full of human goodness like a belly full of cake

I wasn't really sure how you could have success on a wine tour until a Chilean girl gave me her necklace, and a couple in Jo'burg offered to let Jill and I stay at their house there for a couple o'days , drive us around, and show us the sights.

In short, New Year's Eve day was lov-e-ly. The wine tour started off good. We toured four wineries, stopping at each one to sample 5-6 wines, and pretend we knew what we were doing. Along the way, Jill and I made friend with Gino and Sandy, and Italian-Afrikaans couple living in Jo-burg.

''Oh! We're going to Jo'burg!'' I told Gino. "But we're nervous because we hear it's kind of unsafe and we don't really know our way around...'' I trailed off, a little hoping for an invite, but also genuinely nervous about Jo'burg, as it doesn't have the best reputation.

Gino invited Jill and I to, what sounds, like a little bit of a fancy-pants house, and Sandy told us she hopes we like dogs because they have a bunch.

I guess the point of writing this is in the last month I have stayed with one family that barely knew me and was treated like their daughter, and have now been invited by another very kind family to do the same. The open generosity and kindness I have experienced in South Africa this past month has been overwhelming, and really made me feel the need to pass it on, and to do something for someone else like these families are doing for me and claire, and now me and Jill.

Also on the tour I complicated a Chilean woman, Claudia, on her necklace.
"Really? You like it?"she asked, surprised. ''I made it myself with some beads and wood from home.''

"I love it!''I informed her. And I did. It had a really neat bead and wood pattern, then Ved in the middle into a loop with one wooden bead in the center.

''It's yours,'' Claudia said, starting to undo the clasp.

''No!'' I started.

''Yes!'' she answered, standing up and putting it around my neck.

So currently, my feelings on the goodness of humans has gone way way up, and I feel like a happy little fat kid that people keep giving cake to. They're not sure I need the cake, but it's so good they gotta hand it over. Heh. I'm just continually shocked by how open and generous people have been here. Just think about how weird it would be to invite someone you've known for twenty minutes to stay at your house, but this has happened twice now. Crazy-daisy-blah.

Pay it forward, what what.

Later on, Jill and I became friends with Claudia who spent New Years with us. She and her boyfriend are currently working as farmers in Australia, which I thought was cool.

Now at Jeffrey's Bay with Jill, and we took surfing lessons today which was hilarious.

All I have to say is, I'm warm and fuzzy from all this love, and I'm going to send some your all's way, I promise.

That is if I have extra cake.