My Vacation to South Africa (Part 2- The Amazing Details of the Trip)

I can’t even begin to describe how great of an experience this trip was!

Growing up as a small-town kid, I honestly thought that I would never leave the United States or Canada. I was perfectly content with the little bit of traveling across the United States that I occasionally did to visit friends or for work. I thought that maybe one day I would go to Europe but that was doubtful.

Well… God works in mysterious ways and the next thing that I know, I am boarding a plane for a 15-hour flight to Cape Town, South Africa and I am so thankful for that!

The trip to South Africa was to visit a friend from church who lived there. A friend and I decided that it was a good opportunity to visit a close friend and enjoy a nice vacation at the same time.

We left Erie on the morning of February 25th. We drove to Dulles International Airport in Washington. After a couple hour delay, our flight took off for Cape Town. As someone who hadn’t been on a flight longer than 3 hours, the thought of spending 15 hours on a plane was very daunting but the flight went pretty well. This was my first international flight and I certainly was amazed by the size of the Boeing 787 plane!

We arrived in Cape Town in the evening of Sunday February 26th. We met with our friend and her family and then went to some local relatives of theirs where we stayed for the next few days. Our next two days were spent exploring all that Cape Town had to offer including Table Mountain, Franschhoek Motor Museum, several wineries and breweries, ocean front dining and the shopping mall (for the girls of course!).

After two full days in the Cape Town area, we embarked on an across the country drive to the Johannesburg area. We took advantage of some of the farmer’s stalls along the way as well as a stop for breakfast in Matjiesfontein. We spent a night at the Van Zylsvlei B&B. These accommodations made for a great evening and my first night of good sleep of the trip as I finally adjusted to the time change. The rondawel thatched rooms were excellent accommodations. We enjoyed a dinner on site that included my first introduction to pumpkin fritters and malva pudding. Love at first sight!

Our second day of the drive across South Africa brought us to our friend’s farm in the Johannesburg/ Middelburg area. We spent 2 days on their family farm enjoying some delicious home cooked meals (including more of those delicious pumpkin fritters).

After a couple days on their family farm we drove to a friend of their family’s game camp in the Bushveld area. What a place to spend the last few days of our trip. We spent a lot of time there cruising around looking at wildlife. We even managed to get stuck on one of the trips which led to an unexpected walk at sunset that will serve as a lifelong memory. When we weren’t out cruising around, we spent a lot of time enjoying some much-needed relaxation as well as eating a lot of delicious meals, including more of that malva pudding! This time was probably the first time where I truly have relaxed in my adult life and was so refreshing.

After a few days in the Bushveld, we made our way to the Johannesburg airport for our return flight home. Our flight home included a connection in London. After the 15-hour flight to South Africa, the 10-hour flight to London and 8-hour flight from London to Washington seemed so easy! By the time we arrived back to Erie, we had spent about 45 hours traveling since we left the Bushveld camp. But the travel over the past two weeks was certainly worth it for all of the memories made!

I spent a lot of the flight home thinking back on the trip and just how amazing it is that I even went on this trip, and I just couldn’t help but to be overwhelmed by the goodness of God. From the stirring in my heart over two years ago to find a Christian community, to the friendships that were worth traveling across the world for, to the way the logistics of the trip just fell into place to the time spent on the trip embracing the company and marveling over God’s great creation, it’s just so evident how great our God is. I am so grateful for the trip and how God continues to work in my life.

A close family friend summed it up best with her comment on my Facebook post sharing pictures of the trip, “your smiles say it all”. Just a wonderful experience that I can’t help but smile when I think about it!