The road is long

With many a winding…

Looking at those Namib Desert sand dunes, I never imagined that there could possible be more than a few creepy crawlies living under all that sand…. I had been told to watch out for scorpions and I expected there to be a couple of ants….what else could possible survive living under such harsh conditions?…

I have been trying to visit Namibia for quite a while now but, something else always came up that seemed more interesting or exciting and, quite frankly, being a countryside / ocean kind of person, I wondered if all that sand and desert was really going to rest my soul….…

Leading up to this Easter weekend, my mind had been wondering around Easter bunnies, which got me thinking about our Rock Hyrax commonly known as the “Dassie” or Rock Rabbit.  The fascinating thing about them though is that although they may look a little like rabbits, they are…..can you believe it…… related to elephants!!

I came upon this interesting fact while doing some research on our beloved “Dassie” which can, almost without fail, be found lazing in the sunshine on the…

I have always wanted to use the word “quintessential” but how and where, then, while I was writing an article on trees (don’t ask..), the Baobab Tree sprung to mind and, in particular the Sunland Baobab Tree.    This perfect example of a Baobab Tree is located on Sunland Farm, near Modjadjiskloof in the…

At last, after hearing about “FYNBOSHOEK CHEESE”  about 3 years ago, I was eventually on my way to see and taste if everything I had heard was true….

When I called to make a booking, Alje (he is the award-winning owner / cheese maker) answered the phone to take my details.  I asked if he could email the directions but was politely asked to rather write the directions down – Alje does not do email or even have a…

As the alphabet moves along, so does my journey down the Garden Route.  The Tsitsikamma National Park, which is just a couple of kms down from Storms River Village is actually part of the greater Garden Route National Park.

There are more than two reasons to visit the Tsitsikamma National Park with its forests and stormy shoreline,…

If you are after some adventurous activities, look no further than Storms River Village.  Set in the middle of the forest at the foothills of the Tsitsikamma Forest on the Garden Route, this tiny village oozes character.  It tells a story going all the way back to the 1800’s when elephants once roamed the area, then the foresters arrived and slowly a village developed.  From the Tsitsikamma Village Inn which began as a hunting lodge in the mid 1800’s…

After enjoying our gourmet Christmas dinner on Monday evening, we started to reminisce about when we first realized as children that Father Christmas was not really “real”.  This led to discussions about why we started questioning his “realness”.   One of the reasons seemed to be that we began to wonder how he managed to get round the whole world in…

Muizenberg has a long history, most notably being where Cecil John Rhodes had a holiday home and, in fact where he died in 1902.   Rhodes, a British born South African was a politician, gold mining magnate and founder of De Beers, the diamond company that still markets 40% of the world’s rough diamonds.

You could say that Muizenberg is actually a bit of a “rough diamond”.  In its heyday, the rich and famous built their holiday…

SIGGIEWI - MALTA 

I doubt many tourists go to Siggiewi, the delightful village in Malta that we were lucky enough to stay in.  The only reason we landed up there was because a friend of a friend had suggested we rent a house there that belonged to a friend of a friend.... you know how it goes, sometimes it works out and sometimes it does not.  This suggestion turned out perfectly!

Siggiewi or Citta Ferdinand as some of the…

DENSELY POPULATED –  HOT –  HARSH 

Malta is an archipelago of 7 Islands situated in the heart of the Mediterranean; only 3 of the islands are inhabited, Malta, Goza and Comino.

Malta is one of the world’s smallest states, comprising only 316 km², (122 sq mi) it is also one of the most densely populated areas worldwide with just over 400 000 people.…

The harsh, hoarse, raucous, guttural haa-haa-haa-de-dah dawn call of the Hadeda Ibis is enough to drive one demented!

I am sure a lot of people in South Africa can relate to my love/hate relationship with this bird.  Every morning, at sunrise they fly over my house screaming at me to wake up!  Who needs an alarm clock?  I live across the road from a golf course, one of the favoured urban spots for these birds to roost so, no matter what, I am not going to get away from…

Continuing on our journey down the
Garden Route, I thought that for those not au fait with the route, I should perhaps first expand a little on the area before letting you into my next secret find.

The Garden Route in the Western Cape is one of the most scenic routes in the country and a main tourist attraction.  If you had been one of my international clients, visiting South Africa, I would have definitely recommended that, had you the time, you explore this region…

If you have never been to South Africa, and you were wondering what kind of floral kingdom it would have, perhaps, because you think of it as being hot and sunny, you assume that it’s pretty desert like and quite scarce in the flower department; well nothing could be further from the truth. 

10% of the world’s flowering species are found in South Africa with the Cape Floristic Kingdom being one of the world’s six plant kingdoms. The others are the Antarctic, Australasian, Boreal,…

I am a fun loving mature woman from Cape Town, South Africa, who loves to explore new destinations and experiences.    My philosophy in life is “Have suitcase, will travel” and I like to drag my family and friends along with me to share in the joy.   Naturally, along the journey of “life” I like to indulge in long, lazy lunches, delicious champagne, creamy chocolate and most important, lots of laughter……

I recently started a Blog and invite you to take a twirl around it to…