For Easter holiday, a friend and I traveled down to Cape Town for a couple of days. To say the least, it was breathtakingly beautiful--an amazing image of God's creation. To give you a quick synopsis, Claire and I came up with a theme phrase for each day. Of course, many of you know me so the "brief synopsis" the titles provide will be followed by a paragraph explaining the adventure... just being honest :).
Day 1: "Holy crap, we just won the lottery"
In Cape Town there is a place called, "V&A Waterfront." It is the central hub for restaurants, boats, tourists, locals, and seals. It sits at the harbor with an amazing view of Table Mountain and the ocean. It also has a very big mall, Haagen Dazs ice cream, Thai and Sushi, a huge Ferris Wheel, and free fast internet. Claire and I felt we had won the lottery because it was a little slice of America in the middle of Africa.
Day 2: "Hello my name is Cape Town"
Although our plan A and B fell through, God opened up plan C and it was amazing. We were able to go see the Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held in prison in South Africa. We rode the boat over and spent about 3 hours on the island. One of the prisoners who was there with Mandela led us around the grounds. He talked about what it was like to be a prisoner isolated from the rest of the world. He mentioned how many of the men received a degree while being in prison because some of the prisoners would teach them how to do Math and English using the sand on the ground. It was amazing to hear the stories and see the place these things happened.
After the tour, we went to Table Mountain--which I think should be on the list of the 7 natural wonders of the world. It was stunning, and very very cold. For dinner, we went to Camps Bay, one of the beaches in Cape Town and had pizza. We ran around on the beach for a bit and watched the colors from the sunset expand across the sky.
Day 3: "Most dangerous place to fish"
While we were riding out to Robben Island, the waves were so heavy that it reminded me of a show on TV about people who traveled out to really dangerous places to catch fish or some kind of sea creature. Well I couldn't figure out the name so I told Claire, "You know that show... it's like the most dangerous place to fish?" She replied, "The Deadliest Catch?" and we laughed for a good bit because my title of the show was bordering ridiculous compared to the actual title. Well, on our third day in Cape Town we actually went to one of the most dangerous places to be in the water. After 3 hours of traveling in a 15 passenger van, Claire and I braved the cold, climbed into a wet suit, and went cage diving with Great White Sharks. I can't even really describe my feelings. These animals are huge and wild and altogether terrifying, but they swam a foot from my face. It was so incredible that we went in the water twice! The second time there was one baby shark (which was longer than 8 feet by far--and it was a BABY) who kept coming back for the bait. After the 7th or 8th time he passed the cage, the instructor said, "DOWN RIGHT" and 3 seconds after I ducked under water it rammed the cage.. seriously. He slammed into the cage RIGHT next to me. I survived though... obviously.
Day 4: "The luxurious plan C"
This was our day designated for a tour to a vineyard. We told the hostel to book a spot for us, but unfortunately that didn't actually happen. After sitting around trying to figure out our next move, Claire and I decided we would rent a vehicle so we can still see the country-side. We walked about 10 blocks down the street stopping at 5 different car rentals. Since it was Easter weekend, nothing was available--we were turned down 5 times. We dragged ourselves into one of our last possible options, completely sad and expecting the same as all the others. We asked the guy and he said they didn't have any. I guess he saw the devastation on our faces because he said, "Well let me finish here and I'll see what I can do." When we realized the tour wasn't booked early that morning, Claire and I began praying that God would plan our day, not us...and if that meant no vineyard, then we would have to be ok with it, because he had something better. We knew it was next to impossible to get a car since SO many people were in for the holiday and this was a Saturday. So we waited patiently preparing ourselves for the same answer we had gotten all morning when surprisingly the guy finally said, "Ok, I have a car you can have right now." Well a miracle happened and a car somehow became available. We paid, jumped in and set off for the country-side. This day was one of the best we had. We were able to drive through mountains and mountains. We stopped and took several pictures on the side of the road. We were able to eat at a cute little cafe in the middle of a valley. And we ended up at one of the best vineyards in the area. After such a relaxing day, we drove out to a bay and saw the sun set at the water.
Day 5: "A day we didn't even know we needed to ask for"
This day was Easter Sunday and we planned to attend the 9:30a.m. service at Hillsong Church in Cape Town. Just like every other day, our plan A's never worked. We went to McDonalds to eat breakfast (because nothing else was open and we are deprived of food chains in America), spent some quick time with the Lord, then rushed over to turn one car in so we could pick up the next one--the one we actually reserved. When we went to pick up the next car, it wasn't ready so we ended up missing the 9:30 service. Luckily, there was an 11:15 service, so we drove over near the church and spent good and in depth time in the word. It was amazing how the Lord pushed us to the 2nd service and we were able to spend more time with him. We went to church and seriously Claire and I cried the entire time. I mean, not sniffle sniffle, but sob sob. This service, this worship, was something that we didn't even know we were starving of. I felt like I was back at home at Gateway. The Lord is SO powerful and SO Sovereign in everything. After 4 amazing days looking at creation, I was able to fall on my knees in worship to the creator. When the last song played, they announced that the lead singer of Delirious was there and would be singing a concert that night. So Claire and I both knew we HAD to come back. We rushed out to Cape Point, the the weather was so bad we couldn't really see much. So we rushed back and got to the church just in time for the first song to be played. Again, we were about to worship God in a way we completely missed. (Surprise surprise, I cried then too). So we titled this day, "A day we didn't even know we needed to ask for," because God knew we needed a day of worship, we just didn't know.
It's amazing how things are handed to you at the time you need it, even if you don't even know it's what you needed. This Easter is exactly what I needed and was not only an amazing view of God's creation, but was revitalizing to my spirit. Praise God for looking at the small things and coming through in a big way.
Day 1: "Holy crap, we just won the lottery"
In Cape Town there is a place called, "V&A Waterfront." It is the central hub for restaurants, boats, tourists, locals, and seals. It sits at the harbor with an amazing view of Table Mountain and the ocean. It also has a very big mall, Haagen Dazs ice cream, Thai and Sushi, a huge Ferris Wheel, and free fast internet. Claire and I felt we had won the lottery because it was a little slice of America in the middle of Africa.
Day 2: "Hello my name is Cape Town"
Although our plan A and B fell through, God opened up plan C and it was amazing. We were able to go see the Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held in prison in South Africa. We rode the boat over and spent about 3 hours on the island. One of the prisoners who was there with Mandela led us around the grounds. He talked about what it was like to be a prisoner isolated from the rest of the world. He mentioned how many of the men received a degree while being in prison because some of the prisoners would teach them how to do Math and English using the sand on the ground. It was amazing to hear the stories and see the place these things happened.
Nelson Mandela's cell and cell block.
After the tour, we went to Table Mountain--which I think should be on the list of the 7 natural wonders of the world. It was stunning, and very very cold. For dinner, we went to Camps Bay, one of the beaches in Cape Town and had pizza. We ran around on the beach for a bit and watched the colors from the sunset expand across the sky.
While we were riding out to Robben Island, the waves were so heavy that it reminded me of a show on TV about people who traveled out to really dangerous places to catch fish or some kind of sea creature. Well I couldn't figure out the name so I told Claire, "You know that show... it's like the most dangerous place to fish?" She replied, "The Deadliest Catch?" and we laughed for a good bit because my title of the show was bordering ridiculous compared to the actual title. Well, on our third day in Cape Town we actually went to one of the most dangerous places to be in the water. After 3 hours of traveling in a 15 passenger van, Claire and I braved the cold, climbed into a wet suit, and went cage diving with Great White Sharks. I can't even really describe my feelings. These animals are huge and wild and altogether terrifying, but they swam a foot from my face. It was so incredible that we went in the water twice! The second time there was one baby shark (which was longer than 8 feet by far--and it was a BABY) who kept coming back for the bait. After the 7th or 8th time he passed the cage, the instructor said, "DOWN RIGHT" and 3 seconds after I ducked under water it rammed the cage.. seriously. He slammed into the cage RIGHT next to me. I survived though... obviously.
Day 4: "The luxurious plan C"
This was our day designated for a tour to a vineyard. We told the hostel to book a spot for us, but unfortunately that didn't actually happen. After sitting around trying to figure out our next move, Claire and I decided we would rent a vehicle so we can still see the country-side. We walked about 10 blocks down the street stopping at 5 different car rentals. Since it was Easter weekend, nothing was available--we were turned down 5 times. We dragged ourselves into one of our last possible options, completely sad and expecting the same as all the others. We asked the guy and he said they didn't have any. I guess he saw the devastation on our faces because he said, "Well let me finish here and I'll see what I can do." When we realized the tour wasn't booked early that morning, Claire and I began praying that God would plan our day, not us...and if that meant no vineyard, then we would have to be ok with it, because he had something better. We knew it was next to impossible to get a car since SO many people were in for the holiday and this was a Saturday. So we waited patiently preparing ourselves for the same answer we had gotten all morning when surprisingly the guy finally said, "Ok, I have a car you can have right now." Well a miracle happened and a car somehow became available. We paid, jumped in and set off for the country-side. This day was one of the best we had. We were able to drive through mountains and mountains. We stopped and took several pictures on the side of the road. We were able to eat at a cute little cafe in the middle of a valley. And we ended up at one of the best vineyards in the area. After such a relaxing day, we drove out to a bay and saw the sun set at the water.
Day 5: "A day we didn't even know we needed to ask for"
This day was Easter Sunday and we planned to attend the 9:30a.m. service at Hillsong Church in Cape Town. Just like every other day, our plan A's never worked. We went to McDonalds to eat breakfast (because nothing else was open and we are deprived of food chains in America), spent some quick time with the Lord, then rushed over to turn one car in so we could pick up the next one--the one we actually reserved. When we went to pick up the next car, it wasn't ready so we ended up missing the 9:30 service. Luckily, there was an 11:15 service, so we drove over near the church and spent good and in depth time in the word. It was amazing how the Lord pushed us to the 2nd service and we were able to spend more time with him. We went to church and seriously Claire and I cried the entire time. I mean, not sniffle sniffle, but sob sob. This service, this worship, was something that we didn't even know we were starving of. I felt like I was back at home at Gateway. The Lord is SO powerful and SO Sovereign in everything. After 4 amazing days looking at creation, I was able to fall on my knees in worship to the creator. When the last song played, they announced that the lead singer of Delirious was there and would be singing a concert that night. So Claire and I both knew we HAD to come back. We rushed out to Cape Point, the the weather was so bad we couldn't really see much. So we rushed back and got to the church just in time for the first song to be played. Again, we were about to worship God in a way we completely missed. (Surprise surprise, I cried then too). So we titled this day, "A day we didn't even know we needed to ask for," because God knew we needed a day of worship, we just didn't know.
It's amazing how things are handed to you at the time you need it, even if you don't even know it's what you needed. This Easter is exactly what I needed and was not only an amazing view of God's creation, but was revitalizing to my spirit. Praise God for looking at the small things and coming through in a big way.
Megan, what gorgeous snaps and commentary! So glad for the wonderful time you had! Can't wait to see you!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Mama Patty