29 December 2025
It’s our last day. Humph. But it promises to be a good one. Or, at least, I really do hope so.
Our first visit today is the Alpaca Eco Farm near Egmond aan den Hoef, about 30 minutes drive from Haarlem. We have booked a high tea with some special guests. Alpacas, of course. Everyone of course warned us that we might get spat at. I can confirm that Alpacas only spit when feeling threatened. That’s mostly because they are prey animals, with a very strong sense of detecting danger, and protecting themselves and the rest of the herd when doing so. We were warned to, as you would do with horses, stay clear of the rear end, as kicks might emerge from that end 😐 And no – we never got to be at the receiving end of a spitting alpaca, but we did have them all over us, feeding them the grass and pellets that we had on our table. Such fun! And, of course, ending off with tea and lovely savoury and sweet treats.
And then – the one that Jean was so very excited about. Skiing. Whilst a ski resort would have been great, we decided that an indoor ski slope would probably be a beter way of ensuring that we get to try our hands at skiing. From previous trips, whilst the weather certainly provides effecient cold, we learnt that that does not necessarily guarantee snow.
Of course I could not really allow Jean to just venture out onto the slope on his own, so I figured I may as well try it as well, seeing that I’ve always said that I would love to try. Our first challenge was to actually get the ski’s on. It was only when some lady took pity on us, and explained that you have to lift up (or push down – it’s all a rather big blur!) a lever behind your heel, that we managed to get the hang of it. Next – a slope. Jean headed straight for the ‘conveyor belt’ that took you to the top of the smaller slope. He took to it like a fish to water. Up with the belt. Down the slope. Repeat. Meanwhile, I (very bravely!) tried to make my way up a miniscule slope, to just see if there is any chance. There wasn’t. The speed that I went down that very (VERY) small slope was enough to warn me that it was just not a good idea. Apart from potentially breaking something, I know full well that, under normal circumstances, I am not that well equipped to get myself off the floor. Add to that incompetence a set of very long ski’s that have a nasty way of just getting in each other’s way, and a very slippery surface, that help said ski’s to even further get in EVERYTHING’s way – uhm… maybe rather not…. And so, content that Jean was loving it, to the extent of getting himself up and down the high slope, I abandoned any idea of becoming the next Olympic Skiing Granny.
And that, really, was it. Tomorrow, we fly home, and because travelling days are rarely something you want to talk about, I’ll refrain from boring you with those details.
I think that many people thought that I was crazy to want to take a 10-year old on such a trip. And they could easily have been right. But in my (probably slightly biased) opinion, they were most definitely not. Someone asked me what my favourite moment was. I don’t even have to think about it. The ‘Oh Woooow’s. And there were so many of them. And not necessarily moments about things that kids would normally appreciate. Jean noticed things that we did not even notice. He listened to audio guides, and remembered things from them. He noticed beautiful sceneries. He tried things, and for those who know him – he’s a kid that wants to know what he lets himself in for. And he loved rating things, comparing them to what we are used to in South Africa. We loved seeing him very quickly turn into a traveller, but moreso, an adventurer. We loved his antics, his jokes, his observations, and his bravery.
Mission accomplished. Welcome to the world of adventure and big dreams, Jean.
