Jet Lag

Thanks to jet lag the girls woke up very early this morning.  Miriam was up at 3am and she made enough noise to wake Miranda up by 3:45am.  They were willing to play upstairs so at least I was able to stay in bed and get a little sleep until 5:30.  Miriam wanted to play outside and I had to explain that it was dark outside and everyone else in the neighborhood was still sleeping.  Jet lag and time zone differences are challenging concepts to explain to a four year old.

Today was a great play day.  Miriam pulled out many, many toys as she tried each one.  Her favorites seem to be the toy kitchen and the dolls. We played outside after lunch and the trampoline was a big hit.  Miriam is quite good on the trampoline - she jumps very high and likes to do somersaults.

Both Miranda and Miriam took very long naps this afternoon and I had to wake them up for dinner. Hopefully, their internal clocks will soon adjust.

The big trauma of today was the cat.  Miriam is very scared of the cat.  When Miriam first saw the cat the cat was lying down and Miriam was happy to look at her.  Later the cat went in Miriam's room and she did not like that at all!  For the rest of the day, Miriam wanted to be carried if she was anywhere near the cat.  Hopefully, she'll warm up to the cat in a few days.

And so, now we turn our attention to the process of adjusting and settling into family life.  Thank you for all your support and prayers for our family throughout this journey.  We appreciate you and look forward to seeing you.

Home Sweet Home

After 28 hours of travel pulling into our driveway was a welcome and comforting sight.  The travel went smoothly yet it was utterly exhausting.  It is a strong reminder of how far away South Africa really is. 

The most stressful part of the trip occurred right at the beginning – driving through rush hour traffic in Johannesburg to reach the airport.  The GPS provided up to date alternative routes as accidents and delays occurred so we drove on numerous side streets and avoided the major roads.  Once at the airport we had to go through multiple document screens as everyone wanted to make sure we had all the correct paperwork for Miriam to enter the US.  There were no issues, we just didn’t fit the “stereotypical” travelers that are flying to the US.  The 16.5 hour flight from Johannesburg to Atlanta was long, but went better than I expected.  Both Miranda and Miriam slept for several hours and they enjoyed watching movies on the entertainment system and on their ipads.  Upon arriving in Atlanta we went through a special line at US immigration to have Miriam’s documents reviewed.  All the immigration documents were in order so Miriam is officially a US citizen as of today!

The final leg of our journey was flying from Atlanta to BWI.  Miriam was very excited to meet Grandma in the airport and gave her a giant hug.

Miriam was a good traveler and flying home with her was certainly easier than when we flew home with Miranda.   Her only major issue was being scared to use the restrooms.  She was very reluctant to use the bathroom on the airplane (not that I blame her, there just aren’t any other options).  Then we caused a large disturbance in the women’s restroom at the Atlanta airport because she was petrified of the self-flushing toilets and absolutely refused to use them.  When 2 other women commented sympathetically and several others nodded to me, I realized that her screaming had caused quite a bit of commotion.

The most fulfilling part of the day was seeing Miriam’s reaction to her new house.  She was very excited and thrilled with everything – her room, the playroom, the swingset, the welcome balloon.  There were lots of squeals of laughter as she played and explored.  Of course, there was also a long list of things to which she said “mine” or that she clearly wanted to play with and not share with Miranda.  Certainly, I’m sure the amount of toys we have is overwhelming compared to what she experienced before.  I look forward to watching her discover new items over the coming days.

Jet lag is hitting hard…that is my excuse for all typos, missed words, grammatical errors, and all other mistakes in this post.     The girls barely stayed awake during dinner and both went to sleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.   And now, off to bed I go.

Final Step Completed!!

We’re doing the happy dance.  After an hour plus wait at the US Consulate office we received Miriam’s visa this morning.  She is now able to fly home to the US.  Miriam was very proud to receive her passport with the visa in it.  She knows the visa is important even though she doesn’t truly understand what it is. 

We celebrated by eating lunch at a restaurant in the giant mall beside the US Consulate office.  The mall is fully decorated for Christmas, but the unusual thing for us is that the stores have all their swimwear on display alongside the Christmas items.

This afternoon we took naps.  Definitely not a very exciting way to celebrate but I think we’re all feeling drained from this entire process. Then we packed and organized our luggage.  Thankfully, we had not unpacked all of our things when we arrived in Johannesburg so there wasn’t too much to pack.

Our flight leaves at 7:55 pm tomorrow evening so we will have a low key day before checking out of the apartment and heading for the airport.  We’re looking forward to being stateside!

US Consulate Interview

Good News….we are nearing the end of our journey!  Today was the interview at the US Consulate for Miriam’s immigration visa to enter the US.  I felt very anxious about the interview knowing that any glitches would delay our return.  Today is the 6 week mark of our trip and I am so ready to be home. 

Our consulate appointment was at 1pm and we were told to arrive early to get in line.  We waited in line from 12:30-1:30 before we finally made it into the building.  Then we waited some more inside.  Thankfully, I remembered it was a long wait the last time and took activities for the girls.  Prior to the actual interview I had to submit various paperwork and I was relieved that I had everything they requested (thanks to the excellent preparation of the South African adoption agency who compiled a giant binder filled with paperwork for me to bring to the interview).  The immigration officer was an American.  He was friendly and very helpful in expediting the visa process.  He actually tried to get the visa printed today (which is unheard of).  He told us we could return at 4pm to see if it was ready.  Unfortunately, the visa wasn’t ready. We waited until closing time at 5pm but it wasn’t finished.  We are to return tomorrow at 10am to pick it up, which is still amazingly fast. 

So, if all goes as planned we will receive Miriam’s visa on Wednesday and fly home on Thursday!  Woohoo!  We are celebrating and thanking God.

The travel agency has been phenomenal at getting last minute fares at low prices.  We are using adoptionairfare.com and they specialize in humanitarian plane tickets.  They were able to book one way tickets today for us to fly home on Thursday and we can even cancel them tomorrow (without a penalty) if needed.

On the other hand, today was a really rough day with Miriam.  Unlike the beginning of our trip where she ate everything in sight, meal times were power struggles today.  At lunch she didn’t want to eat at all.  We were eating early before the consulate interview and I wanted her to eat so she wasn’t miserable and hungry at the consulate.  At first she didn’t eat, then she said she had to go to the toilet (which was just a ploy to leave the table).  When I tried to help her take a few bites she clamped her mouth shut and pushed herself away from the table.  In the end, I begged, cajoled, and force-fed her about half her lunch.  Tonight at dinner she ate her chicken without complaint but didn’t want to eat her carrots (which have been one of her favorites until tonight).  When I said she couldn’t have more chicken until she ate her veggies then all of sudden she had to go to the toilet and the routine from this morning started all over again.  We were eating really late, so tonight I told her she could choose to eat her carrots or go to bed.  She chose to go to bed.  Of course, then she was upset when she had to go to bed and Miranda didn’t…I hope this is a not a prolonged developmental stage.

Final Destination in South Africa

We have finally arrived at our last destination before returning home to the US.  Today we left Cape Town and flew to Johannesburg. The travel process went smoothly and there were no glitches.  Still it was a tiring day.  We finished packing, loaded the car, checked out of the house, drove to the airport, returned the rental car, got all the needed documentation for the insurance to cover the scrape on the side of the car, checked in, and boarded the plane.  Whew! That was just to leave.  Then we had to do most of that in reverse after we landed – get our baggage, rent a car, drive to our new house, check-in, eat a snack, go to the grocery store, unpack...

Miranda and Miriam did pretty well during the long day of travelling.  I had new sticker/activity books for them to do on the plane.  Miriam was a little fearful on the flight.  She was scared when the plane bounced around due to turbulence and she didn’t like the landing process.  She also didn’t understand why she had to keep her seat belt on when seated.   However, she was very pleased to eat lunch on the airplane and after she got off she was proud of the fact that she had flown on an airplane.

The apartment we rented in Johannesburg is nice and is in a great location.  However, it is not decorated with children in mind.  It has attractive but breakable decorations.  The sinks are stylish but the girls can’t reach the faucets on their own.  Of course, Miranda and Miriam don't mind, I’m the one who is concerned about it.  Still this will suit our needs for our home away from home for the next few days.

Rainy Day

We had our first rainy day of our entire trip.  We have had great weather and South Africa needs the rain, so we can’t complain even though it was 20 degrees colder today than yesterday. 

Overall, we had a low key day. This morning we packed and put things in order at the rental house.  Then we went out to lunch in Gordon's Bay since we didn’t have much food left at the house.  Gordon’s Bay is the small community where our house is but we had never been to the main street of the town that borders the bay.  We ate at a Mediterranean bistro for lunch and enjoyed a laid back meal.  All of the adults had springbok burgers.  Springbok is the national animal of South Africa and is a small antelope (smaller than a deer).  Several people told us it tasted good but we had never tried it.  The flavor was very mild and did not taste gamey.  So, if you are looking for a menu suggestion, we recommend springbok as a good option.

Then we walked along the bay to look at the harbor and marina.  It rained on us off and on during the walk but we were happy for some exercise.  After the walk we suddenly realized it was much later than we thought and we needed to head to the airport.

Miriam was all excited about going to the airport and she knows that she is flying on an airplane tomorrow (for awhile she thought she was flying to her new house tomorrow but we tried to explain that we’re going to a different city in South Africa).  We went in the airport and helped Aunt Amy check her bags (she is taking most of our souvenirs home for us) and then sent her off.  

I am sad to see Amy leave because I will miss her company and I wish we were also flying home.  On the way home Miriam was almost non-stop in asking “Where’s Aunt Amy?” and then answering “Aunt Amy on aeroplane”.

Shopping Excursion

We spent our last Saturday in Cape Town on a shopping excursion.  Our destination was the Old Biscuit Mill in downtown Cape Town.  The mill is in a more industrial, less touristy part of the city that is being revitalized with trendy shops and restaurants.  The building is an old biscuit (i.e. cookie) factory that now houses permanent stores, as well as a Saturday market.  The market had a huge variety of food vendors from exotic mushrooms to Chinese dim sum and was packed with people. These huge vats of seafood paella smelled wonderful.

We wandered through the stores (and made a few purchases, of course) and then decided to eat a light brunch at the market.  The girls split a Belgian waffle topped with ice cream, bananas, and chocolate syrup, Dad had a chocolate croissant, I had a savory crepe, and Amy had an assortment of cheeses and homemade bread.   It was fun to have a variety of different food.

Following the market experience we went to the de Waterkant section of Cape Town, an area which is also known for its fashionable shops.  Miriam stayed with Grandpa during this portion of the shopping adventure so she could take a nap.  These two shopping venues gave a different flavor for life in Cape Town as they were much less touristy than the other downtown areas we had visited.  Both of these destinations were recommendations from Debbie, one of the attorneys we met with yesterday, who clearly believed we were missing the best shopping opportunities if we didn’t visit this area of Cape Town.

Miriam continues to be a good car traveler. She is very adamant about the “rules”.  She gets upset if Dad starts to drive before Amy or I have our seatbelts on and is quick to tell us to “buckle in”.  She does not think that the windows should be down and if Aunt Amy puts her window down to take a picture, Miriam demands “window UP”.  She also thinks she should be able to buckle herself in her car seat and does not like our assistance.  She entertains herself during the drive by looking at books or playing with her doll or going through Aunt Amy’s purse (yesterday she applied Aunt Amy’s powder to her face which wasn’t exactly made for her skin tone).

We returned from our shopping excursion this afternoon so we could pack.  Amy leaves tomorrow night and we are leaving Monday morning.  We are sending many items home with Amy and I wanted to get most things packed since we had toys strewn throughout the house.

A Day at the Harbor

This morning we had our final meeting with the adoption agency and the attorneys who have been supporting us through the entire process.  They gave instructions for our US visa interview next week, along with a packet of all the documents that we need.  I can’t imagine going through this complicated process by myself without their support (pictured here with us are 2 social workers, the husband and wife team of attorneys, and the receptionist).

 

There is a map in the attorney’s office where each dot represents one child who was adopted from South Africa and is now living in the US.  We are the first family to return to South Africa for a second adoption since the program was established. So, this morning we added the dot for Miriam, right beside Miranda's dot! 

We have been transitioning Thandokuhle’s name to Miriam.  Amy has been the best at calling her Miriam Thandokuhle and now all of us are trying to call her Miriam. She still refers to herself as Thandokuhle but she usually answer when we address her as Miriam. So, I’m going to start referring to her as Miriam in the blog.

Later this morning we travelled to Kalk Bay, which is a fishing village on False Bay.  To reach Kalk Bay we had to pass Khayelitsha, which is a black township that was established during apartheid and many people were forcefully relocated there. The houses are shacks made out of corrugated metal and whatever else people can find.  Even though Cape Town is the wealthiest part of the country, there are still hundreds of thousands of black South Africans living in these tiny shacks.  There are rows of outhouses at the perimeter of the area and the houses don’t have running water (although some do have satellite dishes!). The shacks extend as far back as the eye can see.  Seeing these houses makes me feel sick every time we drive by them. 

 

After that sobering sight we continued along the coast to reach Kalk Bay.  We ate lunch at a hole in the wall restaurant where the daily menu was written on a chalkboard.  The restaurant was small but packed.  We were thankful to get a table (and actually the waitress asked 2 men to move to a smaller table so we could have their larger table).  The restaurant overlooked the harbor where the fish we ate were caught this morning.  The food was phenomenal and we liked the low key atmosphere.

We walked to the harbor to see the fishing boats and enjoyed seeing seals swimming in the water.  Amy received a big surprise when a large seal jumped out of the water and landed on the wharf at her feet.  Then when Dad came a little closer the seal barked at him!  Miranda and Miriam were fascinated by the seals swimming in the water but were a little scared by how big they were.

Miriam liked seeing all the boats in the harbor and kept saying she wanted to go on a sailboat. Little does she know that she really will be able to go on a sailboat once Grandpa’s boat is in the water next spring.  Tonight Miriam was very excited to Skype with Grandma, Uncle Darin, and her cousins.  However, she got shy and covered her face with her hands when they asked her questions. Throughout the day she was talking about flying on an airplane to go to her new house and that she has a new family.

Logistics

Paperwork, forms, and online searches – that is what took a major portion of the day.  Preparing to travel to Johannesburg seems simple but the details have been tedious.  Today we booked the rental car and a “self-catering” apartment in Johannesburg.  Finding the apartment was difficult because I wanted to have at least a kitchenette so we didn’t have to eat out for every meal. It also needed to be reasonably close to the US Consulate office which is in an expensive part of the city.  On top of that we are checking in on Monday and most places are already booked.  After multiple internet searches and several phone calls, Amy was able to find a 2 bedroom apartment with a full kitchen at a reasonable price.  Way to go, Aunt Amy!

Another logistical challenge was completing the online application for Thandokuhle’s US visa.  This needed to be submitted in order to finalize our visa interview on Tuesday.  It was a little confusing to fill out the form for Thandokuhle because some of it didn’t make sense.  For example, the fields for her adoptive father and mother were required but there was no option to say she didn’t have an adoptive father.  I wrote “not applicable” as his first and last name but it wasn’t clear on how to fill in other information, especially when a date field was required.  Filling out forms like this makes me nervous because errors can delay our departure.

Today was also hair salon day.  Miranda’s braids had been in for 6 weeks and were way past their prime.  So, throughout the day I took out Miranda’s braids, washed her hair (which had lots of sand in it), and blew dry her hair.  

Here she is looking more grown up without braids:

Miranda's hair makes an awesome mohawk when it is being straightened:

Tonight Aunt Amy started to put in new braids.  The braiding process extended past bedtime so they’re not quite finished but Miranda had a huge smile when she saw them in the mirror.  However, Thandokuhle was NOT very happy about going to bed before Miranda and she clearly let me know her displeasure.  She did manage to fight sleep long enough that she was still awake when Miranda went to bed.  

Department of Home Affairs

Exciting news!  We received Thandokuhle’s passport today. As always, there is a story behind it. 

Our plan was to go to the infamous Department of Home Affairs to “Note the Adoption” early this morning.  Noting the Adoption is another step in recording the adoption and is required to change Thandokuhle’s name to Miriam Thandokuhle Sheriff in South Africa (there will be a separate US process for her name change).  To finalize the process to Note the Adoption usually takes 8-9 months.  We started it today and then the adoption agency will continue it on our behalf.  There is always a long “queue” at the Department of Home Affairs so the social worker arrived at 7am to stand in line and we were to arrive at 7:45 so we were there when the office opened at 8.  Well, it turns out the office had a staff meeting this morning and didn’t open until 9 (of course, that wasn’t posted anywhere so over 100 people were waiting by the time they opened).  The social worker was able to call us so we didn’t have to wait that entire time but she had to wait an extra hour! 

When we finally were able to enter the office we first asked about Thandokuhle’s passport.  We were told that the entire batch had been delayed because they ran out of shipping crates to send the completed passports.  The Department of Home Affairs said the passport was still in transit so we couldn’t pick it up.  However, the adoption agency contacted the courier since they knew the super secret tracking number and found out that the box of passports had arrived at the Department of Home Affairs office. 

Meanwhile we completed today’s steps in the Noting the Adoption process which included filling out forms, paying, and then having my fingerprints completed.  The social worker asked again about the passport and by then the agent knew the passports were in the building and were being unpacked.  Dad and Amy were sitting on a bench this entire time and happened to see them bring in a box with stacks and stacks of passports that they started to process.

After some more waiting the passport was entered into their system so I could get a ticket number to collect the passport.  We waited awhile and then they called her name. When I went up they said they had called our number twice and that we had missed it.  I asked if we could get the passport then since he was obviously talking to us.  His answer was no – I had to get back in line and get a new ticket with a new number (sometimes the process is so ludicrous you just have to laugh)!  So, I waited in line AGAIN to get another ticket and this time we heard the number. It was all worth the wait, since this allowed us to avoid a third visit to the Department of Home Affairs and Thandokuhle was very proud when she received her passport.

After the Department of Home Affairs office we went to the Babylonstoren wine estate to celebrate.  This winery has the best preserved Cape Dutch buildings in the area and an expansive garden.

We ate outside at their “Greenhouse” restaurant where all the vegetables were grown in the gardens.  The presentation of the food was charming - they served our salads in glass jars and our sandwiches were rolled up in paper place mats that were tied with a string.  Both the food and the company were excellent.

We enjoyed a rambling walk through the gardens even though it was quite hot in the full sun.  They had gorgeous overhead rose arbors throughout the gardens and large trees that were great for climbing.

Amy enjoyed seeing all the farm animals even though some were more up close and personal than she expected!

Unfortunately, our day was a little beyond Thandokuhle’s limit especially when we stopped at the grocery store on the way home.  She was fine while in the shopping cart but when walking there were times when I was doing more dragging than she was walking since her preference seemed to be lying on the floor or running around.  Like most children, she does better when she has a nap so she ended up going to bed right after dinner.

Thandokuhle continues to improve in her English language skills.  The last few days she has been singing the ABC song and even requests it as a bedtime song.  She is doing fairly well but usually sings “L, M, N, O, P” as a single letter and confuses “X” with “S”.  Aunt Amy spent some time in the car today helping her learn more letters.  We occasionally hear a song in Zulu but she is now speaking almost exclusively in English.

Bureaucracy

Oh, the delays and disappointments of bureaucracy.

On Friday we received the great news that Thandokuhle’s passport had been printed, finalized, and dispatched from the capital.  Our plan was to pick it up when it arrived at the local office between Monday – Wednesday.  Then we would fly to Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon (i.e. tomorrow) for a Thursday appointment at the US Consulate office to apply for Thandokuhle’s visa.  We checked in with the adoption agency yesterday only to learn that the passport had not actually been dispatched and was still in the capital.  We checked in this afternoon and found out that it was still at the airport in Johannesburg.  The adoption agency worked a miracle and determined the tracking number of Thandokuhle's specific passport.  Then they contacted the courier service and learned that the passport is supposed to fly out tonight and should arrive at the local office sometime tomorrow.  But then it still has to be “processed” before we are able to pick it up.  So, we came to the discouraging realization that it is not possible to pick up her passport tomorrow and then turn around and fly to Johannesburg since we don’t know if the passport will actually be processed in time.

We have re-scheduled our US Consulate appointment to next Tuesday (the US Consulate only schedules visa application appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays).  We should be able pick up her passport sometime this week (Wednesday – Friday) and then travel to Johannesburg on Monday.  Now we are in a frenzy of travel logistics – extending the rental car and arranging the house check-out here in Cape Town and booking flights, renting a car, and finding lodging in a safe part of Johannesburg.  I am very happy to have Amy here to help with this.  She’s doing lots of legwork to figure out lodging options and details on baggage requirements on flights (we have A LOT of luggage!). 

On top of the delays then there are the unique extra challenges that arise.  This morning I called to extend the rental car we have here in Cape Town.  The agent said she would call back in a few minutes and never did.  After an hour or so I tried to call back and the phone would not connect.  I tried several times with several phones and never got through.  I finally found a number for the headquarters, not the specific branch, and talked to a customer service representative.   I waited on hold for awhile and finally heard back that the Cape Town Airport was out of power so the rental car agency had no power.   The customer service rep took my information and emailed it to the branch manager and I was supposed to receive a phone call back from the branch.   I never received a return call and my rental contract expired at noon…I’m assuming all is taken care of.  However, now that we are not flying to Johannesburg tomorrow I need to extend the rental car agreement again.  Let’s hope they have power when I call tomorrow.

Needless to say, we didn’t do any tourist activities today.  We did go to the beach for a few hours.  We walked to a public beach which has a breakwater that creates a large pool to swim in without waves. The girls had a great time splashing around in the water and it was warm enough for it to be enjoyable.

Now, I need to go book some flights…

Game Drive

Hungry for a mid-morning snack?

 

Today we visited the Fairy Glen private game reserve for a morning game drive.  The game reserve was fairly small but they had some large animals.  They have 6 lions which they have to feed (they don’t want the lions to eat the other animals in the game reserve).  The lions are in their own enclosure which we drove through on the safari jeep.  While we were in the lion enclosure a truck came in with a calf that had died on a neighboring farm and was donated to the game reserve.  The lions were very attuned to the truck because they recognized that it was the one that always delivers their food. The driver of the truck slid the calf to the ground and we watched the male lion run to pick up the calf and drag it into the bushes to eat.  It was quite an interesting sight.

We saw a variety of animals including Cape Buffalo, wildebeest, zebras, ostrich, eland, baboons, a tortoise, rhinos, springbok, elephants, and lions. With the safari jeep we were able to drive very close to many of the animals. 

 

The elephants were quite impressive.  When we first saw them they were eating small trees.  They wrapped their trunks around the tree trunk and broke the trunk off about 5 or 6 feet into the air.  Then they moved on and were eating small brush.  The ranger told us that the elephants have learned how to throw stones in order to break the exterior fence so they can escape into the neighboring farms and eat the grape vines or vegetables.  The game reserve employs two elephant trainers who stay with the elephants and use carrots and other food to “entice” them to stay away from the farms.

The game reserve has two white rhinos.  Unfortunately, 3 years ago poachers attacked the rhinos and cut off their horns which will never go back.  Poaching is a huge cause of the declining rhino population because in the wild rhinos bleed to death when their horns are cut off or the poachers kill the rhino first and then cut the horn.  In this case, the poaching plan was quite elaborate.  The poachers set a fire on the mountain behind the game reserve and then while everyone was trying to fight the fire they came in by helicopter, tranquilized the rhinos, and cut the horns.  They poached several game reserves on the same day so it was a large operation.  Tranquilization immobilizes the rhinos but they still feel pain so the poaching was very traumatizing to the rhinos.  It was sad to see these immense animals deformed.

The game reserve was small enough that we could see fences so we were not truly "out in the wild".  However, it was still great to see the animals and the girls really enjoyed it.  Thandokuhle said that the elephants were her favorite.  Miranda was very excited to see the lion grab the calf and drag it into the brush.

Following the game drive we went to see Khoi San Rock paintings that are painted on a rocky overhang on one of the mountains on the game reserve.  The Khoi San Rock paintings are found throughout South Africa and date back 6000 years.  The dates of the ones we saw are not known and the paintings were not in great condition but you could see a jumping eland and some dancing people. It was intriguing to see a faint trace of the people who had lived on this land years before.

Out of Power

We awoke this morning to no electricity.  We waited an hour and it still wasn’t on so Dad went outside to talk to the neighbor lady who seems to know just about everything happening in the community.  He soon learned that the power had been off since 1am and was not expected to come on until 1pm.  This posed some concern since I have a 2 month supply of medicine for Thandokuhle that has to remain refrigerated.  However, we were able to package it with some ice packs to keep it cold.  With that we decided that it made sense to go out this morning since we didn’t have power (and Aunt Amy needed her cup of coffee)!  Then we realized that we didn’t know if we could go through the security gate out of the community with no electricity. So, this time Amy went to speak with the neighbor lady (she is a very useful neighbor) and learned that the gate could still be opened without power.

This morning we visited Lourensford, another local wine estate that was established in 1700.   They have a weekend market and the girls were thrilled to see that they had 4 bouncy houses.  Since Thandokuhle knew what they were from last week, she kept pointing at them and saying “Bouncy house.  I want bouncy house”.  So, the first stop was to play in the bouncy houses.  We had a leisurely morning walking through the market, the resident art gallery, and part of the estate.  For lunch we enjoyed a variety of foods at the market from a stone oven fired pizza to fresh squeezed juice to gelato to chocolate croissants to a fancy chocolate cupcake with glitter and a flower on top (needless to say we were well-fed).

We returned home only to find the power still off.  Thankfully, it came on around 3pm and eased my concerns about how to best keep the medicine cold. We attended church this afternoon and again we were warmly welcomed.  We returned home to a gorgeous view of the sun reflecting off the mountains and clouds.

On Top of the Mountain

We woke up this morning and all was quiet.  The howling wind of the last 5 days was gone!   The weather was beautiful – a great day for exploring.

We visited two of the top attractions in Cape Town.  Our first stop was Table Mountain which is listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of the Natural World (I had never heard of the “New” Wonders, I’m not sure what happened to the “Old” ones).  The mountain is famous for its flat top and is right in the heart of Cape Town.  It is about 3500 feet above sea level and we rode a cable car to the top.  Thandokuhle was very adamant that she was not going on a cable car.  However, once she saw them unloading and loading passengers she was intrigued and rode to the top without a fuss. 

Since the top of the mountain is flat there are several walking trails on the top.  There are great 360 degree views that overlook the city, the harbor, and the peninsula down to the Cape of Good Hope.  The mountain walks were much less intense than the hikes we did at the Cape of Good Hope in the powerful wind.  Here the hikes were flat and we didn’t feel like we were being blown off the trail. We expected the mountain top to be cool and windy, but it was in the 80’s.  We took coats which we never wore, instead we got sunburned.

Thandokuhle was not totally thrilled about walking on the mountain.  She did NOT see the need to hold hands.  She wanted to do her own thing which included climbing rocks when we wanted her to stay still or sitting on the ground and refusing to get up when we wanted her to walk.  This photo at the end of our visit is very telling (I think she was actually clowning around in the photo but her facial expression does seem to align with some of her feelings about walking on a mountain). 

After Table Mountain we drove downtown to the Victoria & Albert Waterfront.  From there we had a great view of Table Mountain from the distance (until clouds rolled in and completely obscured the mountain). 

Amy and I spent the afternoon shopping at the craft market while Dad watched the girls as they played on the playground.  As always, the challenge with souvenir shopping will be making sure we meet the weight limit for our luggage!

Good News

Great News!  Thandokuhle’s passport was printed and finalized today!  It shipped from the passport processing center in the capital to the office where we completed the application.  The passport should arrive next week and then we can travel to our final stop, Johannesburg.

We had a low key day after all of yesterday’s adventures.  We had hoped to spend some time at the beach but it was so windy we ended up staying inside.  In the afternoon we returned to the Cheetah Outreach so Amy could experience petting a cheetah.  Miranda also wanted to pet the cheetah again (but she ended up being a little apprehensive because she petted the cheetah all by herself without having Amy right beside her.  I’m just proud of her for doing it again).  The rest of us went on the tour but did not go in the enclosure to pet the cheetah.  The one tour guide grew up on a farm in South Africa and he had first hand experience with several of the predators that we saw.  The cheetahs are gorgeous animals and this photo is of the two youngest cubs they have.

After visiting the cheetahs we moved on to the more mundane activity of grocery shopping.  Amy enjoyed window shopping and observing the differences between the US and South African stores (the grocery store is within a huge mall).  Thandokuhle has entered a new phase while shopping – asking for things.  She asked for multiple items in the store in quite a persistent way.  The two items she wanted very strongly and that we bought at her insistence were pizza and ice cream.  She’ll fit right in at home!

To The End of Africa!

Today we journeyed to the tip of Africa and back!  We visited the Cape of Good Hope and its sister point, Cape Point.  The Cape is absolutely magnificent.  The views are towering cliffs that are 600 feet high, crashing waves, and brilliant blue water.  The wind was intense, it was probably the strongest wind I have walked in, let alone hiked in.  It is easy to understand why the Cape of Good Hope is also called the Cape of Storms since the winds were incredibly strong in nice weather. 

We rode a funicular (or tramway as we would say) from the parking lot up the cliff to the taller, older lighthouse on Cape Point. Cape Point is a sheer rocky cliff that cuts into the ocean.

The wind at the lighthouse almost blew us over (see the direction of my pony tail!).  Behind us you can see the Cape of Good Hope and the frothy water.  

We descended the rock path from the higher lighthouse and then hiked to the very end of the point to reach the second lighthouse  (the higher lighthouse is not always visible in the mist and a shipwreck proved that a lower one was needed).  We literally were at the end of Africa (well, technically, there is one Cape that extends further south but everyone speaks of Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope as being at the tip of Africa).

We hiked as far south as possible to the end of the trail.  I like this photo of Amy at the lower lighthouse with the taller lighthouse at Cape Point in the background on the right and the Cape of Good Hope on the left.

After braving the elements, we ate lunch in the southern most restaurant in Africa.  We enjoyed the food and a nice break from the hiking.  After lunch we hiked the windy and rocky path from Cape Point to Cape of Good Hope.  The views were breathtaking but it was easy to be blown off path by the wind. 

Miranda did great with the hiking.  On the other hand, Thandokuhle pretty much reached her limit during the 1.5 hour hike to the Cape of Good Hope.  She had been scared by the funicular - this was her first "train" ride.  But she really didn't like the wind - it really was intense and loud.  She did enjoy getting a ride from Grandpa though.

The drive to the Cape was very scenic both ways.  However, Dad has declared that he needs a break from driving hairpin turns between the ocean and the mountain with no guardrails.   Here are the happy travelers on our way to the Cape.  (On our way home we looked much more windblown and tired). 

Road Hazards

Driving is often interesting in South Africa.  There are many things that are just a little different than what we’re used to in the US.  Of course, there is the huge difference of driving on the left side of the road.  Beyond that we’ve noticed that the same road may have multiple names which is often quite confusing.  Also, road names are not always clearly marked. Some are spray painted on the edge of the sidewalk or painted on rocks placed in the median.  Others are on signs, under larger advertisements.  Terminology is different too.  A traffic signal is not called a light or signal instead it is a “robot”.  Then there is the challenge of people, dogs, and even cows walking along the road and occasionally across the road.  The most interesting sight occurred today.  We saw two baboons walking down the sidewalk and stopping to eat berries off the shrubbery and another baboon walked across the road in front of us.  Of course, we were the crazy tourist car that turned around and pulled over to take pictures of the baboons!

Today we repeated the scenic drive between the mountains and the coast that we did last week.  We wanted Aunt Amy to enjoy the fabulous views and we visited the African penguin colony again.  From there we visited a National Botanical Gardens.  The gardens extended into the mountains.  We arrived at lunch time so we ate lunch first.  It was a gorgeous blue sky so we chose an outdoor table.  Then clouds rolled in across the mountains and it started to mist and then rain.

This was not very conducive to outdoor eating so we picked up our plates and moved inside. The temperature also dropped considerably.  We also realized that the other patrons looked much more prepared than we were.  Many were wearing hiking shoes, and had jackets, hats, and walking sticks.  We realized that we were a little unprepared to visit these “gardens”.  We also noticed the warnings all over the park map about various snakes and what to do if you encounter a baboon.  In case you’re ever in that situation, I’ll pass on some advice: do not look the baboon in the eye, don’t show your teeth, and don’t laugh as these are signs of aggression.  In the end, we didn’t see any baboons in the garden, we only saw them on the road when we left.

The rain eventually stopped even though it stayed overcast and chilly.  We walked several of the trails but avoided those listed as strenuous or not for those with a fear of heights!  The flowers were beautiful and the girls loved exploring all the different paths. 

We did receive some discouraging news today.  The adoption agency called to check on the progress of Thandokuhle’s passport and not much has happened over the past week.  The application was correctly submitted and is in the “queue” but it basically is still at the first step of the process.  We are praying that it will start to move faster as we cannot proceed with the other steps of the travel paperwork until we have the passport.

Aunt Amy Arrives!

The exciting news is that Aunt Amy arrived late last night.  This morning Thandokuhle was very shy at first and wouldn’t talk to her, but Miranda was thrilled to see her.  Miranda’s excitement and Aunt Amy’s enthusiasm soon helped Thandokuhle warm up and she soon became fast friends with Aunt Amy. 

Today was a warm summer day and we visited another historic estate and winery.  This one was called Vergelegen and was established by a governor of the region in 1700.  We walked through beautiful gardens and toured the homestead.  The giant trees were quite impressive and we enjoyed walking the trails.  There was a children’s play area and a maze made out of grape vines (Thandokuhle and I were the last ones to make it through the maze and it reminded me of being lost in a shrubbery maze as a child).

We enjoyed a leisurely lunch outside at the “Stables at Vergelegen” (which bore no resemblance to the original stables).  Lunch was excellent and the roasted lamb I had was in a different category of cuisine than what I have been cooking!

After we returned home and took naps we explored the beach.  We saw a multitude of large jellyfish (and a few smaller, purple striped jellyfish) that had washed ashore with the tide.  We had not seen any jellyfish before so there must have been different currents. Amy also found a sponge and some other unique shells.  It was quite a fun-filled, busy day for Amy's first day here.

 

No Sleeping

We are experiencing a challenge common among young children – fighting sleep.  Thandokuhle is quick to say “no sleeping” whenever I say it is time to take a nap or get ready for bed.  The last few nights have been particularly challenging in getting her to fall asleep.  For the first few weeks I laid beside her until she fell asleep and she fell asleep fairly quickly.  However, the last few nights she seemed distracted by having me in the room.  Tonight I tried leaving the room but then she cried.  I have a hard time differentiating between a real cry versus an “I want to manipulate mommy” cry at this point.  So, tonight I was in and out of the room multiple times trying to figure out the best approach.  Finally, I was able to rock her until she fell asleep. I need to remember that this, too, is just a phase…

Today we visited another historic winery, named Spier.  It was established in 1692 and is a beautiful estate.  Many of the wineries offer unique attractions and this one had quite a variety.  First, we visited little craft shops that each displayed the unique work of a black South African artist or a NGO aimed at providing economic development among impoverished people.  One of the ladies made handmade dresses out of African fabrics.  She was an excellent saleswoman because she focused on Miranda and the dress that Miranda liked.  She let Miranda try it own over her clothes and fussed over her about how pretty she was.  Then she picked out several dresses for Thandokuhle to try on (who then got very shy) and decided what fabric looked best on her.  She was very friendly and quite good with children.  Needless to say, I bought the two dresses!  

We planned to eat lunch at the winery but did not realize that the casual restaurant was closed on Mondays.  However, they had a little deli where they made sandwiches that you could eat outside.  So, we had a picnic lunch on the lawn of the estate.  Then the girls enjoyed the playground. We have not seen any parks here but many of the wineries have playgrounds.  It seems that visiting the wineries is a common family activity as there are often many children-oriented activities.

Our final activity at the winery was to visit a rescue center for birds of prey.  We saw hawks, crows, owls, eagles, vultures, among others. Miranda was brave enough to pet an owl but Thandokuhle wasn’t ready for that.

There was a flying show where they demonstrated how these birds catch their prey in the wild. They had the birds come land on our hands (we were wearing gloves) and Dad even had one bird fly down and take the meat out of his palm.  I liked the large secretary birds the best. 

There was a simulated snake hunt and we watched the secretary birds aggressively kick the snake (it was really chicken tied to a hose) in order to kill and eat it.  We are definitely learning a lot about African animals!