Hi! Almost half a year of being dormant.. lucky that I have the time flexin’ my old coconut, so I shouldn’t let go of this momentum to grope for words & relay my experiences to you guys. We planned to have our trip to South Africa even right b4 knowing that I was pregnant. I really wanted my husband to be happy & I can say that our capade for 8 days are the best times he had in years.

Whenever I visit a foreign country, I would thoughtlessly say I will visit it again but the truth is I knew I won’t go there again since there are more fascinating countries that I would love to discover. I was thinking, what’s with South Africa other than the Safari? Never thought I’d be more astonished to this place more than ever. Just like detailing lyrics in a song, South Africa is more than the wild animals.

GOLD REEF CITY

Last time I came here, I was single and the Gold Reef City Amusement Park was closed. How ironic it is that now that I’ve got a baby in my womb & can’t do rides, the entrance gate is  so wide open. Haah
We agreed to do the Gold Mine tour and while waiting for our time slot, we just carry on walking and amused ourselves with these picturesque places.

Gold Mine Tour

When we had the tour, they geared us up with the equipments needed in gold mining then we went underground thru a mining shaft elevator & they cautioned us that once there’s a power failure we might walk up coming back so it’s not advisable for expectant mothers. Stubborn as I was, I didn’t declare that I’m pregnant since I have really a penchant for underground discoveries. I bet the monumental ruins of the past holds a fascination for all of us.

Man’s desire for a big time gratification made it possible for him to sacrifice his time, health & safety…searching & digging for gold, it never came easy.

It’s too obvious that he gets frantically excited seeing explosive bombs and machineries. Things which most girls like me can’t relate into.

FOODIE 🍞🍔🍟🍕🍗🥞🌭🥩🥪🍧🍹

What excites me everyday waking up is the thought of eating. What’s up for breakfast? Lunch, dinner? What about morning snack, aftie snack, midnight snack? Here’s some of the food that we’ve eaten, the reason why I gained 2 kg in a week, deym.

Fred’s theory (it’s not Freud lol) is – tummy  satisfaction makes a happy wife. I aint gonna say anything, let these photos speak for themselves.

LION PARK 🦁🐯🐅🐆🦔🐿

Before we left Johannesburg, Fred & I got to bond with his sister Shelley’s family. We went for a self-drive tour in the wild.

They are so beautiful. They are the fastest so I made sure that the car door beside me was locked up.

Reminds me of the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy. I would really want to taste its big egg just like the actors did in the movie.

Hyenas. They were the enemies in the movie Lion King but I don’t see them the same way as the movie portrays. They are also beautiful in their own unique features.

Got to feed the girrafes with the kiddos 🦒

Got to cuddle the cubs again, I easily get frightened explains why I’m always at the back of my husband.

This lion cub has a cruel intention, he’s licking Dinè’s toes and the next thing we knew this cub is already running after her.

Uhmmm…

Uhm… I honestly dunno their names but the kids do. They are all familiar with these animals and I’ve realized you can’t just cage  in yourself in a room & self study, most of the times we learn when we go out & interact with people.

Thank you Shelley for letting us stay in your humble abode. These kids have grown wittily and lively. They are very respectful, sweet & caring to me especially Dinè. I hope I could raise my child same way like how these kids were raised.

DURBAN 🌳

Out from the busy streets of Joburg, here we landed to the peaceful place of Durban. First thing we did is we climbed up the hill together with Claire & family and yes including the dogs too.

Then we met these people and let lil Scarlet ride on their horse. I’m sure one of the horses name is Gunther. That did stuck in my mind.

In the afternoon, here comes THE BRAAI. After Church, the family came over to have a braai to welcome us here. All the big sausages, beef fillet, steak, porkchops, rashers, chicken sosaties are all perfection. I need rice tho. (Asian prob)

The Baby Shower

Much to my surprise, they organized a baby shower for us! I dunno what to say, I was too shy. I’m just an Asian girl surrounded by white people who are showing love to me and to think I am just new in their family. It is definitely God’s grace. I’m so grateful for the clothes, the lil dino and the mats & towels for changing nappies or for burping…oh I’m new to this kind of stuffs so I actually dunno how to use them but i will learn… I will learn soon.

 

The next day, we strolled Durban and Fred introduced me to some of their tourist spots. We went to the Japanese Garden, Minitown and Durban South Beach. I was not in the mood for these due to lack of sleep tho I was the one who planned this trip. Believe me, being pregnant is no picnic. You can’t just pick yourself and enjoy every moment. If it’s time for tantrums, I’ll feel gloomy for the whole day.

JAPANESE GARDEN

MINITOWN

DURBAN SOUTH BEACH

 

GRANNY’S DAY OUT

The next day, our goal is to have a day out with Granny Gladys. Fred & his family had lived with her Granny for 11 years so they are pretty close. Just being with Granny reminds me of my lola in the Philippines, oh how I miss her. I really had a fun time getting to know granny.

Butterfly Garden

We went to the butterfly garden had a quick tour and observation on how they metamorphosize from caterpillar to puppa ’til they spread their wings as a fully-grown butterfly. You can see that every stages of life is amazingly beautiful.

They feed on mangoes & oranges and it made me crave for nectars too. Lol

baby porcupines

Tarantula? This creature feels safe in granny hand.

We had a small meal on a cafe and granny told stories that gave me a silver of hope & weasel me back into my dream-building habit. I am inspired with her story how she became the 1st South African woman who owned an insurance company, how she had those achievements even after having 5 children. Honestly when I found out that I was pregnant, I cried & talk to my mother first because it’s not how I planned it to be. I don’t wanna get pregnant yet cus i thought it will halt my career & other dreams. But listening to granny’s success inspired me. A LOT. Everyone of us has the capacity to dream big, I dunno how beyond is beyond and that’s the mystery that I have to keep on unlocking.

Thank you Claire & TJ for accommodating us in your lovely home. I hope I could be a smart mother like Claire, she’s younger than me but she took care of me alot.. I don’t wanna embarass myself here but thanks for everything Claire.

So thankful of this man, I feel God’s love wrapped around me every time. He’s my angel here on earth.

I’m slowly removing the thorns that pricked him in the past, the shards of broken glasses that he mistakenly stepped into & the random regrets that come & go. In turn, he puts to calm my constant scream inside, he puts to rest my anxiety, lowers the pressure & just stay right beside me. I just love the fact that we’re together in carrying the crosses that we have to bear. We got this.

So thankful to Mommy Jillian for molding a good man like Fred. She sacrificed a lot for Fred and without her help we couldn’t have met here in Abu Dhabi. And to this lil clingy girl, pretty Scarlet Rae, I subconsciously miss you so much that I am acting like a baby to Fred and I even mimic all of your funny lines like “Uppie, cuddle, ice lollie, Uncle Freddie poopin” hahahaha.

When we travel we usually search for the beautiful spots and plan to visit all of them in our short stay. Once we are in that actual place, 2 things can happen, either it will fill you up with amazement and glorify the greatness of it or it can also dismay you like, okay, that’s it Minitown? In the Japanese Garden, the yellow tree is the only astounding stuff they have. What we can’t search of and can’t expect to happen is the learnings you acquire by meeting people. Surely no man is an island. Just by listening to their conversation & observing their styles are already jam-packed knowledge in my head. That’s the sweet hereafter. It’s more than the pixels. Peace of mind seeps back to me & my OB doctor was right, this vacation is a must-have. South Africa is already my 2nd home and I’ll say this again… we’ll keep on coming back, SA.