hard to believe we were enjoying the warm Kenyan sun just 10 days ago.
Santa was awesome this year and brought us 10 inches of fresh powder. Unbelievable.
I know that I’ve been experiencing cold winters my entire life, but going from sitting by the pool to snow yesterday was quite a shock. Looking forward to the slopes of CO though.
I think I’ll be wearing this today.
Sure, we’re minus 2 bags, but we’re back!
And the best tusker I’ve had while in Kenya is at the airport on my way out. They must have the bottling plant near the airport.
We had an awesome trip to the Masai Mara and I look forward to posting more about it and Amboseli once I get the time. We’re here for one night and then off to Cincinnati. See you all again soon.
Amboseli was a blast. Hundreds of elephants, sleepy lions, Kilimanjaro, hippos, monkeys, baboons. It was incredible.
On our way back to Nairobi to catch a flight to the Masai Mara.
Hope to share more about it soon, but here are a few pics to start.
