oregon - Curious Karibella

Sunny, Hmm, There’sWind

Starting with two and a half long wait in Bio Screening in the airport. We get outside and enjoy the sun ☀️. Get to the air-bnb and go electric scootering through the area. Hmm, there seemes to be alot of wind and clouds, Whatever 🙂 We get back and as soon as we get into the house it starts raining and storming.

Rain Rain go Away Come Again Another Day (or never)

Rain, Wind, School, More Rain, Violin, Rain i think you get the picture. 🙂 We went to a trampoline park and the Rain was so bad that the roof was leaking onto the trampolines! We were driving to dinner in at least four inches of water. Driving home from dinner was a whole new world! It was Rainy! What a surprise, it was no joke though, there was about two feet of water on the ground. Some small cars had water covering the fenders and all of the tires! We got home safely and I went to bed with rain pounding the window 🙂

Rain is Going To be The Last Thing I see

I cant believe it, Its still Raining! Its like were in The Pacific NorthWest! For those who dont know the Pacific Northwest consists of the states Washington and Oregon in America. It did actually get sunny for like an hour in the morning and we were feeling good about the outdoor Elton John concert at 7:30pm that night. Jokes on us, as soon as we get in the car to go hiking at a waterfall, it started raining! Driving up in the mountains close to the coast was fun! It was super rainy and we saw signs of mudslides all the way! At one point we drove past a section of the road where the hill had slipped and the road cracked! While driving we came across three “road is closed” signs.

Karekare Waterfall and Beach

We finally got to the waterfall area and it was a five minute walk to the actual waterfall. It was actually pretty cool! I finally had a chance to take a long exposure photo! I have to add that it was Not raining while we were walking to the waterfall but on our way back it was raining. There was a Black sands beach right by us so we went to it. When we got there, it was raining. We got out and everyone else had taken their shoes off but I kept mine on. I ran from the entrance to the coast guard building while the sky was dumping buckets. I was as wet as you can get or so I thought. I had to walk under all the water pouring off the roof at the coast guard building to get to the beach! I was thoroughly soaked and I was so Happy!

Running in the rain is one of the awesomest things, unless it is cold. I had to take my shoes off to cross the river that flows to the ocean and I left them on the bank. We played on the beach for a while but the water was freezing and none of us had swimsuits.

After the first beach we drove to a different beach and got Real Fruit Ice Cream. Most things advertise their products as real but in NZ Real Fruit Ice Cream is out of this world! It is soft and creamy and has real fruit in it! I got the passion fruit flavor and it was delicious. We stood on the beach until it started getting cloudy so we went back to the car and drove home.

A house by the waterfall
Long Exposure river
Long Exposure waterfall
OMG it’s Raining
River fall?
A fallen tree over the road
Karekare waterfall

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!