Links for All Posts for Our Second South Africa Adoption Trip

Just like the first go-round (though not daily this time), here are all of the days, linked up for your convenience. Thanks again for reading this portion of our story!

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Post 1: 3/14/22
This is not a drill!

Post 2: 3/31/22
We’re here and tired, but oh so excited!

Post 3: 4/1/22
Another day, another pothole

Post 4: 4/2/22
Tomorrow changes everything. Again.

Post 5: 4/3/22
Meeting our daughter and sister

Post 6: 4/4/22
Krispy Kreme and some snails…YUM!

Post 7: 4/5/22
Tic-Tac-Toe and Hugs All Around

Post 8: 4/6/22
We’ve Gone to the Birds!

Post 9: 4/7/22
Introducing Phindile (Phindi) Ann Malcolm

Post 10: 4/10/22
The Past Few Days

Post 11: 4/16/22
Some Lions and a Giraffe Named Zöe

Post 12: 4/20/22
Load Shedding is My Nemesis.

Post 13: 4/27/22
A Week in the Life of the Malcolms in Somerset West

Post 14: 5/10/22
Mother’s Day

Post 15: 5/23/22
Nana’s Visit

Post 16: 6/12/22
What We’ve Been Up To

Post 17: 6/18/22
When Worlds Collide in South Africa

Post 18: 6/29/22
The Final Step Before Home

Post 19: Coming soon!

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You can find a similar post with links to all of our posts from our 2016 trip to South Africa here.

Nana's Visit

My mom and I

Last week, the Malcolm family welcomed my mom to South Africa! My dad was unable to come due to his work schedule, but they both decided that this was important and that my mom should still come to see us. She stayed with us for a week and we had a full, fun week!

Nana and the Grandkids in Stellenbosch

We spent a day walking around Stellenbosch, considered the Napa Valley of South Africa, although some might take offense as this area is much older than Napa! Stellenbosch is a beautiful town with restaurants, shops, and historical buildings, all reminiscent of a European village.

My favorite store in Stellenbosch and my sullen teenager in the background.

Mom at the bow of the ship

On Saturday, we went into Cape Town and went on a one hour boat ride. My mom and I rode at the front of the ship, which I am thankful for. I would have lost my breakfast many times over had I not seen the waves coming. It was like riding a rollercoaster going up each wave and dropping down, sometimes 10 feet! BLEH! After our boat ride, we got to walk around the Victoria and Albert Waterfront.

Phindi and Brian on a boat!

Our welcoming committee when we got back from the boat ride!

On top of Table Mountain!

On Sunday, we had planned to explore more of the Waterfront, but the weather was so wonderful and Table Mountain was so clear, we headed up the mountain and bought tickets for the rotating cable car up to the top. Our unplanned trip worked out smashingly! The weather was beautiful. It was cool, but not cold and the sun was shining—not a cloud in the sky. Because of said sun, I splurged and bought a Table Mountain hat and wore it on Table Mountain. I likened it to going to a concert and wearing a t-shirt with that band on your shirt. Generally frowned upon, but it was sunny and my eyes didn’t care about sensibilities.

There’s a post box at the top of Table Mountain. We bought some post cards and stamps to send some mail to family.

Cape Point, the south-western most point of Africa

Cape Point Light House and a LOT of stairs.

On Monday, we headed down the coast all the way to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. We made the trek up a lot of steps to the lighthouse on top of the mountain to see the view. Unfortunately, I can report that the views are actually better off to the side (and with only 5 or 6 steps to contend with). Also, there was a gal who was going nuts with her friends and taking photos while we were up there. She was doing a photo shoot and we didn’t even get see the entire area up top. sigh Tisetso did enjoy climbing on a large rock and acting like a model. (See below.)

My model child, Tisetso.

We did get to see some wild ostriches on the way to Cape of Good Hope!

Brian did not appreciate the spirit of the signage.

Phindi and the Penguins

Tisetso with a penguin (by his left ear). Also, he got a hair cut!

After the Capes, we headed up Seaforth Restaurant where the penguins are. We met up with Tahiyya and Dylan there so my mom could meet them. After a lovely lunch, we headed down to the beach. The beach has changed quite a lot since we were last there. When we last visited, the beach was a free-for-all. Penguins were everywhere. People were everywhere. This time, there were only about 7 or 8 penguins, a fence along the boulder area where the penguins were, and fewer people. We didn’t think we would see more than the few penguins from 20 feet away until three penguins (a parent and two adolescents) swam around the fence and waddled up to the beach where we were.

Parent on the left and kids on the right.

Mom and her map at Kirstenbosch

On Tuesday, we headed to the Waterfront for a little while and then went to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. It was beautiful! If you come to Cape Town, you’ll want to make a stop at the Gardens. I really enjoyed walking along the paths through the different gardens and seeing the flowers, plants, and trees native (and not native) to this area. My mom, a master gardener, loved every moment except for maybe my kids’ complaining about their tired legs. (Sorry, ma.)

The tree top canopy bridge was VERY wobbly and made me almost fall over at one point. I made the excuse to sit down and take this picture. Isn’t it nice?!

Me and my kids (!!!)

Vergelegen Lavender Gardens

Wednesday was a fun winery tour with my mom at Vergelegen. When you enter the estate, you have to pay a small fee to enter. I told the guard one adult ticket ($0.63) and one pensioner (old person) ($0.31). He laughed and charged me for two adults. I was robbed!

We got to tour their winery and have a delicious wine tasting. Along with wine, they also have gorgeous gardens. After the tour and tasting, we met up with Brian and the kids for a delicious lunch at their restaurant. When we were done there, my mom graciously helped us move to our new accommodations. (We have since moved out of the flat we were in and are now in a huge house.)

A view of Table Mountain from Victoria and Albert Waterfront

Thursday was a pretty low-key day. We spent the day packing and getting ready to send mom home again. It was such a fun week with her. The only way it could have been better was if my dad could have come with. We are so thankful to my mom and dad for sacrificing so much to make the trip possible. Love you, ma and pa!

Links for All of the Days We Were in South Africa

If for some crazy reason you find yourself wanting to read all of the days in order (bless you), here are all of the days, linked up for your convenience. Thanks for reading our story!

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Day 1: Pretoria

Day 2: Pretoria

Day 3: Pretoria

Day 4: Pretoria

Day 5: Pretoria

Day 6: Pretoria

Day 7: Pretoria

Day 8: Pretoria

Day 9: Centurion

Day 10: Centurion

Day 11: Centurion

Day 12: Centurion

Day 13: Centurion

Day 14: Centurion

Day 15: Centurion

Day 16: Centurion and Atteridgeville

Day 17: Centurion

Day 18: Centurion and Strand

Day 19: Strand

Day 20: Strand

Day 21: Strand

Day 22: Strand and Cape Town

Day 23: Strand and Simon's Town

Day 24: Strand

Day 25: Strand

Day 26: Strand

Day 27: Strand

Day 28: Strand and Cape Town

Day 29: Strand and Khayelitsha

Day 30: Strand

Day 31: Strand and Cape Town

Day 32: Strand and Cape Town

Day 33: Strand and Cape Town

Day 34: Strand and Simon's Town

Day 35: Strand and Cape Town

Day 36: Strand and Cape Town

Day 37: Strand

Day 38: Strand and Khayelitsha

Day 39: Strand and Stellenbosch

Day 40: Strand, Cape Town, and Somerset West

Day 41: Strand, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Sandton

Day 42: Sandton

Day 43: Sandton, Pretoria, and Centurion

Day 44: Sandton

Day 45: Sandton

Day 46: Sandton

Day 47: Sandton and Johannesburg

Day 48: Sandton, Pretoria, and Johannesburg

Day 49: London, Chicago, and Home

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You can find a summary of our Time in South Africa here, and a post about our pre-South Africa adventure in London here.

South Africa: Day 39, Strand and Stellenbosch

Saturday, February 13

We woke up anxious to see how Tisetso was feeling after the scare we had last night with his leg pain. Thankfully, he said he was doing ok and only woke up once with some pain. With Tisetso feeling ok, we decided to go to Stellbosch for the Slow Market, which came recommended by our agency.

On our way to Stellenbosch, Brian made a pit stop at the rental place so we could pay for the extra days in our flat. While Brian was in the office, Tisetso and I stayed in the car and had a heart to heart. The topic? If you were any animal, which animal would you be? I told him I’d be a dolphin so I could swim around and explore shipwrecks. Tisetso said he would be Ben 10. This kid. What superhero would you be? “Batman!” (At least he got that one right.) Unfortunately, Brian was unable to pay for the apartment as our realtor wasn’t there and the employee who was there didn’t know how to use a credit card machine. ( . . . ) We would have to go back on Monday before leaving to pay.

We headed to Stellenbosch, which was a beautiful drive! We were on the other side of the mountains we had been taking pictures of for the past few weeks. There were lots of wineries along the way. Stellenbosch is basically the Napa Valley of Africa. We passed at least 20 along our route. It was a fun drive with a lot to look at. 

You know you're doing something right when the hashtag is Foodie Heaven.

We got to the Slow Market without any hitch. Our plan was to get a late breakfast / early lunch while there. It was really nice. There was a good mixture of art vendors, food stands, and entertainment. One of the best forms of entertainment we found was an oriental rug auction. The auctioneer was sitting up front with what appeared to be a karaoke machine and had the microphone turned to the echo setting, so everything he said was really echo-y. He was also the worst auctioneer ever. He was saying how people could purchase the rug for R5000 (about $250) today and sell it for R10,000 tomorrow. He then moved from speaking into the microphone to yelling at the audience at how dumb they were for not buying the rug. Then (back into the microphone), he announced that the rug was worth at least $16,000 and this was the best deal they were going to find in their lifetime. It was very entertaining.

With the entertainment finished, we got about to the task of lunch. We found a samosas place and grabbed a few of those. After insisting he didn’t want any, Tisetso proceeded to steal my chicken samosa. *sigh* After that, we found a place with a fun sampler platter with chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and cheese and steak croquettes. It was a good way to try a few things. We got Tisetso to try one of the beignets with jam, which he surprisingly liked. 

We walked around the rest of the market and found a gift we needed. That was a win. Tisetso’s mood seemed to be deteriorating rapidly, so we decided to call it a day. Once again, the ride back was gorgeous. It was a perfect day with sunshine and white, fluffy clouds floating around. Come to think of it, we’ve not had any bad days here. We’ve had some hot one or windy ones, but not bad.

This old Merc pulled in and I had to get a shot!

After we got back, I really needed a break. Tisetso’s mood had been pretty flatlined for most of the morning and, after several days of it directed towards me, I decided to go to the tidal pools by myself. It was a good break. If you know me at all, you know I love nature. This had my nature meter pegged. It was nice to get outside and to explore without my kid wanting to go back and play Lego. It was the best of both worlds. I got to be in nature and he got to play Legos. 

The Krusty Krab.

I got pretty far out!

Tisetso had found one of my headbands. While I was at the tidal pools, Tisetso worked on using up his stickers.

After my break and a resting time for Tisetso, we headed to the mall. Because the exchange rate is bonkers right now, I really wanted to get some clothes shopping in. I was able to get two organic cotton shirts for the price of Gap Outlet shirts. It was pretty great. Brian and Tisetso went to the stationery store to purchase some pens (for Brian’s work). When we were all done, Tisetso requested pizza for supper. We obliged and headed to Romans Pizza again. With two pizzas in hand, we finished our day out by wrapping up Robin Hood. It was a low key way to end a slightly frustrating day.