South Africa 2010

Our travels begin on April 3rd. On that Saturday we take the car and drive to Amsterdam. We've got 6 large suitcases and 6 pieces of hand luggage. "We" means Bart and myself, the kids Dylan, Troy and Laura, and my mom. At Schiphol, the Amsterdam air port, the people from 123parking take us to the guarded place where our car will be waiting for us over the next two weeks. They take us to the hotel we have booked for one night, and that is situated almost on the tarmac. The CitizenM hotel has rows of small rooms, the double bed fits right between the two walls (but it is the largest bed that I have ever slept in when staying in a hotel) and the space is used very cleverly. The toilet and shower can be shielded off by round walls that glide closed.

One day later we enjoy an early breakfast in the trendy groundfloor catering space of the hotel and we leave for the airport's departure hall in time to check in. It is within walking distance from the hotel. Coincidentally we meet someone we know from Antwerp who should have flown yesterday, but his train was delayed and he missed his flight. We are so happy that we spent the night here.
Our luggage weighs just under the allowed 20 kilos a person, we've brought a suitcase filled with toys for an orphanage, so we had to divide the rest of the clothes between us.

We fly KLM and have a lift-off around 9 am and after an 11 hour flight we land in Cape Town. It is dark there, but the temperature is nice, like a warm Summer's night in Belgium. Our guide, whom we booked through the internet, is waiting for us. Rushdi Harper has a small business, called Wow Cape Town Tours. He will show us all the things worth seeing and will also play taxi for us whenever needed. We have booked a hotel in the centre of Cape Town, the Holiday Inn Express (a lot cheaper than a hotel by the Waterfront)

The next morning we take a short walk around the market place
around the corner of our hotel, and through the streets surrounding
the square. We can get used to the sun that is shining brightly and the
kids have to learn to stay close to us. We also keep our backpacks
and moneybelts close, and keep an eye on them. After a short while
a girl that looks kind of dopey is following us, we can only shake her
off by going back to the hotel and sending the guards after her.
Later on our guide tells us this was a good thing to do, this kind of
people will follow you until they can steal your money/camera from
you. From now on we take a taxi or Rushdi's van when we want to go
somewhere.

Above: a lot of people are Catholics in South-Africa, but there is also
a huge part of them who are Muslims, because hundreds of years ago
the whites imported slaves from Northern Africa. For the same reason
Indonesia has also contributed to the religions and races of SA.

Left: everywhere there are handcrafted baskets and other articles
made with small pearls.

Architecture has many faces here: lots of buildings look Dutch, and
churches often look German. Many houses have a very Southern State
(of Northern America) look.
Old and new are mixed, and local culture mixes in as well.

Above and below: a walk along the harbour and many shops,
restaurants and hotels on "The Waterfront"

At The Waterfront you can find the most wonderful restaurants.
Because our Euro is pretty strong compared with the South African
Rand, we eat a complete meal for lunch as well as dinner, almost every
day. Everything we taste is delicious...too bad our belts are not agreeing
after only a few days of this decadent regime.
But we don't give up! We eat sushi, African meat (crocodile, ostrich
and a few species of antilope) the sweet butternut pumpkin, and we
usually finish with a rich desert, very British.
What catches our eye straight away is that most businesses have loads
of personnel. Wages are very low here compared to Belgium.
In the supermarkets the blacks usually work the tills, the whites do the
shopping. It seems Apartheid is not over yet.

Click here for a clip featuring a streetband.

Rushdi takes us to "The Castle", where the Dutch legions built themselves a stronghold. The castle was once situated at the coastline, the street in front of it is still called "Strand street" (beach street), but in the meantime a large piece of land has been won from the see, typically Dutch ;)
On the walls of the castle different flags fly, amongst them is the Apartheidsflag, the only one allowed to fly.
In the castle's museum there are mainly stories and objects left from the times when many wars were fought here: the first colonists against the Khoi (original black tribes), there was the boerwar, the French, British and Dutch all battled each other to get a hold of this land.

Above: near the castle there is a large square with the city hall, in the olden days only whites were allowed to go in there.

In the castle itself there is also the clash between old and new. Above: the swimming pool for officers only, in a nice cool coartyard.

While we were visiting the castle, there was a special ceremony to remember Founder's Day. The Dutch National Anthem was played and a canon was fired. A flag got raised. Click here for a clip of the ceremony.

On top of the thick walls you can enjoy a wide view. When you turn around you can visit the small prisons that used to break people's spirits. They were kept there up to 6 months without daylight and got tortured...until they confessed, whether they were guilty or not.

Below: in one of the watch towers there was a bell that used to get tolled in emergencies. Now it is forbidden to do so, in three languages. The vandals who wiped some of the words obviously did not speak the local dialect.

After our visit to the castle we went to the brand new soccer stadium. The games of the 2010 World Cup will be played here and in Johannesburg. The whole of South-Africa is getting ready for this big event, everywhere there are people with soccer shirts and there are balls in the streets and in advertisments everywhere.

We had hoped to get to Table Mountain earlier, but because of the strong winds we couldn't go at the start of our visit. After going to the stadium we had lunch in the beautiful and peaceful park "Company's Garden" (with tame doves and squirrels, and views on the parliament and palace, which are connected with a tunnel for VIPs). All of a sudden Rushdi gets a phone call: the cables are working! We hurry to Table Mountain.

A huge advantage of having an official guide: we can buy our entry tickets at a different desk so we don't have to stand in the queue behind hundreds of other tourists who have heard about the news.

We get into the cilindrical, large cable "room with a view" and whilst moving upwards the guy manning the buttons explains what we can see thanks to the 360° rotating floor.
Above, right: devil's Peak, one of the more distinguishable mountain tops of Cape Town.
Right: Cape Town from up high, you can see Robben Island far away in the ocean. Nelson Mandela spent prison time there. We would have loved to visit the island, but due to the winds and the choppy waters the boats don't sail. Down below (two rows) you can see an enlargement of a picture of Robben Island.

Once we get on the plateau of Table Mountain, we get emotional. There is a wild beauty everywhere we look. The landscape is really amazingly beautiful.
The mountain is not always reachable by cable. You can see by the way some trees and shrubs grown that it can be very cold and windy up here. The mountain is a bit over one kilometer high.

Something we didn't book ahead but decided to do on the spurr of the moment, and which was certainly worth while, is a helicopter flight of about 20 minutes. It cost us 4000 Zar for 6 people. Not cheap, but quite an experience! Here you can see a clip of the flight, which took us all the way around Table Mountain. Dylan was our co-pilot of the day.

One day later we get into the minivan around 9 am to take a Peninsular
Tour, to the most Southern point of Africa: The Cape.
There the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. They differ in temperature
so one is favoured by swimmers, the other by surfers. We drive to the
Cape along the Atlantic Ocean, and back along the Indian Ocean.

There are many beautiful bays along the coast line, often with white
sandy beaches. At the times of Apartheid the black people weren't
allowed on the sandy beaches. They had to climb over rocks and pebbles
to get to the water...

We make a stop in Houtbay (hout = wood) where the wood was chopped
that was used to build the Castle in Cape Town.

On the way we also visit a zoo where they have a wide variety of birds.
We follow a path that leads from one cage into another, so we can
admire the birds from up close and take nice pictures.
Although South-Africa is nearing Winter around this time of the year,
there are still many flowers in full bloom.

Further down our route we visit an ostrich farm. These animals are bred
for their meat, feathers and skin. The leather is one of the touchest
on earth. There are huge holes in it where the feathers used to be.

It is always nice to be able to stretch your legs once in a while, on your
way to your goal. The landscape is very iddylic here, but we are
constantly reminded of the high crime rates, the ostrich farm also buy
protection from a private company. It appears police do not respond
to calls very quickly...

One of the things that caught my eye in South-Africa, is the mighty
Eucalypt tree that grows here as well as in Australia. When you rub
one of the leaves between your hands a strong eucalypt aroma escapes.
Hmmm! !

The wonderful countryside flies past our windows. Rushdi is a good chauffeur and knows his way well, he also tells us loads of interesting things about what we see. The drive is very relaxing.

Once we get to the Cape our eyes feast on another Lord of the Rings-like scene: rocks rising from the ocean in a misty atmosphere.

It is quite a walk and a climb to the Cape Point, but it is worth it.

A mouse is not disturbed by the tourists, it nibbles on what they have
left behind.

The stylish" Two Oceans" restaurant with views on both oceans sometimes has to close its terrace for its customers. When we were there this happened, too. The reason for this is agressive baboons. This is a national park and the animals are at home here. They don't only come to steal your food from your plate, they can bite and scratch you ferociously and are very strong. This means danger!

On the way back to Cape Town we pass Boulders Beach, where we go
for a stroll along the rocky coast. The boulders are eroded by the
water. There are colonies of penguins here, for us it is the first time
we see them without a glass panel in between.

And like so many spots we have seen this one, again, is breathtaking.

Our guide, Rushdi.
Below: how to retrieve fallen sunglasses without getting your feet wet.

Rushdi takes us to a Township called Llanga one day. He hires a young man to take us through it because it is safer to walk around with someone who grew up here and knows the people who live here and speaks the language (Xhosa, which knows three different ways to click your tongue)
It is unimaginable in the western world, the way people live here. These "houses" would not even be allowed to serve as garden sheds in Belgium. Most don't have electricity or running water. Still, they have hope and they work on their future and that of their children.
When Rushdi was a young boy his parents were thrown out of their home with their family, they were living in District 6 were all the (mostly Jewish) land owners sold their property to the government, which wanted to "clean up" the area by knocking down the existing houses and building newer, better ones. Everyone was moved further away from the city centre and into townships.
Because Rushdi's family were not black but coloured, they moved into a coloured township. Not only black and white were seperated, but there was a distinction between the degrees of darkness of skin as well. Passports were issued which indicated the "class" a person belonged to, and they were punished when they did not have their passport on their person.
Seasonal workers were also seperated according to colour, and when, as a result of some nightly adventure, a baby was born, this baby had to be taken in by the parent that was closest to the colour of the child. So sometimes a man, after having worked in this area for months, travelled home again to his official wife carrying a baby with him, while the natural mother never got to see her child again.
In 1966 the whole district was emptied, but only about 10 years ago a few new houses were built, the rest of the area is still waste land. Many people still visit their old church or mosque, as the religious buildings were the only ones that did not get sold to the government.
When years ago a non-violent march was organised against the passport laws, the participants were encouraged to go back to the township, and when they did lots of unarmed blacks were shot by police force.

Right: on our way back to Cape Town we drive passed the prison where Nelson Mandela spent his time until just before his release he was transferred to another prison.

At the time of our visit to the township there was an important soccer
game going on, that is why they were holding a parade.
Above, left: a local court hall in Llanga. In the townships people try to
solve and punish crimes and disputes locally first, only later the police
is involved.
Above, right: vodacom is one of the big sponsors of the world cup,
here they are advertising right next to the local barber.

below: this is Easter Monday, a holiday. We are under the impression
that here it will not be celebrated with easter lambs, although...the
local specialty is being prepared in the open. Sheep's heads are being
cooked and the coat is scraped off. Then a poke is heated in a fire and
rubbed over the meat until it looks like wood.
For some reason we didn't try it...

Because there is no electricity, it often gets stolen from street lights (if the lights don't get
demolished to get sold as scrap metal) In the picture above and to the right you can see a row of chemical toilets. Have you ever been to a festival? Would you like to have to go to this kind of loo, every day and every time you need to go, even in the Summer heat?

The nice houses you can see in the picture on the right hand side, have been built by the government and were meant to improve people's lives. Originally it was said that they wouldn't have to pay for these homes, but once they were built the plans were changed. Sadly, these people don't have any money, so the result is that the houses are standing empty and cost a lot to the state because they have to be guarded against squatters or vandalism. The logic of South Africa...

Below: and this is how children play in a township: in a cart without wheels, a sled without snow.

Because it is a religious holiday, chicken is on the menu. Above you
can see the slaughtered ones, in the cages in the back the live ones
are awaiting their not so festive fates.

To the left: a bedroom in the township. Sturdy brick walls, a luxury.
Often more than one family share a small house (one living room with
kitchen, two bedrooms) The living room serves as another bedroom
at night, they put matrasses on the floor.

Below and left: potatoes are being sold in small bags.
Below and right: the joint washing place. Sometimes there is only one
tap for hundreds of people.

Left: a monument in honour of Amy Biehl, an American student who
lived and worked in the township. She was murdered by a group of
young blacks. Her parents created a foundation in her name and helped
put the murderers of their daughter back on track. There was not only
punishment but also re-education. These men realised that what they
did was senseless, that violence does not solve a problem. They are
still at work in the program that is being sponsored by the foundation
and that helps the young people of today to build themselves a better
life.

Below: we also visited an orphanage called Baphumelele. It is situated
in a township and founded by a mother, Rosie, who took those children
under her wing that were abused or lost their parents to aids...
Over the years the orphanage has grown to a number of 150 children.
Thanks to some outside help some houses were built here and foreigners
are involved in the project. They also try to educate the whole
community on the importance of schooling, hygiene, relationships,
aids etc.

Below and left: the baby room.
Below and right: the anonymous crib for foundlings. In the orphanage
an alarm will sound when a baby is put in the crib.

If you see a picture on this website that you think nice enough to put
on your wall, please let me know. I can have them printed poster-
sized and sent to you. I would like to calculate one extra Euro for each
poster and send it to the orphanage. Please contact me about the cost.

Everyone in the orphanage, children included, are helping to keep the
houses clean. Still, we see things that would be unthinkable in Belgium.
Children run around bare footed while the sand is littered with broken
glass and rusty iron.
The children used to sleep in groups and in the daytime gather in shared
living rooms, but now they are trying to create surragote families by
building small units that have some bedrooms, a living room and each
a kitchen and a surrogate mother. This way the kids can feel "at home".

Below left: Bart found a new friend here, he has a homemade "cap"
on his head and a stick in his mouth from a long gone lolly pop. When
we leave the orphanage he puts his arm through the fence and makes
"come back!" movements with his small hand.

Adults get opportunities here as well: there is a crafts area where they can learn some carpentry. Old doors are magicked into beautiful frames for art work.

To the right: South Africa is a world of extremes, we visit the wineries as well as the townships. We visit four of them, and have lunch and dinner there as well. Incredibly nice food...again.
On our way to the wineries we walk through Stellenbosch, a very cosy town with a university
(30.000 students, 80% of them are white)

One has to spit, otherwise one is not capable of tasting one's wine after
only one winery. Ahem.
The area reminds us of the Provence in the South of France, and not
only because of the wines ;)

On that perfect day it also feels good to see our guide relax a little. I know that he is constantly counting his chicks when we walk around in Cape Town. I know because I do the same and recognise the panic in his eyes when one of us stays behind window shopping for a touch too long.

After our fabulous time in Cape Town we take a national flight with Kulula Air. For a two hour flight we pay about 750 Rand a person.

Before we land we can see circles way below. These are fields with crops. They are sown in this shape because it is easier for the irrigation systems to reach all of it. There is a big hole in the land as well, this has once been rich country, filled with expensive little stones. This is mining country. Hi-ho, hi-ho...

After we land we are picked up by a small transfer company (husband
and wife) who take us to our next adventure in the Kololo game
reserve, about three hundred kilometers north of
Johannesburg and close to the small town of Vaalwater.
We get stuck in a traffic jam and it is raining, Johannesburg feels like
home. There are road works everywhere, that should be finished
for the world cup, but I doubt whether they will manage. It looks like
chaos.
The last 30 kilometers of our ride we enjoy a rust-coloured dirt road
plagued by potholes. Our driver is very experienced, the ride is
reasonably comfortable and quick.
Over the last weeks there has been a lot of rain here, so there are
lots of puddles. Although there are no dust clouds, the down side is
that you get mud and small landslides.

Our lodge is very luxurious, there is a terrace with a small pool, a bouma (above and left) which translates as "a round, walled-in place where you can stoke a fire and have a braai (bbq)". On the right you can see the view from our terrace. Below, left is the living space and to the right the bathroom. There are two bedrooms and a large kitchen, and a laundry with a washing machine and dryer. Included (something we find out the next morning) is a crew that drops in to do the dishes and clean, they also put the laundry in the dryer while we are having breakfast. I could get used to this...

Close to our lodge there is a member of the antilope family. At first we thought he was ill, he was constantly sneezing. But later, when we go on a game drive, our ranger explains that this animal has a symbiotic relationship with a type of worm that helps clean the nasal cavities of dirt and mucous, from the moment they are born. Despite the fact that this seems like a win-win situation, the animals try to get the worms out, in which they succeed once in a while. But there are always plenty of others. Three hurrays for the inventor of the hankerchief!

On Kololo's own domain there are lots of animals, but not lions, rhinoceros or elephants. We can walk around freely and take out mountainbikes as well. Still, we are careful not to leave the paths and we wear long sleeved pants to protect our skin against ticks. There are snakes here so at night we always check under the bed and between the sheets, although a ranger tells us this is not necessary when your bed is made. On our first night here we walk to the restaurant in the dark, the next day we discover that a ranger is supposed to pick us up and bring us back safely after dinner. On the second night our ranger almost drives over a snake that glides over the pathway we were walking along the night before, in the pitch dark.

One night one of the rangers answers a question on the stars that we can see here. The next day he has brought a special laser light with which he can point out the stars. He teaches us about the Southern Cross and how to determine where the south is at night. The sun turns the exact opposite way here than we are used to, which feels very weird. Sometimes it's like walking on a different plant. One afternoon we hurry to the big pool by the restaurant because I expect the sun to disappear behind the building in half an hour. Not so, it just travels inthe opposite direction and we can sit in the sun all afternoon!

Above right: a termite hill.

Below: a clear case of too much rain over the past weeks. Our ranger also tells us that when it rains a lot the snakes surface. A bit like the worms that sometimes "swim" in our lawn at home, I gather?

Above and right: every day a ranger drives around to refill the troughs
with fresh water. Some food is also provided, especially in winter.

To the left: a Dung beetle, peeping out of his hole in the soil.

Left below: birds' nests.

Right below: we drive to the neighbouring domain, where the
dangerousspecies do live. We've caught ourselves a super ranger, a
young woman who looks like a strong wind could blow her off her feet,
but she is incredibly strong and knows simply everything about the
local flora and fauna. She grew up on a farm.
She drives us through the game reserve in a large, open jeep and
catches messages on the radio because other rangers sometimes tell
each other where they have spotted an interesting animal. She also
looks for tracks in the soil and watches the horizon. She can recognise
a certain species of antilope from hundreds of meters away.
Respect, Lolo!

Above: Marlboro...aah Coca Cola country. We stop on the way and have a snack and a drink. Lolo stays alert in the meantime.

When we have been on the road for about three hours the sun goes down and the temperatures drop as well. In the jeep there are soft and warm blankets. A bit later we all look like Eskimo while we enjoy the views.

Below: during a walk on the grounds of Kololo we spot baboons, they are called Bobbejaan in South Africa.
Below: where's Wally? Right below: zoom in.

Left: a Puff Adder crossing the road. Lolo was bitten by one of these
and would not wish the experience on anyone, she says. The poison
eats away your flesh. When I ask her whether the lodges have a fridge
filled with antidotes, she replies: "They used to, but often a tourist didn't
know which kind of snake bit him and sometimes the wrong kind of
antidote was administered. This made them even more miserable.
There is a mix available now, but it is very expensive. It costs 3000 to
4000 Rand and can only keep for 3 months" A stupid or unfortunate
tourist is not worth this kind of investment, apparently.

A little while after we've left the lioness behind, we spot an elephant in
the distance. It is a young male, they usually live seperate from the
herd. Lolo lists the signals to watch out for when approaching an
elephant: he is relaxed when he continues eating. When he is a bit
worried about your presence he will stop eating and start playing with
his food, pull out some grass eg. When he starts flapping his ears you
better get ready to leave. An elephant tries to make himself look even
bigger by fanning out his ears. He can then start to playhis trumpet,
but by that time an intelligent ranger has taken his passengers to
safety.
The last sign an unhappy elephant will give you, is a heads-on charge.
"Our" elephant luckily stays very calm. In no time a small tree
disappears into his mouth.
Despite the positive signals our ranger advises us not to talk too loud
and not to make any sudden movements. Exciting. We are impressed.

Did you know that an elephant can be left- or right "handed" just like
humans? You can see which side he prefers because one of his tusks
will be worn down more than the other one.

Left: the typical African landscape, with the silhouettes of the trees on
the ridge of a hill.

After spending four days here we say goodbye to Kololo and we are
picked up again by the friendly couple with the minivan. They will be
taking us to Benoni now, a suburb of Johannesburg where Liz lives.
This is where it all started: Liz ownes and breeds Sphynx, just like we
do. We met on a forum and there was an instant "click". She invited
us over about a year ago so we started making plans...
After loads of mails and phone calls we finally meet in the flesh. It
feels like we have known each other all our lives.
Liz and Leon live with their daughters and sons in law on a large plot
of land, at least according to our standards: 5000 m2.
Together they own five small dogs and a bunch of great Danes, who
all come to meet us. We can stay in the back of the yard, where there
is a cottage where normally future son-in-law Gawie lives. Gawie,
thanks for sharing your bed! ;)
Linah, Delvina, Johnny and baby Zacariah also live here, they are the
black servants who help in the household and maintanance of the
garden and cattery. Liz' wages go to these people's wages every
month, they are from Mozambique and feed their families with it.

The garden has been laid out beautifully, and the house is quite large. Still, we can't help noticing the walls surrounding the plot, with spiked wires on top. We feel that the white folk live in golden cages here. Apartheid, but the other way around: only the blacks are free to walk or ride bikes in the streets. For whites this is really not a safe thing to do.

Below left: two daddies, Bart and Leon.
Below right: sisters Dalet and Maryn and our Laurakie.

One night Liz invites some other South-African Sphynx breeders.
Left to right: Willie, Taché, Liz, Charon and myself. There were also
Sphynx owners (Jeanette and her husband Donny) and international
judge Ingrid. All of them very sweet and intelligent people. This
evening went by way too fast.

A few days later we visited Cullinan, the town where Willie lives. The
largest diamond ever was found in this soil, and got cut up to make
the british crown jewels.

Below left: at the entrance to the mine's museum there is a small
rockery with a mini pond. At the edge of the pond there used to be
the stone head of a black man, but it fell backwards into the water.
A strange sight...

below left: South Africa loves mosaics, they make the most wonderful
art with it. Willie's house also has some: at the entrance there are
pictures of cats, of course ;)

Willie is an artist, performer, singer, and a very good chef. He has his
own cats and also houses cats for people who are away from home
sometimes. These guests all have their own rooms with an outside
pen, a doll's bed and a table with a mirror. Very nice!

After Cullinan we drive towards Pretoria. On our way over there we
make a short stop at a restaurant/shop and buy some home made
ginger beer there, very refreshing and despite the name, non-alcoholic.
But spicy.

East Rand Shopping mall, one of the many modern shopping malls in
and around Johannesburg.
Left below: Liz and Zacariah. Further down: the little creatures that
started all of this...Liz' lovely cats.

You can always find some company here when you want to watch the
telly.

We also visit Sun City, an immense amusement park. There is a casino,
a hotel, a golf course, even a manmade beach - with waves.
left below: the ballroom. You could certainly throw a party here.

Here you can watch a clip where Laura and Troy are floating in huge
plastic balls on the water.

From Benoni to Sun City it is about 200 kilometers and Leon says he has to drive in that direction anyway for work, so we get up at half pas five in the morning, he drives us to Sun City, drives another 70 kms to work and picks us up again in the afternoon. He drives more than 600 kms in one day, distances don't have the same meaning as in Belgium.

Right: roasted corn cobs by the side of the road.
Below: a banana shop...?

Left: most blacks use the freeway as a walking or biking route. They
don't have a car and here at least they can walk on a hard surface.
I have no idea whether this is allowed really. The motorcycle cops who
patrol the freeways are, according to our well-informed sources, all
lazy and corrupt. I see quite a few of them by the side of the road.
Strangely enough they all have the same body; they look like
Humpty Dumpty.
I didn't take pictures of them, just in case.

Below: we visited an other amusement park called Gold Reef City.
Dalet takes Polly home. And you can see the giant ferris wheel has
been decorated according to the main theme of the year.

At Liz' home they braai a lot. The braai sits in a chimney in the veranda. This would be helpful at home in Belgium as well, since you will never be barbequeing in the rain or cold this way.

Below: a national dish is the pojkie (pronounce pwoykee). It is being prepared in a big and heavy pot on an open fire or on the braai. All the ingredients get put in in layers: first the meat is baked and then all the veggies go in, first the ones needing some time to stew. Four hours (and a couple of beers) later the top vegetables are ready as well and we can attack! It is fingerlicking good!

Due to the ashcloud in Iceland we can't leave for home on Saturday
April 17th, KLM gives us 9 days off as a bonus. Luckily we stay at Liz
and Leon's and we don't have to pay extra for a hotel room. We are
a bit worried because the kids know they will have a lot of school work
to catch up with and the catsitters that are living at our house have
their own holiday planned in another week. Also, in the first week after
the eruption we don't even know when we will be flying back for sure.
This is an adventure we hadn't counted on ;) But we are so happy to
be able to spend some more time with our friends.

We hope to be able to welcome Liz and Leon in Europe in a few years,
and maybe some day we can go back to South Africa. It was an
extremey fascinating trip.

Thank you Liz and Leon for your hospitality, for showing us a bit of
SA and for sharing your daily life with us .
Thank you Dalet for driving us around and doing some crafts and arts
with the kids.
Thank you Gawie for bringing some maths excercises for Laura, and
for your contagious laughter.
Thank you Jaco and Liz for the wonderful meals.
Thank you Maryn, for coming home to meet us although your boss
was not too happy about it ;)
Thank you Linah and Delvina for doing our laundry and making our
beds.
Thank you Willie, Charon, Jeanette and all the others for your
company and the many beautiful presents. You are always welcome
in our home. We miss you all so much and hope to stay in touch
through the internet. Take care, all of you.