After the most chaotic day of travel I have ever had in all my years of travel, I actually made it to my destination, which is pretty impressive to me! I will write more about that when I have more time, but for now, let me tell you about the Swiss airport and Swissair.
When we got onto the Swiss airplane, they welcomed us and celebrated with us that we actually made it and we went to go find our seats. When I sat down in my seat, I just sat there laughing, but almost half crying because I could hardly believe that we made it.
The service was very good and we got great food even in economy! Sleeping was not so good for me, but I made it through the night OK. When the plane started descending, they handed out Swiss chocolates which was quite the treat because it’s very hard to get European chocolate in America unless you go to special stores.
Going through customs in the Zurich airport was the smoothest customs ever! It took us about five minutes and we didn’t have to get our checked bags and re check them! We just showed them our passports and moved right through. It was very nice.
We stopped for a moment to catch a breath and find out whete to go. It turned out that we had time before our next flight so we wnet to get some chocolate.
I have very good memories of swiss chocolate from when I was little. When my mom did her masters program she did it out of Lausanne Switzerland, right on lake Geneva. We lived in Lausanne for about two months when mom had to do in person parts of her program. Me, my siblings, and my dad had many adventures in and around lake Geneva.
We bought two chocolate items. One was a bar of raspberry chocolate and the other was a box of real looking fruits that we thought were chocolate. We were most exited about the fruits but when I bit into a strawberry it was not chocolate. I thought it was cake but we google translated the ingredients and found out that it was mascarpone, which is sugar. It was…. Interesting. It tasted ( no joke) like play-dough! I think most kids know the taste of play-Doh. Honestly, it smells so good! When you’re like five years old and making little play-dough pizza it is really hard not to just try a little bit!
Now as I write I am sitting and waiting to go to the next gate. The next flight will be like 45 minutes. Stay tuned for more updates on my Europe trip!
P.s Here is a funny joke about switzerland.
Border Agent: What is your favorite thing about Switzerland?
Traveler: I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus! 🇨🇭
Wasabi Plant Moment
At lunch I had a plate with carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, green onions, and micro greens. The micro greens were the last on my plate and I usually eat them plane. I started munching on a little pile of them and about 3 seconds in…. Ahhhh I was so surprised!! These were no micro greens!! It was like wasabi in a plant!! I was not polite enough to finish eating them because they were the second most unpleasant plant that I have ever eaten.
My Lunch. The green stuff is the Wasabi Plant like thing. ( It’s not really a wasabi plant)Just a little market with a buffet in the airportYou know, fresh squeezed real fruit juice in an airport would n ver be in AmericaMmmmm, raspberry chocolate 🍫🇨🇭The mascarpone fruit.Swiss shop!
I never thought that I could do so much in 36 hours, but somehow I did. Yesterday around ten thirty we made plans to drive two hours to Rotorua. Rotorua is a small town on the North Island of New Zealand, and it has many tourist attractions and cool things. In under an hour, we were in the car. The drive was scenic and filled with the book’s endurance and pauses to discuss what we wanted to do. I had been voting to go to Rotorua for a week because there is Zorbing, Louging, Zip lining, and many more cool activities. almost everyone did not want to go Zorbing, but 12 minutes out from our Airbnb (booked not long before), we passed the Zorbing place, and we immediately turned around to check it out.
You are probably wondering what is zorbing. Zorbing is an activity where you jump into I huge plastic ball that is suspended by ropes (secure ones) inside another plastic ball that is bigger. There is water in the ball, and the workers zip you inside, and the next thing you know, you are rolling down a hill, not knowing what is up or down and feeling like you’re in a washing machine. At the bottom, you slide out and run to hot tubs and wait for the next bus to take you back to the top to do it again. Honestly, Zorbing is one of the funnest, craziest things to do. The zorbing place has four tracks, three of which are currently in use. The short straight one is a “short” straight track that you roll down. they have two of these tracks, but they are exactly the same. We (Me, Mom, Emmy, Zeb, and Bardez) did this one first, and since there are two of the straight tracks right next to each other, we raced. The straight track was my least favorite out of the two that I did because it is super fast and disorienting because you are just rolling and rolling and rolling. It was still super fun, though, and it’s a great one to start on if you have never been zorbing. The Sidewinder track is my favorite because you roll straight, then you turn and roll up onto the banks. then right at the top, you stop, just for a second, and then down you go again! The two other tracks I did not do, but there is the MEGA which is a SUPER long straight steep hill. Then there is the BIG AIR which was under construction when I was there. It was being transformed into a new track because only one person could ride down due to the big bumps. I hope the next time I come to New Zealand, I will get to Zorb again and do the BIG AIR track. (They are going to rename the BIG AIR track once it is re-built, but the name is a super secret.)
Te Puia
After Zorbing and dropping our stuff off at our Airbnb, we went to our dinner and show at Te Puia. Te Puia is a Geothermal hot spot with some of New Zealand’s most active Geothermal Guysers. It also is home to the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute which is a school of Maori Arts and Crafts. We signed up for a dinner and a Maori show. The dinner was a buffet in a big dining room with shared tables and fantastic views of the springs and geysers. The food was absolutely amazing. It was by a long shot the best buffet ever. After dinner, everyone was moved to a bit open-air building with circular tables and a stage. I thought that the show was taking place there, but I was wrong. I was not totally sure what to expect, but when our host went up and explained what we would do that night, I became more excited. He had selected an older man from the audience to be our “chief,” and that man (named Bob, I think) was to accept the peace offering from the performers. We were told that the most important thing was to NOT smile, laugh, or make any noise during the first dance. The first dance was usually performed when two tribes met, and during it, the tribe who was visiting would place a peace offering in front of the chief of the opposite tribe. If the chief picked it up, he wanted no fighting and accepted the peace. If he ignored it, that meant fighting.
It started raining right before we headed out of the first building, so instead of the dance and other performances taking place on the wide lawn, we went into a second building that was hand-carved and very ornate. Inside, it was dimly lit, and the walls were covered in carvings. For about thirty minutes, we sat and watched the dancers. One man played a guitar while four other men danced, and five women danced. They all sang, and the sound was so beautiful and filled with joy. The women had strings, with white balls on the end, that they would swing through the air to make a beat to the music. Each dance they performed was full of life and extremely beautiful. When it was over, it was Extremely rainy. Like, pouring rain. We were given the option of going to see the geysers via train (not a normal train like a trailer but not a trailer. (They call them trains) Me and Bardez wanted to see the geysers, and I did not mind getting wet to walk to the train. It was dusk by now, and the geysers were illuminated by purple lights. It was also very cold, so even more steam was in the air. It was super beautiful and standing in by the hot rocks and letting the clouds of vapor and steam roll around me was just amazing. It was like being in fog or a cloud, but in fog, it is super thin and cold, and in a cloud, it is thick and cold. The funny thing is that on the airplane ride into Auckland, I was watching the clouds fly by, and I made a wish to go into a cloud someday. Not in an airplane inside a cloud or on the ground inside a cloud, but really, inside a cloud. We stayed by the geysers for what felt like 45 minutes, but I was not sure of the time.
Redwood Tree Walk
When we got back to the car, Mom told us about a redwood tree walk. Yes, Redwoods in New Zealand. It was nearing 9:00 pm but I was still game for more adventures. It turned out to be a two-hour adventure of waiting in line. The tree walk is a magical experience, but it comes with a cost. You have to wait in line for a very long time. But the good news is, it’s totally worth it! you walk up a wooden ramp 20m into the air and travel from tree to tree along suspended wooden bridges. The trees are lit up by beautiful hand-crafted lights at each tree platform. At each tree there is a sign talking about the trees and the lights and the California redwoods. The night walk was literally a perfect thing to polish off the day. We did not get a ton of sleep because of early classes, but I definitely never did so many fun things in a day!
I am writing a post about Asian Pear’s because the first time i ate one (yesterday) was eye opening. What i thought were asian pears are actually brown pears. We bought some Asian Pears at a Whole Foods somewhere between Raleigh NC and Chicago. I was skeptical about the taste of it because in truth it did not smell at all good. When i bit into it i was so surprised! It was Sweet but not too sweet and not sour. There not like apples at all because apples are very hard and these are not as hard as apples nor squishy. When you bit into it you get a burst of flavors and it is super juicy but not juicy enough to drip all over you like a peach. Colleuges
The smell is the same as the taste and the outside is just as good as the inside. Unlike pears are these amazing fruits and you never feel like there is too much. There the perfect size and great for the car (this is proven) and at home.
Please Buy these they arethe bestand if you have kids they will Love them! you can find them at whole foods and possibly at other grocery stores or just by them on Amazon (where everything comes from). Thank You for reading this Random post and Have a lovely and greatday, night, mourning, or Afternoon or Evening!
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!
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!
