africa - Curious Karibella

2022-10-032023-10-01

My Last Day in South Africa

Starting Off with Signal Hill Paragliding

I woke up sad, not feeling ready to leave Africa. In addition to packing, we were all getting ready for paragliding. I was not going to participate in the activity because I was too scared, but I was happy for my siblings and parents to do it.

First, we drove to the top of Signal Hill. At the top, the wind wasn’t right for launching the paragliding, so we got some rooibos tea and waited. When the wind was good, I got in a car to be driven down to the bottom and my family got geared up to fly. I talked to the driver all the way down and when I got to the bottom, I arrive just in time to see mom land. The landings were so smooth! You just floated right to the ground and stood up.

In hindsight I wish I had done the paragliding now that I know that it is fun and safe to do. I just get timid sometimes about new experiences that sound scary, like running as fast as you can towards a cliff overlooking the city and jumping off of it (which is what you do to launch paragliding off Signal Hill). Sounds very safe, right? Next time though, I think I will be up for it.

Before Africa I did not really have a favorite place in the world. Before Africa I was sure that Africa would be the last place our family went and we would all be bitten by snakes. Just FYI we did not see a single snake besides the snakes in the museum. I have decided that Africa is my Favorite Place in the international world! The people are amazing, the food is great, the climate does not completely kill you and it is an amazing continent!

Heading Off the Gluten Path

After Paragliding we started walking back to the house we had rented, but then mom remembered that there was a gluten free bakery nearby called Off the Gluten Path. It was a little far to walk, so we got an Uber, but when we arrived at the place, it was just an apartment complex. We figured out that the location on Google Maps was outdated and the real bakery location was on the opposite side of Cape Town, about a 30 minute drive away. When we arrived, it was not an apartment complex – it was heaven! I kept asking “is that gonna be gluten free?” because I wasn’t used to things like croissants, French bread, donuts, cupcakes and cake being gluten free.

For lunch I shared some pizza with Zeb and Bardez. I also got a slice of the red velvet cake. Me and Bardez were allowed to get some little things for the plane ride later that day, so I got a carrot muffin and a croissant. When we had to go, we were all sad, but I really did have to pack, so I was kind of glad to go.

Leaving for the Cape Town Airport

After getting back to the house from our Gluten Free adventures, I finished packing my bags. We had a lot to try and stuff in to our bags, and several boxes of souvenirs we had collected along our journeys in Africa. Dad got the boxes taped up and then it was time for goodbyes and calling an Uber.

It was sad to say goodbye to my dad and older brother and sister, who were going to stay for another week in Africa, but I was also kind of excited to have a break from them and go on an adventure with just mom and Bardez. We were heading back and going all the way to my grandparents vineyard in Oregon to help with the grape harvest which had just started.

22 Hours of Flying: Cape Town to Newark, Newark to Portland

Once we got to the airport and checked our bags and boxes we headed through security and into the airport. My mom was able to take us in to the British Airways lounge even though we were flying on United Airlines back to the US. The lounge was very nice and it was a great place to have a break before the long flight. They even had macaroons, delicious brie cheese, and Appletizers. You might be asking, what is an “Appletizer”? Good question. In the US we would call it sparkling apple juice. It’s like Martinelli’s. But, these come in convenient cans and are extra tasty. I was sad to say goodbye to Africa and Appletizers.

When it was time we boarded the plane for our flight to America. We were flying United Airlines this time, not Delta. The plane was great, but the flight attendants were not very nice. They were downright mean, as if they hated that there were customers on the flight. I did not like that. If I am ever a flight attendant, I would like to be a nice one. Maybe they were just having a bad day, or maybe they should not be working on a 16 hour long flight if they can’t be polite to their customers. Hopefully United Airlines will figure out how to get its staff to be happier, like Delta Airlines staff usually are.

Finally, Arriving at Zenith Vineyard in Oregon

After flying for 16 hours from Cape Town to Newark and then 6 hours from Newark to Portland we finally arrived to Oregon! We got in our car and drive to Zenith Vineyard. My mom said we had to stay awake until 7pm so we would not jet lag too badly. I tried my best, and made it just barely to 7. Tomorrow, it’s harvest time!

2022-09-212022-09-22

Bokaap Cooking Experience

Today we did a cooking experience! The lady who hosted us had lived in her house her whole life and so did her parents, grandparents and great grandparents! There was two other people doing the experience with us. Their names were Libby and Matt. We started with introductions and our host talked about herself. Then we started cooking. The first thing we did was fill the samosas. There were gluten filled and gluten free! I was tasked with frying the samosas in oil and it was very fun. While I was frying them, the others started making the curry and rice. The rice was made with cardamom and other spices to give it flavor. The process of making the curry was ridiculously simple and fast. We put the spices in then the coconut cream ingredients in then it was done! By done, I mean ready to be put on the stove to be cooked. When it was time to sit down and eat I was very hungry. The samosas were the best! The chicken curry was a little spicy for me and the rice was super good! While we were eating our host and her helpers made us a traditional dessert of Ribose tea, sweet potato, and a ball with dates in it. I liked the tea and sweet potato but I don’t love dates.

The Experience overall was amazing! Being able to learn from someone who loves cooking and has done it for many years is very special. I really enjoyed myself and I would highly recommend doing a cooking experience with anyone!

2022-09-202022-09-22

South African Penguins

The Scenery and the Drive

The scenery was amazing! The drive to the penguins was along the coast and through towns. We learned about the history of each town. At one point there was a tunnel that had one side open. I really enjoyed the drive and one thing I learned was, there was 14 mountains that were called the 11 apostles. If you are into awsome landscape photos I would highly recommend this drive!

Puppy the Seal

Puppy, in my opinion, is a funny name for a seal. It makes me think of a cute fat animal, wich is what Puppy is. When we saw him he was being hand fed by a man and he seemed to know what to do. We were told that he came up on the docks to get snacks and that he was very friendly. The friendly part might not be true. He was more exited about the food then anything. I think he did not mind us touching him and maybe he liked it but he was super exited about the food. While we were with Puppy I bought a really cute elephant satchel! We then moved on so we could see the penguins.

The Penguins

The penguins were awesome! We had to climb over some rocks witch was super fun. Then we had to wade through freezing water to get to the penguins. When I got to the place where the penguins were I saw what looked like a dead shark! I asked our guide and he confirmed it was a dead shark; and just to clarify, the shark was a baby so only a foot and a half long. The penguins were sitting on a rock and they would waddle into the water. I was surprised at how fast they could move under water. They were little bullets! We went to a second place with penguins but it had lots of people in it and it was less special.

2022-09-202023-10-01

Table Mountain South Africa

We went up Table Mountain in a Cable car! I could not say we climbed it because we did not. It is a must do if you visit Cape Town because the views are awesome. We had to get a uber to take us up to the tram. After that it was all waiting. We had to get tickets and then go up an elevator to get to the tram. The floor of the tram rotated as we went up the cliff. I found this a little un-fair because you chose the spot you wanted only to go round in circles. The ride up was pretty scary and I was relieved to finally be on solid ground. We did a small walk around the top and there was a small sign that was very interesting to me. It had a map of table mountain and the city below. Around the rim there were arrows pointing North, South, East, and West. I found one pointing to New York, Washington state, Paris, Oslo and many more! I enjoyed looking at it but I had to go for a family photo. We took photos of everyone and me and Bardez climbed over the fun rocks. When it was near sunset we were contemplating weather not not to stay for sunset when we heard a message: “ To our guests at Table Mountain the last cable car will leave at 7:00pm exactly”. They were saying if you did not get on this cable car, you would have to hike down. In the dark! This was outrageous! How could they say they were going to leave you on the mountain if there were too many people! We were saying well we can stay a little longer but a wave of people were surging to the cable car. We decided going down was better than being left behind so we got on the tram.

The ride down was way less scary than I thought. I had been very nervous about it but we arrived safely. The overall experience was very pleasant and positive. I would totally recommend it to anyone!

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Staying at the Zanzibar Pearl Hotel

Staying at the Zanzibar Pearl was super fun! They greeted us with fresh juice and hand towels to clean our hands when we got there. The Hotel was very nice, and the rooms were beautiful. On each bed, there were flowers and two straw hats. We did not get to take the straw hats home, but we did get to use them on the beach. The beach was super beautiful, and the sand was super fine and soft. There was a lot of seaweed on the beach from the tide, and there was also some garbage, but it did not bother us. It seemed like low tide lasted all day, and high tide only came around 4:00 pm. High tide was the only time we could play in the waves because at low tide, there are not even waves, and the water was down to the reef. When it is high tide, the waves are really fun to play in, and it is entertaining to get washed up on the beach.

Our Days of Play in the Indian Ocean

The communication between guests and staff at the hotel was challenging. One of the ladies at the restaurant named Gift was nice and friendly. One funny problem was that most mornings we asked for a plate of mangos and pineapple and they would say that they did not have those things. I would say, “that’s funny because I had those yesterday” then they would bring them.

Scuba Diving at Mnemba Island

On one of the days, we went Scuba diving at Mnemba Island. You do not actually go onto the island but rather above the reef that surrounds it. The water was pretty cold for me. I am always nervous about dives but I think once I get under the surface I feel better on the reef. There was a lot of fantastic fish and colorful ones too. The two exciting things that we saw were an eel and a turtle! The turtle was super giant and majestic looking its eyes were brown and big and it was super cute. We did two dives and the second one was the better one. I had a terrible start because my fins were rubbing my toes then I had to go to the surface to fix my goggles then when we went back down I was much more confident and happy.

Boarding the board to Mnemba Island

Hotel Review of the Zanzibar Pearl Boutique Hotel

The Zanzibar Pearl was an excellent hotel and provided a relatively good experience the people were friendly, and the food was good, and the venue was beautiful. One thing I would say is if you can not sleep on a hard matters, the mattress at this hotel are incredibly hard. The hotel has things it could work on and things to improve on, but I would still recommend it with five stars.