Category Archive: South Africa

Table for One: Mez Karoo Kitchen and Other Barrydale Delights

“Remember the days you prayed for the things you have now.” – Jennice Vilhauer When I turned 48 I decided to visit Myanmar as a birthday present to myself. I spent my birthday… Continue reading

An Inner Journey

“On average you live for 80-odd years and then you die. Sometimes quietly in your sleep. Other times, horribly. In between living and dying, some people endure. Others barely manage to survive. Some… Continue reading

Victoria Yards – A Jo’burg Gem

Garden as though you will live forever. – William Kent Located in the tiny suburb of Lorentzville Victoria Yards join other creative spaces like Maboneng and the Newtown Precinct in reviving neglected parts… Continue reading

Steampunk Coffee – Heaven in a Cup

“The powers of a man’s mind are directly proportional to the quantity of coffee he drank.” – Sir James MacKintosh – My knuckles turn white, as I tighten my grip on the steering… Continue reading

Places To Stay: Upper House – Clarens, South Africa

Name:  Upper House Locatation:  Clarens, Eastern Free State, South Africa Description:  It is a small guest house, where all the rooms have private entrances with secure parking, and access to the lush garden, where… Continue reading

Where The River Flows

“Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.” – Emma Smith – When we received a phone call in March to inform… Continue reading

Discover Maboneng, City of Light – Johannesburg

“In 2007 I was living in a converted factory on the edge of the city. At that time the Jo’burg inner city was a no-go zone, crime ridden, filthy and all but forgotten.… Continue reading

Street Art & Graffiti in the Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg

“I laugh at the way some people think graffiti is all selfish tagging and vandalism. Thoughtful street art is like good fiction – it speaks out on behalf of everyone, for us all… Continue reading

Places To Stay: Ondervlei Cottage – Rosendal, South Africa

Name:  Ondervlei Cottage Location:  Located on the fringes of Rosendal, a small town in the Eastern Free State, bordered by the Witteberge, Ondervlei Cottage has no immediate neighbours, which is ideal when one… Continue reading

Where It All Started

 “Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have first-hand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it.… Continue reading

Finding Solitude – The Buddhist Retreat Centre, Ixopo, South Africa

The mist, like a gauzy veil, hung suspended between air and earth, as I made my way towards my bed after Evening Meditation. In it, solid forms dissolved and became liquid energy. Behind… Continue reading

A Visit to Beaver Creek Coffee Estate – South Africa

The rich aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans permeates the cool early morning air, and awakens my taste buds, leaving me to swallow back the saliva in anticipation of my first sip of… Continue reading

Where The Smell Of Sugar Floats On The Breeze

A smell of burnt sugar floats along the morning breeze. The sugar mill at Sezela, the first one to be built in South Africa, is working hard to process the sugarcane that is trucked in… Continue reading

Matjiesfontein: Where the Air is Like Dry Champagne

The R318 from Montagu to Matjiesfontein gently flows through Die Keisie, Burgerspass, and the fertile Koo valley, where fruit and protea flowers are grown, before spilling out onto the barren landscape of the Great Karoo, and joining the N1 that connects Cape… Continue reading

McGregor Magic

In the dusty street leading past the green façade of McGregor Backpackers, three dogs scampered towards me. Two of them with only three legs. Before I could decide how to react a woman unfolded herself from… Continue reading

Places to Stay: Lentelus Guest House – Barrydale, South Africa

Name:  Lentelus Guest House Location:  11 kilometres outside of Barrydale on the road to Montagu on Route 62, which is said to be one of the longest wine routes in the world, Western Cape, South Africa Description: … Continue reading

Barrydale Gossip

I follow the bright blue signs of the The Blue Cow that proudly announces its location “at the Barrydale Waterfront”. I wonder what kind of waterfront pin-sized Barrydale can possibly have, yet I feel intrigued as… Continue reading

Prince Albert’s Architectural Gems

One of the best ways to appreciate Prince Albert’s wide open spaces is to walk its streets. Some tarred, others dusty. Here one can still marvel at yesteryear’s ingenious technology, where leiwater, along a clever… Continue reading

Places To Stay: The French Cottage – Prince Albert, South Africa

Name: The French Cottage Location: Prince Albert, South Africa Description: A spacious self-catering cottage decorated with French flair. It is a comfortable, arty space where one immediately feels at home. The kitchen is… Continue reading

Early Morning Joys in Prince Albert

The owl has noticed my approach long before I’ve seen it perched high on the electricity pole. I stop and stare at my good fortune. I love owls, and sightings are so rare. As I… Continue reading