Africa

South Africa is home for me. I was born and raised here. I've only ever lived in this country. So, naturally, this is the country I've explored more than any other in the world. I was born in Mabopane, which was then part of Bophuthatswana. My parents later moved to Limpopo, which was then under the government of Lebowa in the pre-democracy days. This is where I did all of my schooling until I moved to Kwazulu-Natal to do my tertiary studies. By the time I was done with my tertiary education, my parents had moved to Mpumalanga and already preparing to move back to Polokwane, Limpopo, where I got my first job.

I worked at a FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) company that was based just outside the city of Polokwane. I worked there for a little over 2 years when I finally moved to Gauteng to join yet another FMCG company. I was in Gauteng for nearly 3 years when I was transferred to a post in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal. This hopping from one FMCG to another continued for another 12 years, including the time when I changed my career altogether to pursue my love for marketing. My marketing career in corporate ended when I decided to go on my own just before the end of 2015. Before I turned 30, I had already called 4 provinces home. Through my career journey alone, I was exposed to the many parts of South Africa, to which I would travel on business. I was fortunate enough to have had parents who exposed us to travel from a young age, something that seems to have now become engraved in my DNA. My friends laugh when I say I don't think I will be able to carry on living if I stopped traveling because I simply cannot imagine calling it life if I don't travel!

The People

The people of South Africa are a resilient bunch because if one had to consider the harsh realities of their past, you wouldn't expect them to have the sense of humour they do. You wouldn't expect them to have what we call 'ubuntu' which when simply put means humanity. It's not a secret that among the good bunch of people there are also some incredibly cruel human beings but being the survivors that we are, South Africans live through many painful experiences and always come out stronger on the other side. We've experienced hardships in many forms. Be it from the discriminatory nature of our previous governments to the incredibly corrupt leadership of our present days, we've managed to pull through while staying hopeful and committed to a better tomorrow. Being in the urbanized areas can easily make one forget the humility of our people but go out into the semi-urban areas or even the rural areas and you'll be hard-pressed to encounter anyone who's unkind.


The City Life

My heart belongs to Limpopo and there's absolutely no place in the world that can replace my connection to it. Mpumalanga is my favorite province in the country because I believe it is truly the most beautiful of all the provinces. It doesn't get the same level of recognition as the other provinces but this is not a reflection of its beauty.

Cape Town has become my favorite city in South Africa for many reasons. I love that it is a beautiful city with its gorgeous backdrops of Table mountain and of course, the ocean. I love the lifestyle here. Yes, it's Eurocentric, which can sometimes count as a negative for others, but I see it as a plus. Whenever I want to have that feeling of being very far from home but being unable to actually go very far at that given time, Cape Town would be my choice of destination any day. I love the restaurants here for the simple fact that most of the top ones are situated along the beautiful coastline. The choices are vast and the food is generally amazing. You may not always be guaranteed to meet the friendliest of faces but if you can identify the ones that make you feel the most welcome, then you'll have no issues. The nighlife here is amazing because you can choose to join the masses and go where all the party-seekers go or you can opt for a more laid back nightlife with a touch of exclusivity.


Shopping

Shopping in South Africa is great because you really get to decide whether you want to spend a lot of money shopping or a little. Here you literally have a choice to shop at the most elite of shopping centres/boutiques or the craft markets where you can get the most amazing items/souvenirs for a song. It's great to experience both and everything else in-between to understand just how vast the choices are. From imported to local goods, South Africa has created an incredible shopping experience both for locals and visitors. Depending on where in the world you''ll be visiting from, the exchange rate to the South African Rand could be a further advantage to your shopping experience. If you're working on a US dollar or British pound basis, then cost is the last thing you'll need to worry about. Let's just say, what you'll spend here will be a fraction of what you spend in a day back home.


Sightseeing

South Africa is an incredibly beautiful country with an endless amount of places to visit and I'm not just saying this because it's my home. You'll have to explore it yourself to understand this. I actually find that a lot of South Africans don't realize themselves the beauty of this place. As a nation, I find that South Africans don't travel much and of course, this is a generalization based on the small number of people I interact with who do travel. There are many South Africans who are yet to discover the beauty of their own country. If you asked me which places I would recommend, I know that a number of areas in Mpumalanga will be right at the top of my list, followed by Cape Town in the Western Cape, Durban and surrounding areas in Kwazulu Natal as well Johannesburg in Gauteng for the more fast-paced experience.

These are not by any stretch of the imagination the only places with gems to explore but it's really from understanding that when people travel, they usually only have a certain number of days in which to do their exploration and so these are the places I would send you to, for you to have an all-round experience of this place. From safaris to great resorts to nature reserves, there's just so much beauty to take in, in many forms.

Cuisine

If you've heard the term 'rainbow nation' then just understand that it means even our cuisine reflects the diversity of this country's nation. Yes, we have what most of us would call traditional cuisines, which will include things like pap (made from maize meal), meat (usually beef, chicken or lamb) and locally grown vegetables. A traditional meal will often comprise these menu items. However, with influences from people that converged on this land from many different corners of the world, do not be surprised when you find a popular Portuguese restaurant run by a South African.

Our people seem to have palates that adapt to just about any taste and for those in the catering industries, I suspect they have an easy time introducing new meals on their menus. The other contrast though is that in the more rural parts of the country, people are very set in their own ways. people who live in villages will have their pap and morogo (a spinach variety) every other day of the week and have pap and any of the other meat options, including chicken, on the rest of the days, and will be content. People who live in the more urban areas tend to cook a variety of dishes in their own homes, including the traditional meals that are mostly enjoyed by those who live in the villages. There's a far greater European and American influence with those who live in the urban areas as it's seen with how they've embraced the various fast food chains from those parts of the world and in how they've adapted their own cooking to some of these styles. All in all, South Africa is a melting pot of traditions, in every way imaginable. The food here is tasty. The choices can leave you feeling overwhelmed. So the best thing to do is to try out as many dishes as you can!

 

 

 

 

I've been to Egypt twice and both experiences were confirmation of how warm the people of Egypt are. On both my visits I was based in Cairo, an overly crowded city, which can overwhelm you in just an instant. The driving in the streets will make your heart stop. The traffic is the worst I've seen (apart from Mumbai, India). I still don't understand how it is that the people there drive the way they do and yet I never witnessed a single car accident on any of the roads. I was lucky enough to be invited into the home of one local I had met. They spoke very little English but they found a way to make you feel welcome in their homes. If you visit any Egyptian and they don't offer you tea in a short glass, then you must know that something is horribly wrong. It is something Egyptians seem to do throughout the day, whether it's a hot or cold day. It's such a common feature in their daily lives they see it as a gesture to say 'you're welcome'. The tea culture is fascinating. It's probably just as common as their hubbly bubbly culture or 'shisha' as they call it in Egypt, because I seemed to spot the tea just as soon as I had spotted the shisha. A shisha is an instrument they use to some tobacco, which is often flavoured.

Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country, which means a number of things are restricted such as alcohol. Only a limited number of restaurants and hotels are permitted to sell and/or serve alcohol. What was strange for me when I visited Cairo was the fact that people could still smoke anywhere in public places - inside a store, at a hotel reception area, basically anywhere. Here in South Africa, people are only allowed to smoke in designated areas and even those are limited. This was a bit of a culture shock for me. Infact, a lot of things were a shock for me and to this day, I have not experienced the level of culture shock I did when I visited Cairo.

On one of the visits, I ventured out into the city of Alexandria and I fell inlove with it. Alexandria has a little bit of that Cape Town character in it and maybe that's one of the reasons I loved it. There was an aspect of familiarity with the place that drew me in. Alexandria is a Mediterranean port city in Egypt, which was founded by Alexander The Great. Unfortunately, I had very limited time in Alexandria as I had made a day trip there. The drive from Cairo to Alexandria seemed long possibly because of my heightened expectation to discover a new city. I remember spending quite a bit of time inside The Great Library of Alexandria, which was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. I was fascinated by the richness of the stories that I read and heard during my tour inside the library. I don't remember much of it but I remember more of how significant it felt for me to have made it there.

I remember eating at one of the restaurants in the tiny city alleys and absolutely loving it. To be honest, this was probably the first time I had eaten something that tasty through my visits to Egypt, hence I've never forgotten the experience. The hotels there tend to serve continental cuisines and as such, you hardly get a real sense of the local flavor. This is another reason why I always venture out into the streets for some traditional food. Of course, it's crucially important to understand the risks in the areas you visit before you try to please your adventure side because some experiences could spoil your entire trip!

Cairo is a big city with so much to see and do. With the history that this city and the country as a whole embody, it's hard to say where one would need to start but the pyramids of Giza would be a great place to start an Egyptian exploration. If not that then a cruise down the Nile river will be just as rewarding. Actually, I lie. I can't think of anything even close to the magnificence of the pyramids. The sheer size of those structures will leave you in awe. Cruising the Nile river on one of those traditional boats where they serve Egyptian food, play Egyptian music with belly dancers doing their thing, is certainly a great way to get any evening started.

When you're ready to shop, be sure to try out both the street markets and the more upmarket shopping malls. Generally speaking, Cairo is a fairly affordable shopping destination but there are places that will surprise you and it's generally the malls. The more upmarket they are, the higher the price tags seem to go. I remember buying a sweater at what was then the biggest mall in all of Africa. I made sure I wear the sweater until it was no longer wearable. Not only because I loved it but because I wanted to make sure I milk every cent I had parted with.

Cairo is a fairly safe city but I found that the men there can make you feel uncomfortable with their stares, especially if you're wearing what they consider to be revealing clothes. By revealing it doesn't necessarily mean short. You could wear a long dress but if it has no sleeves, that's pretty 'revealing'. You could wear long pants but if they tend to fit you snuggly, that too will attract uncomfortable stares. So, unless you're happy to attract that kind of attention, keep to loose-fitting clothes that cover your legs and arms. Yes, it can be a challenge in a city that gets as hot as Cairo does but those are the choices you have. Perhaps things have changed since I was last there but I doubt it very much.

 

I generally try and choose countries I haven't visited before whenever I put together my bucket list. Very rarely will I leave a place I've already visited on my list but Namibia is a place I wouldn't mind visiting again. My first visit here was with my friends and we loved it so much. The trip itself happened by chance. From a casual conversation, we found ourselves booking our flights to Windhoek, Namibia, where we stayed with a friend who lives there. She basically helped put our itinerary together. Getting a local to do an itinerary for any trip is the best thing you can do and we were fortunate to have her join us on the entire trip.

Although, our Namibian experience started briefly in Windhoek, we left for Etosha the very next day. We were booked at a holiday resort out in the bush where we stayed for a night. Our drive from Windhoek to Etosha seemed extremely long. One of the reasons was because our local friend was our designated driver (we were traveling in her car) and we soon learned that not only does she completely adhere to all of the road rules, she was just a slower driver even where the road signs did not necessarily call for it. We left Windhoek early in the morning and it was already quite warm outside. The roads were not too bad. The only frustration was that there were generally single lanes, which restricted overtaking. The best thing one can do in these kinds of situations is to appreciate nature along the way.

 

We must have arrived in Etosha around lunchtime. From the reception desk, it was already clear that our friend booked us in a beautiful place. We actually found it was even more beautiful as we went to the side of our rooms. It's a fairly small resort with lots of entertainment areas that would be particularly pleasing to the little ones. They had a spa on site and this is where we had planned to have a surprise baby shower for one of our friends traveling with us. Yes, she was heavily pregnant and I had proposed to the other 2 ladies that we have a baby shower for her that side. To this day, it's one of the most special things I could have done for my friend and I'm almost certain she will not forget the experience.

 

From the time I sent my first email to the staff at the hotel asking to get options for the surprise baby shower to when we finally arrived and were getting ready to surprise our friend, I experienced the highest level of professionalism. On the day of the baby shower, I was pleasantly surprised to see the extent to which they had gone in decorating the place. The fact that there was only going to be 4 of us didn't deter them from putting together a very elaborate set up with lots of special touches for the ambiance. I don't think I'll forget the face on my friend's face when she discovered what we had been upto. The service was top notch. We even included spa treatments in our little surprise party of 4. There was so much food I just remember telling the staff to share the food that was left over among themselves because we weren't going to manage even if we had taken some away for dinner. The point I wanted to make through this experience was just the Namibian hospitality. They really went all out to make this experience a beautiful and unforgettable one.

 

Our next stop was Walvis Bay via Swakopmund. This is where we discovered the ultimate beauty of Namibia. From the ocean, to the sand dunes, our hearts were captivated right away. We were booked at a hotel right on the bay. A beautiful hotel with stunning, intimate gardens to compliment it. We checked in and immediately left our bags in our rooms so we could get acquainted with our lovely surroundings. We later went to freshen up for a night out. We went to the seafood restaurant that was a few meters from our hotel but we dressed up for it. It was a lovely evening and we enjoyed the seafood there. Once again, the staff at this hotel were really friendly and they made us feel welcome.

 

We must have visited here at a quiet time of the year because it seemed like we were the only guests at the hotel. The great thing about this is that we had the freedom to use the shared spaces for as long as we wanted. We met a few locals there, had some interesting chats, took some contacts and we left the next morning with tons of special memories to take with us. Windhoek was our next stop and the final leg of our Namibian adventure. We stayed at our friend's house and we took to the streets the next day. This time around, we had the opportunity to see some key places in the city of Windhoek and even got to try out some street food, which was delectable. I'm happy to say we rounded off this adventure on a high.

 

Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometres off the southeast coast of Africa. When you land at the small airport, you may notice a small board that reads ‘Welcome to paradise’. This message might not quite click in your mind until you’ve driven out of the airport area to any of the coasts. It is then that you’ll realise you’ve really arrived in a little paradise. This was the first time I had visited a new country and didn’t complain about the idea of staying in one spot for an entire day.

We stayed in the area called Flic en Flac. It seemed like a busy but uncrowded part of the island. We were at one of the hotels along the beachfront and the first thing we did after grabbing a quick lunch at the hotel was to take a walk along the beach, right across the road from where we were staying. It must have been early afternoon and the sun was still blazing. There were a number of people on this beach but it was a comfortable crowd. The beauty of this place had already struck me. From the time we were approaching the airport and our aircraft was slowly descending to land, I could already see the clear, turquoise water surrounding the island. It was the first African island I had been to and I fell instantly inlove.

We spent some time on the beach until the sun started to set. I still have pictures from this moment, which will always be a reminder of the incredible beauty of this place. For some reason, I had underestimated the influence of Indian culture in this country. Mauritius is a multiethnic society, drawn from Indian (mostly of Biharis and a significant minority of Tamils), African, Chinese and European (mostly French) origin. The Creole language, which is French-based with some additional influences, is spoken by the majority of the population as a native language. English is taught in schools and is widely spoken in most Mauritian communities.

The Mauritian cuisine has a great Indian influence, which worked out in my favour because I’m a huge fan of Indian cuisine. I don’t think it’s possible to eat a boring dish here. Even the simplest of dishes is full of flavor.

Our days here were all about exploring the different beaches in the areas surrounding our base, Flic en Flac. We spent one of the days in Le Morne and I think this area made the biggest impression on me. Not only was it the most beautiful beachfront I had seen but it was also in what seemed like an elite part of the island, with lots of beautiful beachfront homes. I think it was here that my dream for a holiday home in Mauritius was ignited. To this day, I still dream of owning a holiday home in this part of the island. I can just imagine it!

Our 5 night stay on the island was not short of incredible moments. We had a private tour guide who took us around to a few different places on the island. We did venture out to Port Louis. We probably spent an afternoon in the city, even grabbed a lunch, but the beachfront was really were we wanted to spend all our days.
I don’t have much to share about the shopping here because we did very little of it but I can tell you that Mauritians are a friendly bunch. Very humble people who love having visitors in their country. Our hosts at the hotel took great care of us. Our last day in Mauritius quickly came and it was time for us to check out and head to the airport for our flight back home. Our tour guide came to fetch us from the hotel but by the time he arrived, there was a strange change in the weather that he thought something big was about to happen. As we got our bags to reception and into his car, the clouds had become so grey even I started to worry. We got in the car and started making our way out to the airport but before we knew it, we were hit by a huge storm. Our driver told us he didn’t think we would be able to fly out in that weather. So, we started making calls to check with our airline and we were told that flights had been cancelled for the evening because there was a typhoon! We had to turn back to the hotel and asked to have our room back.

The weather got uglier as time passed but I was devastated that not only were we not able to fly out but, for safety reasons, we had to stay in our room for the rest of the day and the night. Well, there was no official instruction but my husband believed it would be in our best interest to stay indoors. One thing I’ll tell you about me is that I am unable to be in a new country and simply stay in a hotel room. This day was no exception. I just couldn’t do it despite the circumstances. So, I convinced my husband to go out to another hotel for dinner. I think the right word is ‘coerced’. I don’t think I gave him a choice. We took a cab out to 1 of the 5 star hotels in Flic en Flac. In the storm. The hotel was only about a 10-minute drive away from ours. We arrived at the hotel and found a place inside their restaurant to have dinner. I was happy we were at least experiencing a new spot but even I started to get nervous about the storm. At some point my husband protested and this time, with no intension to do anything different to what he believed needed to happen. Straight after dinner, we made our way back to the hotel and stayed there for the rest of the evening. Luckily, the typhoon didn’t cause any damage other than a few trees in our streets being blown away but we were finally able to make our flight back home the next day.

From this experience, I learned that it is crucially important to understand the weather conditions of the place you are visiting. Yes, the weather forecast may not always be 100% accurate but things like typhoons happen around the same time, every year, and would therefore be easier to predict. In our story, the typhoon afforded us an extra day in paradise even though we couldn’t exactly enjoy it beyond what we had already done. Another lesson learnt was the importance of travel insurance because this was infact the first time in all our international travels that we didn’t take out travel insurance and also the first time that we ended up needing it. So, we had to pay in extra from our own pocket because there was no insurance to claim from. We’ve never made the same mistake twice. Don’t let that happen to you. However, if I ever had to choose a place I’d want to be stuck in, it would be Mauritius! Paradise.