Yes, I know…it’s past the weekend already, but I still wanted to let you all know what I was up to this weekend (and why it’s been almost a week since my last post). I was given the opportunity by some friends of my parents to go on a vacation up the west coast to stay in a cute little cottage in the old fisherman’s village of Church Haven. Having met them only once for about 5 minutes, I agreed, ready for any kind of adventure that would come my way, and trust me—adventures did happen. No, I didn’t eat any weird food or meet any famous people, but I was constantly surrounded by stunning views, delicious food, and delightful people.
The cottage we stayed in was quite the place—right on a lagoon which changed colors every hour to reflect the sun’s position in the sky. The crystal clear water echoed the blues and greens of the Mediterranean despite the chilly Atlantic waters. This quiet town of Church Haven has a permanent population of 9 and because it is an old fisherman’s village the cottage lacked electricity. Every single piece of furniture in the place was an antique—from the tiled kitchen table to the old wardrobes with tapered glass. I couldn’t help but wonder what the story was behind each piece and how far it had come to land in this tiny town.
But I digress…as if this cottage wasn’t enough, we were surrounded by stunning views of the lagoon and ocean and my new friends were not about to sit around all day. Saturday morning came early and we set out by bicycle to get a lay of the land. Picture this: you are riding along a long dusty red ‘road’ with an occasional trip through thick brush. The sun is shining and the air temperature is perfect as you conquer the next giant challenge—the gargantuan hill. As you complete your challenge and crest the hill, you breath is literally taken away (whether it is from your last feat or the view, it doesn’t matter). To your left, powerful waves crash against HUGE rocks on the shoreline. The loud clamor of the rough seas and majestic fans of water that appear as rock and water collide are enough to captivate one for hours. But wait….you still haven’t turned your head to the right. If you shift your gaze 90 degrees, another beautiful scene awaits you. Springbok, bontebok, and ostrich as well as a plethora of birds and small wildlife are all searching for breakfast in the fields below---all in view of the Mediterranean colored lagoon. 20Ks doesn’t seem like that far of a distance when such magnificence surrounds you.
The rest of the weekend was spent driving through the fields of wild flowers that come out in full beauty this time of year in South Africa. If you’ve heard anything about them, you’ll know that they come out and ‘carpet’ the fields and countryside with orange, yellow, purple, blue, pink, white, red, etc. Pictures can’t capture the moment of standing in a green field of wildflowers with orange and pink plants completely surrounding you. I’ll post a few pictures, but just know that they do not even come close to seeing it in real life.
The company I was will was absolutely wonderful and took me in like their own child. Because there was no electricity in the cottage, we went cooked and braai’d by lantern and finished off our incredible meals with rousing tournaments of boggle, a Carlin family favorite. Showers were buckets of rain water which made my hair oh so soft and were quite invigorating! I think it is safe to say that this weekend was full of God’s beauty and creativity. From the number of colors in the blue/green lagoon to the mere shape of an ostrich’s body…this place seems to be just a little slice of heaven on earth.
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