Travel
Morning After The Valentine Night Before
I have carpet burns on both knees and my forehead is blood red and burning. On Sunday morning I had: lower backache, a blinding headache, swollen ankles and my pedicured toes had blistered, I throbbed! I have no regrets and I'm not complaining. I am “just” over the 50 year mark so “regret”...
Moon On The Water - Where a Simple Life Comes Together
As soon as the furniture is arranged on the veranda and the long table is placed against the railing I sit down and feel my shoulders drop, my neck becomes looser and the tension flows like blood through my veins out through my toes. I can breathe again, long slow inhalations,...
Good, Better, Mozambique
It’s a long and winding road getting to Lua No Mar, a cottage on the beach in Tofo, a pinprick on the map of Mozambique in the Province of Inhambane. This is the place of long white beaches, mosquitoes, sand flees, balmy days, and the friendliest most accommodating people in Africa. Vasco...
The Fast Lane to Bloemfontein
You may well ask, what on earth were we doing in Bloemfontein? The home of the Safari Suit; indeed, one only goes there for a wedding, a funeral or a meeting. But someone’s wagon stopped there. My Ouma was a student at the Teacher’s Training College in 1929. Today, unless you’re accepted...
Clickety-clack choo-choo
Clickety-clack, Clickety-clack choo-choo-choose your train wisely! Trains and Champagne. I’m neither an Anorak nor a Trainspotter but I love the huge beasts. Skinny bandy legs, new black lace-up shoes the dress 6 inches off the floor when kneeling. A very wobbly chin, I'm petrified I’ll...
Halo! Halong is Halong Bay? Halong can I stay?
“To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value.” and “To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;” I must confess I knew very little about Halong Bay except that it was exceptionally...
Decidedly Dilly Divas and other Dramas
Confucius say “short man who dance with tall woman get bust in mouth”. That is indeed a pearl of wisdom! As we were privy to local lore we were treated to strange customs in Ha Noi. So instead of watching the famous Water Puppets we went in pursuit of Fre Astair and Ginga Roger (in keeping...
Street food in the fast lane
Streets are swarming with scooters, rickshaws, hookers and hawkers. The sidewalks bustle with traders, pedestrians, street cafes, and panhandlers This frisson is like a needle in a vein and addictive. The steamy life on the street is heady and the cacophony of sound and raw energy makes any...
In a Singpore Grip
Lets agree prohibition sucked and led to all sorts of mischief. Imagine a government that bans chewing gum? The fear of the law was put into me and I had visions of sniffer dogs discovering my Imodium and Vomifene so I rushed to my G.P for prescriptions in case I got the chop, no questions...
Yikes bikes, peddling power
“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realise fishing is stupid and boring.” Desmond Tutu, high-fi! This afternoon I donned my cycling shorts and reluctantly went off to the gym to attend a Spinning...
Trekking in Sa Pa with Zer-Zer
On 24th August Butch Googled “trekking in Sa Pa Vietnam” and found a guide called Zer-Zer followed by a telephone number. Little did we know that a life changing experience was awaiting us. To contact Zer-Zer: phone +84 16 75312817 Butch was quick out of the blocks, phoned the number and...
Flights of Fancy
Boozy lunches can lead to trouble and this one was no exception, at our table there's always good food, good company and copious amounts of champagne and wine. As the afternoon unravelled we decided we’d flip a coin, September was a good month to either start Banting or to travel. It was...
Les Girls are Frenching It - Menerbes
Au Revoir Paris! All too soon we had to pack our bags and make our way down our narrow staircase to our taxi to board the TGV to Avignon. Thankfully we had someone who very kindly carried our bags down those stairs and waved and airkissed us, shouting "Au revoir" to us as the door closed...
Les Girls are Frenching It - Paris
The three days in Paris were just fabulous, our apartment in the Hotel Verneuil Saint Germaine beautifully appointed, modern, immaculate and slap in the middle of Saint Germaine, pure indulgence. A stones throw from the Louvre, the Seine, the shops, eateries, cafés, bakeries and all...
Ranthambore National Park - India
We travelled halfway around the world to visit Ranthambore National Park for one reason only. To see the mightly and very elusive Bengal Tiger. I wonder if they exsist?In Ranthambore village Precious decided to employ the services of a tailor to make some shorts, after a lot of haggling...
India by Rail
Whether you travel like a Prince or a pauper, in India there will be a train to suit your needs and your pocket. It's poplular and a great way to experience the culture, landscape and the people. You can dine with a Maharajah on the Rajastan Express or enjoy street food on the platform on...
Being Catherine De Nerve
"Work is a sideline - Live the holiday I’ll probably never see the Voyager blast off into space, but, it’s like Cape Canaveral in this house as we start the countdown to lift-off on Tuesday. Old habits die hard. When I was growing up there were certain things that had to be done before...
Gorilla De Ville Goes Camping - Botswana
“Precious”, promised himself that he would go to the bush in 2014. Reservations were made with Banks, the Camp Official at the Khwai Community Camp. This is bush camping at it's best, hard to beat and hard to find. We camped for eleven nights. N.B here's a link to "Youtube link to...
Have Passport Will Travel
For weeks we’ve spoken about nothing except Princess Open Book's holiday to Tofo, Inhambane, Mozambique. The child’s tired, over-worked, stressed and fatigued and needs to detoxify of all her physical, mental and emotional toxins. We’ve sent lists of what to haves, what to take, what not to...
Flower Power in Namaqualand
There’s nothing as rewarding as a trip to the Namaqualand in spring. Figuring out when spring has sprung is the question, traditionally we “celebrate” spring day on the 1st September, but, we’ve not informed Nature. Our experience has been that the best flowers are to be seen during...
Caravan Capers
We're back from Botswana via the Kgalagadi Trans Frontier Park, and what an adventure we had! Not a day past without a mishap or surprise!Thank goodness we were able to keep our fine sense of humour! AND the world hasn’t ended, winter has come and gone and South Africa still rocks! The...
Actually India!
A year ago we were persuaded to get to India So one day whilst surfing the web I spotted some really cheap tickets and while Georgie went off to Town to do the groceries I booked our flights. 1st May we set off to India, after we’d spent 4 days walking in the Kruger National Park. We did...
Les Girls are Frenching It - The Backgound
Where do I start with this travellogue I wonder? Just a few minutes ago whilst hanging up the washing I thought about the last couple of months, first an epic adventure to India and then France, son magnifique! India was a life changing experience and left it’s indelible mark on my soul,...
Suikerbossie Guest Farm Meander - A Review
I have friend who knows the lyrics to all the 60’s and 70’s songs and she has the gift of being able to belt out the songs at the drop of a hat. So you say “submarine” and she’ll take that as her cue to sing. She does it anywhere and everywhere. That’s probably given my next sentence...
