HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARCHA!

  HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!

I can't believe you're almost 73 already. Like when I was in grade 2, we made that summer of 69 video and that doesn't even feel that long ago. You've taught me three valuable life lessons: 

1. How to cut kiribath 

2. How to make orange juice with your blender 

3. You taught me how to play tennis

Happy birthday!

 

Switzerland: Exploring the Kunsthaus

  

Jun 1, 2025 - My family had planned a month long trip to Africa. From Vancouver, this required a layover in Zurich. When we stepped off the plane, I was jetlagged as hell. All I wanted to do was sleep. But for some reason, I couldn’t. I tried on the train to the city but no luck.

Eventually we made it to our first stop: the Kunsthaus art gallery. We had lunch there but my appetite was smaller than momma’s phone. The art was good though. My favourite part of it was this room with a beanbag and a boombox playing scary music. I think I might've even fallen asleep for a few minutes there.

Then we left and checked out out a church. Nothing too interesting there. But then we had to deal with the most horrible, dreaded, demonic thing: THE NEXT FLIGHT!

P.S. We bought Swiss army knives, which were useful for later to open a bag of something but I don't remember what.

South Africa: My Southernmost Adventure

 --- Tugela Falls Hike --- 

Jun 2, 2025 - After an 11 hour flight from Zurich, we finally arrived in Johannesburg then rented a Toyota Scarlet Cross. We drove to the Drakensberg Range and found our hotel. It was extremely cold. We just relaxed, had dinner there, and prepared for our big hike tomorrow. 

The next morning, we had an early breakfast to take a 4x4 shuttle from the hotel to the Sentinal Peak Car park (trailhead). Our Scarlet Cross wasn't built for the rough road we were taking. The truck was really big, and the drive was really bumpy and I was paranoid that I was gonna hit my head on one of the big metal poles that was right next to me. But finally, we arrived. 

The hike started up a long set of switchbacks to a junction. We could either go up a boulder-filled gully or continue to traverse along the base of some cliffs and climb up a set of chain ladders leading to the top of the Lesotho Escarpment. We chose the chain ladders because they seemed really cool and another group of hikers took the gully so we wanted to avoid rockfall from above. They were kinda scary at first but once I got used to them, climbing them were no problem. We had made it to the plateau!

We walked to a lookout at the head of Tugela Falls, the second tallest waterfall in the world, and had lunch there. But my dad (Bob) decided to go an extra TWO KILOMETRES TO GO TEN METERS INTO LESOTHO JUST TO ADD TO HIS COUNTRY COUNT!! My mom, brother (Chubbs) and I  turned back because it was too far. I was a little worried because it was 1:00 PM and we needed to get back by 3:30 PM to catch the Shuttle back to the hotel. Bob returned from his ridiculous side quest around 1:30 PM so we had to go fast. Bob couldn’t run because the Comrades ultra marathon that he had trained for was in a few days, so we were screwed. At 3:15 PM, I ran ahead with my brother because we had 1 kilometre to go to the truck, and we weren’t gonna make it. We made it to the truck with minutes to spare. But the driver said he waits no matter what, so I wasted all of that energy for nothing. Crap.

---  Lower Drakensburg ---

The next day, we drove down to the Drakensberg valley bottom and found our lodge. There were no heaters and the only way to heat up the lodge was to burn wood. Bob didn’t want to do that because it’s bad for air quality. He was paranoid about getting sick before his big race. To be honest, it wasn’t that cold. He was overreacting. Bob didn’t want to hang out in the “freezing cold lodge” so we went on a short hike. It was 5 km return along the Tugela River. We went back to the lodge and a funny thing happened. The receptionist was sitting at the bar and when she saw us, she said hello and I did that head raise rizz thing.

--- Durban ---

The next morning, we drove to out hotel in Durban. It was called Blue Waters Hotel but it was more of a resort. When we walked in, the first thing we saw was a slushy machine and a table full of assorted cakes. So off to a good start. We found our room, which was huge and had a giant sofa, so we just relaxed for the rest of the day.

The next morning, we went to Bob's race expo. It was extremely crowded. We walked around a bit and eventually, we found Bob. Then we walked around some more and Bob found this guy selling anti-cramp stuff and they started talking. FOR HOURS.

That’s what it felt like. Chubbs and I found this cool sand art thing. We did it while Bob and that guy were talking. When they finally stopped (2025), we left and went to a lighthouse. It was kinda boring. BUT I TOUCHED THE INDIAN OCEAN!!!!!

The next day, we went to Ushaka Marine World. We saw huge sharks that looked like they could eat a whole cow in one bite. We looked at the fish for a bit then had lunch. After lunch, we went to a dolphin show where the dolphins did all sorts of tricks like backflips, then we took and Uber back to the hotel. We wanted to go to the pool but some couple decided to go ahead and get married, and OF COURSE they had to use the pool room. Did they even think about the inconvenience for everyone else? We couldn’t do anything, so we went back to the room.

--- Comrades Day ---

The next morning, we went down to breakfast and the wedding was finally over so the pool was open! We went right away. After that, we had lunch with Natalie and went to the race finish. It was the most crowded place I’ve been in my life. I only had 3 panic attacks. Eventually we found Bob helping some guys put up a crowd-control fence that had fallen, then we all walked back to the hotel. Bob's friend, Alan, was cramping a lot so we went slow.

I thought about that time when we were in the Zurich Art Gallery and Bob shouted to momma from across the room, “Schatzie, I love this place!”  while unbeknownst to him, there were twenty other museum guests in the room. That was funny. We finally made it to the hotel and just decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant because it was easier than walking any further with my gimpy dad. The next day, we Ubered to the airport and flew to Cape Town. 

--- Cape Town ---

Once we arrived, we rented a car and drove to our hotel. There was a café nearby so we had lunch there. I had the best toasty (grilled cheese) I've ever had in my life. There was a playground one block away with some really long monkey bars, but I couldn't do them because they were too low. Then Chubbs found this baby and started doing tricks for it. He really liked that! After that, the baby left and we drove up Signal Hill to see Lion's Head mountain at sunset. It was wondrous! For dinner, we went to this cool place called Mama Africa. There was live music, face painting, drumming, and more stuff! My favourite part was eating zebra. I was really surprised that it was good!

The next day, we went to Boulders Beach near Simon's Town and saw some African Penguins! There were so many. Chubbs was in a bad mood, so we took a few more pictures and left. It was getting late, so we found a buffet restaurant nearby. I had the best butter chicken I ate in my entire life. Then we came back and went to bed.  

 

--- The Garden Route ---

We then drove south from Cape Town to Cape Agulhas, the southern most point on the tip of Africa. I saw the Indian Ocean to the left and the South Atlantic Ocean to the right. It was cool knowing they were both there but it was impossible to tell them apart so we kinda got scammed. After checking out the cape we drove to stay at a nice hotel in Struisbaai.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel. The pancakes were amazing but there were ants in the syrup! So, I didn't have that. After that, we did the four-hour drive along The Garden Route to Botlierskop Game Reserve and had lunch there. While we waited for our food, Chubbs and I went down to a hammock right by the restaurant. We had battles there. Eventually we ended up with Silas crying just as we were about to start our animal safari. He stopped soon though. The guide took us to his Land Cruiser. His name was Alex and he gave us a quick safety briefing then we were on our way. First we started with the wildebeest. They kind of looked like moose without antlers. Alex pointed out a darker wildebeest and he said that was a special variant. Then we went to the next animal. It was the rhino. It was huge! He was just slowly walking by and eventually passed us, then we moved on.

After that, we drove to a giraffe carcass. He had been killed just that morning. We left quickly though because another guide spotted two cheetahs! They were being trained because their momma had been eaten by a lion. Eventually they could hunt and survive on their own! We spotted one’s tail but they were in the bushes and it was hard to see them. We took some photos and then another group came so we left. Then we drove to a pond where a hippo lived. It was hard to see him because he was surrounded by bushes. After a few minutes of looking at him, we moved on to our snack spot. Everyone went to pee but not me! My bladder had zero urine in there! After that, we got snacks and drinks and found out that the other guys in our tour were also from Vancouver! Bob talked with them, and we saw some giraffes!

I think they were my favourite. It would have been the cheetahs, but we couldn't really see them. On the way back, Alex spotted elephants walking up a road in the distance. He said it was too dangerous to go close as night was falling, so we looked with his binoculars then we started heading back. On the way back, we saw a porcupine who scampered across the road. He was really fast and it was dark so I couldn't really see him. Soon we arrived back at the lodge, tipped Alex and left.

The next day, we went to Monkeyland. We were greeted by a lemur as soon as we walked in. His eyes were so orange! The tour guide took us to the entrance and we were off! We saw a bunch more lemurs and some small monkeys called squirrel monkeys. We could play with them for a bit and we then saw a big Indian monkey (Grey Langur)!! Bob was throwing a stick to him and he caught it! But the guide said not to do it. We then saw a spider monkey up in the trees. It was kind of hard to see him, but he was big. Then we crossed the bridge and on the other side we saw more lemurs. There weren't that many monkeys after that, so we kept walking to the exit. 

Next up, we went to Birds of Eden. Right at the start of the walk, there were a bunch of birds that I couldn't identify but were cool. Then we saw an aggressively clingy cockatoo on a fence and it followed us around until the exit. We eventually came to a bridge and there were some colourful birds right there, so we took pictures of them then crossed the bridge. I pranced along it! We then saw some cool flamingos with long necks and even a Canada Goose! Then we walked to the exit and there was a family of Indians (Indians are epic)!!!!

 

We got snacks then left... or we tried to leave. That cockatoo who was stalking us outside a building trapped us inside, preventing us from exiting! So we had to trick him by running to one side of the building and he went to that side then we ran to the other side and left. 

We then drove to a trailhead for the Otter Trail in the Garden Route National Park. We had to cross a small river to get there formed by tidal water entering a lake off a beach. Bob carried me and Chubbs across and Mumma walked across. But she said the tide would go too high and we wouldn't make it back across on our return journey. So Bob carried me and Chubbs back and Mama walked back. Bob left to go on the hike and Chubbs, Mumma and I just played in the sand. Twenty minutes later, we heard Bob shout, and he was at the top of a ridge overlooking the ocean! He took some photos (I think), came back down, then we all went back to the hotel.

--- Relaxing Day ---

This day was all about relaxing. We got up, had breakfast, and went to the beach. We played in the sand for a bit and Chubbs used a net to find shells. Bob was sitting in his room on the toilet playing chess. A few years later, he came down and joined us on the beach until he just started playing chess again. Except this time, he was using data instead of hotel Wi-Fi. Eventually we walked back to the hotel room and had lunch. Mama and Chubbs went back to the beach, Bob “edited his photos” and I journaled. Then we went out for ice cream. And that was the day!

--- Table Mountain Hike ---

The next morning, we checked out and drove back to Cape Town. Then we hiked up Table Mountain along the Platteklip Gorge route. It was short and steep and SOO windy at the top. We walked to a viewpoint at the top of the flat summit area then took a rotating gondola down. Then we drove away into the sunset.

Namibia: Sand, Sun, and Springbok

 --- Namib Dessert ---

Jun 16, 2025 - After touring around South Africa, we flew from Cape Town to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. We rented a Toyota Fortuner 4x4 and a guy told us everything about the car (spare tire, car jack, etc). Apparently 90% of Namibia's roads are unpaved and Bob had planned a bunch of off-road driving. It was really hot outside during the lecture and I wanted to get going but I guess you gotta know your stuff driving around here.

We drove to our hotel, which was quite nice and even had a mini golf course! Although it was cool having it right outside our door, it only had three holes, all on one tiny turf square. The next morning, we checked out and drove to our first desert lodge. For a three-person suite, it was massive. It could probably fit up to 16 people and maybe a few pets. Bob had trouble checking in because the staff thought Silas would drown in 2-foot-deep wading pool near the entrance. I mean a frickin' baby could probably stand up in there without even getting water above their neck. So, then they called the director of the hotel and after a discussion over this ridiculous topic, the receptionist finally said Silas could go. 

We then spent the afternoon figuring out what we do for dinner. We eventually said Bob and I would go to a restaurant nearby and momma and Chubbs would go to the buffet included with our reservation. Bob and I had a wondrous chicken schnitzel. He got some tips from the staff about driving to the Deadvlei sand dunes before sunrise. We decided Bob would camp in the national park, sleeping in the Toyota, and the rest of us would stay at the lodge. Early the next morning, momma, Chubbs and I would walk through the national park gate, meet Bob, then drive to the dunes together. But the next morning, we slept through our alarm so had to rush. Bob came and picked us up and we sped through the national park in the dark, hoping to get to the trailhead before sunrise. 

We eventually arrived at the start of a sandy 4x4 track leading to the Deadvlei parking lot. There was an entire area for people deflating and inflating their tires because on the sand dunes, you need to air down your tires to get traction. But because we were racing sunrise, we didn't have time to deflate our tires! Bob drove as fast as he could so that we wouldn't sink into the sand and get stuck. We were tossed around like we were biking down a boulder field!

--- Deadvlei ---

Deadvlei is quite an interesting place. It used to have a flowing river but it got blocked by dunes nine hundred years ago. Because of this, the trees could not decompose because it was too dry. They are black because they have been scorched by the intense desert sun. The dunes around Deadvlei looked huge and the trees looked even darker when they weren’t lit up by the sun. Chubbs found a cool spot nearby where there were these rocks that could crumble in your hands when you applied very little force. We threw them all over the place without even getting five looks that said: "How the hell are your parents raising you?" Then after demolishing one of the most attractive tourist attractions, we climbed up Big Daddy Dune like we totally haven't destroyed the most ancient exotic place. The start of the hike was hard and steep, but the middle of it was easy.

After around an hour or so, we made it to the top of the dune! We had a snack and then after getting some sand blown into my mouth, we ran down and Bob took some videos. I didn't want to go down fast because I wanted to enjoy it. You don't run down a dune in Deadvlei very often you know! We saw a bunch of bugs and lizards on the way down. When we made it to the bottom, my shoes were entirely filled with sand. After I poured half of Hawaii out of them, we went back to the car.

--- Walvis Bay ---

The next day, we checked out of the hotel and drove to a town called Solitaire and looked at some rusted cars. We took some funny pictures that looked like old school rock covers. Then we got a snack and left.

Hours later, we arrived in Walvis Bay and looked at some cool flamingos near the shore. They were bigger than I expected. After looking at them, we went to our hotel. We didn’t want to have dinner there because the rating for the restaurant wasn’t that good, so we went to a German restaurant nearby. I got some prawns which were really good but kinda hard to open. Eventually I figured it out.

--- Sandwich Harbor Safari ---

The next day, we did a guided dune safari to Sandwich Harbor. Our driver’s name was Nico and he was pretty good. Along the way, we stopped to see the flamingoes again. Unfortunately I slipped on a rock trying to get closer to see them better and nearly broke my ass and my arm felt really weak. It really hurt. But we kept going and made it to the dunes! 

We made a bunch of stops to look at the dunes and Bob tried to take a picture of us but it was impossible to smile because the sun was directly in my eyes. My favourite part was lunch. Nico and another driver had packed tons of food! There were desserts and all sorts of fancy stuff. I tried some clams but they were way too salty for me. There were drinks as well and it was quite a challenge drinking and opening Sprite with my left hand. When everyone finished, we packed up and left. We said goodbye to Nico, got our bags and drove to the next desert lodge in Spitzkoppen.

Our bellhop, Zox, was a really friendly guy and took us and our bags to our room in a golf cart. For dinner, momma and Chubbs got takeout and Bob and I went to the restaurant. The food was amazing! I got this lemonade thing and it was WONDEROUS!! The first starter was olives, cheese, and a tortilla chip. The SECOND starter was a salad. I usually hate salad but this one was the best. Then the main arrived and it was so complex, I literally can’t describe it. Dessert was okay because it was cheesecake and it was a little too strong. The starters were my favourite. After we headed back to the lodge and because having a cricket-infested walk back there wasn't enough, we were greeted by a spider when we got back.

The next morning, Bob and Chubbs woke up early to go for a hike. I couldn’t because my arm still hurt from Walvis Bay. So, momma and I just hung out and went for a walk. There were so many crickets. We saw some zebra in the distance and took some pictures. I guess they got scared of us and they went away. We went to reception and picked up some lunch packets because there wasn't breakfast included there. We walked back to the room, and we ate them for breakfast. They weren't as good as last night's dinner though. Then Bob and Chubbs came back, we checked out a cool rock arch, then started the long drive to Etosha National Park to the north, near the border with Angola.

 

--- Etosha National Park ---

We were staying the Okakuejo Bush Chalet inside the park. Unfortunately the park gate closed at 5:00PM and we weren't going to make it. But the gate actually closed at 6:30PM. So we made it! As soon as we entered the park, there were two giraffes. We took pictures as we drove to the chalet.

The next day, we woke up early to drive through the park. We saw lots of Springbok at first and we were like, oh that's so cool, and an hour later, seeing them were like seeing bees in a beehive. Then we saw some zebras. There were a lot of them and Chubbs found this baby one that he really liked and wanted to have as his pet.

We then took a side road to see an animal watering hole, which was very dry and basically had nothing there. I ended up driving out of it. We made it out alive. We found some elephants and got super close but momma didn't really like them getting close. She also really needed to use a bathroom, which was located inside a secure fenced-off area to protect bathroom-goers from wild animals. I drove out of the enclosure but we kind of forgot Bob near the gate and thought he would just come running after the car. Given the risk of being mauled by lions and jackals, we had to go back. Whoops. 

The next day, we drove around the park some more and we saw a lion. He was super cool and big. Then he laid down, and we never saw him again. That kind of sucked. Then we saw a dead jackal and a bunch of ostriches. The ostriches were much bigger than I thought they would be. I'm pretty sure they killed the jackal and also pretty sure we had to get our butts outta there because we had a 5-hour drive ahead of us back towards Windhoek.

--- Returning back to Windhoek ---

After Etosha, we stopped to see some cheetahs at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) conservation area. We watched them get fed and went on yet another safari! I could tell they were very hungry because they literally pounced on the meat given to them. We also had ice cream made from milk that got squeezed out of gorgeous goat udders. That's why it tasted so good. Then Chubbs got a cheetah stuffy, and we drove to the last hotel. We didn't do much there but had delicious final meal in Africa of oryx kebabs.

The next day, we drove to the airport in Windhoek then flew to Frankfort for a layover before returning to Vancouver. So that was our trip! Thanks for reading this blog even though there is a 99 percent chance you are a family member! Byeeeee.