Goodbye Cape Town

Goodbye Cape Town ~ We took the Garden Route on our way back to Cape Town and as we hit the coast the sun set. These pictures wont do the moment justice but if you can imagine the smell of the sea and the wind in your face it may come close. Oh, so dramatic I can be. . .

The evening was spent at a B&B in Gordons's Bay that had an amazing view of the water and then the sun came up . . .

Karoo

Karoo ~ We travelled to the Karoo on the N1, stopped at a bizarre little town that looked like it belonged in a scary novel and continued on to stop at Prince Albert for the night. The B&B host packed us some tasty biltong, cheese etc. and we headed towards the sunset with our picnic and our wine that we bought from the special cellar in Franschhoek. The sunset was beautiful and will have to be remembered in my mind because I ran out of both batteries and film. We stopped in at the local dairy, for what we thought was going to be a quick cheese tasting and because it was close to closing time he was a little hesitant at serving us at first but soon I was surrounded by good wine, walls of cheese and laughter. In the morning we head out by way of Swartberg Pass in the Swartberg Mountains (Swart = 'black', berg = 'mountain' in Afrikaans). South Africa's terrain changes around every corner. There were so many moments during this trip that I was awe struck. Many moments were unforgettable. This Pass is hard to explain and I won’t even try.

Wine Country, SA

Wine Country ~ A well deserved trip out the city of Cape Town brought us to wine country. The drive alone was amazing never mind stopping to enjoy the tastes of the country as well. Anyone interested in buying a SA winery with me? I stayed in a town called Franschoek (the gourmet capital of the Cape). This small town located in a valley has only one main street, lined with a few antique shops, cafés and restaurants. There is no shortage of thatched roofs, French-style country guest houses and restored manor houses. After the chance meeting of a real-estate agent who was more than helpful with the next leg of our trip, we were off to the Karoo.

On The Way To Cape Town

Sun City, SA

Sun City, SA Grand, Grand, Grand. We had arrived in time for tea - very posh.

Safari

Safari ~ The elephant was definitely the highlight of my trip. It was very hard to choose the pictures to post here - for those of you who are interested in seeing them all, email me and I will send you the link.

Johannesburg

Johannesburg ~ In May I traveled to South Africa for business – I will spare you the photos of the late nights in the boardroom. In South Africa I learnt how to make myself less susceptible to broken car windows and road snatchers. I learnt the benefits of having a gate and walls around your house and that how sometimes even those walls, gates and gatekeepers wont keep you safe. I saw homes complete with a gated property, a gated front door, a gated upstairs and gated bedrooms. Most memorable however is how absolutely beautiful it is in South Africa! I stayed at a boutique hotel called the Peech - I recommend it to anyone staying in the Johannesburg area! http://www.thepeech.co.za/

A night at a Bed & Breakfast (Riverbend Country House) outside of Johannesburg was the starting off point to the safari - as you can tell South Africa is very green VERY DIFERENT FROM MY HOME THE DESERT.

Desert Safari

Desert Safari ~ Bashing around the sand dunes is a must when you visit Dubai. Our driver was clearly the skilled one on the tour and surprised us with his dune maneuvering. You're trip will come complete with camel riding, sheesha smoking, a henna design of your choice, dinner and a belly dancer who will do her best to get you up on stage to show off your belly shaking ability. Barry and I have adapted so well to desert life we have decided to conform completely (see picture). This of course means that I get to hire a helper, raise children, live in a grand villa and shop for designer clothes and accessories when I’m not hanging out at the club. Barry of course can have three other women if he can afford it. Barry you’d better get digging for oil!