While travelling around the world as a family we needed to find an activity that we can play as a family and enjoy.
So we started playing tennis and we are really enjoying it as a family.
We play for fun and we also play to compete with each other. everyone likes a little bit of competition in their system.
Here are some few pictures of our family on the tennis court.
At a Tennis Camp in Capetown
I am sure when you read this topic you are wondering what in the world is LLF’s. Well LLF’s means LIFE LONG FREINDS .
Yes that’s right, the reward for travelling around the world is being able to have lots of LLF’s around the world.
We have so many LLF’s and we are so grateful for meeting them and creating memories with them as we take this journey.
Here are some random pictures of our LLF’s since we started our trips.
Our LLF’s here shows our travels from Capetown and Nairobi
Cape Town LLF’s
LLF’s in Cape Town
LLF’s in Cape Town
LLF’s in Cape Town
LLF’s in Nairobi
LLF’s in Nairobi
LLF’s in Nairobi
LLF in Nairobi
LLF’s in CapeTown
LLF in CapeTown
LLF’s in Capetown
LLF’s in Capetown
LLF’s in Capetown
LLF’s in Capetown
LLF”s in Capetown
LLF’s in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
LLF’s in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
LLF’s in Manila Phillipines
LLF’s in Makati Phillipines
So If you read my last blog about my fantastic birthday weekend surprise by my family….you will have most of my story over the weekend.
So while in Swahili hubby and I decided to take a drive and have lunch out of our resort. So we drove on that strip which has mostly resorts.
We went to one that I wish I remember the name but it was beautiful.
So while Marcus and I where sitting there waiting on our ordered lunch. We walked to another table to meet a gentleman who was also having lunch and he invited us over to his resort which was down the road from ours.
So the next day we went to have lunch with him and his wife.
When we arrived at our friends resort he took us around to show us his resort and asked one of his staff to take care of us. They set a table right by the oceanfront and it was beautiful with ocean breeze.
They brought us a bottle of Champaign. They also gave us the menu and really it was delicious. We had a tasty soup and our main dish was a lobster grilled and poured some garlic butter on. yummy..!!!
So while sitting there Marcus saw a guy leading 2 camels down the beach and he said we should go on and take a ride.
Now am not too excited when it comes to animals…at least not like my 2nd daughter is Aasha.
So we got on the camel…I was hesitant but I knew I would have to do it anyway being married to Marcus( he is a risk taker and does not take NO for an answer).
So he got on the first camel and I got on the second camel.
When we got on the camel for some reason Marcus camel got a little wild and started scaring me. So I started yelling at the camel caretaker and told him to get me off because my camel seem to be getting wild too…I even screamed at the guy and said don’t worry I will pay you just get me off…
A few seconds after I said that, my camel went ballistic and wild and super scary for me…my camel could not be stopped it was horrible and it kept jerking me and got dizzy and screaming and crying and I could have sworn that I saw my life flash away from me…finally I fell off the camel and when I opened my eyes I was surrounded by lots of people. A lady by my side kept asking if I was ok and trying to test my sight and all the things you do when someone falls off a huge camel.
Then Marcus showed up…found out his camel could not be stopped either and so he jumped off when he saw that I had fallen. He said it was scary for him watching me fall off my camel.
So the people brought a chair over and lifted me up to sit down and kept asking me questions to make sure all is well.
I had a few bruises around my tights and also a major headache which eventually all went away.
But I still have a tailbone pain that is yet to heal up.
Now my thing is, animals will always be animals….We are humans and they are animals…I don’t know if I will be riding any animal in this life….But with travels comes adventures so will see what my future holds.
Am really grateful to have a second chance to live….that’s why am living fully and staying in the moment.
some pictures below
Marcus got on his camel first
my camel waiting on me to get on
And thats after my fall
smiling because I am giving a second chance to live.
..
My 36th birthday was one to remember for sure. We started our Manns’ Journey December 2014. So being on the road and travelling I did not expect much for my birthday, while in Nairobi Kenya. Since it’s a new country and a new environment I thought my birthday will be a dinner out with the family.
Imagine this
April 10th my birthday morning, I was fast asleep and I woke up to an amazing sight with lots of flowers and my family all around me singing and just smiles.
My husband and kids have surprised me by spending most of their weekend before that making calls and trying to arrange a gateway weekend for just me and Marcus. It was a total surprise for me. After they woke me up singing happy birthday and surprising me, My kids told me I have to pack my bags in 1hour because I have a trip to take. I was not sure if I was hearing them right, so I totally ignored them. Then they said mommy you have to pack…..So my girls got my suitcase and packed some cloths for me and now at this point my excitement was on high….
I got out of my room to find another surprise that my family had put together….believe it I did not cook breakfast on that day…they put together all my breakfast favorites. eggs, chicken and fried plantain. Now mommy was super happy…
So at 7:30am our driver showed up and Marcus and I left for the airport to catch our flight and jet off to Mombasa.
We arrived in Mombasa and I had another fun experience when we had to drive our rented car onto a Ferry to sail off to the other side. I was super-duper excited and new to me.
So finally we got to out resort. The Swahili Beach Resort….My jaws dropped…It was breath-taking and an amazing place to be. Romantic view and all the things I did not expect. The place had 8 warm swimming pool….
The arrival was super fun when they brought me Dawa, a very tasty non alcoholic drink. Let the fun begin….
So after we got checked into our room, that was also another level of excitement. The room was different from your ordinary modern rooms. The bath tub was built into the ground ( actually carved into the ground).
On that night while having dinner, I heard people singing in Swahili which I don’t understand. But I was telling Marcus how this people are making so much noise while we are having a romantic dinner. cookie thief I was, Only to find out they are singing happy birthday song for me with a cake….and they walked to my table. Now that was a shocker since I had no idea they all knew it was my birthday. I am thankful for the Staff at the Swahili beach resort.
My weekend was really magnificent and I enjoyed every bit of it.
Thanks to my husband Marcus Manns, my oldest daughter Destiny Manns, my second daughter Aasha Manns, my third daughter IMAHKUS Manns and my super nanny Janet. I am truly grateful for this opportunity to have the amazing experience on my 36th birthday.
some pictures below will complete my story.
Return soon to read about my Camel adventure in my next blogging while on my birthday weekend in Mombasa.
Arrival in Mombasa Airport
my suprise flowers
My drink when I arrived
Our beautiful bedroom
My birthday cake
Our rented car on the Ferry
86 my lucky number
My bathroom suprise…beautiful
Birthday dinner
My birthday breakfast prepared by my family
Swahili staff surprise me with a cake
A romantic weekend with hubby
We are ONE
Beautiful bar
On the ferry
While living in Ghana ( my home country) going to the park was not so much of a life style. Travelling to the states I learned that one of the ways to keep your kids active is to take them to the park…fun for kids and its free at least in the states and in Cape Town.
So when choosing our apartment in Cape Town we had to ask where the closest park was to our apartment and we made our apartment choice based on this information.
Our apartment was not far from one of the best parks in Cape Town which is Green Point Park. It has it all. There is an outdoor gym and a park for all kids ages. And believe it or not they have labeled the play grounds according to kids ages.
This was really exciting for my kids and for me as a mother being able to exercise while your kids play in a safe environment was defiantly my kind of day.
So when we arrived, that same day we decided to walk down to the park. It was about 6min walk from our apartment. Our kids has so much fun, meeting and playing with other kids. The park had it all, climbing, jumping, sliding and swinging…you name it and they have it.
So if you do visit Cape Town and wondering where to stay…? Green Point is a great location with all you need at a walking distance.
Pictures below
One of the best things in Cape Town was the options when it comes to food….and healthy foods at that.
When we pack our lunch while in Cape Town you will actually think we are going to feed all the people in our apartment…LOL!!
I love to cook and my family loves to eat what I cook most of the time….
Below you will see some pictures of us having a lovely breakfast with some basic options. And also you will see how we pack our sandwich while on the move. I had to label each sandwich with each of the kids names because they all seem to want something different….Like my 3rd daughter does not like onions, My first daughter loves spicy foods and my 2nd daughter loves to eat all and any veggies you can find and my son just loves to eat brown bread and the sandwich meat. And my oldest son ( hubby) don’t like mayo and I love mayo….Now that is how you describe my family when it comes to eating.
So making a sandwich without putting names on them will be like starting world war 4….LOL !!!
Also in some of the pictures below, I went all out to create an environment that will make our dinner time more special.
Family Rocks ….
If you know our family you must be aware that we don’t do the ordinary and expected things in life. We do the exact opposite of what is expected from people….LOL!!!!
So When we arrived in Capetown, It was super fun like any other family traveling or taking a vacation. We walked down the hill from our apartment in Greenpoint.
It was a very nice walk. We went to do a little grocery shopping at Woolworth which was the closest to our apartment. When walking down the hill it’s so easy about 5min walk. But when climbing up the hill….boy…it can take you about 30min just coming up the hill and with grocery it can take you about 45min…and with kids that’s like an hour…LOL!!!
So after we got our grocery which included gallons of water, climbing up the hill is not that exciting for our family. So my husband has a light bulb go off….ting ting….he said why don’t we put all of stuff in the cart and push it up the hill to our house. Now my first thought was who will bring the cart back to the grocery store?….thinking cap up right now….
We decided since we live close by bringing the cart back down the hill will actually be a fun experience. So taking it up can be challenging and so not what the ordinary family will do, we just went for it. We noticed people where looking at us wondering what in the world are they doing.
It was a tough pushing moment in my life….But we had so much fun doing it has a family and watching everyone put their driving skills in the place.
We did make it up the hill and we did return the cart 24hours later after we all catch our breath.
Super fun and super different that is the Manns clan in action.
Pictures below will give you a glimpse of what went on that day….
A great experience for the kids to see that there are so many possibilities of what you can create and do even with toys like Lego’s .
While in Cape Town we had the opportunity to visit the Lego exhibition by one of the world Lego artist which is the work of acclaimed New York-based artist Nathan Sawaya at the V&A Waterfront.
It was jaw dropping of what this guy can create. Beautiful pieces and for my 5yr old it was super cool….Legos and colors all under one roof.
The Pictures below tells it all
On mothers day we spent our day visiting other living creatures… We first visited the Elephant orphanage.
After that fun and exciting trip we visited the Giraffe center, Which my whole family thinks it was the coolest activity of the day.
The Giraffe Center was about 15min drive from the Elephant orphanage. And it was an amazing experience. It was truly the closest we have all been to a Giraffe.
And the Giraffe that we got to spend our moments with was super cute and fun and call Chok.
When we arrived we paid for 7 of us, which was Ksh 4,500 ( $45) total. And this is the price for non-resident.
After they gave us the palettes to feed them to the giraffe. You just lay the food in your palm and the giraffe sticks out his long slimy tongue. I was so scared to let him take the food off my palm, and I was shaking. The kids just got so excited and all over the giraffe.
Janet our nanny was scared too until she got comfortable around the giraffe.
Marcus was brave enough to get a giraffe kiss….yeap that’s right!!! he kissed the giraffe and it was nasty but funny.
We really enjoyed our time there and We all said, now our new favorite animal is a giraffe..LOL!!!
Lots of pictures below for your viewing..
And it’s that time of the year….Mothers day to all the mothers in the universe.
We all woke up early today even though it’s a sunday and it’s the day that we get to sleep in. We had to wake up early because we wanted to visit the Elephant Orphanage center.
From research we suppose to be there exactly 11am when the baby elephants comes up to drink their milk.
We waited for our Taxi driver John at our apartment to pick us up at 9:30am. So he arrived and we loaded up the car with everyone.
Drove to Karen which is about 45min away from Lavington.
So we arrived there and waited for them to allow us into the area where the elephants comes.
It was pretty awesome seeing how the elephants comes in a queue and the guards have this huge feeding bottle filled with milk and each elephant gets 2 whole bottles of milk and they consume it in 5min of less. super cool…
The kids got to touch the elephants and also listened to the story why and how those elephants came about. Some of the elephants came to the orphanage because their parents died or they fell in a well and some of them was attacked by other wild animals.
We really had a great time at the orphanage and seeing the kids faces as they watch the elephants and touch them was a very rewarding mothers day gift.
lots of pictures below
Manns' Journey World Tour 