Tag: plane

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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 We figured out that the location on Google Maps was outdated and the real bakery location was on the opposite side of Cape Town, about a 30 minute drive away.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!

  • Table Mountain
  • GF cake!!
  • GF cinnamon rolls
  • An entire fridge full of GF things!
  • The best GF packaged muffins ever!
  • The ostrich i got for Emmy in the airport.
  • Aroura tasting the drum
  • Aroura laughing
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Plane Ride through Africa

Yesterday, we left for Kenya! I was sad to go Thulani. It was my favorite place in South Africa.  

The airport in Hoedspruit was super small, and you could take liquids through security! The plane was not too small, but it was not huge either. The aircraft from Hoedspruit to Johannesburg was not long. When we got to Johannesburg, the sun was setting. We had to go out and come back to security because we were switching airlines. We went through, and dad found us a place to eat dinner.

As we were walking to the dinner place, we passed a bookstore! An actual bookstore, full of books! Mom said we could go back there when we had ordered our food. The restaurant was huge and empty, except for the birds and the sushi. I got salmon and tuna nigiri. I later found out they were out of tuna, so I got rolls instead. I asked my siblings if they wanted to go back to the bookstore, and they said yes. 

The bookstore was sadly not as good as we thought. There were all the nature books about cheetahs and things. There were kids’ books in the back, but only ones like, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and we were not going to spend money on those.

I didn’t get any books, and when I returned to the restaurant, the food had arrived. I ate my sushi very happily, the salmon was good but not as good as Seattle salmon and tuna.  

After dinner, we worked on blogs and other things. When we got on the plane, it was a pretty good-sized plane. Me and Emmy (my sister) were in one row together with me on the aisle and Emmy on the window. A guy was in between us, and while we were in the air, I discovered a whole open row in the front of the economy cabin. Emmy and I moved up there, and we were much more comfortable. 

The flight went late into the night, and I only slept in the last bit. The airport in Nairobi was crowded. We had to get our bags and then go through customs. The line to customs was short, but it took over an hour! Going into Mexico is way easier! When we finally got to the front of the line, we had to go through it individually.   The airport was super hot! After we got through security, we had to have our bags scanned.   After that, we finally got outside.

The outside was not boiling. Thankfully, it was the perfect temperature. We did not have a ride to our hotel, so we got one. But before we could leave, we had to get sim cards. This took about an hour. It was late at night, and we were all tired. We had to wait for the guy to install every sim card on each phone. It took so long. By the time we got in the car, it was 2 am. When we got to the hotel, nobody was there. Except for the security guard. We had to wait in the lobby for someone to check us in. It took us a while to get to bed.