This post was originally from February 29, 2024

As our trip has quickly come to an end we only had a few more things on our to-do scheduled this week before we had to say goodbye. 

On Monday and Tuesday Liza and I had booked ourselves a new tattoo. When Liza worked in the crystal shop she met a guy by the name of Rodwin. After talking, they quickly connected and before Liza came to Canada, Rodwin had fixed up one of her old tattoos. His work is stunning and over the last few years we both said that when we visit Cape Town, we would love to get a piece by him. Liza wanted to get an African elephant and I wanted a protea flower. The reason for the protea is that it is a native South African flower (so obvious reasons using a symbol of South Africa) and also it was one of the flowers in my wedding bouquet. I also wanted to get either sacred geometry or the flower of life incorporated into it. The flower of life represents the cycle of creation and the interconnectedness of all life. 

We each had a 7 hour session, so it definitely took some time. Rodwin makes the process of getting a tattoo more than just getting ink. His space is super zen with crystals and chill music playing. He is one of those beautiful souls that energizes you to be around and not only did we walk away with two amazing pieces of art, but we both felt energetically recharged from all of the amazing chats we had as well. 

Both Monday and Tuesday night we met up with more friends for dinner and said our last goodbyes. For our last day we visited some of Liza’s old colleagues at the G Adventures office and then headed to the world renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Kirstenbosch is nestled at the eastern foot of Table Mountain. It is one of 10 National Botanical Gardens covering five of South Africa’s six different biomes. It just so happened that we picked the hottest day to go to the gardens as it was +38 degrees! Instead of my usual habit of basking in the sun, we rather ran from shade to shade just to try to not sweat our asses off. At one stage it was so hot that I had tatoo ink running down my leg. Disgusting I know, but the tattoo had been covered with a plastic wrap and my leg was engulfed in its own sauna biome!! Anyway, Kirstenbosch truly is an incredible place and just another reason that Cape Town is so special.

Our last stop before heading to the airport was a family dinner at Liza’s parents. When we got there her mom surprised us with a few of her finished knitting projects. Two blankets for our cats and a big Pink Panther. Months ago her mom made one for Liza’s niece and nephew and when I saw it I told her that I loved it. After that, she quickly made me my very own Pink Panther! It was so cute because she was so proud of herself! 

Saying goodbye was a bit heart wrenching. After many tears and hugs it was time to get to the airport before the sun went down. There are a few townships on the way and sadly it becomes incredibly unsafe to drive past them at night. It is known that people will either pop your tires or throw stones to get you to stop so we had to make sure there was a sliver of daylight when we drove. 

I have a funny ‘only in Africa’ story. When we were going through passport control and we walked up to the guy behind the counter who would stamp the passport I noticed how friendly and jolly he was. I thought he was being friendly with us…nope he was on FaceTime with someone else. Only in Africa you can FaceTime while working at border control! 

This trip has surprised me. I knew that the first part of safaris and wildlife would be exciting and fill my soul up but I wasn’t sure if the time spent in Cape Town would do the same. I thought  it might be a bit exhausting with all the visiting and with a few exceptions it was nothing like that. Her friends and family are magical and they really showed me that when you spend time with people that are intentional with their energy, this creates a ripple effect that spreads joy through each other. I try to be a kind and positive person when I’m home, but what I will take back is that when my actions or inactions affect my being the vibrations can affect those around me.

As we are about to board our flight from Amsterdam I want to thank you all for joining me on this journey and I hope that you could experience even a little of what we did through my stories and pictures!