FINLAND: In Search of The Northern Lights!

FINLAND (LAPLAND):

I said goodbye to Vanessa the next morning and flew from Zurich Switzerland to Helsinki Finland where I connected and headed North to Rovaniemi Finland. The goal: to see the Northern Lights! When I set out on this ‘trip around the world’ the Northern Lights were at the top of my list of things to see. However as the year wore on, and I made my plans and was planning this last leg of the trip in Europe, to get up north seemed really expensive and risky since there would be no guarantee that I would even see the lights. Finally, two days before leaving for England, I shuffled my plans and booked my last weekend in Europe to be in Finland. It would definitely be something I look back on and regret if I didn’t at least try. After a year full of so many incredible dream come true experiences, I didn’t want to end it wondering, what if?

I arrived at 9:40pm on a Thursday. I checked into my hotel, a cute little chalet with a sauna in the room then booked it to the lake where there is often a good view of the aurora. I had intended to buy a tripod (which everything I read said is essential for photographing the lights) at the airport in Helsinki, but wasn’t able to find one. And let me tell you, they were right. There were some beautiful lights but it was difficult to take clear photos without a tripod. Regardless, I was so happy to be in Finland, and that the lights were visible on my first night. When I could no longer feel my toes, I walked back and came inside, to warm up in the sauna! I was inside around 1am, but the lights are visible all night and that’s why I’m here, so every 10 minutes or so I would go outside and take a look! I learned a lot on my first night ‘aurora hunting’ and had a list of things to prepare for the next night!

I slept from 3am to 9am, had breakfast, and then left to spend the day at the Santa Claus Village. First, I went to the husky park where I got to hold a brand new baby husky and could have cried! I went on a ‘dogsled’ ride around the forest, which was incredible. From there I went in to see Santa! You walk through the North Pole to meet him. We chatted for a few minutes (he didn’t ask me what I want for Christmas) we took a photo, and then I went to the Santa Claus Café for some hot chocolate.

I was also able to go feed reindeer and take a sleigh ride through the forest. Finland in the fall is enchanting. The sun peeks through the trees, and hits the ground covered in moss and mushrooms. Everything is frosty and glistening. I half expected to run into a fairy or troll. It was stunning.

Thats the arctic circle!

I stopped to get prepared for another night outside:

• mittens (I left mine in the taxi when I got dropped off)
• thermal socks
• A TRIPOD!
• Remember to bring headphones

I slept from 4pm to about 7pm, getting ready for another night aurora hunting! I went down to the lake at about 8:30pm, danced around listening to music (to keep warm) and playing around with the settings on my camera. The whole time I was out, there was at least a faint aurora which was incredible. This is the third or fourth night in a row that they’ve had ‘shows’ which isn’t that common so I was very fortunate. As the evening progressed the lights got brighter and more stunning. It often reflected on the lake which made it twice as bright and stunning.

One particular display started low in the middle of two islands in the middle of the lake, and grew and grew, going from dark green, to light green, to pink, to almost white, spreading all along the sky. It was incredible. The light danced and swirled above me. I got so excited to photograph it I had to remind myself to stop and take it all in. it was incredible. I lasted just under three hours before I couldn’t feel my toes and decided to turn in from the lake. I warmed up in my room, then ventured back out just outside my chalet. The lights were still out faintly, but became brighter and more magical! A pale green light shimmered over the trees and my chalet and was incredible! I couldn’t believe how stunning it was. After another hour the lights were settling down. I went to bed, knowing the lights were still dancing overhead, so grateful to be here in this fairytale place, after realizing another travel dream come true. The tripod really did make all the difference!

On my last full day in Finland I lounged around my room, went exploring around the lake and the woods near the hotel, and slept away the afternoon so I could stay up for my last night of aurora hunting!

 

The auroras were faint, but they were there. I had only three nights in Finland and was so so furtunate to be able to experience the lights each nights. I’m so glad I made the effort to make it to Finland. I fell in love with it more than I expected.

I left, and started my two day journey home.

Pamela

London, Switzerland & Austria!

Girls weekend in London:

On Friday October 2^nd, I said goodbye to my dad at the airport as he flew home, while I stayed behind in London to meet the Cape Town girls! While volunteering in Cape Town in March and April, Vanessa, Jozi and I were staying with the same host family, along with several other girls. We have stayed in touch since we all left Cape Town and planned a weekend get together for when I was in London since they’re all from Europe. When it actually came to planning it, Vanessa, Jozi and I were the ones who were able to make it! We stayed in the city, saw the sights, had afternoon tea, and rode the London Eye. I felt like a guide since I had been there for a week already. The weekend came and went in a blink!

Switzerland and Austria:

From London, I flew to Switzerland with Vanessa! She is from Austria, but lives in St. Gallen in Switzerland right by the border. We arrived in the afternoon and had cheese fondue for dinner! (It was a bit too strong for me). On our first full day, we took the cable car up Mount Santis, the views were some of the most beautiful I have seen anywhere in the world. We were so fortunate to have good weather. From the top of Mount Santis, you are able to see into six countries. Vanessa was able to point out Austria and Germany, right ahead of us, and we guessed the others were Lichtenstein, France, and Italy somewhere in the distance. The alps were stunning, the rolling hills dotted with sheep and houses were breathtaking. We were 2000 meters up and it got cold quickly so we sat inside and had hot chocolate and apple strudel taking in the views. After coming back down the mountain we went into St. Gallen to shop and look around. We went into the cutest most wonderful smelling chocolate shop!

 

The next day was raining so we took our time starting our day. We drove into Austria to go shopping with Vanessa’s sister Sandra and visit with Vanessa’s family. When she heard I was coming, Vanessa’s grandmother offered to make plum dumplings for us. It was the sweetest thing! She doesn’t speak any English so Vanessa and her sister translated for me. We went for a walk around the neighbourhood Vanessa, grew up in, passing fields of sheep by a river. It was so picturesque. The dumplings were a pastry wrapped around a full plum and baked. They’re served covered in breadcrumbs with a warm vanilla pudding that you drink. It was delicious, and so sweet! Her grandma kept putting them on my plate and I was stuffed! I only had one day to visit Austria which was far to short, but was so grateful and happy to experience something so authentic.

Pamela

England with My dad! (& a day in Paris)

I’m back on the blog! After getting home from China, I was working in Maine for the summer- but now am BACK with a new blog about my trip to Europe! This trip was essentially four parts; England with my dad, London with the girls I lived with in Cape Town, Switzerland with Vanessa, and Finland to see the Northern Lights.

England with my dad:

My dad and I flew out together and arrived in London on September 24^th! My dad has never been big on travelling, but has always wanted to see England, where his family is from. While I was planning my travel year full of dreams come true, high on my list was making my dads travel dream come true as well! For this part of the trip he got his first passport. We explored the HMS Victory, a ship used in the battle of Trafalgar (right up my dads alley) , the Museum of the Order of St. John, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the typical sights of London. I fell in love with afternoon tea, and we had it almost every day.

On the second day I got a touch of food poisoning, which is my least favourite while travelling but luckily it only lasted 24 hours.. to be followed directly by a cold. I was indignant thinking that I don’t typically get sick while I travel, but looking back I have actually gotten sick quite often while travelling. In typical style, I’m not one to waste precious time, especially when this was my dads first time really leaving Canada, we wanted to make the most of it!

On one of our days in London, I was able to fly to Paris to visit my friend Katie who is studying there. My dad took the day to go back to see the HMS Victory. It was so cute seeing Katie, eating crepes and croissants, and laying out by the Eiffel tower! I’m also glad it worked out so well, because I changed my Paris plans last minute to go in the middle of my stay in England, rather than at the end of my stay in Europe.

The best decision I could have made.

Pamela

CHINA: Part 2

SATURDAY

This morning, we checked out of our guesthouse and walked through the village to get to the ‘Sleeping Dragon’ section of the Great Wall. There were actually other tourists out today! (Probably because it’s the weekend).

We hiked along this section of the wall. It was a bit more restored than yesterday. At the end of this section of the wall is a military base, so we stopped at the last possible watchtower for another picnic lunch, then had the option to hike back along the wall to the bus, or to continue off the wall down through the countryside to our next guesthouse. I opted to go back along the wall (to spend as much time on the Great Wall as possible!)

When the group was reunited, we drove to a more restored section of the Wall, Jinshanling. We would be staying in a village just beside the entrance. I’m always so excited to take my boots off and shower after a long hike, and that’s just what I did!

SUNDAY

This morning, we checked out of this guesthouse (short stay!) and went to hike the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall. This is one of the most restored sections and was absolutely stunning. I actually took the cable car up because on day five of hiking, my knees were feeling it, and I wanted to save my energy for the Wall itself!

It was nice to be ahead because I was able to stop and sit and take in the views. There was a group of five of us who took the cable car, so when we didn’t know how far we were supposed to go, we waited at the top of a watchtower until we saw the others. I could look at those views all day. A woman came out of the watchtower, trying to sell us souvenirs. She actually just sat with us until the group came so I bought some things there.

When we found our guide, Frank, we were told we were only two towers away. This day probably had the most steps out of all the sections! We had lunch at a local restaurant, and then had a four hour drive to the next village. I started packing my flip flops in my bag so I could wear them in the van (thank God!) the drive was beautiful, through mountains and past lakes. We made it to our guesthouse before dinner.

MONDAY

Today was our last day hiking on the Great Wall! We had breakfast at our guesthouse, checked out, and drove about 15 minutes to the entrance at Huangyaguan. The walk up to the wall was beautifully short and then we were walking along looking at the most stunning views! The end of the wall on the right went right into the side of a mountain and continued on the other side. At one point along the side of the wall we saw a group of locals, men women and children, with horses, in hammocks, hanging out right beside the Wall. I wonder what they were doing! We waited for the group at the highest point. Then started hiking down, still along the wall. We ended in an ancient village with temples. We saw a monk watching us from one of them!

It was a bit of a maze to get out, but we made it to the car park (my boots were off before we got to the bus), and headed to Qing (pronounced Ching) Tombs. We took a shuttle (with no sides) to the entrance and explored inside. We had lunch at a local restaurant there, then started our three-hour drive back to Beijing. I listened to music, trying to take in the landscape as we drove but I fell asleep. When I woke up we were in the city, and the sky had become grey and overcast. It started to rain for the first time since I’d been there.

Now I had run out of cash on Wednesday, our first day on the wall. I told Frank, assuming ATM’s would be all over the place. I was wrong. We were in rural China, and even when we drove through cities, there were no ATM’s anywhere! It was awful! Luckily, Frank lent me money until we got to Beijing. When we pulled up to the hotel, the first thing I did before even unloading the bags was RUN across the street, in the rain, the the Bank of China. The branch was closed, but there was a machine around the back of the building. I walked through the dodgiest alley way, and looped around to the ATM. It was in a parking lot that was guarded (bless) and I was able to take money out! Such a relief! (even though I only had one day left!)

I got back to the lobby and about half the group was still getting sorted. Janet and I checked into our room, and were able to have a shower where we could regulate the temperature! (it’s the little things) We only had a few minutes to chill// get ready, because we met the group in the lobby at 6:40pm for our last dinner.

We went to a restaurant across the street where we ordered Peking Duck! I was really excited to try it. We had other dished as well, and then were shown how to eat the duck, with the wraps and condiments. It tasted really good! When we finished eating, the lights went out and Frank walked out with a cake! Three people in our group had birthdays on the trip so this was a cumulative ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY!’ It was a white sponge cake with grapes, dragon fruit, and kiwi on top! We ate, and said our goodbyes. Tuesday is a free day so there’s no guarantee we’ll see each other. I was so happy with my group and actually had the best time. I was sad to leave them.

TUESDAY

This morning, I woke up slowly, and made my way out at 9:30am. I went to Costa, a coffee shop for breakfast, and ate sitting at the window, people watching. Some of the women have very bold tastes in clothes and shoes. They also all carry umbrellas to avoid the sun, and some wear breathing masks because the air quality can be very poor. The mall across from the hotel opened at 10am and I planned to do some shopping! I browsed around, bought lots of stationary, and found the cutest little shops to browse around in! I bought a clean shirt for the plane (all mine are dirty, and it makes all the difference), then headed back to the hotel to pack up. It was much less painful than I expected.

My flight out was at 11:55pm, but I have never seen traffic like in Beijing. It took us two hours to get from the airport to the hotel when I arrived so to be safe, I booked a car for 4pm. We got to the airport at 5:30pm (plenty of time!) I browsed around the shops, got some food, and before I knew it, it was time to check in. I feel like an old pro at airports now! We left on time and I was SO glad to be on my way home!

WEDNESDAY

I arrived in Dubai at 3:30am local time. I tried to get used to Toronto time so am sitting for 6 hours, trying to stay awake. My gate is right beside a ‘Shake Shack’ PERFECT! I had a burger, fries, and peanut butter shake at 5am. It was heavenly. I endured a 14 hour flight, and am now content on my couch, at home. I’m so happy! What an incredible trip!

Pamela

CHINA: Part 1

On Sunday, April 19^th I packed up my things and left South Africa after being there for two months! I flew from Cape Town, to Dubai, to Beijing!!!! I was almost as excited to fly on Emirates as I was for this part of the trip!

I had arranged an airport pick up but did not see them when I arrived! I had gotten a local SIM card but all the phone numbers I had were international and wouldn’t work! I walked back past arrivals and thankfully saw the sign with my name on it!

We drove two hours through Beijing traffic (probably a 20 or 30 minute drive without) and arrived at the hotel around 6:30pm. I checked in quickly and was directed to the 9^th floor where my group was meeting in a boardroom. I went up with all my things to meet them! We were a group of 15 people, and our local guide Frank. We went through the itinerary for the first few days, and then went out as a group to dinner at a local restaurant. Frank ordered a ton of dishes and the table was able to try a bit of everything. I was very hungry so everything tasted really good!

The plan for this trip to is hike different parts of the Great Wall each day. My main interest in coming to China was to see the Great Wall so I was very glad to have found a tour that goes really in depth to lesser known// more wild parts of the Wall.

TUESDAY

On our first full day, we visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in Beijing. As a group, we took the subway there, which was actually really fun. I was also happy to find the signs were in English aswell (but was still glad to have Frank!) The line to get through security into Tiananmen Square was really long, (and the Chinese have different ideas about personal space) but we made it in and were able to look around and explore. It was really incredible. The emperors of China used to live in the Forbidden City so it’s a huge complex of palaces. We saw the imperial gardens, and then went to a noodle restaurant for lunch.

That afternoon, we were able to attend a traditional tea ceremony and try different teas local to China. We made our way back to the hotel and met up after dinner to go to a Chinese Acrobat show! It was very cool, and a great introductory day to Beijing.

I slept as though it was Christmas Eve because I was SO excited to wake up and go to the Great Wall!

We started off as 15 people in this group. BUT THEN Saleme from Canada, had been throwing up all last night and was not getting better so spent the day in hospital. He decided he wanted to go home. He has to return to hospital to get a note for his insurance and won’t be continuing with us.

Scott from Australia wasn’t feeling well after our sightseeing day. After we returned from the acrobat show we found out he also went to hospital and had developed a blood clot in his lung (likely Deep Vein Thrombosis from the flight) so he wont be joining us either. We’re dropping like flies!

WEDNESDAY

This morning, we woke up, checked out of the hotel, and drove two hours out of the city centre to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. We could see the Wall as we approached and I was giddy! We stopped for a quick lunch then were ready to go! We took a shuttle bus to the foot of the wall, and then most of us climbed the steps. There were probably 1000 and it was VERY steep, BUT we made it and it was incredible! We could see the Wall going on so far in the distance! After catching our breath, we started to walk along and explore. Some of our group took the cable car up. The ones who walked got on at Tower 10, and we walked to Tower 19 to meet everyone. We passed a photo shoot for a wedding, which seems like such a fantastic place for wedding photos!

We met the group and were faced with a HUGE wall of steps going directly up, for what seemed like forever! Frank explained that it goes up and down like this, some times without steps, just loose rocks for most of the way. This is one of the hardest days of hiking. I figured we had 6 more days of hiking, and this bit didn’t look particularly fun. We had the option to turn back and meet our driver so I decided to do that. I’m not here because I’m an avid hiker; I’m here to see the Wall! It was nice to take my time going back along the part I had just seen. I met the bus and two others in my group and drove around the mountain to meet the rest of the hikers. We arrived in a little village, and shortly after the others arrived as well, and we drove to a cute little local guesthouse to stay the night. The house belongs to a local farmer who has turned some of the rooms into guest rooms. We had a big window with a view of the Wall on top of the mountain. It was incredible.

That night, we learned to make dumplings with the farmer’s wife, and then had them for dinner, along with a ton of other local Chinese dishes. We all went to bed early and exhausted!

THURSDAY

We woke up, had breakfast, and went on a hike to the Great Wall near where we were staying. The farmer came with us. He’s about 70 years old and climbed the wall like it was nothing (while I was huffing and puffing!) This part of the Wall was not restored like yesterday. They call it the ‘Wild Great Wall’. It was just as beautiful. To think how old the Wall is and how we’re able to come and walk on it is incredible. The stones were a bit loose and steep so we actually had to CLIMB with out hands as well but the views were more than worth it.

We climbed down, checked out of the guesthouse, and drove about two hours from Mutianyu to Gubeikou, another section of the Wall. We had lunch there, then a bit of a break before another hike on this section. I sat out on a beautiful little canal lined with flowy willow trees and red Chinese lanterns. It’s beautiful here.

We hiked up to another, less restored part of the Wall. If we didn’t already know we were on the Great Wall it would be hard to tell! It was beautiful though. We walked to two watchtowers, and from the second we could see different sections of the Wall as far as the eye can see! It was incredible! It got really windy, and one guy, David lost his hat. It blew a bit down the mountain and we could still see it but our guide was adamant he didn’t go get it; too dangerous. David was insistent and before it was decided, the local woman who we’re staying with (she did the hike with us) climbed down this treacherous little slope like it was nothing and got the hat! We hiked back down and returned to the guesthouse, and had a Thai Chi lesson before dinner!

FRIDAY

I skipped sunrise thai chi this morning. We got ready, and hiked the ‘Crouching Tiger’ section of the Great Wall! To get there we crossed a set of train tracks that we thought were abandoned, but just as the last person crossed, a train came whizzing by!

The hike up to the Wall was on a steep windy dirt road that took quite a while! When we got to the top, there were two watchtowers to our right that we could go explore but they were up STEEP broken steps. Probably the steepest and least restored we’d seen. I was so excited! Some people decided to sit that one out, so we left our bags with them and started our climb. It was so exhausting and so fun! Craig and I made it to the top first. We were catching our breath, looking around and I found a set of stairs leading to the roof. I called Craig over and scrambled up the steps (thinking if our guide Frank arrived he might advise against it.) It was the most spectacular view! I was so proud of how far I had come (literally and figuratively) to get to this place. It was incredible.

We made our way back down and stayed on the Wall to have a picnic lunch. It was the perfect afternoon! There was another watchtower on the other side some of us went to look at. We could see paths along the hill that lead back to our guesthouse. There was a path that lead along the wall itself so we split into two groups, some going down the way we came, and the others walking along the wall. We met in the middle.

We made it back to our guesthouse in the afternoon. There was another optional walk (that I was not interested in) so I spent the afternoon hanging out in our village.

Pamela

GOODBYE AFRICA!

I’ve had the incredible opportunity this past week to volunteer at and attend Hillsong Colour Conference in Cape Town! On Tuesday we had volunteer orientation// training, then on Wednesday and Thursday I attended the conference. I volunteered on Friday. It was the perfect way for me to end my time in Cape Town, (and Africa!) I’ve had the most incredible trip!

I can hardly believe that tomorrow I fly to Beijing to check yet another thing off the TIPPY TOP of my bucket list; exploring The Great Wall! I’m beyond excited!

(Probably the shortest blog post yet!)

Pamela

CAPE TOWN: Horseback ride// SKYDIVE!!!

Saturday

This morning my housemates wanted to hike Lion’s Head. I had already done it, so decided to take the lazy route and met them at the bottom with water bottles! We drove in two cars to Old Biscuit Mill to have breakfast. My eggs benedict stall was open so I went there immediately! We walked around, and hung out, and waiting for our hosts to get back to drive the girls home. When they arrived, it was hard for me as I was saying goodbye to Vanessa for good. The next morning she would be flying to Madagascar for the last leg of her trip.

 Horseback Riding on the Beach

I had a few hours to relax before driving from where I stay in The Gardens over to Noordhoek to go horseback riding on the beach! It was a beautiful drive through the mountains. I could see hints of fall colours on the trees, and also all the areas on the mountain that had been burnt by the Cape Town Fires just over a month ago. I arrived at Sleepy Hollow Horse Riding, got sorted, and waited for the rest of my group. I rode with a family of four visiting from Tanzania. We started out along the road and made it to the beach. It was so beautiful and peaceful walking through the dunes, to the beach. There were mountains on either side of us and we were in a little bay. The sun was starting to set and it was absolutely stunning!

We walked back through the dunes and in through the back entrance to the farm. We were in a grassy area letting the horses eat while our guides lead us to the ramp one by one to get down. I was facing away, still on my horse, and all I hear form behind me is a blood chilling scream of terror. It was the mother from the family I was riding with. She just kept screaming! The two sons and I were frozen, holding on to our reigns tight hoping our horses wouldn’t get spooked and run off. Turns out, horse #1 kicked at the mothers horse, so it jumped to get out of the way and threw the mother off. She landed half on the ramp before falling to the ground. Somehow, her husband jumped down off his horse to run and check on her, and stepped on her ankle. Her sons wanted to get down and go to their mom. Our guide had the two horse by the reigns, trying to secure them, she ended up hooking them together and going to get the son down. She started coming over to me but I said I could surely wait (she looked very busy). A few moments later, she came to me and I got down. I asked what I could do to help, and was holding two horses by the reigns while she went to do something else. When she was done, I gave her the horses and went over to see the mother. She was laying on the groups, she had really hurt her lower back, and her ankle, so they had called an ambulance.

A vehicle arrived from ‘Cape Medical Response’, which is a private medical company (so strange to me). They loaded her up, and I drove home.

Sunday

This morning I went to Hillsong Church with my housemates (for the last time!) and then went to Canal Walk to have lunch with my Connect Group to say goodbye! It feels like I just got here and I’m already saying goodbye, and doing things for the last time. So strange. I met up with my housemates and we went to have a picnic (dessert for me) at The Company’s Garden, a beautiful little park in the centre of Cape Town. Parking however, was impossible so we drove to Camps Bay Beach instead. It was nice to hang out with the girls, but already felt so different without Vanessa. I dropped Jozi and Tangi off and had my second round of goodbyes, I still have a week in Cape Town, but will not likely see them again. It was so hard! Next I dropped Antje off at her hostel and had my last goodbye. That was a heavy afternoon! I didn’t officially say goodbye to my Host family because I thought they were coming to our picnic this afternoon, but they weren’t able to.

That night, I rented the movie, Wild, made popcorn, and stayed in!

Monday

This morning I woke up bright and early to go SKYDIVING! For some reason, I hadn’t really got to excited about this, even though it had been planned for about a month. Probably because its so dependent on the weather, and as I drove it was EXTREMEMLY foggy! I was set to go at 9:30am, and arrived at the location, and no one was there. I only have data on my phone (not airtime) so I emailed to see what was going on. At 10am when there was still no one there, I decided to drive back to a mall to buy some airtime. I got through to someone on the phone and was told my dive was suspended due to the weather, but was looking good for 1pm. I got some lunch and made my way back, still hesitant to get excited.

It wasn’t until I was in my harness, watching the group ahead of me land that I started getting excited and nervous! On my jump was a girl named Ana from Sweden. I jumped attached to a guy named Jason. We walked out to the plane, and took off. We were just sitting on the ground of a small little plane. It had a garage type door that opened from bottom to top. It was a beautiful flight over farmlands and the ocean, with a beautiful view of Table Mountain and Cape Town in the distance. We were up for about 7 minutes then Jason hooked me to him and I put on my goggles and started FREAKING OUT! He opened the door and I had to put my feet out of the plane. I started SCREAMING! WE WERE SO HIGH UP!!!!! I couldn’t feel my legs, just thinking about it now I cant believe I did it. Jason pushed us out of the plane and it was a FREE FALL for a few seconds, actually SO SCARY! The little parachute opened and we were a bit more controlled so I could relax. We fell and fell then he pulled the big chute and there was a jolt before we were caught and started our leisurely decent to the ground. Then I could enjoy the ride! Except the harness was SO uncomfortable. He was able to loosen some straps but still. I was able to take the controls and spin us to the left or to the right which was so fun! We floated over the hanger and landed in the sand. Ana and her guide landed just a few seconds later and Jason and I got buried in their parachute! I was so glad to be back on the ground!

After getting home and wrapping my head around the fact that I just went skydiving, I drove out to Clifton Beach for my last chance to watch the sunset in Cape Town. The rest of this week I will be attending/ volunteering at Hillsong Colour Conference Cape Town and I couldn’t be more excited!

Pamela

CAPE TOWN WEEK 4: Taking the Good with the Bad

Easter Monday

Today, after lounging in the morning my housemates and I went to the V & A Waterfront and rented bikes! We got these cute little blue cruisers and made our way along the coast from V & A to Green Point where we stopped to have a picnic. It was so fun, and relaxed and perfect for Easter Monday!

As we made our way back to return the bikes, we saw a school of dolphins in the harbor! It was incredible! We had lounged for longer than we thought so by this time it was close to sunset. We decided to drive up Signal Hill to have a beautiful view of sunset over the ocean. It seemed everyone else had this idea as well, because parking was a zoo! It’s a two lane road and people had parked all along the one side, so once you got to the top and realized there was no parking, it was almost impossible to get down. To top it off, two tour busses had come up making it infinitely worse! I dropped some of the girls at the top, and was able to make my way down the hill to park before walking back up and meeting the girls for sunset. It was worth all the effort. The clouds were turning cotton candy pink and purple, there was a beautiful view of Robben Island, and it was a fantastic way to end such a beautiful day with my housemates!

Tuesday

Today we went back to the daycare after being away for what seemed like forever! We hung out with the babes, and came home!

This evening I went to Connect Group with other young people from Hillsong church. It was very fun getting to chat with everyone and meet some more people from Cape Town.

We left around 10pm, and were all getting into our cars when everyone started walking back to see one girl. I parked my car and got out. Turns out, while we were inside Amy’s car had been broken into. We of course all waited with her while she waited for her dad to come. The thieves pulled out her stereo and a bag from the trunk with all her school books. While we waited, a homeless man and woman came up to talk to us. They were on the other side of the street so half of our group went over and half stayed with Amy and the car. They said something to the effect of ‘it was some guys about an hour ago.’ We didn’t believe them.

Amy’s dad arrived and it turns out he is a pastor who works in prisons so he was not at all put off! He ran over to where the homeless couple was and talked to them. Some of our guys went as well to back him up. Her dad came back with the guy and had him go through his bag, then they both got into his car and drove off! Turns out he took the guy to the police station to give a statement.

While we were waiting for her dad to get back, I found out they were not in fact a homeless couple, but a prostitute and her pimp. (I was specifically shocked because we seemed to be in an ok neighbourhood!) She was across the street from us and we watched on as a white BMW pulled up, picked her up, and drove off. That was too much for me. There were about five people still with Amy so I decided to go home. I cried the whole way.

I didn’t make it home until after 11pm (unheard of for me!) The lights were off in my room but my housemates were all awake and concerned. I told them what had happened and they were just as shocked as I was, and just as glad that I was home.

Through the whole thing, I’m amazed at the sense of community I feel even though I’ve only been here for just a short time. How we ALL waited with Amy, how the guys walked up with her dad, and how my housemates were awake waiting for me to get home safe. Even though I am on this trip by myself, I don’t feel alone which is really incredible. That was probably the hardest night of the trip for me. I know that Cape Town, despite its beauty has some rough areas and people in desperate situations but this is the first time I have experienced it first hand, and I wasn’t ready for it. I also know that the things that break you often lead you to your calling. Praise the Lord, everyone made it home safe.

Wednesday

Another day at daycare! I went in late because I didn’t sleep very well and had to go into the shop to get more data on my phone. I was happy to be with my babies because they make me happy!

This evening, my housemates and I went to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens to watch an outdoor movie! It was so beautiful! The garden was lovely, and we arrived just before sunset. We set up our blankets and rented some chairs. Beautiful flowers surrounded us with the mountain as our backdrop. We watched Bridget Jones’s Diary under the stars!

Thursday

Today we went into the daycare, played with the babes, and then went to Canal Walk to have our last dinner together as a group! Antje and I made photo collages to give to our classes with pictures we had taken with the babes.

Friday

Today was my last day at the day care so I hugged my favourites a little longer and held them a little tighter. A lot of times when the volunteers leave they bring sweets or bake. I am against that mostly because I have a ton of kids with black/ missing teeth because they’re not brushed and eat too much sugar to begin with. I decided to face paint instead! All the girls were butterflies and the boys were lions. They were so cute! The schedule is, singing, play inside, snack, play outside, lunch, nap. We fed them lunch and I hugged them each as they went down for their naps. That would be my last time to see them and I was getting very sad! Especially when I hugged my happy Zara! Jozi and I waited outside for Antje who is in another class. My teacher gave me the handprint-Africa the kids made me and I started to cry! It was so thoughtful! I got cards form the teachers and a certificate from the office with an open invitation to come back. I will definitely use it.

I packed up my things and went into town for my last week in Cape Town!

Easter Weekend in Cape Town!

This week at the daycare was relatively uneventful, I love hanging out with the kids and seeing them each day. It often is exhausting and loud but they’re very very cute!

Thursday: Into town and meeting Ben Brown!

This morning I actually had a not so good time at daycare. While the kids played outside before lunch I saw three kids who were leaking through their diapers onto their clothes. I sent them inside to the teacher to get their diapers changed, thinking maybe they hadn’t noticed. The teacher came out to where I was sitting and said something along the lines of “why are you sending them inside? We know we need to change them but we’re busy right now.” I felt like she had slapped my hand away from the cookie jar! Point being, I was a bit upset and sour about it for the rest of the afternoon. We had already planned to leave early, but had we not, I would have. I kept telling myself, ‘they’re doing the best they can’.

I packed up and drove into town (BLESS) I stay in a neighbourhood called the Gardens, which is right in the centre of town with a beautiful view of Table Mountain in the back garden. I was SO happy to be away from Grassy Park! I hadn’t left to do anything fun since the previous weekend and it had been too long! Especially after feeling like I got told off by the teacher today.

I lounged in the back garden, enjoying proper Internet, then decided to drive up to Camps Bay beach to watch the sunset over the water. I arrived early and sat on the beach, taking photos and watching dogs and kids run around near by. The waves were huge! There is a cool silence right before a big wave crashes and thunders! It was stunning.

About Ben Brown: When I knew I was coming to Cape Town, I looked on YouTube for videos of other people travelling there. I found Ben Brown’s YouTube channel. He is from England, living in Cape Town and does quite a lot of travelling around the world. He makes a daily video about his life and his travels. I have been watching his videos since about January. He is a filmmaker// photographer so has a really cool Instagram account as well. The day I met him, he had 343K Instagram followers and 320K YouTube subscribers. His girlfriend Nicole, and his Land Rover ‘Pumba’ are in his videos a lot!

After sunset, I was walking back to my car, and saw a Land Rover that I was pretty sure was Pumba parked. I stopped, and at first just took a photo of it planning to look in the videos to see if it actually was his car. Then I though maybe I’d just wait there to see if he came by, but thought that would be weird, then I decided I’d just walk down the beach and see if I saw him. As I waited to cross the street I saw Ben and Nicole sitting on a blanket just on the edge of the beach! I was surprised at how excited I got! I walked up and he was vlogging, so I asked if I could come and say hello! They got up and said hi, I told them about my trip and where I’m from, then Nicole offered to take a photo of us. I said goodnight and headed back to my guesthouse SO HAPPY! Especially after feeling a bit glum all afternoon it was so nice to run into both of them!

Friday: Hillsong Church & Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

This morning, I went to Hillsong Church for Good Friday service. I was sent up the road to overflow parking, where shuttle busses took us from the parking lot to the church (shock). I ran into Mikayla, who I met on my first Sunday at church, so I sat with her and some of her friends. It was a quick, beautiful service about ‘what would you sacrifice for love? And how Jesus sacrificed it all.

I stopped over at the mall (to get the photo of Ben and I printed) and had some lunch before going to Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. It’s called ‘the most beautiful garden in Africa’ and is nestled on the backside of Table Mountain. I walked through the garden, most of the flowers were white or purple (my favourite) There’s a tree top canopy walkway which is a walkway// bridge about 11 meters high that you can walk along and see the garden from above. It was really beautiful!

There were many families there, having picnics and hanging out, which was admittedly, making me a bit homesick. Nevertheless, I had a book and my journal with me so I sat at Kirstenbosch enjoying how beautiful it was, journaling and reading. It actually got a bit chilly so I headed back to my guesthouse.

Saturday: Old Biscuit Mill & Two Oceans Aquarium

This morning I met my housemates at the Old Biscuit Mill, where the Neighbourgoods Market is held every Saturday. The eggs benedict stall I loved wasn’t there, so I tried basically everything else! We walked around for a couple of hours, looking at the stalls, and eating! It was drizzling// raining all morning and wasn’t expected to stop, so instead of driving through Franschhoek (one of the wine towns) we all decided to go to Two Oceans Aquarium at the V & A Waterfront.

We were able to see the penguin feeding and see sharks up close in the predator’s tank. We walked around the waterfront and saw there was a performance on the outdoor stage that afternoon. It was a bit chilli, so we got some hot chocolate and popcorn and stayed for the Wear South African Fashion Show, followed by a performance by Jimmy Nevis, a singer// songwriter from Cape Town. It was actually very fun! The day turned out really well despite the rain, and the sun came out in the afternoon.

Sunday: EASTER AT HILLSONG CHURCH & Ratanga Junction Theme Park

This morning I went to the 10am service at Hillsong. It was packed! Again, I was sent to the overflow parking lot and shuttled to the church. I was of course early, so when the early service got let out, I got a front row seat up in the balcony. It was very special to celebrate Easter at such a cool church! My housemates came to the 11:30am service so I saved us seats and stayed for that service with them.

Right next to the church is a theme park called Ratanga Junction. Often times driving in the area we see the roller coaster running and it looked so fun! After church we all walked over to go to the park. Unfortunately we were disappointed. It was open, but was very small and run down. We went on the roller coaster which was fun but our heads banged around in the harness. My ears are still sore!

After a few rides, the girls and I split up, and I went to Canal Walk (the mall) to run some errands. I set the GPS to take me home, but as I passed Hillsong, people were arriving for the 5pm service, I debated quickly whether or not I should go back, I didn’t have plans after all and it is Easter! I ended up passing the turn in the roundabout, then changing my mind and looping all the way around to go to church! Because I was a bit early, I could park in the regular parking lot (bless) The evening services are completely different than the morning! The band is different and plays different songs, and the set up was different because this evening they were doing baptisms. I was glad I went!

I left a bit early to avoid the crowds and booked it to Clifton Beach to catch the sunset! I pulled up on the side of a hill and took in the stunning colour’s of the clouds as the sun set! I made it back to my room and was able to Skype with some of my family back home as well! It was a beautiful Easter Sunday!

Pamela

Cape Town Week 2: The Cape of Good Hope!

On Monday, I woke up with a bit of a cold so was pretty well out of commission from Monday to Thursday. I went into the daycare on Monday and Thursday to see my class. I missed them!

FRIDAY: Cape Point, Boulders Beach, & Wine Tasting!

On Friday I got picked up for a weekend tour to Cape Point and through some of the winelands. We started off stopping at Camps Bay beach then headed down Chapman’s Peak Drive toward Cape Point. The drive was absolutely stunning, winding through the mountains, driving along the coast. Our guide pointed out all the areas on the mountain that had been burnt in the big fires a few weeks ago. Its scary how close it came to the houses and the road!

We arrived at Cape Point National Park (part of Table Mountain National Park) and were stuck behind a group of ostriches walking along the road! We first went to the Cape of Good Hope. This is one of the moments on the trip that I had been looking forward to since the very beginning of the planning stage! I couldn’t believe I was actually there, and took my time taking it all in! We were lucky to have some time between large tour groups all to ourselves to get some good photos and to appreciate where we were without a huge crowd!

From there, we drove over to Cape Point. The park has so many hiking trails you could easily spend several days exploring and getting lost. We walked up to the lighthouse and had a really cool 360 degree view. It’s so cool to think that the next landmass would be Antarctica!

Boulders Beach

Our next stop was Boulders Beach, where a colony of African Penguins lives! I’m so shocked that people are allowed on the beach, and to interact with the penguins with so little enforcement and supervision but I’m glad we were! It was high tide so we had to maneuver over huge boulders to make our way across the beach. We saw groups of penguins hanging out on the beach, sunbathing on the rocks, and swimming around in the sea. There were many people there swimming as well (even though the water was freezing!)

From there, we made our way to Kalk Bay and stopped for lunch at a cool little fish and chips restaurant. We were right on the harbor and the fish was so fresh! After we ate we walked along and in the harbor and on the ocean side there were a ton of seals swimming around, eating, and one even climbed up to lay on the walkway. I find it so incredible being so close to these animals.

Next up was Steenberg Wine Estate for a wine tasting. The property was beautiful! Rows and rows of grapes with Table Mountain in the background! I’m not a big fan of wine, but this area is known for it’s vinyards so I felt like I should try it out. Many people were on a one day tour so we headed back to Cape Town and dropped everyone off. Myself and another girl are on a three-day tour so we were dropped at our guesthouse, and were both exhausted so had an early night!

SATURDAY: Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Tasting in Stellenbosch

This morning, we were up and out at 7:30am. We drove over to the Old Biscuit Mill in a suburb of Cape Town called Woodstock, where they have the most amazing market on Saturdays. When we got there however, we realized it didn’t open until 9am. We decided to go walk through the Company Gardens, which is one of the oldest (and most beautiful) gardens in Cape Town. There are HUGE trees that are hundreds of years old surrounded by all types of flowers and plants from all over the world, little ducklings waddling around behind their mom, and a stunning view of Table Mountain.

We got back to Old Biscuit Mill and the Neighbourgoods Market just before 9am and were able to walk around and see all the stalls as they got set up and before it got too crowded. First thing, I got a mini lemon merengue tart and it was SO GOOD! Like a pre breakfast dessert! The stalls were incredible, everything from Chinese pot stickers, to bonsai plants, to hand crafted bags and soaps. We were able to try honeycomb, which was so fun for me (the name Pamela means ‘sweet like honey’) I bought a little jar of locally produced honey with a honey comb chunk floating in the middle. From the beginning I was excited to try eggs benedict form a particular stall. They always sell out well before the market closes. I ended up being first in line, and I’m still upset I didn’t buy two. It was probably the best egg dish I’ve ever had! By the time I looked up from my plate, the line was wrapped around the adjacent stalls, and was only going to get longer. I’ll be thinking about those eggs for days. We perused around the craft side of the market, got some delicious white chocolate smoothies, and drove toward Stellenbosch for more wine tasting!

Now it is only myself and another girl on the tour, and neither of us are too keen on wine, so our guide brought us to Fairview Wine Estate to do a wine and cheese tasting. The cheese was delicious! All locally produced we tried feta, brie, and goat cheese along with some others and enjoyed them as we drank our wine. From their we drove to the Spice Route which has wine tasting, they roast their own coffee, and make their own ice cream and chocolate. We opted for the chocolate tasting and sampled a bunch of dark chocolates coming from all over Africa and South America. I’m not usually a dark chocolate fan but these were very good! Up until now, we’ve basically been eating ALL day and I couldn’t be happier, but when our guide asked if we were ready to stop for lunch, we both laughed because we were stuffed! On our way to our guesthouse in Stellenbosch, we drove past Drakenstein Lion Park, it looked really cool and since we’re not particularly in a hurry we decided to stop (an advantage of having a small group!) the park in a nutshell rescues lions from abusive situations around the world, particularly circuses. Some of the stories were heartbreaking, but it was wonderful to see them safe and sound again. This park also has two tigers which we saw swimming in their waterhole cooling down. It was about 34 degrees with no wind!

After lounging all afternoon out of the heat, we went out for a quick dinner in the city centre, and had an early night!

SUNDAY: Cape Agulhas and Hermanus

This morning we left Stellenbosch and headed south to Cape Agulhas, the most southern point of Africa and the point where the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans meet! This cape is not as well known as Cape Point and is farther form the city so was not crowded at all which was fantastic! We spent some time there, and climbed up to the tippy top of the lighthouse, before heading to Hermanus for lunch. Between July and November, Hermanus is known for some of the best land based whale watching in the world, unfortunately, we were a few months too early, but had a lovely lunch on the coast!

The drive back to Cape Town was easily the most beautiful drive I’ve ever taken. We drove from Betty’s Bay along the coast, winding around the hills with the most stunning view of the ocean and Table Mountain. Absolutely breathtaking.

I made it home just after 5pm, in time to quickly get ready and go to Hillsong Church! It is fast becoming my favourite place in Cape Town. I love ending my week there with a really cool community of people I already feel like I’m becoming a part of. I noticed driving from the mall next door a beautiful view of the church with Table Mountain in the background! I’m constantly blown away by this beautiful city and the fact that I’m currently calling it ‘home’.

 

Pamela