Blessings and goodbyes

9 april 2020 - Kaapstad, Zuid-Afrika

My last week in CT has started and it makes me a little sad… I wonder how it went by so fast, it literally feels like I’ve only been here for a week or two. Let alone two months. If I could only live here for a while; maybe someday in the future… Anyway, of course I’ve had some new adventures and experience these last weeks that I will share with you, so let’s get started.

…I think I wrote this first little paragraph a couple of days before my dad called me with an update of the corona situation in Holland. Explaining that the country was going in lockdown till April 6th and basically suggesting that I should come home asap before they would close the borders as well. In Cape Town life was still quite normal so hearing about the craziness in Europe was a slap in the face really. Especially the fact that I had to cut my trip short and go home just made me really sad… Anyway, the next day, Monday, I called the airline to reschedule my flight and the first possibility was for Wednesday, 2 days later. Not a lot of time to let it all sink in… I literally felt nauseous for having to leave and it made me realize how much I loved my little life in CT. Well, I’m writing this from home now. I have been quarantining myself for 3 weeks so far and have had enough time to write this final blog about my trip, but I felt some resistance. Probably because I left with such a heavy heart and it is a bit hard to go down memory lane when all I want is to go back. Sounds so dramatic lol but that’s just how I feel; theoretically I went back home but at the same time I left the place that became my home. In the meantime I had some time to try and gracefully surrender to the circumstances. Now I feel more ready to embrace and revisit those memories and share them with you.

The last thing I shared with you in my previous blog was my wonderful birthday, so the days after is where we left off. The weekend after the celebration I had a reiki course in Hout bay (half an hour drive from CT) that I signed up for. A month before, my auntie sent me the link of this reiki master and the date and place couldn’t be more perfect. Since the course was on Saturday and Sunday, I decided to book myself a nice AirBnB in Hout bay. This way I didn’t have to go back and forth by bus every day, and it was also nice to just have my own room and space for a night; obviously that’s just not possible at the hostel. And besides that I figured that the course was probably going to be quite intense and it would be nice to be able to rest and process everything in quiet. As expected the course was indeed somewhat intense, but in a good way. I found everything so very interesting and wonderful and amazing to learn and to be able to really feel how the energy works. And the fact that this will be a part of me for the rest of my life is truly a gift. Not only for myself, but also for me to share with others and the world. It really felt like this is what I was meant to be taught and I feel very grateful and blessed for having had the opportunity to learn this. Two more levels to go and I for sure want to finish them all, when the moment is there.

The week after finishing the course I felt a bit off, physically and mentally. There were different causes that made me feel this way. Therefore I just took it slow and easy that week and focused more on myself and my body to get centered again. At the end of the week I felt better and on Sunday we went to the Summer concert in Kirstenbosch botanical garden with a nice group of friends. The scenery in the garden itself is stunning and the artist playing, Matthew Mole, was also really cool. Being in great company as well made it a very nice experience and I regret not going to the concerts more often…
The following weeks I did some little trips in between working. Went for a drive again towards Hout bay and Llandudno beach. I also practiced reiki on 2 hostel friends which was really nice and special. Teaching yoga twice that week because the guests wanted another class. I was really just teaching my friends, which to me made it even more amazing to teach. What else… ah ya, first Thursday. Every first Thursday of the month, different galleries open up for you to appreciate their art while having a fancy drink. Bars and cafés also opened their doors early and there’s just a really cool vibe in the center. It was actually the first proper night out for me and I enjoyed it so much. I realized I just really needed a good night of dancing and friends. Also, again, a big pro was the fact that I was in bed at 01.30 already and still enjoyed myself a lot. I mean, we started at 20.00 so it was still quite some time of being in a big crowd all the time.
Some days later it was time for another hike. I didn’t hike for weeks and I still wanted to climb Devil’s peak and Table mountain before I left CT. Time was of the essence… So Devil’s peak was up first. Another Dutch girl joined me and in two hours we reached the top. I really enjoyed the hike and the views were amazing. We could see so much; signal hill, lions head, table mountain, but also the other side of the mountains for a change, which was really nice. Muizenberg, and even Cape point in the far distance. The rest of the day I just relaxed in the hostel’s garden and in the evening we went to see the sunset from the rocks in Camps bay, a famous spot to watch the sun slowly being swallowed by the ocean. And it did not disappoint at all, there is just something magical about Capetonian sunsets… or basically anything the sun does in Cape Town.

Most of the next week, my last week in the mother city, I was trying to make a plan for the garden route, only to find out days later that I wasn’t going to explore it. So after arranging everything for my early departure back home, I had 1.5 day to do what I still wanted to do before having to say goodbye. After my last shift at the hostel, I went to Clifton to enjoy and appreciate its pretty beach one last time. After that I gave my last yoga class at the park to my hostel friends.
The next morning, my last full day, we left early to start hiking Table mountain. It was the most beautiful day for a hike and I was so happy that I had the chance to do this just before I had to leave. We decided to do the Skeleton gorge trail, that started in Kirstenbosch garden. The first part was tough, mostly stairs, but the gorge and scenery was amazing. Through the forest, climbing on rocks and little ladders, not seeing many other people, so we could really be one with nature. As we started to gain height, the views were beautiful as well. At the top, there was white sand almost looking like a beach, a lake/dam and more mountains and gorges. We went down at the other side of the mountains, kasteelspoort, which had views of the ocean. In total we hiked for more or less 5 hours and we made a lot of stops to just take in the wonders of our surroundings. I couldn’t feel more blessed and grateful for the whole experience; CT showed me all its beauty one more time before our parting.
That evening we had some drinks and dances at the hostel bar with the guests that were left and the next morning I had to pack my bags and say my goodbyes. As mentioned before, it was really tough on me this time. When traveling there is always this special vibe and you connect with others in a different way, and having to say goodbye at some point and continue your journey is a part of it. But never before was the ‘goodbye feeling’ this intense for me. That’s okay though. It is also a confirmation that CT is a really special place to me and having to part only made me realize this even more. Besides the fact that a certain place, city, country can really sweep you off your feet, I also really feel like the people I meet while traveling are a big part of my experience there as well, so I’m very grateful for all the people that were part of my time in CT and for all the new friends that I have made. May we meet again!

At the moment I’m just focusing on myself and trying to think of what I can do now that would support my future plans. Basically trying to spend my lockdown time wisely and productively, until we are allowed to travel again. Since that was my plan anyways, to just keep discovering the world. I mean; I can’t leave Cape Town 'Sanne-less' for too long, can I? That would be rude.

Stay safe and keep shining your light!
With love.

Foto’s