Family reunion in South Africa

Almost since we left Grandpa Archi (Artur's dad), he asked us where we were going to be for the boys' birthdays, which are nine days apart. And we had trouble answering him because we literally had no idea or where we were going to be the next day. We knew that planning something in advance cut us the freedom to choose, but we were so eager to see them, and we knew that it would be magical for the kids to spend the family birthday.

The meeting point was going to be Cape Town in South Africa, so we already had a date and next destination after New Zealand. It took us a lot to say goodbye to everyone in New Zealand and we had a new continent, which we were dying to travel. What the grandparents were coming from, it was a birthday surprise for the boys, but it was we who were most eager to see them after so long. We wondered how the meeting was going to be, the faces of the boys when they saw them appear in surprise in South Africa. Beni meets Blas first, and he was super happy that his birthday was coming. We arrived a day earlier at the house with the longest jet lag we had. The next day, they rang the bell and the boys went to open the door to meet Archi and Jan in surprise, everyone's faces, an immense joy to see them and to share a few days together. It was as if we had seen them yesterday, as if time had not passed, a super nice feeling.

We visited Cape Point. We walked a lot, but it was worth it.

But the surprise did not end here, at night when the boys went to sleep, they told me that someone else was visiting. Someone else? Who could come to visit so far? Uncle Black! Artur's younger brother had decided to take his vacation and was also visiting. An absolute happiness So the next morning, another bell and it was Uncle Black! The boys were happy, we had an amazing time, we did a lot of programs and it was divine to spend family time, a unique experience. And celebrate their birthdays all together, a unique gift.

Celebrating Blas's birthday.

It was difficult the day they left, but we were returning to our traveling life and the next destination was the Garden Route. This was my third time in South Africa, the first one had come with my family and I remember feeling the same as I feel here today, this is a place where I could live. The second time I came with Sofi, my soul friend, on the way to a six-month trip through India, so I lived this place differently. And this time, with this crazy family, another different experience.

We rented a car and started our tour. It was the first time since we started that we were going to do a longer road trip, and it was wonderful. This country has movie landscapes, beaches that became my favorites, and people who became unforgettable people.

Looking at the zebras from the car window.

Spending a whole day with the boys discovering animals in their natural habitat, was something unique. We don't like zoos, nor see animals locked up. We travel through many places where we saw them locked up and where we walked on an elephant, and we felt horrible, so we learned that if we want to see an animal, it will be in its natural habitat, where they belong. And wow! Seeing them there by the side, or discovering them behind the trees, seeing the heads of the giraffes in the distance and slowly approaching us to look at us from above so close, for all it was a unique experience.

In Stellenbosh, visiting the vineyards.

We found a magical family in Jeffreys Bay, of those who don't know why, they make their own family right away. We live a few days in a tee pee (large Indian style tent), which they rented in their garden, we ended up returning to settle for a while. Again, a time to decant, think, write and be.

Beni and James, in front of the tee pee where we stayed at Jeffreys Bay.

The beach is one block from the house, it is one of the perfect beaches for surfing, the boys are covered with rocks to climb and I am writing by the sea, watching dolphins playing in the distance. This will be our house for a while.