Tag Archives: travel

Imagine how it would feel to line up a row of identical cherries on a slot machine, I got that feeling when we discovered Blue Haze Country Lodge.  Yesterday on our trip home from Durban to Joburg we made a most awesome discovery.  On the trip we always travel through part of the Natal Midlands, we buy honey for R28 …

9 times out of 10 when I love a restaurant it is because it has an outdoor eating area.  On a beautiful day it seems sacrilegious to be cooped up indoors.   Malls and restaurants which overlook a parking lot do nothing for me.   My children are always with me which makes a good play area very appealing.  Last week while …

2000 Million years ago (how do they figure that out?) a meteorite with a diameter of about 10 km hit what is now known as the Vredefort Dome area.  The area was declared a world heritage site in 2005.  The ‘ripples’ of hills which remain hold a sense of ancient wisdom, visiting feels like sitting in a grandparent’s lap.  We …

Cliff has wanted to re-visit Ezemvelo Nature Reserve near Bronkhorstspruit in Gauteng.  Last weekend we found the time to get there.  It was a very long drive from home in Boksburg particularly avoiding e-tolls.  There was a 30 min stop/go near Bronkhorstspruit which was rather annoying for a 4.7km stretch of road works.  The last 20 km leading to Ezemvelo …

  I love Padstals they place me in a holiday frame of mind before reaching our destination, providing a sensory lift during a long drive.  I love the Karoo for its simple canvas and colourful character.  3 Sisters marries these two loves.   This Padstal in the Karoo on the N1 between Joburg and Cape Town, is one of my top …

Yay, this week my camera was returned to me.  I had left it in our room at An-Ra Guest House in Richmond and am so grateful to Meda from An-Ra for her honesty and the trouble that she took to return it in perfect condition. An-Ra in Richmond is a perfect stopover between Joburg and Cape Town and is located …

You seldom see road signs in a town warning that Hippo may be encountered.  St Lucia in Kwa Zulu Natal has this distinction and Hippo do indeed fairly regularly wander through town at night.  Although I did not encounter a hippo on the streets we saw many on a boat trip on the estuary. I would so love to live …

Choosing accommodation for Cliff’s birthday weekend away I took a few things into consideration, price and the distance from home are top of the list.  After narrowing down our options I checked reviews and felt comfortable choosing Monyane Lodge.  If I could give an award for the best hospitality ever Des and Elna would win, they were fantastic! Driving to …

UPDATE – JULY 2015 Mirage Toeriste Kamers is now under new Management and Owners. They are currently busy with renovations, but still open. Secure and under cover Parking is now available. Prices still exactly the same as 2 / 3 years ago. Rusks, coffee and tea in each room. More often than not, heading for Cape Town from home in …

The Western Shores section of iSimangaliso Wetland Park opened the week before we visited.  In a world where man runs roughshod over nature, where materialism and destruction mark and mar every aspect of existence the rehabilitation of 25 000ha of commercial plantations has returned the land to mother nature.  Visiting I felt a sense of hope and peace, wrongs can …