Our holiday to Umhlanga went really well, all things considered. It started off a bit rocky with the airline first letting us know by text message that our flight would be delayed. This being the case we put the kids to bed and where preparing for a little rest ourselves when we received the next text message that the flight was now on time. By this time we were now late for the flight. So after a mad rush to get to the airport and three trips back and forth from the car to get the luggage, we arrived in the departure lounge to find that the plane had not yet arrived. They were flying in a backup plane from OR-Tambo that had not arrived yet. The backup plane was not that great either. We boarded the plane, pushed back and the stood on the tarmac for some time. After a while we could see a technician with his head in the left engine. Not good. After another while the captain announced that they were going to have to park the plane again since they could not get the left engine started. A couple more long minutes passed with lots of frantic activity. Eventually they got the engine going. Very disconcerting. Then after having to wait in the queue for about 5 other planes to take off and land we were finally on our way. In Durban all went smoothly and we hired our VW Bus, just like the one we had had in the Cape. It is perfect for us.
Our apartment in Umhlanga was excellent. It was really a home away from home. It had 2 bedrooms on the eighth floor with a beautiful view. We rearranged the second room to fit the kid's cots in. They slept very well and were extremely excited to be on holiday and with the apartment.
The kids walked very far in their terms and got plenty of practice climbing stairs. In the mornings we would take them for a walk on the beach promenade either to the lighthouse or to the pier. Then they would have their mid morning nap. We ate at the apartment most days and then went to the beach in the late afternoon. Our beach time was quite short since after lunch there was not much sunshine time left before the shadows of the large buildings in Umhlanga hid the sun. Then we went back to the apartment to get changed and then put the kids in the pram for a walk along the promenade in the evening. Then the usual bath and dinner routine and by that stage all were ready for a good nights rest.
We took a drive to Uvongo one day. We stopped off in Scottburgh but it was so full we could not even find a place to park let alone walk around. The beach and sea in Uvongo were the best. Here the kids and I went into the sea together. Emma has gotten over her initial fear of the sea she had in the Cape last year. She is now as eager as Dylan. So I had quite a time keeping the two of them upright with waves rushing in. We were in really shallow waters but the kids are not that used to water washing around their feet and ankles. Emma took a tumble with one wave but was having such a whale of a time she didn’t really notice how I had to pluck her upright again. We had a really good time there.
We also took a drive north to Ballito on the one and only rainy afternoon. The development there has been phenomenal with a huge shopping mall and urban sprawl. The afternoon was cloudy and rainy so we could not go to the sea but opted to find a nice place that sold hot chocolate and cake, Cinnamon & Silk. The cakes were awesome and the kids had to learn a bit of style and elegance. We are starting to use the pram less now since the kids can walk better by themselves. They made it to the coffee shop even though we parked on the opposite side of the shopping centre not knowing the setup. The kids mainly ate our own supply of Marie biscuits but did have a couple of bites of gorgeous Toblerone cheese cake.
Sadly Emma got very sick with a cold and high temperature on the day of the British Royal Wedding. Luckily by the next day when we had to depart she was much better. The flight back was uneventful and almost on time. Dylan had the same cold as Emma yesterday and also ran a very high temperature. Last night he was really not well. He slept well though after we gave him medication and today he is much better, still with a bit of runny nose, but no more temperature.
The kids put on some weight on their holiday. The muscles in their legs got to work really hard:
Emma: 13.135 kg
Dylan: 13.780 kg
More pictures of Emma and Dylan on Holiday
Dylan and Emma walking on the beach sand:
Dylan on the beach in Uvongo:
Emma and Dylan having fun:
On the pier looking to the lighthouse:
No comments:
Post a Comment