Day 7 leaving Stellenbosch and flying to Durban

We had to be ready to check out by 10 AM so that the Thompson shuttle could take us to the Cape Town Airport for our departure to Durban. Our flight was at 1:30 PM and it was a domestic flight of 1 ½ hours, but the airport was in chaos. There is construction and reconstruction everywhere in Cape Town in preparation for the World Cup 2010 here, so the airport was going through a major overhaul. We had to unload our bags and march about a mile (mild hyperbole here) to the check in counter where we met a check in desk manager with a burr under her saddle (Okie speak for chip on her shoulder). It took us nearly an hour and a half just to do check in and it was made as painful as possible. Luckily, the Thompson folks were calm and handled the whole thing for us, which set Erin and Susan free to do what they do best, shop the curio shops!

The flight was uneventful and the friendly Thompson’s guide met us at Durban airport. We were whisked through baggage claim and off in another Thompson’s van to the iZulu hotel in Ballito, a small resort town north of Durban. It is a five star boutique style hotel nestled on a hill overlooking the Indian Ocean and our suite had a two large bedrooms downstairs for the kids and one huge suite upstairs with a big wet bar, dining table, lounge area and big screen television, and a large bedroom. Most importantly, it had free internet service!!!!! Oh yeah, and it had one hot tub downstairs for the kids (meaning “our kids” who are 22+, 28+, and 31. In fact, it was Clay’s 31^st birthday (July 3^rd), and Clay and Erin’s 3^rd wedding anniversary (I married them in a nice ceremony back in 2006 in Big Sky, Montana), so I had organized a bit of a surprise for them.

Linda Pampallis, my travel agent when we lived here in 1979, 80, and 81, is now the CEO of Thompsons Africa, the largest travel agency in South Africa, if not Africa in total. She really set us up on a super trip, but she outdid herself on this one. She organized a special private show in our hotel courtyard with a Zulu dance troupe. They did some amazing dancing for us in honor of Clay and Erin. This was preceded by a champagne and hors deuvers paid for and presented by Linda herself! What a treat! The next stage of the fabulous evening was 8 course dinner served in a private glassed in dining room IN THE RESTAURANT KITCHEN by the restaurant manager and the chef! This was really a special treat celebrating some huge things occurring in Clay and Erin’s lives. When they get back to the States they move into a new home in the Issaquah Highlands, Clay gets to start his new job full time, and they are expecting Cody Ellis Ishmael on October 11^th. Talk about some life changing circumstances! But, if anyone can handle it they can. They are an awesome couple!