Cape Town – Sunday

Sunday was an easy day for us in Cape Town. We didn’t have plans to be anywhere at a specific time so we had a slow morning which was nice. We have to have a covid test to fly back to Luanda so once we were dressed we headed to a testing site we had registered at earlier. It was a little strange as the pop-up testing center was right next to a rugby field, but it worked out. Shirley, our airbnb host who has been an absolute gem, said she would print out the results once they were emailed to us.

From the covid test we headed to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. I was a little unsure of this stop. I had read it was a great spot, but the kids were already complaining about going. It was hot. They were hungry. Lucy asked why I planned the trip to “only do the things you (meaning me) wanted to do.” I kept my cool although I wanted to scream at how lucky they were to be in CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA and to get it together! I told Jordan that first thing we were doing once we arrived was heading to the restaurant to eat in hopes my children would have full bellies and, in turn, have grateful hearts. I’m so glad we went directly to the restaurant as we snagged the last table before a huge crowd showed up. The food was much better than I was anticipating. Once the kids were fed and happy we headed off.

I’m certain we only saw a small section of the botanical gardens, but what we saw was amazing! The kids ran along the paths, climbed trees and took photos. We did a tree canopy walk. When we had to leave the kids didn’t want to go. Hudson said “this is a definitely a place I want to come back to the next time we are in Cape Town” and Lucy later apologized for saying I only planned things I wanted to do since “the gardens were amazing.” In hindsight, I’m really glad I kept my cool because having them come to those realizations on their own probably made more of an impact than me ranting and raving about how entitled they were acting when they were complaining about having to go there.

We headed back to our airbnb for a couple of hours. We have been on the go and we all needed some downtime. I finished a book. The kids did stuff on their iPads. I really have no idea what Jordan does when we all zone out. I should ask him.

Once we were sufficiently recharged we headed to the grocery store to load up on some goodies to take back to Luanda. We bought snacks, baking mixes, chocolates, nuts (nuts are SO expensive in Luanda), and a few gluten free options. After we put the groceries in the car, I ran to a store nearby and grabbed a swimsuit cover up and a hat. The sun in Angola is incredibly strong and I need to have a hat on most of the time I walk outside, but my hats are…. you guessed it… in our shipment. Now I’m prepared for more pool days in Luanda and our trip in April.

Another Chevron family was in town and we had plans to meet up at a brewery. They got there first, and said the food looked terrible. The location seemed terrible, too. It was in some sort of cruise terminal. We picked them up in our rental car (that seats seven) and headed to what we thought was another beer centric restaurant. Upon further reflection, I’m fairly certain it was a bar. We were there early enough that no one else was really there so we grabbed a couple of beers, some burgers and enjoyed the company. The area was really picking up when we left and I’m sure it looked a little funny when we strolled out of The Beer House with four kids in tow.

We made it back to our lovely house and settled in for the night. Tomorrow is our last full day in Cape Town and while I’m looking forward to getting back into my routine, I am also already counting the days until we can come back here. It has become one of my favorite cities!

Until next time…
Sarah