May 18, 2010 | South Africa, Travel..ling Tuesdays
Happy Tuesday, dear friends! This Tuesday is scheduled to be yet another actual Travelling Tuesday as we will be making our way from our beloved Bloemfontein down to Gordon’s Bay, and our whirlwind of travels will be done! Thank you so much for your prayers — although it has been a very busy and slightly tiring adventure, we’ve also been incredibly blessed during these travels. I’ve come down with a cold and the Bear has a runny nose, so please keep our health in your prayers. I cannot wait to show you pictures from so many of the spots we visited!
Today, since we have been on the road so much and I’ve been pressed for time, I thought I would simply arrange a special post “From the Backseat” for you, so you might feel like you were able to come along for a bit of the journey. Ready to hop in? Sorry, but you can’t ride shotgun.
Check it out! Kids sliding down a hill on cardboard boxes. Wanna stop to join in?
Too bad. We’ve got a long way to go.
We spent a long time passing through roadworks in a town called Mthatha.
I watched this fella with the front-end loader almost hit three people passing by.
If only we could’ve stopped to look at those dresses! I bet we would’ve gotten a good price!
Slow down, Cow Crossing!
Sometimes things feel a little like home…
That could be a North Carolina overpass, besides the names I guess.
And this made me think of Hamburger at Lee Chevrolet Pontiac Buick in Washington…”All Roads Lead to Lee.”
And this Chicken place smelled like B’s Barbecue back in Greenville, North Carolina. Funny how a smell can transport you 8,000 miles in 3 seconds.
It’s amazing how things can be so similar and so different at the same time. I could get some Kentucky Fried Chicken, but this sure ain’t Kentucky.
I think this seems like a reasonable name for a river.
And look! We finally reached another of our 7 destinations, and the Bear decided he’d do the last leg on his own!
So that was a slice of Africa from the backseat! Did you enjoy being along for the ride? I’m excited to share some awesome shots with you over the next few Tuesdays! Whoo-hoo! I’ll write you again from Gordon’s Bay!
xCC
Keen to join in on the Travelling Tuesday-fun? Whether you’re documenting an adventure at your local Wal-mart or last year’s schlep to Timbucktu, we’d love to have you along! Drop your Travelling Tuesday post’s link in the Magic Link-Up Robot below, and be sure to link your post back here. Otherwise you’re just being cheeky. 🙂
May 6, 2010 | Scotland, South Africa
I have a lot of favourite people. I guess. I mean at least a gracious plenty. But this chick is one of my favourite favourite people.
She’s the one on the right. That’s me in the middle, in case you were wondering. Yeah. That was before I had a baby. I could button that vest. And that’s her also-awesome sister Natasha on the left, currently in Indonesia. She’s also one of my favourite people. And even if spell check tries to correct me one more time for putting a “u” in favourite, I’m gonna keep spelling it that way because I said I was gonna stick to British spelling on this blog way back in Scotland and I meant it! Travel…ling Tuesdays and all!
Anyway.
As I was saying, one of my favourite favourite people, also seen below, a dear friend of mine from Scotland via Denmark, is considering coming to South Africa to do an internship with Samaritan’s Feet and stay with us. And I’m so excited, I want the whole world wide web to know!
Everybody has to sit in dog poo at least once in their lives, right?
It’s like that scene in Elf, where Will Ferrell runs into the conference room, throw his arms out wide, tosses his hat aside and says, I’m in love, I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it!
So. Two prayer requests for you guys today. #1 Please pray that it will work out for Agnes to come stay with us in South Africa. And that she’ll stay for ages and ages. (It’s a little selfish, I know.)
#2 If Agnes can’t come to South Africa, I might be heartbroken. Forever. So I’ll ask twice, please pray it works out for her to come. 🙂
The Bear loves her, too!
Thanks for letting me share the love. For one of my f-a-v-o-u-u-u-rite people. Who will hopefully rock up on the scene in SA in early 2011. YES!
xCC
May 4, 2010 | South Africa
Hi guys and gals! I just want to say thanks so much for your prayers. We are safely at our first stop in Jeffrey’s Bay, enjoying some warm South African hospitality. Barring a minor incident involving a poopy diaper which also made me a poopy pants, the travels have been smooth sailing and grace-covered. So thank you!
The open road has given me lots of visual food for thought, and I’ve even grabbed a few great shots to share at some of our stops! I look forward to having a chance to post it here for you!
In the meantime,please enjoy an old shot from a place we passed through today, Wilderness. It’s Bear and me when we were in Wilderness over a year ago. We were just visiting South Africa and didn’t yet know we’d been moving here eight months later. What a great story for another day!
Thanks again for your prayers — more coming your way from the open road soon!
xCC
May 3, 2010 | South Africa, Stories
Not to catch you unawares…
But we’re hitting the road! (That photo’s an oldie, but goody, don’t ya think?)
Some exciting stuff is happening in our neck of the woods! We’ll be travelling around South Africa for the next two weeks or so to host some training sessions for folks who would like to partner with Samaritan’s Feet and YWAM to bless people with a message of hope, clean feet, and a new pair of shoes during the 2010 World Cup! Which is now about 40 days away! Woot! Mr. Potato Head is raring to go!
We’ll be travelling to Jeffrey’s Bay, East London, Durban, the Drakensberg, the Nelspruit/Kruger area, Johannesburg, and most especially, our beloved Bloemfontein! If you live in any of these areas and you’re interested in finding out more about our World Cup Initiative and perhaps joining hands and washing feet, please Click Here and Let Me Know!
And for those of you a bit further afield, could I ask a couple of favours?
#1 This sore throat I’ve previously mentioned (the one I’ve had off and on for about 8 months — since our arrival) sort of stopped cramping my style on Thursday, but I’m launching a massive prayer attack and I’m on the offensive to believe this bad boy is out for good! In case you’re wondering, I’ve taken medicine for it more than once, but it just keeps returning after a two or three week sabbatical. Please pray that it will be gone and not be a bother while we’re travelling (and when we get back!)
#2 Please pray for our safety while we’re on the road.
Okay sorry I have three favours to ask.
#3 Please also pray that we’ll get lots of involvement in each of the cities we visit, that we’ll be able to find committed folks who would like to serve as City Coordinators for this project, and that it will be a smooth and successful journey.
Hmm. That was like five things, wasn’t it? You don’t mind do you?
Ooh! And please pray that the Bear will be a happy, healthy travelling Bear and he’ll enjoy the trip, too!
Okay really that’s it.
So, good news! Even though I’m away, I do have some posts prepared to share with you in absentia!  Although I am not sure if we’ll be able to hop on the net at each of our stops along the tour, you’ll still have some previously-scheduled posts hitting the web for your perusal and enjoyment! If you comment and I don’t get a chance to reply right away, you got grace for dat, right? 🙂 And just think of all the new Travelling Tuesdays this adventure will provide for when I get back!
We head out tomorrow morning, so as it often seems to be the case, it’s another actual Travelling Tuesday for the books! I’ll write ya from the road!
xCC
Apr 29, 2010 | Baby Photos, South Africa
In case you were feeling that our one and only was becoming a lesser-spotted species of Bear lately, here’s your fix on where you might spot the 20 month old wonder these days.
He was recently seen dancing and testing out musical instruments in Green Market Square in Cape Town. He tried to score a five-finger discount on a FIFA World Cup soccer ball — the special 2010 ones with the South African flag — but his Mom made him put it back.
He also recently did a little bit of a hike atop Table Mountain.* He found the uneven terrain slightly challenging, but preferred to make the journey without any hand-holding whenever possible. His Mom was disappointed that he didn’t find the heights to be good reason for caution.
*He intends to avoid the potties next time.
He was also spotted eating with a fork for the first time on Tuesday. Macaroni and cheese, no less. Shortly afterwards, he climbed stairs without the assistance of an adult or his hands. Sure, there were only three stairs, and they were only four inches tall or so, but who’s counting?
In his spare time, the Bear has also recently been spotted perusing his vast collection of Veggie Tales and Wonder Pets. (Thanks, Amiee, Sarah and Rory!)
He was also spotted on an adventure unlike most the Bear has seen before…
But he felt that he fit right in, and rather enjoyed it.
So, folks, those are the coordinates for spotting the greater-spotted African Bear. If you’re hoping to see him outside captivity, you’ll need to move quickly. He is known to transition from walking to running before you’ve got the lens cap off your camera.
Who says there aren’t bears on this continent? 🙂
xCC
P.S. Don’t forget there is a giveaway right here at carolinecollie.com, tomorrow!!! That’s Friday, April 30th! If you don’t drop in, you can’t win! See you then! Don’t ya love rhymes?
Apr 27, 2010 | South Africa, Travel..ling Tuesdays
You already know it if you read the potty story last week. We ventured up Table Mountain last Tuesday, and a mountain as cool as this one deserves its own Travelling Tuesday. For sure!
You take a cable car up to the top (well you can hike it if you want but uh…with a 20 month old Bear…nuh-uh).
It’s pretty cool to watch the mountain approaching as you ride up in the cable car.
The view is really impressive from the top… There’s Lion’s Head, that next hill is Signal Hill, and the island out there is Robben Island! You can even see Cape Town Stadium where some of the World Cup games will be played this summer!
How tiny does the Bear look next to Manny? (The founder of Samaritan’s Feet who was visiting last week!)
Hold hands when you’re crossing a bridge, Bear!
You can see so far in every direction from the top. This is looking south toward Cape Point.
Isn’t it wonderful when you have moments in life like that, where you get a chance to look up and get some good perspective?
Our new friend and work colleague, Courtney, enjoying the view… (Just so you know we weren’t taking pictures of random strangers.)
And look, a mongoose like Rikki Tikki Tavi!
Remember how I told you about the Cape Region being a unique floral kingdomwith lots of species of plants that are found here and nowhere else in the world? Well, that might be some of the unique stuff right there, but I’m no botanist. And we’re heading towards winter, so the foliage was a little sparse.
But, look, here’s a dassie! Like the ones we saw in Hermanus, but better behaved.
We tried to get a family photo at the top, but the Bear just wasn’t cooperating.
This one’s better. Well it makes me giggle anyway. HH got the Bear to smile!
You may have seen this view around these parts before. 🙂 We took a picture at this exact same spot a little over three years ago, when HH and I visited South Africa, just a week or so before he asked me to marry him! I should tell you that story sometime.
So, that’s a slice of life atop Table Mountain! Lovely, hey?
Hope your Tuesday is going great, and you’re enjoying your adventure today!
xCC
Want to join in on the Travelling Tuesday fun? You can share some shots from your back yard last week, or a trip around the world you took ages ago. Just be sure to link to your Travelling Tuesday post (not just your blog’s home page) and please add a link back here so others can join in the fun!
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