cape town: the aquarium

melissa, tim and jenny in front of the shark tank

Timothy's grandparents took Timothy to the Cape Town Aquarium and invited his Aunt Melissa and I along. It's a great museum with tank after tank of beautiful fish, artificial waves for the penguins, a hands-on area where you can touch things from the see like seaweed and shells, and a play area with sand. Tim was very impressed with the whole place. He sat for a long time on Melissa's lap watching the penguins. All of us were using 'Wow!' to describe new tanks, and at one point Tim piped in with a very clear 'Wow!' of his own. He hasn't repeated it, so I'm not counting it as a first word.

the 'petting zoo' with Aunt Melissa and Grand-da

watching the penguins

WOW

cape town: onrus
Friends of Jenny's, Lizzie and Alister, live in a beautiful old cottage in Onrus, a coastal town not far from Cape Town and very close to Hermanus where whales are often seen this time of year. We spent the day with them yesterday, playing on the beaches, eating a fabulous lunch, and even going in to Hermanus and seeing whales. Jenny's friends know as much about Timothy as the family, and I think of them as part of the extended family. They showered Timothy with attention and gifts. We had a delightful time with them.

timothy and jenny in hermanus with whales swimming behind them

timothy on the beach at vermont

cape town: the long haul

Paul's mom, Jenny, lasted about a month at home after leaving Timothy here in July before she broke down and bought a ticket for Tim and I to come for a visit over her September holiday. Without this visit, she'd go all the way until June 2010 before seeing him again. Monday 21 September, Paul drove us down to Denver International Airport for our 08:40 flight. We had a theory about how I'd get through airports with all the luggage, most of it Tim's, but this was the first test. The medium sized bag, piggybacks on the largest bag, and I drag these. Tim goes in his stroller. The car seat hangs from the stroller. The carry-on goes on my back. Whew. Don't forget, I'm five months pregnant. It worked but I wouldn't want to do it for long distances. After checking the two bags and car seat, things got much easier and I didn't have to do it again until Johannesburg.

tim waiting to board at denver international airport

Timothy is a fantastic traveler and what could have been a nightmare trip was only the usual drag of traveling for over 30 hours. He did not have his own seat booked on any of the flights, but he only had to share with me on the first one to Washington DC, not pleasant. We had a three hour wait in DC which just gave us enough time to have lunch and run around before getting on our seven plus hour flight to Dakar, Senegal. The agent told me at the check-in that she'd blocked the seat next to mine so that Tim could have a seat. This had a huge psychological impact on me. Suddenly it seemed I was on holiday instead of a mission. Once on board, our luck turned even better as it was half empty and we commandeered a row of four at the bulkhead. Neither of us slept, but the extra room gave Tim plenty of space to move around without getting in the face of our fellow passengers. Paul bought Tim a portable DVD player for the trip and I got it out on this leg. He sat for the whole of Madagascar which gave me a nice break. He played with his toys and with the seats, which have their own video machines that come out the arms and all kinds of buttons. He only summoned the flight attendant once. At Dakar, we let a few people off, gained a few people and refueled. It took an hour; then we were back in the air for seven plus more hours to Johannesburg.

discovering all there is at the DC airport

We both slept for about four hours on this flight. The meal services entertained Tim. They gave him the same meal as everyone and he picked at different things, but mostly played with the containers for each dish. Tim didn't want his stroller at Jburg. I can't blame him after being confined for so long, so everything went on the baggage trolley. I had a long walk through customs and up to the normal check-in for my flight to Cape Town. No one helped. I could have got a porter but had worked up inertia when I spotted them and soldiered on. Tim ran after the sniffer dogs, but mostly stayed near enough to me that I didn't have carry him until the end. Jburg airport is bright and airy and easy to get around. It wasn't that way in 2006 when I was here. It's nice to see the change. They need to work out a better system for transfers, but so do a lot of other airports. It was much easier to get through than Dullus in Washington DC.

our original seats on the transatlantic flight

Getting on the plane at Jburg, which involves a bus and stairs (no jetway), was the first time I got help from fellow passengers. A man from a group of Afrikaans men who seemed to be on company trip carried my bag and Tim's stroller. He put my bag in the overhead and then carried it off the plane and collected the stroller for me. His mate got me a trolley at baggage claim in Cape Town and then they went on their way. As I was the most tired and Tim the least agreeable at this point, the help was most appreciated.

Jenny and Neville were at the airport to meet us and after a quick phone call to find them, we were on our way home. We all stayed up until midnight, when Timothy took a bottle and crashed. I joined him and we slept through 'til morning. It was so nice to stretch out on a bed. I had some trouble reconciling the date. It felt like Tuesday to me but it was Wednesday morning. We lost a whole day in the trip.

cape town: family
Tim's Aunt Melissa came over after lunch to spend the afternoon with him. She bought him a toy airplane and an airplane book. Both big hits. She also bought a Billy Goat Gruff book, but it's a bit old for him. I left him on her lap and went for a nap. When I woke, his Great-Aunt Cath was there with her daughter's boyfriend Damian. Tim was asleep, had fallen asleep on Melissa's lap. He was asleep when Cath arrived and she was twitching with impatience. Fortunately, he woke and they spent some time together. Before dinner, we went to the park with Melissa.

tim and his aunt on the see-saw

We went to bed after dinner but Tim got us up at midnight and we stayed up until 04:30 then slept until 11:30. The whole family was due for lunch at noon so I rushed a shower and managed to be ready. Tim put on a great show, interacting with everyone. It was lovely. Tim's Great-Aunt Cath and Great-Uncle Chamie were there with their grown children: Michael, Leigh who had taken a bus in from Grahamstown for Tim's visit, Nicci and her boyfriend Damian. Tim's only great grandparent, Jenny's mother, was there. Melissa came over and of course Neville and Jenny were there. Tim and I were wide awake and feeling good until we crashed at about 16:30. Tim's Great-Gran said that Tim was just as she has imagined from his photos and videos. This is good to know as it means that she's getting to know the real him even at such a tremendous distance.

the whole family

cape town: kirstenbosch
Tim had a great night's sleep, from about 23:00-06:30. I was awake from 03:30-06:00, but Jenny took him and I went back to bed. Neville watched him while I slept and Jenny went to Curves for a work out. I was up at 08:00 and after breakfast we went to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens to see the flowers and run around. The weather forecast called for rain, but it held off and we enjoyed a cool breeze with patches of sun and cloud.

tim in the gardens

I thought Tim and I were turning the corner early on the jet lag, but we took a nap when we got home and slept more than five hours. Tonight, I expect we'll go to bed after midnight. But that's what holidays are like and I have loads of help from Jenny and Neville. I just wish Paul could be here.

las vegas

As Paul and I trudged down the Las Vegas strip in the 109F heat ten days ago, the phrase ‘Only in America’ came up, and he noted how differently this phrase is used depending to which country it’s being applied. (If you can't handle gross generalizations, skip to the next paragraph.) In England when someone says, ‘Only in Britain,’ it’s in reference to something embarrassing, shameful, or disparaging about the place. Friends of ours have just moved to China where they seem to apply OIC (only in China) to things that are backwards or inconvenient. In Bulgaria, it almost always references something corrupt, dodgy, or just plain illegal. When one says, ‘Only in America,’ it refers to something over the top, excessive but impressive, or relating to a guilty pleasure. Vegas is all three of these.

We arrived at 08:00, and our shuttle stopped at numerous hotel/casinos on the strip before depositing us at the somewhat shady and past-its-prime Sahara Hotel and Casino.

the strip by day

our hotel

This ride took us past all the places we planned to visit: the sinking ship at Treasure Island, the volcano at The Mirage, the gondolas at The Venetian, The Eiffel Tower at Paris, the Statue of Liberty at New York New York and more. The attention to detail in the creations and recreations of these places is remarkable. We were duly impressed, delighted, and pleased.

Our friends, Budge and Kirsten Franz, were staying at The Venetian, one of the best examples of re-creation on the strip. The Doges Palace never looked so good. I’ve been to Venice several times, and it’s always been under scaffolding, probably will be for another ten years. Not here. Here, it serves as the main entrance to the Hotel/Casino with the Rialto Bridge connected to the arched balconies and leading to the tower on St. Mark’s Square and a pristine ‘river’ for the outside gondolas.

the venetian entrance

The foyer boasts barrel vaulted ceilings and marble floors that bring to mind the inside of the Vatican, and the shopping area flanks a canal with gondolas compete with singing drivers.

the foyer with check-in at the end near the fountain

The shopping area has a ceiling painted to look, very effectively, like the sky just as the sun sets, and the lighting is set to match. Walking into this area has an immediate effect on the psyche. It’s fantastic. The place is truly over the top and excessive.

shopping, eating and gondola rides inside the hotel/mall where it is always sun set

We watched the real sun set from the Franz’s suite and had our first look at The Strip at night. Cheesy, gaudy, and extreme waste are just a few descriptives that come to mind. It’s a real guilty pleasure.

the ship of the sirens

the sinking pirate ship. the deck is almost completely submerged and it tilts on its side before the show is over and it's resurrected. all this occurs in front of the hotel and is free to passers by.

the volcano at the mirage hotel and casino

Over the course of our stay, the seedy side of The Strip began to take an equal standing with the spectacular side. I would have liked to stay at a 5 star like the Venetian, but staying at The Sahara made our visit more realistic. Our casino waitresses were all past their prime, their uniforms cut wider in the hip and lower on the thigh. Apparently, a fat convention was being held at The Sahara as we had a disproportionate number of obese people roaming our halls and beaching themselves at our pool. The place reeked of cigarette smoke. The Nascar shop and restaurant adjoin the place, attracting people with missing teeth and incomprehensible grammar. We rode the bus to The Venetian because the walk in the heat was deadly, so we saw the homeless and the drunks, both visiting and local.

When the sun was well set, we left the cool of the casino and joined the masses on The Strip, lit up like a birthday cake for someone turning 1000. Was the Hoover Damn built just to power this place? It was party central and fun even for a sober pregnant lady.

the fountain show at the bellagio with caesar's palace in the background

paris hotel and casino

mgm grand hotel and casino from the excalibur

excalibur

The bus ride back to our hotel at 02:30 wasn’t pretty though. Most everyone on board was dealing with the consequences of their excesses. It is true that as long as you are gambling, the drinks are free. That's all drinks and any kind of gambling, even penny slots. Getting sick and fighting were the two most popular activities at that point.

I’m glad we went. Seeing the Franz’s was the best part of the trip. Las Vegas ranks among the top five ‘Only in America’ cities, and I’m glad we went. But I don’t need to go back.

paul, me, kirsten and budge