Why on earth have I posted this picture on Mother's Day?

This was taken in Bolivia about 6 years ago.  The reason for me putting it up on the blog on Mother's Day might seem a tad confusing.  Mom's all around the world are the same.  Their son will always be their little boy.  Whenever we chat she'll ask if I've washed my hair, if I've cut my fingernails or if I'm wearing clean undies.  Well mom, here is evidence that I always wear clean undies, although sometimes not exactly as they should be worn. 

The Red Stone Hills

We've visited this beautiful part of the world (slightly inland and East of Calitzdorp) a few times but this was the first time we had a serious walk.  We stayed in a great little cottage and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.

Our cottage, the Ostrich Palace

Our walk

Rush hour

A great Easter getaway

There were 2 main reasons for us to get over to the UK.  We had Jackie's cousin Louise's wedding in Bath and we also wanted to spend a bit of time with Jackie's gran who was about to reach the ripe old age of 90.  We made the most of it by catching up with other mates and ended up being away for 3 weeks in all.

It began with 3 nights in London which was lots of fun.  Quite strange to arrive at Heathrow (and London) at the start of our time away.  For quite some time arriving at Heathrow was always the end of a holiday and we'd be rushing back to our flat and straight into work.  We couldn't resist celebrating St Patrick's Day, firstly at the parade through Central London and then at an Irish Pub close to where we used to live in Cromford Road.  Plenty of Guinness and I can confirm that I had a headache the next morning which I think must have been a bit of jetlag.

The rest of our time in London was spent enjoying a few old haunts, with meals at the Churchill Arms, Belgo's, Wagamammas and Curry Royal.  We walked from Hyde Park Corner to Embankment and also around our old neighbourhood of Putney.

The Churchill Arms

Next, we set off on a train to Cheltenham where we spent 3 relaxed days with Jackie's gran.  Lots of catching up, good food at home and an expensive but enjoyable meal at a trendy hotel called 'The Hotel'.

Rob fetched us the next day from Bristol train station and we then had 4 days with him and Annette in Bath.  The UK had been experiencing some decidedly chilly and 'unseasonal' weather and in Bath this remained so.  We ventured out a few times; dressed as polar explorers.

A walk along the canal from Bradford on Avon

We then drove off in Shetland (Rob's obedient vehicle) and made our way up to Shropshire for lunch at the Red Lion, in Forton, with Judy and Robert.  My pork chop (sourced from a pig that lived nextdoor) and hedgerow jelly was spectacular and the ales on tap were superb.  After our meal we drove off into the snow and on to Ludlow, where we'd be spending the night at a B and B.  Ludlow has become well known as somewhat of a gourmet destination, with plenty of down-to-earth pubs, fancy restaurants and foodie-type markets.  We found this to be true and tried a few local hangouts.  The Church Inn is a great beer venue, with about 10 ales on tap and an extensive list of original pies.  The Queens, where we ate dinner, was full of character and a great promoter of regional fare.

Lunch at the Red Lion

The view over Ludlow

Lovely morning for a walk down to Ludlow Castle

After breakfast and a short walk the next morning we continued up through North Wales, into even more snow.  The poor little Welsh towns seemed to have just thawed out after a few days of extreme cold and snow.  We were catching a ferry from Holyhead to Dublin and made it with about 20 minutes to spare.  The trip across was relatively calm and took less than 2 hours.  Simon (my mate from university) picked us up and we made our way across to his place, where we spent 2 nights.  Great to catch up with Simon and Lorraine and meet 'little' Toby for the first time.  Seems that he has Simon's genes.  We explored Dublin a bit, had a great pub lunch and also a posh dinner at a Pakistani restaurant in Ranelagh called Kinara Kitchen. 

On the way up through North Wales

Our fast ferry to Dublin

A ferry back to Wales and then a fairly lengthy drive, and we were back with Rob and Annette in Bath.  We had Louise and Jack's wedding the next day, and even though there was still a significant chill in the air, it was a great function, with some fun family photo's.

Rob and Annette dropped us off at Heathrow the next morning and we flew across to New York.  We arrived late in the evening but could just make out the familiar sights of Manhattan on way our to Grand Central Terminal on the airport shuttle.  Stepping off the bus and looking up at Grand Central was quite surreal and very impressive.  We walked about 2km's and found our accommodation, the Vanderbilt YMCA which we chose because of it's great position at a budget price (by NY standards). 

Arriving at Grand Central

After brushing my teeth, and gazing out the bathroom window the next morning, I noticed that there was what seemed to be a very popular place to get something to eat.  A constant stream of locals in business-wear washed into the place; and then filtered out a while later coffee and bagel in hand.  This became our morning ritual and by day 4 I was sounding like a local, shouting egg, bacon and cheese on a plain toasted bagel from somewhere in the mass of early morning life.

We had planned to explore NY on foot as much as possible and day 1 saw us doing exactly that.  We caught the Metro down to Brooklyn and made our back into Manhattan over Brooklyn Bridge.  We turned North from City Hall and walked up to Chintown which is probably about as close as you can get to time travel at the moment.  Exactly like the shops, smells and noise that you'll find on streets all over China.  Friends of ours had given plenty of advice on restaurants to visit and first on the list was Inoteca, a small Italian wine bar.  We were first in, just after they opened their doors at midday, and had a few glasses of wine and some super food.  We continued on with our walk, possibly a little more lethargic but with plenty of noise and good humour.  We walked up through Union Square and on to the famous Flat Iron District where, after taking in the buildings and goings on, we walked into the second of our must visit eateries - Eataly.  An unbelievable warehouse of all things Italian, with a couple of restaurants to choose from.  We started at the vegetarian but I ended on a high with a prime-rib sandwich worthy of special mention.  THE PRIME-RIB SANDWICH WAS SPECIAL.  There was, of course, a little more wine, and the rest of the evening carried on in the same vein. 

The view of Manhattan from Brooklyn

Some interesting architecture

The Flat Iron Building

The rest of our time in New York went by in a blur.  We caught the Statten Island ferry, visited Ground Zero, took in sunset views from the Rockefeller Building, wandered around Central park, scuttled around the Museum of Modern Art, did a bit of shopping, dodged people in Time Square and did a lot more eating and drinking.  One of the highlights, when it comes to food, was a visit to EN-Japanese, a top-end and very trendy Japanese place (as you might suspect from the name of the place).  It certainly didn't disappoint.  An amazing mix of flavours and textures prepared by absolute gurus in an open kitchen.

The deck on the top of the Rockefeller

The peace of Central Park

On your marks, get set, go

A glass of wine at Eataly

We both thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Big Apple.  It has an unbelievable energy about it and there is something for everyone.  The choice of restaurants, shows and shops is never-ending.  I must say though that I found a lot of the people quite unfriendly and almost robotic but that's to be expected in such a busy and populated city.  Jackie said I was full of &^%$.

Our overnight flight back across to Heathrow tired us out a little but we still had a bit of energy and made our way to Tooting Broadway and Paul's place.  He got home from work in the afternoon and we drove off to Hertford and Kev and Sue's place.  Hertford was home for the last 6 months or so of our time in the UK and it was great to get back.  Dinner was excellent as expected and we had a sleep of mammoth proportions.  Before our flight out the next day we visited Abby and she cooked us a wonderful farewell lunch.  A great way to end a busy but fantastic time away.

Addo Elephant Park

We celebrated Jackies birthday and our anniversary this year at Addo.  Two great nights, with lots of good food and wine, and plenty of great game viewing.

Crayfishing off Cape Point

Thanks to Uncle Pete we spent a morning crayfishing in Cape Point Nature Reserve.  Probably one the most scenic places in the world to pull the tasty little crustaceans out of the water.  We managed to catch plenty but were law abiding citizens and only took our quota.  It wasn't long before they were in a pot and on our plates.  Delicious creatures.

A little bit of exploring with my mom and dad

My mom and dad decided to spend just over a week with us in November 2012.  It was fantastic to have them and we did all sorts around Knysna and Plett.  But, the highlight, was a 2 day trip that saw us tasting port, picking apricots, spending a night near Calitzdorp, driving over the always impressive Swartberg Pass, having lunch and a walk in Prince Albert and then winding our way through Meiringspoort and back to Knysna. 

Port tasting

Apricot picking

The view from our little chalets at River View

The dramatic drop down into Prince Albert

Robertson AGAIN!

I am waiting patiently for some sort of medal or trophy, recognising the fact that we've attended the Wine on the River Festival 4 years in a row.  Our recent visit, the 2012 event, was just as good as ever.  Probably our favourite festival.  The problem with enjoying it so much (and being some of the last folk to leave) is that it's a little tricky finding a bus home.

Oude Muragie

We're quite fond of getting off into quiet, off the beaten track type places and spending a bit of time just being.  Oude Muragie, near De Rust, is one such place.  A working farm that sits below the Swartberg; it was an absolute win.

 

 

The Cape Dune Molerat Trail

A great short walk between Sedgefield and Wilderness with awesome views over both Swartvlei and Rondevlei.   

The Hermanus Food and Wine Festival 2012

We're big fans of the Robertson wine area and all of it's festivals.  We felt we needed to explore some new territory and went off to the Hermanus Food and Wine Festival.  The event was certainly not even close to the size of others (like the Robertson Wine on the River) but we thoroughly enjoyed the event, especially the wine that is from the whole of the Overberg region.  Which is quite a list:

Arumdale

Almenkerk

Ataraxia

Barton

Beaumont Wines

Belfield Wines

Black Oystercatcher

Boschrivier

Bouchard Finlayson

Brunia

Creation

Domaine des Dieux

Feiteiras Wines

Ghost Corner

Henry

Hamilton Russell

Hermanuspietersfontein

Hornbill

Iona

Jakob's Vineyards

Jean Daneel

La Vierge

Lomond

Newton Johnson

Raka

7Springs

Southern Right Wines

Spioenkop Wines

Spookfontein

Strandveld & First Sighting

Stanford Hills - Jackson's

Southhill

Sumaridge

The Berrio

Vaalvlei

Whalehaven

Walker Bay Vineyards

William Everson

Winters Drift

Zandfontein

We got a little off the beaten track on the way home, driving up to the snow-covered Overberg range.  A really beautiful back-road.

Groenfontein

Last winter we decided to visit a place quite a few people have told us about.  It's East and inland from Calitzdorp, up against the backdrop of the beautiful Swartberg.  They have a couple of units, all with fire places, which makes it great for visiting in the cooler months.  They do dinner, bed and breakfast but the best bit about them is the great walking trails that loop the farm.

Getting up to date - as quick as I can

So I've been pretty slack with my blogging since the middle of last year.  No excuses.  The good news, if you're interested, is that I will be a good boy now and get you up to date with our recent adventures.

The Harkerville Coastal Trail

A 2 day walk that starts and ends at the Harkerville Hut, not far from the gate down to the Kranshoek viewpoint, halfway between Plettenberg Bay and Knysna.  Most information I'd read talks about it as being 'a tough hike that is not for the unfit or inexperienced'.  My issue with this is that only part of it is actually a hike.  A big chunk involves scrambling, climbing and desperately clinging onto slippery rock faces.  The trail should NOT be done by anyone with a fear of heights or those who aren't keen on negotiating dangerous sheer drops and climbs.  It's certainly an adventure but it requires some concentration and a lot of care. 

The scenery along the way is truly spectacular, taking you through beautiful thick forest, along colourful clifftops and across the wild coastline.  The Sinclair Hut, your overnight stop, is perfectly adequate and a wonderful spot for a braai and a glass of wine.  There were some awesome sections but my lasting memory will be the incredible relief I felt on getting to the end, knowing that our whole group had made it alive and in one piece.  Harkerville Coastal Trail - nope - let's rather call it 'The Cliffhanger'.      

I could get used to that

Whenever we check in before a flight I always show as many people as possible just how long my legs are.  This often sparks a bit of friendly conversation and usually Jacks and I are given exit row seats.  Before our recent flight from Cape Town to Dubai, on the way to Istanbul, I performed my usual tricks.  Unfortunately they only had 1 exit row seat available and we decided that I should take it.  Jackie is ranked 1 in the world when it comes to sleeping on a plane so she's not overly concerned if I'm not next to her. 

We boarded and I found my seat, stretching out and performing the usual pre-flight checks.  I turned on my 'award winning' entertainment system but after a few flashing lights and splutters it decided to die.  I let the air hostesses show us how to buckle our seatbelts and then brought it her attention that I was not a happy chappy.  My system was reset a couple of times but nothing worked.  She approached nervously and asked if it would be alright if they moved me to business class.  'Um, yes, I suppose that will just have to do', I replied, holding back the tears of joy. 

I think if there was an extensive worldwide study on who would make the most of such an opportunity I would be at the top of the list.  I tucked in my shirt and followed her towards the front of the plane without even the slightest glance back.  My new improved seat come lounger was soft yet supportive.  I reclined it down almost all the way and let my fully extended legs settle perfectly into position.  My waiter (as I preferred to call him) stood attentively at my side as I browsed through the wine list.  It was a tough call but I finally I decided that the cheeky little Italian Pinot Grigio would be just right to get me into the swing of things.  Relaxing back, with a bowl of lightly warmed nuts, I turned on my big screen, scrolling through the seemingly infinite movie options.  I turned my attention to a lovely NZ Sauvignon Blanc and began to study the food menu.  The Sauvignon Blanc was going down rather well so I decided to nibble on some marinated seafood delights.  A little while later I was presented with the Seafood Thermidor, which stood up wonderfully to the crisp acid of the wine.  The crayfish was especially fresh and perfectly prepared.  I had a little go at the 2000 Vintage Red Bordeaux and after a couple of movies, and a superb cheese platter and port, I felt a bit of a bump and remembered where I was. 

Is flying business class worth the money you may ask.  I'm not sure, I didn't pay for it?  What I am sure of however is that I could certainly get used to travelling like that.                      

A taste of Turkey

Jacks and myself just spent 3 weeks exploring Western Turkey. We started with 5 days in the bedlam of Istanbul; a massive city of around 18 million where East meets West and old and new coverge. One things we realised fairly quickly was that we'd come across a new winner when it comes to public bus transport. These guys are absolute maniacs! There is the likes of the Topkapi Palace, the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque but the beauty of the city and it's real charm is best encountered by exploring the streets and waterways. The ferries are cheap and efficient, taking you to all over the show, up the Bosphorous (the arm of water that splits the European and Asian sides) and into the Sea of Marmara (that joins up with the Mediterranean). The city can be a bit intense and overwhelming so to get some peace for a day we caught a ferry out to Buyukada, one of the Prince's Islands. We hiked around the island which took an hour and a half and then had lunch at the harbour. Along the walk we dodged a number of horse-drawn carts but never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined the extent of the equestrian attraction. It seems that every Tom, Dick and Hashim that visits the place jumps on and has a ride. There must have a been a few thousand horses!   

The Blue Mosque

Inside Aya Sofya

The Galata

One of Galata Bridge's fish restaurants (see rods above)

Turkish coffee

The Sea of Marmara, from Buyukada

Mmmm, food!

Turks in general are a friendly bunch but wow can their attempts to get you into their shops and restaurants get irritating. Here is an example of an everyday pavement conversation.

Restaurant owner (RO), "Hi, where you from?"
Brad (B), "South Africa, where are you from?"
RO "Istanbul, South America is great place"
RO "Come and look at my menu"
B "No thanks, we've had lunch"
RO "Then have coffee"
B "No"
RO "Beer"
RO "You want carpet?"
B "Bye"

We met some great Turkish folk but you can't help feeling that those involved with tourists, especially in and around Istanbul, are beyond irritating and generally stuffing it up.

After some time in the big city we jumped on an overnight bus and made our way off to Goreme, in Cappadoccia. The bus was incredibly comfy, with reclining seats and thoroughly comprehensive 'turkish' music and film attractions. A couple of stewards man the isle, dishing out water and coffee and making sure no passengers are left behind at one of the frequent stops. If they're good, they not only get to the start the bus but are also allowed to get involved in a bit of casual road talk up at the front. Cappadoccia is home to valleys of weird and intriguing rock formations, that are affectionately known as fairy chimneys. This term is lovely and poetic but possibly a description that is too family friendly and slightly off the mark. The place is breathtaking and ideal for those with hiking boots and common sense. There is also the option to view the landscape from a hot air balloon and even though it's probably Turkey's number 1 tourist activity we decided to join the masses. We were glad we did, it was amazing. After each flight you get some local champagne, a piece of chocolate cake and a certificate telling you that you're still alive. Your name is read out and you are handed this by your pilot. I was summoned and then they called for Jackie Ozturk. We all looked around for a bit and then realised that they had decided to rename Jacks. Ozturk, if anyone is interested, means 'genuine Turk'.

Somewhere near Goreme

Trying to get a lift back into Goreme

The 'Love' Valley

'Fairy chimneys'

A church between Red and Rose Valleys

A bit of early morning ballooning

Around the time of the name change episode Jacks developed a touch of fresh Turkish flu. After my nursing duties were done one morning I decided to head off to Urgup, a nearby village, to acquaint myself with the local wine industry. I tasted a good few wines and can conclude that I'm glad to be South African.

Sarikaya Wines

 
Another overnight bus and were found ourselves on the South Coast, in the city of Antalya, for all of about 5 minutes, before we squashed into a dolmus (minibus taxi speed-demon) and made our way west to Cirali. Well to the Cirali turn off at least, where the dolmus dropped us and gave a friendly hoot as it vanished into the distance. The little village is about 7km down the hill, on the coast. Lucky for us there was a smiling taxi driver at the turn off. I've become slightly stubborn in my old age, and when he told us what we had to pay for the short ride I told him where I thought he short rather go. We saddled up our backpacks and started the walk down towards our destination, deciding to try and hitch. Five minutes later we were sitting in a truck and were dropped off about 3km's out of town. We marched the rest of the way at a rapid pace, encouraged by the possibility of a big breakfast and a good cup of coffee. We enjoyed 4 nights in this beautiful little place and we both agreed that it was the highlight of our time. Turquoise ocean and fresh fish, soaring mountains, scattered Roman ruins and a truly chilled out and friendly community. Hotel Villa Monte was superb and if anyone visits it's definitely the place to be. The hosts are great people and their food is superb.  The Lycian Way, a long distance walk, passes through Cirali and we spent a day taking in a tiny portion of the route. When I asked about the trail up to Ulupinar I was told that we must eat at one of the restaurants in the village because they had great views of the waterfall and some nice fresh trout. Well they were spot on with this description. After a 2 hour hike along the river and up the mountain side we came across Ulupinar and a restaurant called Selele (waterfall). I can only describe it as 50 metre natural cascade of water, with a wooden restaurant of tables and platforms built around, along and on top of it.

Cirali

Back down to Cirali

Cirali's beautiful beach

The ruins of Olympos

A brief stop in Fethiye showed us why a certain type of British tourist is frequently seen as being the worst in world. The beach and lagoon of Oludeniz is on the cover of 99% of Turkish guide books, on most postcards and apparently one of the most popular UK package destinations.

Next stop was Selcuk and the nearby ruins of Ephesus which we enjoyed but I would say that it's not an absolute must see. Our hostel was pretty good, nicely decorated and with some OK food. The piece de resistance however was the free glass of wine served on the roof terrace at sunset every evening, around the time of the muezzin's second last call to prayer. As one would expect, therer are mosques wherever you go in Turkey and 5 times a day the Muezzin does his thing, calling everyone to pray, which booms out the towers or minarets. These calls were a tad strange in the beginning but they became a welcome tune, even at 4:45am.

Selcuk and one of it's many nesting storks

Ephesus

The Library of Celsius

We had got to know the road transport pretty well at this stage so for the last bit of internal travel, from Izmir back to Istanbul, we chose to go in fast forward with Atlas Jet.  After a 1 hour flight, a 50 minute tube/tram ride and a 5 minute walk, we were back in Sultanahmet, the old part of the city for 1 last night. It was fantastic to spend a bit more time in Istanbul and enjoy our favourite things all over again. A great Turkish coffee and baklava just outside the spice market. Lunch at Namli in Karakoy; the best place to eat. A walk from Taksim back down the hill along Istanbul's Oxford Street, over the fisherman filled Galata Bridge and back to a spot between the beauty of the Aya Sofya and one of the best night sights in the city, the gulls circling the illuminated towers of the Blue Mosque. A ferry across to Kadakoy, on the Asian side, and dinner at Ciya Sofrasi, the place that takes the cake when it comes to sweet stuff. Their butternut pudding with peanut sauce is unreal, no jokes. 

Butternut heaven