Party in Margate!

We had many wonderful adventures in Margate.  We stayed at the home of Dave’s former mission companion.  The Oehlerking family - Jean-Pierre, Gina, Cameron, Jared and Liam were the most gracious of hosts.  They have a beautiful home on a farm in Margate, South Africa.  Margate is a small resort town along the Eastern coast of South Africa.  There are so many things to do at the Oehlerking's home - they have dogs, ducks, chickens, birds, horses, and wild monkeys. Gina holds water aerobics in their pool, and Jean-Pierre has his own airplane. We arrived right after the busy holiday season, so we missed the rush and the crowds.  Jean-Pierre and Gina told us all about the local haunts and must-do activities.  Cameron and Jared were in school, so we couldn't spend as much time with them as we wanted. But luckily Jared's schedule was a little more flexible so we were able to hang with him, and he could show us the local scene!

Cameron and Brooke "The Horse Whisperer"

 Jake and Jared quickly became good friends.  Two peas in a pod...they explored the area, played on the beach and just "hung out."

Jean-Pierre planned a special surprise for us one night.  We lit these lanterns in his backyard and let them float high in the sky until they disappeared.  It was a magical evening we will never forget.

Jean-Pierre has always loved flying. Lucky for him, Margate has its own small airport about 5 minutes from their home!  He has his own 2-seater airplane, and the first day we arrived, he did a "fly-by" while we were swimming in his backyard pool. One of the mornings he even treated Dave, Ben and Emily to their own private flight along the coast of South Africa!  On the way, we did our own "fly-by" and saw Robynn waving to us in the courtyard of the Oehlerking home. It was a beautiful way to see the landscape.  The ocean, the trees and the hills are just gorgeous. He even let Ben and Emily take the controls for a little while!  He flew us through the clouds, and even down low - about 20 feet off of the shoreline where we could open the side door and have a completely open view of the ocean. This was a true highlight of the trip!  

A bird's eye view of Wild Waves water park from Jean-Pierre's plane!  We spent the day at Wild Waves with Jared, and literally had the park to ourselves, since it was off-season. 

Maverick and Goose!  Luckily Goose didn't die this time! 

African woman carrying her inventory of curios - awesome!

And,,,here are the curious - Robynn doing what she does best...Shopping!

Jake and Jared hamming it up at Mac Banana before getting our savory and sweet "pancakes" - or crepes as we Americans call them.

Three beautiful ladies hanging outside Mac Banana.

Gina and Jean-Pierre treated us one night to authentic "Bunny Chow" - curry served in bread bowls.  This was both legit and Lekker!

Swimming at the Oehlerking pool!

The Oehlerking home is amazing - bedrooms and family rooms surround this central courtyard where we hung our laundry to dry. It was here that Robynn waved to us while we were on our personal flight!

We loved The Waffle House so much that we went there twice!  The hummus waffles for dinner, and the cadbury chocolate waffle with ice cream for pudding.  Yum!

We spent an entire day hanging out at Uvongo Beach, a seaside resort town right near Margate. Funny enough, Paul and Yvonne have a home here - that's how they got to know Jean-Pierre years ago.  Even funnier - Dave got "rescued" here at Uvongo beach by a lifeguard. Ask him about it if you want a good laugh!