Plettenberg Bay, South Africa

One week later and we are about 400 miles east of Cape Town on the “Garden Route,” a scenic drive through forests and ocean front towns.  We stopped for a night in the whale-watching town of Hermanus.  We did see a few whales’ blowholes off in the distance and enjoyed a great meal in the sunny seaside downtown.  Meandering up the mountainside through ostrich farms, we ended up on a dirt road shepherding sheep with our car (look of fear from Ken: where are you taking me?).  Oudtsthoorn had three highlights: eating ostrich steaks (Nostalgie restaurant), petting lemurs at a conservation park (Cango Wildlife Ranch), and hiking through a magnificent 20 MILLION year old cave system (Cango Caves).

The last few days we’ve been in the high-end beachside resort town of Plettenberg Bay (picture Africa’s Malibu – huge cliff side mansions and very “Carryn-approved” restaurants).  We’re in off-season and we found a stellar two bed condo for $50/night with great beach access.  Everett has been buried alive so many times – the amount of sand in his hair and clothes is next level. 

We hiked the Robberg Reserve, a rocky peninsula, which was much tougher than advertised (look of anguish from Hillary: that was NOT mild!).  The hillsides were covered in the most amazing succulents (reminder: spring here) and the seals entertained us from the coast.  Playing on the beach, Everett practiced and successfully did his first backflip so he re-named it: Backflip Beach.

Online school has been a bit of a slog (surprise we are not great 4th grade teachers), but luckily Ken found some engaging online teachers on Outschool.com, so we are hopeful it will keep our family from imploding. 

 

A few oddities so far:

We stayed at a country lodge and the doorway to our room was so low (5’10”) Ken repeatedly hit his head. By the time we left the owners put up a sign above our door that read “Mind Your Head.”  

 

Every gas station has attendants and we are not allowed to pump our own gas.  They even squeegee the windshield and check oil and tire pressure.  After driving back down the mountain our car was particularly dirty, the attendant washed our ENTIRE car with his squeegee. 

Cape Town, South Africa (week 2)

Our second week in Cape Town we started to feel a bit more like locals.  Ken joined the gym for a week and the coffee barista even asked if we wanted “the usual” – success!  

We took two trips to the world-famous Table Mountain: first the boys hiked up (wind delay on the gondola) and the second trip we rode the rotating gondola vertically up 2,500 ft.  It’s a very unique and prominent landmark overlooking the city that we highly recommend.  

Our apartment was located on a popular promenade that rents bicycles, so on two occasions we rented bikes and rode to Camps Bay (about 5k).  The boys ran back to Sea Point (uphill in the heat!).  

 Everett was missing kids so we visited an indoor trampoline park.  We thought, it will be great to have him meet some South African kids and maybe even make some friends that live in SA.  We head to the park and guess who is the first kid he meets?  Rainier, as in Mount Rainier.  He is from Seattle.  Can you believe it, the very first group of kids he met on the trip thus far… and his Dad even grew up few blocks away from us in Queen Anne…Crazy!  We figured we would never see them again though.  Three days later we lined up at the Robben Island tour (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned) and who was in front of us in line?  The same family!  Needless to say, the kids were all happy and it made for a more enjoyable day.  The actual tour included a ferry to/from the island, bus tour, and most importantly, a tour of Mandela’s cell by a former prisoner.  Getting a first-hand tour from an immediate eyewitness made us realize just how recently apartheid existed. 

At the end of the week Carryn took us to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where we learned about the Cape Floral Kingdom and their unique Fynbos shrubland.  After we stopped for ice cream and wine at Groot Constantia winery.  That night, Ken and Carryn watched the South Africa vs England rugby world cup semi-finals – the city was on fire after a last-minute comeback.  Ken knew nothing about rugby but he’s now on the bandwagon.

Cape Town had endless, amazing food choices but we spent most our time at Mojo’s Market, Kauai and Bootleggers.  We did try a few local dishes – cape malay cuisine, salmon rose sushi, and Sparletta cream soda (its green!).

 

We loved you Cape Town, but it’s time to move on and venture up the coast!

Cape Town, South Africa

Forty-eight hours before our flight to Israel, our plans completely changed.  With war breaking out we reluctantly canceled our trip, not yet knowing how the conditions on the ground might unfold.  Still in LA visiting family, we booked a last-minute flight to Cape Town, South Africa.  We had vaguely planned to traverse Africa from north to south (Cairo to Cape Town), so without much thinking we switched to the reverse direction (south to north).

After a 14-hour red eye from Atlanta we landed into the modern, cosmopolitan city.  Opting for the quickest accommodations we booked an Airbnb in the Sea Point neighborhood and were pleasantly surprised.  Cape Town is perhaps the most breath-takingly beautiful city we have ever visited (tied for first place with Rio de Janeiro, but we can’t seem to decide?). 

Side Note: During our previous travels (Gili Air Blog) we met a dear friend, Carryn.  We have stayed in touch all these years.  We forgot that she worked for years in SA tourism.  Well, lucky for us!  

Carryn has treated us like a VIP client: showing us the sights and sounds, which have yet to disappoint – an ocean-front promenade, Nando’s (our longtime favorite fast food chicken), sea glass filled beach at Hout’s Bay, exceptional and cheap food (and wine!), an ostrich farm, a penguin colony, the rocky and very windy headlands of Cape of Good Hope, lots of Uber rides, a cave of gemstones, a sort-of-illegal join up with a 10K, a hike up Table Mountain, white sand Camps Bay, and an evening of singing by Ndoluvu Youth Choir (a trip highlight thus far – of America’s Got Talent fame).  

Oh, and Everett is home-schooling so he’s taking online classes but also learning by experiencing and interacting with the world around him.  Latest discussions: the metric system, time zones, apartheid, and the history of Israel… not bad for week 1.  

 

The everyday vibe is comfortable and a bit like a laid back European feel, so it’s been a low-stress transition.  The city is affordable, well developed, safe, and bustling with things to do.  We just haven’t gotten enough yet, so we are extending our stay for a second week.

 

Check out Ndoluvu Choir!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpLdMeHhrYQ

 

Random Quotes & Notes:

Everett: “I still can’t believe we’re in Africa!”

Hillary: has been unconsciously speaking with a local accent and doesn’t realize she’s doing it

Ken: “I love the Dollar to Rand conversion rate.  Shouldn’t be we suffering more?  I could definitely live here (Is Omar right???).”

Safe and Sound - Never left for Israel

We have been hearing from many of you who have been concerned.  As we mentioned in our last blog, we were planning to go to Israel on 10/10 from Los Angeles.  Obviously, the tragic events that unfolded in that region have forced us to change our plans.  We are very sad for what is occurring, but we were able to avoid the region. We quickly changed our plans and we are now safe and sound in Cape Town, South Africa.  We will provide more updates soon, but we wanted you to know we are ok.

10 years since we last spoke

 

Are we really restarting this blog?!?! Yes. Do we have an itinerary? No. Are we mildly irresponsible? So they say. And yet, things happen and it makes us who we are. It’s not expected but we learn to lean in because it’s in our nature. Thanks to our supportive family (you know who you are) who understand…our love for travel might be karma playing out? They tell us how the story is supposed to go and things change, but yeah, we’re doing our own thing. We’re (temporarily) leaving our loving Seattle home, family, friends, dog… but not to worry…it’s our genuine pleasure to include you on our travels. Again.

We’ll be in Israel Oct 10-20, so look for our first update sometime mid Oct.

Postscript: Are blogs even still relevant in 2023? According to Google: Yes. According to our son: No. We are old school and should be doing these updates on TikTok/Insta/X/Facebook/YouTube/Weibo/Discord/Snap and sharing our realtime Snap Map location. Alas, I am terrified of becoming a viral meme, have excessive anxiety posting anything personal, and don’t know how to use said “applications.”

Post-Postscript: Ken says message him on WhatsApp because this is not 2010, ok?

San Francisco, California

485 Days Since We Last Spoke

It’s been awhile (ok, over a year) since you last heard from us.  Several times we attempted to reignite the blog, but ultimately Ken summarized it supremely -- “after reading about trekking through jungles, I don’t think anyone cares about our weekend trip to Home Depot.”  

So we’ll be brief and summarize a few snippets of societal reintegration from the past year:

#1: Got jobs.  Neither of us really wanted to, but ultimately we decided for our long term stability we should have income.  Ken was shocked to find that the law of diminishing returns applied to television viewing so he stumbled upon a great job leading West Coast Client Services at Turn, Inc (thanks Chris!) -- or as Ken says, “working for the man.”  And I started working at Stanford Hospital and Clinics (thanks Busby!)

#2: Answered the question, “Where was your favorite place?” in a genuine but brief way (we call it the Travel Elevator Speech).  Quick answer: Rwanda and Thailand.

#3: Tried to be “normal again”  

• Went shopping and bought stuff! (doesn’t really matter what we bought, but it’s better that we really didn’t need it)
• Only referenced travel when prompted, “this one time in Tanzania...” gets really old
• Painted the house green, planted a vegetable garden, enjoyed the stability of always having a bed at night

We came back meandering, trying to redefine our lives.  It took us months (staring at each other: what are we supposed to do now?) of learning some lessons along the way:

We had to stop comparing life to “how it used to be” and be happy for the moments we are currently living in.  Because let’s be honest, comparing traffic jams to drinking Singha’s on the beaches of Thailand, just can’t compare.

We questioned American culture; we started judging ourselves.  When we first returned we were convinced living with less was a priority, but within three months we were shopping for a BMW.  Then we felt guilty for wanting the BMW.  Ultimately, we’re still trying to find a balance between nomadic austerity and luxurious excess. 

We are so grateful for the fabulous year we have had in San Francisco.  Our abbreviated list of awesome adventures since our last blog ...

Visited family in LA, Wisconsin & Iowa

Camped/hiked at Yosemite, Marin Headlands, Big Bear, Big Basin, and Donner Lake

Travelled internationally for the Calgary Stampede and Shelley/Jeff’s Costa Rican wedding

Hosted visitors to San Francisco: Margie, Myron, Sheila, Roy, Chuck, Donna, Steph, Brian, Theresa, John, Amos, Donna, Lou, Roop, Andy, Jordan, Jim, and Jesell (apologies if we missed anyone)

Witnessed friends’ marriages (Emily/Kyle, Mike/Mahasa, Shelley/Jeff) and Ken even officiated a wedding under the Golden Gate Bridge (Patty/Lex)

Held on to the tradition of TPN - Turkey Poker Night (Vegas - Binu, Daisy, and Andy)

Spent the winter skiing at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows (got our first season passes!) including renting a house with Chris/Brett/Megan/Steve

Took Kylie around town with a life-size Dora the Explorer piñata, just because it was hilarious

Sailed on the San Francisco bay

Revisited the site of our marriage - Evergreen Lodge (we love it there!) and Maui/Kauai again (our home away from home)

Started classes at UC-Berkeley Extension for a two-year Certificate in Health Advocacy

Reacquainted ourselves with our favorite American stores (Whole Foods, Costco, Bed/Bath/&Beyond, REI) and nestled back into our comfy home (single cup coffee makers, Alhambra water service, king beds with clean sheets, washer/dryer).  

Now that we’re back we love quoting “first world problems” as we experience them and fondly remember our year away as if it were a dream.  (Did it really happen?)  Whenever we recognize our first-world-dramatic tendencies, we cheer “first world problem” and high-five each other!  We welcome you to join our new tradition of ridiculousness.

• Ken: my high thread count sheets are too slippery
• Hillary: my new food processor has too many accessories
• Ken: the new SUV has a built in DVD player and I don’t even want it
• Ken: why does the cleaning lady have to move everything in the house?
• Hillary: we have too much food in the refrigerator
• Ken: the locker room at the private gym is under renovation.  Now I have to change pool-side.

We can’t lie, there are some things about our year away that we seriously yearn for:

• freedom to see and do whatever we want
• living with less, no expectations
• having time to read books, scuba dive, or just be
• meeting new international friends

Now that we’ve happily stabilized we can look back fondly and remember our lessons learned (advice we wished we had known)

• travel beneath your means - you’ll experience more
• get out of the cities, allow yourself to be unscheduled, travel light
• be overtly kind (overcompensate for the American stereotype)
• help others along the way
• be respectful of when and how you take photographs
• don’t allow fear of the unknown (or work) hold you back
• never forget that 95% of the world lives under drastically different conditions than in the U.S.
• go to fewer places, immerse in the culture, stay longer

Kilauea, Kauai, Hawaii

After a quick layover in Honolulu we arrived to our home-away-from home, the garden isle of Kauai.  Ken’s aunt and uncle live on the island so over the years we’ve begun to think of it as our own.  We pulled into the driveway and were welcomed by hand-painted signs and balloons.  

What we didn’t expect was the surprise waiting at the front door: my mom, stepdad and our family friends the Showens!  They made a surprise appearance to welcome us home (and of course they’re also enjoying a tropical vacation).  We were elated to see our family!  We spent the last week in typical island fashion: lounging beach/poolside, drinking cocktails on the lanai, and plotting every possible scenario to extend our stay.  Special thanks to Margie and Myron for sharing their amazing guesthouse with us!

This blog has allowed us an opportunity to share our once-in-a-lifetime experience with you.  We hope you enjoyed the journey with us and perhaps it inspired you, gave you insight into another culture, or just made you laugh.

Thanks to everyone for their readership.  We love you and stay tuned!

Pahoa, Hawaii

After the big city edge of Honolulu (or as Shelley described it, “Tropical Los Angeles”), we made a beeline for the Big Island of Hawaii.  We hopped a quick 25 minute flight and somehow Ken charmed the car rental company into a free upgrade to a 4WD Jeep Wrangler.  We instantly got into the rural Hawaiian spirit and drove north to Waikoloa Beach, passing endless black lava fields on either side of the road.  Special thanks to Ken’s mom (Sheila) for putting us up at the luxurious Marriott Resort and Spa!  After backpacking through the third world we were overwhelmed by the opulence: yes, our bed had TEN pillows and an infinity pool awaited us (the world-wide status symbol for  expensive accommodations).  We enjoyed neon-pink sunsets over the swaying palm trees and drives into the village for cheap but amazingly tasty Mexican food. 

Getting into the island vibe we toured the north end of the island and ended up near the former sugar plantation turned hippy-enclave of Puna, about 15 minutes from Hilo.  Ken found a perfectly secluded cottage in the abundant fauna and flora filled east side.  We spent our time relaxing in the screened-in living room, falling asleep to croaking frogs, cooking meals (overdosing on coconut, pineapple, and macadamia nuts), taking ample outdoor showers, and reading (Ken’s been seduced by the Hunger Games, I’m deep into the world of Malcolm X).  Unfortunately, we found out the major volcano was not erupting so our plans couldn’t include seeing the red-hot surface lava hit the ocean.  Instead, we’ve decided to pull out the hammocks and acquaint ourselves with “island time.”  

Happy Mother's Day

She loves to:

unwind on the beaches of Maui with her family

spend time with her grandchildren in Calabasas

support her local temple by sponsoring musically-themed Shabbat services

workout with her trainer

take her family on tropical vacations

look glamourous, as always

She excels at:

baking the best challah bread french toast

managing and renovating properties 

keeping up to date on the latest apps and technologies

video Skyping on her iPad

detecting the best deals and using her powerful negotiation skills

developing her new love for viewing photography (by always complementing my pictures)

She doesn’t like:

winding roads or rocky boats

camping (unless it’s at the Marriott)

being too far away from her sons

She forgives me after I nearly burn the house down (20 years later)

She laughs at my jokes

She knows how to put her family first

She lights up around the high holidays

She is a sister to one, an aunt to two, a wife, a mother of two, and a friend to all

And out of all the mothers in the world, how did I manage to get the best one?

Love Ken

She loves to:

play in her garden and frolic in the flowers

be one with nature and search out heart-shaped rocks

wear anything in her favored color of blue

feed the birds but not the squirrels

dance til the wee hours on the beaches of Key West

bake cupcakes with her granddaughter

She excels at:

juggling six to eight “projects” at any one time

cooking a fabulous meal for 30+ people

painting, crocheting, decorating, and planning unrivaled weddings

expressing her unbounded creativity

playing the role of psychic and therapist

being a genuine friend and dreamer of the infinite

She doesn’t like:

coconut, beer, or avocados

mean-spirited, dishonest, or complaining people

swimming pools, guns, or losing at card games

She endures endless volleyball games

She cries if she sees me cry

She knows grandma’s secret recipe for noodles

She lights up when spring emerges from the darkness of winter

She is a sister to twelve, an aunt to hundreds, a wife, a mother of three, and a friend to all

And out of all the mothers in the world, how did I manage to get the best one?

Love Hillary

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

Time travel at its finest thanks to the international dateline: we departed Christchurch at 4pm and arrived into Honolulu at 9am on the same day!  Since our airline, Jetstar, cancelled our original flight we set off from New Zealand a few days earlier than anticipated.  No big deal though since that meant tropical Hawaiian sun!

We scoured up a super-cheap but surprisingly upscale condo one block from Waikiki Beach -- the oasis of Japanese tourists, flawlessly tanned surfers, bikini-clad girls, and amateur weightlifters.  Our week in Oahu included hiking Diamond Head (a volcanic crater that overlooks the city), driving to the rural north shore, laying on the Kailua Beach, playing tennis in a windstorm, and receiving a history lesson at the Pearl Harbor Historic Site (U.S.S. Arizona).   


 

In our first days back on U.S. soil, we basked in the comforts of home we had forgotten:

• Unlimited TV channels (especially Sportscenter as Ken became “Bob-Costas-deficient” after an entire year without U.S. sports commentary).  On the rare occasions of TV access, it included BBC World News or football (soccer) matches.
• Unlimited food selection at grocery stores: the endless rows of colorful packages and organic goods at the Whole Foods marveled our minds and melted my heart (of course, we had to fill our cart with liberal hippie goodies like non-dairy almond milk ice cream).
• Unlimited internet: New Zealand tested our patience, as we spent too much time on a game we liked to call “internet-hunting” (as in, where could we hop on free WIFI without getting kicked off?).
• Unlimited clean water from the faucet: we completely took this one for granted pre-trip - we are so excited that we are over-hydrating on like 10 glasses a day now (and a related side note: no traveller’s diarrhea to worry about, woo hoo!).
• Safe streets: we don’t miss the adventure of crossing the street (shout out India).
• Plush beds: or better yet, not having to find a bed to sleep in every night.
• Dresser drawers: as opposed to stuffing everything in a wrinkled nylon sack.
• Washer and dryer: (confession) number of times we’ve worn the same outfit without washing.... hmmm....we are embarrassed to say it’s measured in weeks, not days
• Microwave: it’s a beautiful machine that works like magic.
• No beggars: no more getting hassled for money (except from your wife - love you dear).
• Time difference: knowing that we are not accidentally calling the U.S. at 3am (sorry Mom).
• No currency conversion necessary: no job, no currency conversion = our brains are turning to mush -- back to the land where everything makes sense: Fahrenheit, miles, gallons, and pounds.
• Native English speakers: we’ve missed you, although Ken became skilled at miming and saying “I’m sorry” in 24 languages.

Unfortunately, we rediscovered a few annoyances we had forgotten about until we returned (apologies for some minor venting):

• U.S. Currency: seriously, why are we still using pennies and nickels?  We can’t buy anything for less than 25 cents, so they seem totally irrelevant.  Plus, all the bills are the same color and size... boring!  
• Pharmaceutical ads: completely forgot about these, ugh, they are everywhere!  If you are reading this blog you may become inflicted with boredom, lethargy or jealousy.  If you are aware of any of these symptoms make sure to immediately contact your travel agent.
• Paying retail: it was so nice to get movies for $1 each from the “DVD store” aka the guy on the street
• Paying for parking: with no car for the last year, we totally forgot we have to pay to park our rental car - we could have survived for three weeks in Cambodia on that!

And in the category of “still on the fence:”

• Driving on the right-side of the road: we have mixed feelings as left-side driving grew on us ... unfortunately, it triggered major mental blocks.  A) Regarding blinkers and windshield wipers: if you see us in an intersection with our wipers on and it’s not raining, have compassion. B) Regarding crossing the street, we are afraid to step into crosswalks now without looking both ways about five times.

After successfully reintegrating into Hawaiian society, we’re heading to the natural wonders of the Big Island.  Aloha!

Christchurch, New Zealand

The devastation of last year’s earthquake was clearly apparent in Christchurch as it’s boarded-up downtown and deserted streets reminded us of the natural disaster at every street corner.  We shunned the GPS to the glove box, as it continued to direct us towards demolished buildings via closed roads.  The infrastructure revitalization was underway with construction crews dominating the cityscape - we can only express optimism that the city regains its vibrance in the next few years as structures and roads come back online. 

We elected instead to tour the “Alpine Pacific Triangle,” a scenic tourist driving route from Christchurch north along the ocean to Kaikoura, then westward through the mountains to Hanmer Springs, and finally back to Christchurch.  

Kaikoura, a small hamlet set on the eastern coast between the snow-capped mountains and the ocean, was residence for dolphins, whales, and seals.  The inland drive westward led us between mountains teeming with thousands, no tens of thousands, of sheep, cows, and llamas.  (And for context, Ken’s first electrocution occurred via electric fence trying to snatch the top picture in this post for me: what a great husband!)  

Hanmer Springs presented itself as a high-end spa/golf/ski destination, famed for its hot springs.  The swimming pools seemed a bit manufactured, so we instead took advantage of a nature hiking opportunity through towering trees.  

We rounded out the drive by returning to Christchurch, stopping at wineries along the way.  Our final day was consumed re-packing our worn backpacks, donating our accumulated campervan gear, and returning our faithful Big Green to its owner as we departed to the international airport.

What can be said about our tour of two idyllic islands?  We met new friends, witnessed magnificent scenery, lived in a campervan, all the while wandering to our hearts content in a land of endless national parks and amiable, rugby-loving Kiwis.  The humble country welcomed us with open arms as we lived out the final weeks of our international globe trotting.  It was a fitting transition to bring us back to the United States after ten months of gallivanting.  

We are eagerly anticipating our upcoming tropical adventure.. to be continued...