Category Archives: TRAVEL

Santorini: A Vague Impression

Obliteration, devastation and starting all over again…

Santorini’s aesthetics are not pretty.

They’re rugged, they’re unruly …they’re beautiful.

It is disaster and rebuilding on full display as the cut-away cliffs fold like cake mix down to the Aegean Sea… Nea Kameni’s active volcano in the flooded Santorini caldera erupted, demolished, and created what Santorini is today.

…and the sea is the deepest sparkling blue you can ever imagine. A blue that somehow makes you feel its’ depths …your depths …life’s ‘inifinite’-ness & possibility …and on top of the devastation that the volcano created, man’s hand has crafted, carefully and lovingly, the most beautiful architectural treats for the eye, in glistening whites, bouncing the light, and making the whole landscape a working-art, a work of hope.

…because only a few kilometres away lies an active volcano, and Mother Nature could go and take it all away again.

I was speaking to a bartender, this time around, about why it is that Santorini feels so different and why it takes your breath away…

She said it is the energy of the volcano – a feminine energy – and it is right at this little island’s doorstep.

…and the villagers worship and celebrate its’ power, because it built the island as it is today, in such a jaw-dropping and heart-stopping kind of way.

Out of the eruption. Out of the devastation.

And the little caldera cliff houses teeter on its’ edge, vicariously, almost as if they are constantly rebalancing their weight to lean against gravity. And the tourism is as relentless, as the sun, and the wind.

…and I think that it might just be the thing that does Santorini in.

But the rejuvenation and reconstruction is a part of Santorini, and like moths we are drawn to the flame, to the active volcano, to the rumbling, yet strangely restorative energy that is Santorini.

Nea Kameni, the island of Santorini’s creation, is pictured to my right 💓

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Mauritius …impressions

Sometimes it’s easier to write in hindsight, when your view is clearer, and you aren’t still giddy from the swell of it.

Mauritius,

To begin with, the first thing I noticed was how clean you were. How hot and humid the air was. Taking me back to my childhood. To the first time I stepped off a plane onto Hong Kong soil.

You felt exotic. Like potential. Palm trees of every species perched precariously from concrete blocks in well-lined islands of the sterile airport.

You felt like a place where one could walk freely and calmly around brightly-lit areas at night.

Safe.

This was a new feeling, having spent a year back home, in South Africa, where, unbeknownst to the conscious mind, one is always aware of what’s around the corner.

We began our journey at night, through the windy sea-hugging roads in deepest-dream darkness.

We chose to stay in a lesser populated side of the island, having heard and read a lot, and wanting to find morsels of ‘authenticity’, whatever that means, and to feel the island’s beneath.

The things I remember most are:

The Water – the temperature, oh so heavenly, rocking you like a lullaby, as you lay back in shades of turquoise-green. The colours changing so shockingly as the sun dips in and out, and the days turn over and the weather lazily chooses whether it will be cyclonic storms or shady clouds or postcard blues.

The Animals – the wealth of fauna took me back to the seaside town I was born in and flashed memories I’d forgot I knew about, bringing up a nostalgia and childhood longing. The big croaky frogs on the humid steps at twilight greeted us like Faraway Tree creatures, with the childlike feeling that fairies might be peeking out mischievously from a nearby glen. Snails …everywhere. Just like in Hong Kong. So many that we spent the beginning of a before-the-rain evening picking them up off the gravelly, rural roads. Bats. Wide-winged, high-flying, moonlit creatures of the night, swooping across sunsets, and the sea. These are the things that coloured my stay in shades, no, feelings of warm, bright, orangey-pinks.

The Villages and The Community – late night festivals alongside the sea with brightly coloured tents and aromatic spices lingering in the air. Washing, and plants, still in their plastic cases, happily bobbing out of windows and hanging off balconies of paint-peeling primary-coloured houses. And everyone coming out at night. And the lights being off at night. All the houses gone blank, only one or two TV screens, glittering hazy pictures through roughly-curtained windows. And the blockades next to the beach, littered with people soaking up the evening’s rays. And picnics galore, not on the sand, but on the grass, under the umbrella of tall fir trees. And Tupperwares, everywhere, with what looked like hearty curries spooned into them, cooked from scratch, no doubt with sweat and love. And babies, galore. And little children running about. And laughter. And an atmosphere of celebration, every evening, as the sun’s rays crept down the sea.

The Dolphins – One of the most astounding feelings I’ve ever felt was diving into a pod of dolphins as they submerged in a triangular formation, ebbing rhythmically through crystal spheres of light, getting darker and darker as they plummeted into the depths of the sea. I can’t put it into words, but it felt something like being part of the beginning and the end and the in-between… Maybe it was the way they danced in unison …maybe it was the colours… Maybe it was something to do with a primal feeling, in deepest waters. I don’t know. It belittles it, but the closest I can get is… It felt like my heart and soul had overflowed into the sea.

Hope you are having a beautiful Thursday!!!

XO

JJ

Mauritius: Expectations vs. Reality PART 1

I wanted to go to Malawi.

I’m just putting it out there.

As I was booking tickets, a little voice in my head (also known as my fickle friend, Common Sense, who usually only shows up at the tail-end of BAD situations…) said check.the.weather. So, of course, I followed my gut, my intuition, the omens …as any good Millennial would (through Google Weather, of course).

It was raining.

The. Whole. Damn. Week.

…and the week after.

…and the week after that.

…and the week before that.

I like rain. But I don’t like rain that much.

So, I consult my unfickle friend, Google, again, and a short search shows a well-trodden path to a place with similar distance, similar price, beautiful pictures of beautiful waters, but… A thoroughly different vibe. Or so I’d heard.

Most everyone I know has been to Mauritius.

I was very late on that boat …or plane. And, yes, I have been to my fair share of interesting places, but, as with everything, a combination of 1. lack of planning 2. excess of enthusiasm, and 3. strange compulsive drives which even I don’t wholly understand, means I don’t aaalways follow the beaten track, but, I do aaalways end up in the most beautiful places. Somehow. Booked the day before.

So I keep this method. This method has worked for me.

Up until now.

…or so I thought.

To level with you completely, I wasn’t overly whelmed by the notion of Mauritius. The messages I had gotten from friends and acquaintances were… it’s a honeymooners’ haven, think expensive resorts that cater to your every whim, think beautiful beaches and think …well, don’t think much more. Lay on your beach, and drink your cocktail.

If I gave it a subheading it’d be: man-made lux in tropical paradise with little local offerings. Or so went my interpretation.

Inside, I grimaced.

My excitement levels dwindled (no … deflated).

For a holiday or mini travel expedition, I like a bit of both worlds. I want to feel the heart of a place …and then do what I do best: lounge around.

I want to eat different foods, I want to make new friends who speak a different language to me, I want to hear insiders’ stories about times past, and forecasts of times to come, I want to see new types of buildings, weird animals, trees… I want a taste of a different way of life, and I want to be forever re-evaluating mine…

I didn’t want to go into English-speaking heaven, and eat burger and chips.

I can do that at home.

So Mauritius, I apologise, for my hideous misconceptions, but, in a way, I am glad I thought so little of you because….

…I got a mighty surprise.

Off-the-Beaten-Track South African Getaways: Greyton

A Meandering Mountain Escape

This ongoing list is dedicated to South African places that, in my eyes, have a special charm or appeal. They might be places I’d never heard of until I stumbled upon them, or maybe they are a little off-the-beaten track, a little less busy, who knows… But indeed they must be spectacular in their own way, to get onto this list (list).

On the windy N2 from Cape Town toward the Garden Route – if you take a left before Caledon, or a right after Riviersonderend – a dusty dirt road (fit for not-4X4s) will take you to a one-road town named Greyton.

Okay, it’s got more than one road, but it feels like a one-road town to me.

The main road meanders up to a spectacular mountain range through thatched Cape Dutch manor houses, most adorned with tumbling rose gardens and flowered archways.

Greyton, nestled in the valley before the mountain range, lies in between citrus farm-land and consists of a few roads of charming houses, each one beautiful to the eye, with a handful of picturesque, (and very hospitable) restaurants, hotels and B’n’B’s.

It is an artist’s mecca.

It is a place where people pilgrim to for ‘retreat’.

A fashionable old man with wild grey hair and round tinted spectacles rides what seems to be a half cut off tractor or a very odd-looking land rover.

It’s a sight to behold paired with the architecture and sweet little tea rooms, and weeping willows as backdrop… You almost have to blink twice and think …have I stepped into an Austen -novel? And then you remember the car, and the country and the telephone poles, and your warm device in your blinged up hand…

The sound of the wind sifting through leaves, and the quaint little road, and the great beyond everywhere beneath… Greeny-yellow hills and cascading mountains, and endless nothingness…

Greyton is tranquility, paired with Mad Hatter tea gardens, and a few vibey beer gardens, and interesting folk, and lots of rose gardens.

Why Would I Go (In a nutshell, please)?
To escape the busy city, chill out and calm down. To refresh, gain inspiration, to stare at mountains and to listen to wind, and to feel worry-less for just a moment or two. It’s like time stands still. Or maybe you’re going back in time …that’s stood still. Great for a lover’s getaway to nestle up in charming rooms …breakfast in bed, warm croissants, tumble out of for lazy strolls down quiet streets, framing you in flowers and pretty trees.

How Long Would I Stay?
2/3 nights unless you’re exhausted and need longer to chill.

What Would I Do?
Not much. That’s the beauty of this place.

But in all seriousness, there’s lots to do. You could:

  • visit the arts studios and craftsy shops
  • take a walk into Greyton Nature Reserve (3km loop of the Platkloof Walk takes you to a waterfall)
  • taste home-cooked cuisine at the local restaurants, think warm, freshly baked breads and boere kos
  • take a ride in a horse-drawn cart
  • eat pancakes at the Saturday Market and buy delicious organic preserves to take home
  • taste craft beer and fine wine and chat to the locals
  • have tea at the quaint gardens of The Posthouse
  • soak up history in the Genadendal Museum and old water mill
  • conquer the Bosmanskloof Trail with Greyton as your starting point

    But, really …sitting nestled in the mountains, soaking up the calm – that’s the essence of its charm.

Nearest Large Towns/Cities?
Riviersonderend +- 40 mins
Cape Town +- 1h 40 mins

What Should I Wear?
For the ladies – long flowy dresses, shorts/skirts and pretty tops. Casual for the men – linen trousers, airy button-downs. Maybe a little something elegant and light, but not too cocktail-y, for the evenings. Hiking gear. Leave your high heels at home.

When Should I Visit?
Summer or Spring when the flowers are out and you can take lazy strolls in the balmy air, or huddle by fires in Winter, and wrap up in thermals with flasks of hot chocolate to get some fresh crisp air after a Sunday roast.

Where Should I Stay?
$$$ The Posthouse +-R1100 pn
$$ Lady Grace +-R600ish pn
$ Pondokkie (Air BnB) +-R350 pn
If you go as a group you can get some great Air BnB deals – probably around a hundred or so per person per night.

Cost of Meal Out?
+-R80 for a burger and chips
+-R130 for prawns

SUMMARY
If you live in a nearby city, this is a great country escape!
If you’re travelling to South Africa, this is our mountain range, complete with worldly luxuries, at it’s most delightful and quaint!