After something like 36 hours of travel, I made it safely to Cape Town, South Africa! Happily, my backpack made it safely too and going through customs and the covid check all went smooth! I flew from Chicago to Qatar and Qatar airlines was wonderful. They give little travel kits with a blanket, socks, lip balm, ear plugs, hand sanitizer and the worlds smallest tube of toothpaste with a tooth brush. Qatar at midnight for my plane change over was HOT! It felt like an oven. Everything was in Arabic and English. I met a sweet mother and daughter duo from Palestine who were nice enough to share a home made meal with me on the layover in Chicago before flying to Qatar.

I fly to Zimbabwe tomorrow morning, but had a free day in Cape Town to get a new covid test and to check out an area called Bo-Kaap.

Bo-Kaap was formerly known as the Malay Quarter and its origins date back to 1760 when rental houses were built and leased to slaves. These people were known as Cape Malays and were brought from Malasia, Indonesia and the rest of Africa to work in the Cape. When leased, the houses were required to be white, but when rule was eventually lifted and slaves were allowed to buy property, all of the houses were painted bright colors by their owners as an expression of their freedom.

First stop: Nebraska! Getting to visit family for several weeks is such a treat since Covid 19 kept us apart during the holidays! My two nieces are so cute and definitely keep everyone on their toes. Happy 4th of July everyone!

A visit to the children’s zoo today! The weather was mild and the giraffes were hungry 😉

I will miss Denver very much! It’s been my home for over 7 years and I have loved the mountains and the beautiful seasons, walking at Sloan’s lake and attending concerts at Red Rocks. I’ve been so lucky to have met so many great people and to have connected with family here. It is bittersweet to say goodbye.

Next up, visiting family in the Mid-west for a week before flying to Portland for a visit with friends.