Go Travel: Hout Bay Cool
Who knew Hout Bay was cool? Not me. I’ve always liked Hout Bay, Cape Town. But in more the sleepy fisherman’s hangout way. It has gorgeous scenery and the harbour is a cute place to spend the afternoon. But the idea of spending a night – a precious Friday night – in Sleepy Shipville seemed strange to me. Until I met Hout Bay’s hottest new arrival, Kitima.
Going Wild in the Wild
Wild
That’s the word I’ve been looking for. For hours I spent searching the ol’ noggin for a word that would sum up the Kruger Park here in South Africa. Exciting? Gorgeous? Unpredictable? They weren’t quite right. Then came Wild. Wild works. After all, Wild is the whole point of the Park; wild land and wild animals preserved and protected to maintain their wildness. This is one not-so-small part of the world (it’s bigger than the country of Wales!) that values Wild.
It Takes A Lot to Impress a Lion
Must be nice to be a king – or queen – of the jungle. While tourists from all over the world oo’d and aww’d over a lion sighting, this lioness was less inspired. Despite the line of cars on the road next to her and the clicking of cameras big and small, she was more sleepy than surprised. I loved watching the contrast of her nonchalance to the frenzy of the humans nearby. I guess it takes a lot to impress a lion.
Lions and Cheetahs and Hogs…Oh my!
Someone once told me that the Kruger Park is too big. Seeing animals is so hit or miss that you’re better off sticking with small game reserves. After traveling to the Kruger Park myself, I feel the need to respond to that statement: stuff that.
The Best Place I’ve Been
Travelers love to sit the fence. They skirt around answering questions like, Where’s your favorite place to go? They answer diplomatically when asked, What’s the best trip you’ve taken? Some weird etiquette clicks in that prevents them from honestly (and brutally) telling it like it is. I’m no exception. I tend to take the wishy way out of giving direct answers whenever possible. Blame it on indecisiveness or fear of offending, but I am really good at starting sentences by saying, Well that all depends…
But now I am turning a new chapter. I am stepping out from behind a veil of uncertainty to state once and for all that the best place I’ve been is…Paris.
Go Travel: Cape Town Coastline
Cape Town is a beautiful city to go travel. The rolling wine farms, intense mountains and long beaches are outstanding. After living here for over two years I thought I “knew” Cape Town, but a recent sail boat ride proved me wrong.
Go Travel: Cape Town Seafood Restaurants
I hesitate to call this a food post. After all this is not even remotely close to being a food blog. I may talk about trying new foods as a by-product of traveling, but it is a very low priority by-product. It’s really more something I say than do because it’s something you’re supposed to say in travel blogs. You see, I am not a Foodie. In fact, I am probably a Foodie’s worst nightmare. I know how to cook exactly nothing and have no interest in learning any more. While I enjoy nice food, it’s really the food I enjoy more than its adjective. “Nice” to me means anything satisfying at that particular moment. Given that I tend to only think of food when I am already past Hungry and heading towards Starving, “nice” translates to “instantaneous”. I may appreciate a gourmet French soufflé, but I enjoy McDonald’s just as much. I’d say on average I consume fast food burgers three to four times a week. Other meals consist of cereal, grilled cheese and your ever-popular liquid diet of alcohol. In culinary terms, I am a hot mess.
But lately something’s been happening. While it might not seem noteworthy to the casual observer, it is significant to me. I fear that I may be developing a slight case of culinary distinction. Slowly I am creating a hierarchy of consumables that is more sophisticated than just “Good” and “Bad.”
The Best Expensive Places to Travel
Let’s break for a moment from tips and tales of budget travel. Let’s leave the economical tent at home and forget to bring our own groceries on our next trip. Let’s imagine what it’s like to travel rich.
Fair enough, you’re not exactly poor. The fact that travel is even on your agenda shows that you’re not worried about where your next meal will come from, or how to pay the rent. But you’re probably not rich, either. Oh come on, don’t be offended by that. Let me ask you – do you budget for your trips? Do you save up to travel? If so, then you’re not rich; not the disgusting type of rich I’m talking about. Despite the economy, the environment and the social pressure to be middle class, there are still a few lucky bastards out there who are crazy, stupid rich. Before you condemn them to a politically correct prison, imagine that you were the villainous richy. Oh, and how quickly things change! Imagine that with your infinite piles of cold hard cash you could travel wherever and however you want. Where would you go? What would you do? And what sweet type of yacht would you go there in?
Here are a few of the places I would go (and maybe never leave).
Go Travel: Cederberg Mountains
Cape Town is a beautiful city. Its sparkly waters and even more sparkly people have made it the supermodel of Africa. Between million billion dollar luxury homes, trendy clubs and high end cocktails it’s a place that’s easy to have fun. But when the urge for a more chilled out weekend strikes, tuck the stilettos away and head out of town to camp in the Cederberg Mountains.
Go Travel Namibia Part III: Strange Soup
Sticking with our theme of Strange, JD and I headed on from Kolmanskop ghost town to the coastal town of Luderitz, Namibia.
Luderitz is strange for many reasons. The first is that it’s a German town in the middle of Africa. Gazuntite! The second is that with a population of four humans and a cat, it’s the biggest town we encountered in our 1100 kilometer drive up the west coast of Africa. The third is that it is home to the world’s first extermination camp (which just happened to be our campsite). Add in some dramatic rocks, shark infested waters and the annual Crayfish Festival and you’ve got a recipe for Strange Soup, which JD and I slurped down hungrily.
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