Travel
Find relief in Citta della Pieve
We often ask: “How would you like to live here?” Sometimes it’s very tempting, but then I remember our mountains, the sea, my ordinary, predictable, yet incredibly happy life, my friends and family, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else but in our Sleepy Hollow, surrounded by vineyards,...
BUCEANDO TORTE DE CHOCOLATE MEXICANO
Best chocolate cake in Mexico. Carla and I can attest to that. On a recent visit to Mexico, we enjoyed this magnificent chocolate cake. Moist, packed with chocolate, yet light and not overly rich. It certainly ticked all the boxes after a night out when one needed a Caffè and Torte....
Suffusing My Senses In Siena
On most weekends, in fine weather, I enjoy a long walk along the cliff path in Onrus. I’m always touched by the names inscribed on plaques, carefully set into tiles dotted along the way. These tiles of remembrance are mostly dedicated to loved ones or pets. Sometimes it's just a poem or a...
Travels With Tozers Tuscan Tours
Nothing is amusing about two middle-aged couples in a hire car. You have the driver, the co-pilots, and the backseat drivers. All experienced experts who think driving on the “wrong side” of the road is a walk in the park. And then you have the GPS. An unfortunate woman with a posh accent...
27 November, A Day I’ll Always Remember
I adored a beautiful boy once. He was born on 27 November 1955. I met him in July 1972, and if truth be told, he was the first boy who impressed me. I had a crush on him for years. Though he didn’t notice me much, our stars did align, and our paths crossed occasionally. Remembering his tragic...
Sayulita Señorita
Say me, say you, Sayulita! That’s the way it should be. Naturally! Right next door to Punta de Mita lies this vibrant, colourful beach town — I’ve been told it’s very similar to Tulum, but with waves. All roads lead from the steep hills down to the sea — cobblestone streets line the zocalo...
The Destination Wedding Vacation
Elation! I must confess I am always a little in awe when I hear of someone jetting off to an exotic destination, especially for a wedding. The charmed life. Glamorous. Romantic. The first time it was mentioned in my company was when a recent graduate, earning a pittance, announced she was off...
I Can't Keep It In
There’s no other way but to spit it out. They say “a secret’s only a secret once you’ve told someone," so I’m going to tell you all about a big secret-one of South Africa's hidden gems on the West Coast. It’s not your usual let’s-gossip-about-the-neighbour secret; it’s all about a...
Cuisine, Sunscreen, Tambourine I've Seen '17
Looking back on a year brings back sweet memories. It’s through hard times that we take note, but it’s in the cool afterglow that we can sit back and let our hearts and minds recall the good times. This has been an amazing roller-coaster year. My 60th! My mind has been churning with...
Every Picture Tells A Story
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No matter how many beautiful photographs of Cinque Terre I’ve seen, nothing beats being there in person. Like any great beauty, there is more to her than meets the eye. This place has soul, history and charm. Being a World Heritage Site doesn't happen at...
A Leaning Tower And A Pisa Pizza
Since the Arno has silted up and cut the city off from the sea, Pisa has become slightly off-kilter and a little seedy, though that’s only my opinion, of course. The decline of this once-powerful naval city is evident, and I wonder how popular it would be if it didn't boast such...
Three Letters From Santiago
Insomnia. Lying here in my single bed, in our Spartan Nun’s cell in the former Convent on the square, I feel deep gratitude for this journey's spiritual significance. I move my feet to feel the cold part of the starched white linen sheets. The thick, ancient walls can’t keep the heat out; the...
Butch Bites The Bullet
As with much in life, unless one is 100% committed to a task, it is likely to fail or, at worst, be a disappointment. I know that if asked 5 years ago whether he’d attempt to walk halfway across Spain, Butch would’ve said “NO!” Unequivocally. The only reason he did it was that Anna (his...
Overweight Honey Badger Must Streamline
The Honey Badger is on a crash diet—no more heavy metals. On the spur of the moment, it was decided to weigh the truck, and the collective surprise was huge when she came in a few hundred kilograms over her recommended weight allowance. “How on earth can that happen?” you may well ask. Trust....
Big Butch Battles Bravely
Like two pom-pom girls, we stood ready to welcome our Butch at Vigo Airport. We glimpsed him way down the passage, coming through customs long before he spotted us. He looked exhausted, thin and quite pasty (not at all like a Cornish pasty, rather grey and pale) around the gills. Lise had to...
Vigo Splish Splash And Get Sun-Kissed
It’s raining. If one’s lucky to be there when the first drops fall, one will catch the smell of rain on dusty tar, and it’s just amazing. In Redondela, we took deep breaths of the rainy air; it was heaven, but not quite like our African rain. Here, we smell dust, dry grass, and the blue of...
A Flip-Flopping Peregrino On Camino
My friend sent a photograph of her amazing, knitted patchwork blanket, a gift for her grandson, the other day. I am in awe. You see, I started one too, years ago. On all our wanderings, I’d sit in the car and knit; I’ve made miles of strips and squares. They are haphazard, not all exactly...
There's No Snoozin' With Susan -Camping in the Honey Badger
Camping with my sister-in-law Sue is a treat. She’s organised and runs a tight ship. She has to, with her family of 3 plus 2, plus all the friends and extended family members who make themselves at home there. This whole mish-mash of friends, family and vreemdelinge (strangers) often accompany...
A Sucker For Punishment - Hiking The Fish RIver Canyon - Again
A sucker for punishment - that was exactly what I must be when I agreed to repeat my 2016 hike of the Fish River Canyon, hoping to inspire fellow outdoor enthusiasts to take on similar adventures. I couldn’t go back on my word, so I saddled up the old backpack, loaded it with essentials, and...
Lise, My Camino Compañero
We have made it to Barcelos in one piece, a little bruised and battle-weary, but our spirits remain strong. We could lament the state of our toes until the cows come home, but we’re braver than that. We'll dust ourselves off and soldier on, drawing on the resilience that keeps us going. I...
Picture Perfect Oporto
Four nights in Porto is all I could squeeze into my itinerary. My love for Portugal is genetic. It’s not skin deep; I’m wired to love that slip of a Mediterranean country, hemmed in by Spain on one side and the ocean on the other. My aunt lived in a tiny fishing village south of Lisbon,...
Driving Dirt Roads, Dunes And Deserts
Twenty years ago, my life was a shambles. I was scared and insecure, and I cried every day for almost 2 and a half years. I do believe I could’ve filled buckets with tears. Friends can only take so much. My best friends decided that instead of writing me off, they’d take me to Namibia....
Surely Sundays Are Fun Days
In all my born days, I never thought I would say "whoopee! Sundays are fun days". I’m a boarder, for goodness’ sake. We loathe Sundays. Turn on a radio, and I recall Esmè Everard’s distinctive lilt as she read messages from Mums and girlfriends on “Forces Favourites”. That's my cue to sink into...
On Doctor's Orders
On doctor's orders wasn’t exactly how it all happened. Summer colds are really the pits, especially in spring. We were both bitten by a bug. Runny noses, sneezing, bunged-up sinuses, laryngitis and an embarrassing gungy cough. Not bad enough to tempt one to pull a duvet over one’s head, but...
Singing Ching-Ching It's Spring
I go ballistic every time Butch announces, “It’s Summer!” (Like clockwork, he does it every year on the 23rd of June). My beady eyes give him dirty looks as I shiver and shake from the cold, but I start watching the signs. And then, when he starts paying attention to the weather forecasts,...
Schatzie Goes Hands, Knees And Bump-Sa-Daisy
That’s exactly how I made my descent into the Fish River Canyon—slowly, with measured steps, often on my behind, and with proper safety gear like sturdy boots and gloves. I had no dignity as I squatted to slide down rocks, but I was prepared for the challenge. When did my legs shorten? It was...
Floss, Gloss And Go
It happens once you get engaged, married or become pregnant. Everyone has advice—all good, solid cases based on experience. The problem is which one do you follow? If I had to take up all the tips, tricks and warnings I’ve had in the past week, I’d have to employ Sherpas to trek with me. We’d...
Catching Kate In Vermaaklikheid
Bad news spreads like a rash. The world is upside down. Our own Juju is giving away his secret recipe and weight loss plan. The UK is in a shambles after Brexit. In the US, there’s a possibility that a megalomaniac with a Hitleresque attitude and a permanent bad hair day might become the...
The Old School Tie
Somewhere at the back of a wardrobe, we all have one. Mine was stretched to its limits; having knotted it in Standard 6, it had to keep up with the times, dragged over my head, like a noose, the knot wound tighter. The tie grew filthier and grubbier with each passing term, and as the years...
Mesmerizing Mana Magic
Here, 21st-century human noise has been obliterated, and Nature's silence is deafening. That’s really all I can say. Magical Mana. Magical Mana. Spiritual and Supernatural. The mighty Zambezi snakes through the enchanting forest of indigenous trees. Earth and water. Such powerful...
Friendship - There Is No Value
That's what you wrote in our Guest book before you left for the last time. You won't remember leaving a copy of your book titled "Sand In The Wind" with a note: 8:30 am “Good Morning!" Book under chair, something to read by a waterhole, perhaps. Best Keith” It took a while, but we made it to...
Time Travels Through Zimbabwe
The clock struck one, and time stood still in Zimbabwe. It’s here that one fully appreciates that man’s influence on the Earth is small and insignificant. Still, the conundrum is that technology also has the upper hand, for a while anyway. Plumtree border post marked our entry into Zimbabwe,...
Meanderings During The Merry Month Of May
My favourite month by far: not too cold, not too hot; skies are bluer than blue, and the landscape has changed into its autumn coat. Sharing the beauty of this vibrant season helps the audience feel inspired and eager to experience similar moments. We were awake before the alarm could buzz...
The Weakest Link Takes A Hike
History tells us that contemplation, meditation, soul-searching, and philosophising often take place on mountaintops. Jesus, Mohammed, Moses, Mandela and Gandhi did it. I had a close call, a wake-up call, a bruised ego, a sore bottom, and a chipped toenail. Last week, I embarked on a...
In Etosha We Slosha In Galosha
A distant rumble, a short, sharp whip crack, the skies light up while the heavens become darker, heavier. The smell of rain rolls over the dry, cracked earth. Every animal becomes aware and focuses on the storm as it gathers momentum. Stifling heat cools down. We’ve arrived in Etosha—the...
Resolution, Revolution Or Right On From Where We Left Off
The choice is always ours. New Year has come and gone a few dozen times in my life, some good, some indifferent, and some jolly awful. My New Year's resolutions have been a fickle affair, based on the belief that if we try and don’t succeed this time, we can start all over again in 365 days. ...
Monday Musings And Trip Advising
Reflecting on age, I realize that travel keeps my free spirit alive and inspires my audience to see aging as an opportunity for fresh adventures. This morning, while spinning, I forced myself to stop looking at the clock's very slow tick and instead let my eyes drift over my fellow spinners. ...
Treading Lightly On The Earth
Sometimes one meets a person who makes the right impression. I did; he's a strange man, quiet, introspective, solitary, much like the animals he loves. At first, he is also quietly arrogant and a snob. He's a free spirit, born free; he played his guitar in pubs in the seventies, hooked up with...
R is For Rhino Rob Restaurants and Red Wine - A Review
Animals, beer and braai, and scenic spots like Hermanus and Long Street were highlights, showcasing the diverse experiences across A-Zee. But we had to meet the boy first. Forewarned is forearmed, and we’d only heard good things—the usual: he's nice, bright, and fun, a petrolhead, tall, dark,...