Last Friday, I created a blog all about my amazing mother’s charity The Heart That Gives Foundation. For this weeks Friday Feels, I wanted to show you another side of my trip. While in South Africa, our main focus was giving back and providing for those in the area like you can see on last week’s blog however we also fit in some other things! So, here’s a little overview of some of our extra curricular while there. Note, two things I forgot to document… a Krispy Kreme in South Africa… and any/all of the incredible red wines there.

A Kings View.

 We stayed in the most adorable, beautiful, perfect BnB while there. A King’s View is seriously just as delightful as it sounds. Unfortunately, I didn’t take photographs inside (I forgot!) however if you get a chance, head over to their website and take a look at the rooms. A King’s View has such a cozy, home away from home feel to it.

The staff was wonderful and one of my favorite parts about staying there was visiting with the other guests over meals.  I met this older couple from England and loved hearing about all of their travels.  They actually traveled all of Route 66 when in the United States last time!

KFC.

I think it’s safe to say I don’t want KFC or really any kind of chicken for the next several months… KFC is everywhere in South Africa! After long days of traveling, we would get back into the town we were staying in and KFC was the quickest/easiest food option. While I didn’t mind it the first day or two… several days later my feelings had changed! Luckily, once we started staying at A King’s View BNB, they made amazing breakfast and dinners for us every day.

Thula Thula.

If you are ever in South Africa, visiting a game reserve is an absolute must! On one of our last days in the beautiful country, we spent an afternoon at Thula Thula.  While there, we saw elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras… the list goes on. I have a lot of video from our experience there that I am planning on putting together to show all of you at some point soon.  At Thula Thula in particular, the animals are accustom to the safari jeeps and people.  The elephants actually came up to the jeep and one literally rubbed his body (we think he had an itch!) on the front of our vehicle.

Handmade Baskets.

One of my favorite purchases on my trip to South Africa was a set of handwoven baskets.  The images above are from two different places. The ones in color are from the Fort Nongqayi Muesum. There, I learned a little bit more about the history of South Africa as well as learned about the Zulu culture and tradition.  The second set of images in black and white are where I purchased my handmade baskets. It was incredible! These women weave these baskets from straw.  I love that I was able to meet the woman who actually made the baskets and provide for her rather than purchasing them from a general store.

A Day in Durbin.

While majority of our time was spent two hours outside of the city, we ventured to Durbin with Eric (The Heart That Gives go-to guy) and his children.  His three boys had never been to the ocean and getting to see them experience it for the first time was so sweet.  We spent the day at a water park where we rode water slides, looked at all of the amazing aquatic animals and let the boys go wild in the pool. It was such a fun day and one that I know meant the world to Eric to bring his boys to the ocean.

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Overall, I highly recommend going to South Africa if you ever have the chance.  If you are interested in giving back to their country, please contact me to find out more about The Heart That Gives Foundation.  While there, you will have so many rewarding experiences helping those in need and will also get the opportunity to have a lot of fun as well!

To see other Ebby L Travels, check out:

The Heart That Gives Foundation, Kwazula- Natal South Africa

My Trip to South Africa in 2015

Adventures in Italy, Ebby L Travels