We spent four nights at Protea by Marriott Hotel Cape Town Sea Point. Our first full day in the city was certainly that; we completed all three loops of the City Sightseeing hop-on-hop-off bus system, walked the city centre as well as the Bo Kaap district, rode the cable car up Table Mountain, and had dinner with the nicest family ever. We did a quick self-guided walk that included City Hall, St. George's Cathedral, the Castle of Good Hope... as well as homeless encampments, plenty of urine, and First Responders manning a covered body. We then walked to the historic and colourful Malay district of Bo-Kaap. Here, two men tried to scam us by telling us we had to register to be in the area due to local filming and the presence of the President. Apparently if we'd gone with them, they'd have asked for our ATM card as part of the registration process. Instead, I refused and a man from a hotel ran them off, yelling and calling the police. After our walking excursions, we caught the blue line bus through Kirstenbosch Gardens in order to connect with the purple line at Constantia Nek to see the wineries area. Back on the blue bus line, we cruised the coast, seeing Hout Bay and stopping at Camps Bay to walk on the beach. We passed suburbs and townships, beaches and coastline, before switching back to the red line that would take us through the city and harbourfront again and on to Table Mountain. Despite having pre-purchased tickets, the line for the cable car was very slow. Eventually we learned that the delay was due to load-shedding (the country's practice of cutting electricity in different areas for four hours each day); while running on a generator, the system was operating at half capacity. We were assured that the cable car would run later than scheduled to get everyone back down the mountain. Throughout our time in South Africa, we were constantly surprised by the cooler than anticipated weather, but atop Table Maountain was shockingly cold with bitter winds. We immediately discovered longer lines for the descent than what we'd just waited in to ascend, so we split up with one of us holding a spot in the line while the other checked out the views. Everyone was very concerned for my survival in my ill-advised shorts and t-shirt. This sparked many friendly conversations while in line. Eventually it became clear that we were not going to make it down in time to catch the final hop-on bus leaving the area. The family in front of us in line generously offered not only to provide us with a ride back to our hotel, but to first go with us to a restaurant they had previously recommended. The delays actually allowed us to watch the sunset from the mountain. Eastern Food Bazaar was unique, tasty, and affordable, but the company was even better! We couldn't believe how friendly and hospitable the Solberg family is. We were so pleased to be able to join Chantelle and Kevin for dinner again two nights later. Easily the best part of our trip to South Africa was meeting the world's nicest people. Having seen rain in the forecast for the coming days, we scrambled to get on a tour of the Cape Peninsula early the following morning rather than wait an extra day as originally planned. Despite having had little sleep due to spending hours on the phone trying unsuccessfully to rectify security issues with our credit card, we set off on a full day tour. The first stop and top priority was seeing the colony of African Penguins at Boulders Beach. I took a photo of a dassie (African Hyrax) without a clue what animal we'd stumbled upon at the beach. Next up, the Cape Point Nature Reserve, where we hiked up to the country's third oldest lighthouse. We walked from the lighthouse down to the Cape of Good Hope. Along the way, we saw large elands, colourful lizards, and ostriches. The coastal drive provided plenty of spectacular views as we passed Kalk Bay and Muizenberg Beach, Fish Hoek, Simon's Town, and others. We had most of two more days in Cape Town, but the weather didn't cooperate, as temperatures dropped further and it rained quite a bit. We had already squeezed most of our sightseeing into the first two days, though, so we didn't mind a slower pace. We still managed to go on several walks, especially exploring the coastal promenade and Green Point Park. We were thrilled to be able to visit some more with Kevin and Chantelle over dinner at a Tex-Mex restaurant they treated us to!
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We spent three nights in Kruger National Park at Nkambeni Safari Camp. The first night in our 'tent' was bitterly cold, but after that, we were all supplied with extra blankets. Aside from an unexpected loss of wifi for most of our stay, the camp was comfortable with decent meals. We chose to go on just one safari game drive, yet still managed to see more animals than expected, but no cats (lions nor leopards). Before sunrise was complete, we were spotting giraffes and elephants. We saw plenty of impalas... ...and their other antelope relatives like the Common Duiker, Steenbok, and featured below, the Lichtenstein's hartebeest and Greater Kudu. We saw a number of warthogs. The warthogs began the shag-fest,; the Greater Kudu continued it, and the massive hippo absolutely dominated it! We encountered herds of African Buffalo. We were fortunate to have a close encounter with a hyena. The rhinos in the park continue to be the target of poachers, so the rangers pre-emptively remove their horns. Many varieties of birds were pointed out to us throughout the day, but they are often difficult to photograph, and quite honestly, are underwhelming compared to the larger mammals. We found zebras. There were wildebeests and plenty of monkeys. No matter how many times tourists were reminded, they always left some food behind. At the end of the day, the elephants are still my favourite. Playing Kruger's golf course requires signing an indemnity form because of the danger of the hippos which inhabit its water hazards! Just outside the fence of our camp was a pond which featured five hippos that seemed most active at dawn and dusk. Four of these hippos were large, while the fifth was unbelievably gigantic! I enjoyed watching the changing African sky at both sunrise and sunset while staying at Nkambeni Safari Camp in Kruger National Park.
Our daily local walks became a little brighter in May. Lisa did more cycling and we played tennis a number of times. We once again made multiple trips up Cobble Hill Mountain. Mid-month it became unseasonably hot, but we were able to spend time enjoying our own yard. On our way to the ferries, we tended to our Nanaimo rental property, then walked in Bowen Park and at Jack Point near Duke Point Terminal. Once in Burnaby, our walks include Central Park and Metrotown. We even managed to squeeze in some tennis! Time with family is often centred on enjoying good food. We visited my mom at Langley Lodge and had dinner with family at Dad's place before Shawn Rumley was kind enough to check out the possible sources of our car's slight creaky sounds. It was nice visiting with all of these people. I had plenty of sports entertainment until both the Oilers and the Warriors bowed out in the second round of playoffs. As usual there was some movie watching on the agenda. We continued watching series as well. I continued to read, too. Now, a very long journey to South Africa begins!
We once again walked each day, including at the estuary and along Somenos Marsh, and later, to many of Huatulco's beaches. We spent eleven nights in Huatulco, Mexico. (I created a separate blog entry to detail our vacation.) We were delayed returning from Mexico, so our time in the Lower Mainland was cut very short. We were happy to have had quick visits with Karyn, June, Aunti J, and Elliott before our trip. After returning home, we were happy Michelle Ostan was able to join us for an afternoon at our place, as well as checking out regatta festivities at Brentwood College and hiking to the swing atop Old Baldy Mountain. We will always appreciate tasty meals, treats, and snacks. "March Madness" spilled into April with the UConn Huskies winning. The Jays are off to their best start in franchise history, but are in the toughest division in baseball. Adesanya avenged earlier losses and won back his UFC belt, and the NBA completed round one of the playoffs. I recommend the movies "Tetris" and "The Fallout". Television programming provided us many hours of entertainment. I planned to read more while away on vacation, but ended up spending less time doing so. At any rate, I read another four books in April.
We had booked an inexpensive basic room in the locally run nine bedroom La Luna Creciente hotel in the "downtown" close to the main square. We were happily given a larger room with a refrigerator, kitchenette, seating area, and patio. We had chosen a centrally located hotel, so it was easy for us to go out for dinner, pick up some Tecate, wander the downtown area, and visit the main square including the Iglesia de la Crucecita, which features the world's largest painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Our original plan after reading about Huatulco's nine bays and thirty-six beaches, was to visit ten beaches in ten days, so on our first full day in Huatulco, we headed to nearby Santa Cruz via the huge walking path that connects the two main towns of the region. The main square in Santa Cruz hosts an organic market on Saturday mornings, so we ate tamales and quesadillas for brunch. The bay also features a nice little open-sided chapel right on the beach. The main attraction is the beach, so it was time to get in the water. From Santa Cruz, we walked to Chahue Beach on a day that eventually involved walking 12 kilometres. Having been to two beaches on day two (our first full day), we were on pace. Observation #1: Everything about Mexico lends itself to drinking beer... the hot weather, the spicy food, the lazy afternoon siesta schedule, the lower prices, and the questionable drinking water... On the 16th, we took a taxi to Conejos Beach. After a quick dip, we walked a short trail to Playa Magueyito. We were given inaccurate intel regarding a shortcut to the road to La Bocana that led us to wander through prickly underbrush in blazing heat before returning to Conejos. Tired and dehydrated, we retreated to Secrets, where we passed as guests for a much needed rest and free beer at the all inclusive resort before walking to La Bocana. We watched a portion of the weekend's surf competition at La Bocana. Observation #2: There is a huge, undesirable difference between 25 degrees as a daily high, and 25 degrees as a nightly low (which is what we encountered throughout our time in Huatulco)! It took almost no time for us to establish a routine for our vacation, rising in time for a street food breakfast before heading to a beach, then returning to our airconditioned room to enjoy cold beers in the afternoon, before heading out around dusk for dinner. We decided to alternate "taxi days" and "only walking days", so we walked to Santa Cruz for another swim on the 17th. Having visited three beaches the day before, we were still ahead of schedule regarding our ten beaches goal. We spent some time just watching the comings and goings at the marina. We discovered "budin" (bread pudding cake, in this case with raisins and a hint of cinnamon) to eat with our afternoon coffee. I sampled mezcal, then enjoyed cervezas back at our hotel. Observation #3: Sustained 38+ degrees weather is (too) hot! Our next "taxi day" began with a ride to the trailhead for Cacaluta Bay. An easy twenty minute hike along a clear trail, much of it boardwalk, brought us to a huge, isolated expanse of abandoned beach. While we were there, two boats cruised the length of the bay and left, but no one else set foot on our "private" beach. I managed to make friends even on this deserted beach. If you look closely enough, you will see that I am in almost all of the beach photos, but I appear as a speck in the distance. We hiked the same trail out and then walked to Maguey Beach. Huatulco has wide sidewalks along its main roads for safe walking. This pretty little bay is well protected, offering easy snorkeling and calm water so inviting it even managed to lure Lisa. Two more beaches brought our total to seven, but we had long ago lost track of the total number of tacos consumed! Observation #4: Lime goes with everything!!! On the 19th, we walked to Chahue Beach again. This time I went in the water and we explored the breakwater pier. We experienced a tsunami evacuation drill while replenishing our beer, papaya, and cake stores at the supermarket. On the 20th, we took a taxi to another trailhead so we could walk the ten minutes to Organo Bay. We discovered that MANY turtles had nested on the beach the night before. I did some more snorkeling and we shared the beach with just two other couples. Eventually a boat arrived with a family, but by then we were ready to push on. We hiked the same trail out and then began the walk to La Entraga. Google Maps had incorrectly positioned the trail, so once again, our walk was considerably longer than anticipated. In contrast to the other beaches, La Entraga is always busy. There are several restaurants on the small beach, safe calm water, and the best snorkeling I experienced in Huatulco. The 21st was the only full day in Huatulco when we didn't go to a beach, choosing instead to shop at both supermarkets, wander the tourist market, and explore the nearby downtown streets. That evening, our room lost power at 7:35, so we were allowed to sleep in a different room with working air-conditioning. The power had been restored by 9:35am, so we moved back into our original room before heading to Santa Cruz once again for the Saturday morning market since it had already been a full week since our first visit. Today would be my third and final time enjoying the sand and waters of Playa Santa Cruz. Observation #5: Mexican food is tasty, but it is not varied. After a week of Mexican food for every meal, I was happy to order a special of the day that featured lentil soup and schnitzel. We reached our first stop on the 23rd, Arrocito Bay, by cab. I went for a quick swim in this small bay. We walked 36 minutes to Playa Tangolunda, where many of the all-inclusive resorts and bigger hotels are located. At the end of the beach, I climbed over some rocks to access pretty Playa Rinconcito Sabroso, a bonus beach for our tally! That brought us to twelve different beaches in ten days (only nine full days). Observation #6: In Mexico, mangoes fall from the heavens and land at your feet, free for the taking. On our last full day in Huatulco, we made our third and final trek to Chahue Beach. Of note, for much of the day, the entire region suffered a water supply issue that resulted in no water to flush toilets. We bought breakfast from a moving cart vendor several times, having learned her delivery schedule early in our holiday. When unavailable, we'd get egg tacos from "Street Tacos" for breakfast. We also frequented our favourite dinner spot, Taqueria Los Parados, for delicious, affordable fish and shrimp tacos. We finished our vacation having enjoyed twelve different beaches, two of them three times, during our eleven night stay. On the 25th, our journey home began... We flew to Mexico City and rushed to our connecting gate. We needn't have. Along with eighteen others, we were not allowed to board the plane, despite having boarding passes and assigned seats. Instead, we were told that since temperatures on the tarmac had reached 28 degrees (which seems like a low threshold by Mexican standards), Aeromexico's small craft could not safely take off at full capacity. We were given a mitt-full of vouchers: one for an overnight stay at the airport hotel, three for our meals over the next 24 hours, and one each for $900 in credits towards future travel. The hotel was comfortable and offered plenty of food in exchange for the vouchers. Lisa took advantage of the gym, and we eventually arrived safely back at YVR 25 hours later than expected.
Our daily walks continue to take us throughout our community. We visited the Cowichan Bay Estuary, the beach at Cees & Miep Hof Park, and hiked up Cobble Hill Mountain three more times. As the weather eventually began to improve, flowers began to bloom and Lisa returned to cycling and tried rowing twice (including 2, 4, and 8 person boats) in different locations with private instruction. We introduced our neighbours, Christine and Sedona, to Bomford Beach and Tom Bannister Park. We continue to eat well, including two walks to Rob's Lighthouse Eatery for fish 'n' chips in the village. March was a busy month for sports. The World Baseball Classic was excellent; "March Madness" has been filled with upsets and provided lots of entertainment. Once the NHL playoffs were out of reach for the Canucks, they began playing much better and put together a string of wins. The Warriors continued to play well at home, but to struggle on the road. The UFC put on some big-time title fights as well. We watched another varied collection of movies this month. We watched twelve comedy specials. After finishing the entire "Breaking Bad" series in under two months, we began "Better Call Saul". We were happy that the long wait for the final season of "Ted Lasso" finally came to an end, and we continued to really enjoy the new series, "Shrinking". I always watch YouTube clips from several podcasts, but I watched more full episodes of some of my favourites this month. I read six more books in March.
We continue to walk daily, including three trips up Cobble Hill Mountain, a visit to Bright Angel Park, and the estuary in February. Much of the month was cold, with snow in the final week of February. Interestingly, some people have commented that we eat a lot of restaurant food because it's featured in my blog. This is a huge misconception as my blog features EVERY ordered meal we get because they are so few and far between. It's also important to note that we only get restaurant orders because Lisa's work meetings offer them as a perk. I am amused that when I've documented three take-away meals in a previous month, others don't seem to realize that means that Lisa has prepared the other 87 meals herself. Clearly the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl was the highlight of February sports. Sadly Canucks fans are no longer sure whether to cheer for our occasional wins or hope we "tank for Bedard". We watched a wide range of movies this month. We completed "Peaky Blinders", so we began "Breaking Bad". So far we're enjoying the new program "Shrinking". I read six novels in February.
A BIG birthday is as good an excuse as any to eat well and travel. We spent most of the month away from home, with short visits to the Lower Mainland bookending a holiday in Belize to celebrate my 50th birthday. (I posted several blog entries documenting our travels.) We visited my mom for the first time since she moved into Langley Lodge; the transition has gone as well as could be hoped. I belatedly constructed a gingerbread house with Annika and opened my birthday cards. We took samosas and birthday cake to supplement lunch at Dad's, then visited with Karyn and Jessica while watching Avery play lacrosse. We celebrated "Everyone's Birthday" with Auntie Janet and June. I watched NFL conference championship football with Karyn, who thoughtfully baked me another birthday cake. Then we returned safely to our home on the island before it snowed to end the month. The IIHF World Junior Championship tournament provided well-contested, drama-filled games, suspenseful entertainment, and a perfect conclusion, as the Canadian squad avenged their opening game loss with a victory over Czechia in the gold-medal Final. Since we were away from home, we watched fewer films than usual. We watched three good television series, and tried one poor one. I read five books, and listened to one more, in January.
Two months after booking our return airfare for Belize, but still five months before our trip, United cancelled our return flight. By then I'd already booked all eight of our accommodations, the corresponding transfers, and our tours, so accepting their offer of a refund was not a good option, especially since alternative flights had doubled in price. Instead, we had to accept a double-connection option that added ten hours of travel time to our return leg, mostly in the Portland airport. I asked for some food vouchers due to the extended delay and inconvenience; the United agent complied. We enjoyed Chinese food in the Houston airport and packed our sandwiches to be eaten later while in the Portland airport. It's shocking how quickly $60 of credit is spent. Surprisingly, we both managed to get some sleep while sprawled across several chairs in the quiet Portland airport while waiting seven hours for a one hour morning flight to Vancouver. The Musqueam Welcome Area always greets us upon our return to YVR.
We took an earlier ferry to Caye Caulker than originally planned, then walked a short distance along the beach to our hotel. Within about 200 metres of walking, we already knew that we preferred it to San Pedro. Since booking a room at Coconut Beach Caye Caulker, it has flip-flopped between names and it's unclear whether or not its currently operating under the name Popeye's Beach Condos/Resort.
We found our way around the island... Once again, we walked a lot, checking out all of the local food options and taking in the island's sights. Caye Caulker's motto is "Go Slow", and that's pretty much the entire reason to go there. With its sandy streets, colourful paint, and swaying palms, it has a laidback beachy vibe and little else. Lisa discovered "Dee n D's" on the 'lagoon' side and we ended up enjoying two sunsets and two dinners there. The first night we enjoyed a veggie dish, shrimp skewers, and Cuba Libres. We experienced much hotter weather than expected while on Caye Caulker (32 "feels like" 37 degrees Celsius); we naturally slipped into a pattern of early to rise and early to bed with an afternoon siesta in between. Mornings took us to Auntie's for breakfast and cheap coffee, the bakery for cinnamon bread and cheese and onion rolls, and Errolyn's House of Fry Jacks where a bean stuffed fry jack is just 75 US cents. By day two, we already knew where to go for barbecue and Happy Hour. Lisa also found "Reina's" where we shared delicious Jerk Chicken (sweet and spicy with pineapple) and curry chicken our second night on the isle. It's amazing how quickly routines can be established. The main place to hang out is at the Lazy Lizard at The Split (where a hurricane divided the island in two). We returned to The Split over and over again. Caye Caulker was unsurprisingly our favourite stop in Belize. On our third and final evening on Caye Caulker, we returned to "Dee n D's" for more of their veggies and shrimp, and to compare their Jerk Chicken to that enjoyed the night before. We spent a final relaxing morning on Caye Caulker before taking the noon water-taxi service to Belize City.
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