Waka Waka

Long time, no update - but it isn't for a lack of activity, we've just been busy wrapping up our time in Africa!

After spending some amazing, much-needed time in Kokstad readjusting to life in civilization, we headed to Worcester for the weekend via a 30 hour bus ride. It was well worth it though - the city is in the heart of wine country, nestled in gorgeous mountains and full of history. True to fashion, we met some more amazing, incredibly hospitable people and genuinely enjoyed our time there. We were able to visit some local museums, learn a lot about the wine and brandy making processes, and even saw a couple movies. Ironically, David and I had never been to a movie in a theater together until we came to Africa.

The final leg to our South African adventure has been the Cape Town area. Through a lot of crazy connections that only God has the creativity and sense of humor to come up with, we met up with "Small Paul" and his family and have been staying with them in Muizenberg for our last week here. To say that they have been generous and welcoming and amazing in every way would be a huge understatement and we are so thankful for people like them who have made our time here so great. Paul and his wife, Vicki, are Americans living in Muizenberg where they have a chalk art ministry called Drawing Others to Christ. This concept was new to me but we went to watch him "preach" at a church on Sunday night and were blown away by his talent and stage presence - he is so creative and has such an artistic gift. You can read more about his family and ministry at their website, see some of his art, or watch videos of his "chalk talks" here.

We've been total tourists in Cape Town, complete with fanny pack (thanks Sarah, Paddy Patagonia has been a lifesaver!) and have pretty much seen and done it all. We've been to Table Mountain, the District Six Museum, the Slave Church Museum, [window]shopped at the Waterfront, learned about Nelson Mandela and apartheid, seen seals and African Penguins in Simon's Town, watched surfers in Muizenberg and fishermen in St. James. We've also had our fill of the local flava' and tried everything from bokkom (salted, dried fish) fresh from the Indian Ocean to wild game (alligator, ostrich, kudu, springbok, warthog, etc.) to legit Middle Eastern food (shwarmas, naan, masala dosa and tandoori chicken) and Romany Cream milkshakes.

It has been a crazy trip, and I can't believe that we are flying out of South Africa this afternoon. After being gone from the US since September, there is a lot that I am looking forward to seeing and doing again but our time here has been amazing and this is a trip I will definitely never forget.

So "sala kakuhle", "totsiens" and "goodbye" South Africa. See you again soon!