An unspoiled gem Cape Town’s Southern Peninsula is about half an hour outside the City Center. I’ve always wanted to explore this side of the Mother City and thought an extended long weekend expedition seemed fitting. Kommetjie (which means small bay) was my home-base. It’s a diminutive, tranquil, seaside village that would be hard to find if you are not intentionally looking for it. The rustic neighborhood was built around a natural lagoon and my charming abode was situated right on its edge – Cottage on the Kom. Getting there: From airport take N2 towards City centre and turn south onto M3 and follow over Ou Kaapse Weg to Sun Valley and then west on M65 to Kommetjie. DAY 1 I headed to the Noordhoek Farm Village for breakfast. This idyllic, one stop hub encompasses craft shops; numerous eateries; a health & beauty spa; and a boutique hotel. Be sure to visit The Food Barn Deli & Tapas Bar and try their freshly baked specialty breads. If you’re looking to enjoy live entertainment, Café Roux not only serves delicious meals, but also showcases some of South Africa’s biggest musicians and comedians. For more information about the Noordhoek Farm Village, check out their website: www.thefarmvillage.co.za Next stop, Cape Point Vineyards – a wine farm snuggled between oceans and mountains. This setting adds to the wines distinguished flavor. Enjoy breakfast; lunch or dinner at their restaurant; wine tasting or a picnic while watching the sunset over the vineyard lake. Thursdays see this serene space turn into a vibrant Community Food Market - with stalls serving up Mexican; Italian and vegan-friendly dishes, as well as locally produced craft beer. Lucky for me, I was there on a Thursday! Visit: http://cpv.co.za/ for more information. DAY 2 I love ‘under-the-radar’ breakfast spots! Well under-the-radar anything, really. Imhoff farm is just that and less than 5km from my accommodation. The farmstead offers: horse-riding (with an option to ride along the beach); restaurants; quirky shops; 4x4 trail rides; laser-tag & paint ball and an interactive 3D maze adventure. Fish & Chips from the Blue Water Café deserves a try. The atmosphere is relaxed, even while sitting outside in front of the open air kids play area. http://imhofffarm.co.za/ Masi bicycle tour Masiphumelele is an informal settlement next to Kommetjie. Its name is derived from the Xhosa language (one of South Africa’s 11 official languages) and it means “let us succeed”. The international award-winning bicycle tour offers tourists insight into the culture and way of living in this community. All tours are led by an experienced local guide. One of the tour highlights includes a visit to a Sangoma – African Traditional Healer. Find out more here: www.capepointroute.co.za DAY 3 Finally it was Cape Point Day! The place where two oceans merge. These oceans being the cold Benguela current from the west coast and the warm Agulhus current from the east coast. I’m embarrassed to confess, as a born and bred Capetonian, this was my first visit to Cape Point. With flamboyant views; rich biodiversity; shipwreck trails; hiking trails and whale-watching (June - October) this location can be marked off as a full day excursion. Take the Cape Point Funicular, the only commercial funicular of its kind in Africa, up to the lighthouse viewing point and soak up breathtaking panoramic views. Shop for memorabilia at one of the Cape Point Shops or learn about the maritime and cultural history as you walk about, in the National Park. There are picnic spots too and if you’re lucky, you might see the world’s largest antelope (Eland) or Cape Mountain Zebra. The Two Oceans Restaurant screams “the perfect spot for a wedding proposal” and offers a fine dining experience. Be sure to make a reservation to avoid disappointment! Further information about pricing and answers to any questions, can be found on: https://capepoint.co.za/ DAY 4 I often joke and say that one needs a holiday, to recover from a holiday, after visiting a new place. So to mentally prepare myself for getting back to reality, I stopped at Shamballah Tea House & Holistic Center, for a yoga class and thorough ‘veg-out’ session. This place is a sanctuary and also a great space for hosting intimate gatherings. For more information check out: http://www.bodyandmind.co.za/therapist.php?step=about&id=4253 The southern peninsula truly is an unspoiled expanse worth a visit. Discovering restoration, recuperation and re-calibration Continuous and serious health flare-ups, as a result of burn-out, led me to the decision of taking a career break. Intentional time off to help my body heal – spiritually, physically & mentally. So I handed in my resignation letter; terminated the lease on my apartment; sold a few household items and put the rest in storage; and purchased a flight ticket to Bali. Being mentally exhausted the only planning I could muster was to book my accommodation for the first two weeks, then continue further planning once settled there. So I did just that! FOUND IN THE NEW 19 hours and one layover later, I arrived in the land of the gods. Exhaustion and enthrallment were the order of the morning. 00:21am in the morning, to be exact. Bali had my heart before I’d even set foot on the island. See, I was having difficulty transferring the confirmation deposit to secure my accommodation. The hotel’s response: “It’s ok Ms. Zoey. You may pay once you arrive.” I WAS FLOORED!!! And the kind nature of the Balinese people I encountered continued to clasp at my heart-strings. My first few days were fixated on spa treatments; lazing on the beach or poolside and over-indulgence on fresh coconut water. It took ‘a minute’ for me to fully ‘switch off’ and focus on just relaxing - I’m still perplexed by how one’s body normalizes living in dysfunction, as a survival strategy. Until a conversation with a beautiful, young, Balinese waitress renewed my mind: Waitress: “You on holiday, Miss?” Me: “Yes… I am” *smiles* Waitress: “So why you no rest?” Me: “I am resting.” Waitress: “No. Rest mean you do nothing. No book; no phone; no nothing.” #Perspective That’s when I learnt the term “Seni melakukan apa-apa” (the art of doing nothing). And now, I’m such a pro at it! TABLE FOR 1 I’ve read many social media posts and comments about people feeling uncomfortable dinning solo, especially when travelling. Personally, I had no problem in this department. In fact, I cherished it! Not having to argue with travel companions about where to go for a meal. I relished having to scavenge for new places to eat. On one occasion I actually sat next to someone, in a restaurant, who had just had an argument with her travel companion and wished she'd been travelling solo. She and I are good friends now. Dinning solo has gifted me: new connections; free extras with meals; free transport; interesting (and sometimes uninvited) conversations; a free dance class and an invitation to a dinner & game night. EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE . . . PUFFY EYES Along with their kind and trusting nature, the Balinese are extremely hardworking folk. The roosters waking me up at 04:00am, daily, could attest to this! They wake up early and go to rest early – the roads start to quiet down from around 20:00pm. Yet, in their hardness-at-work they still find time to relax and socialize with each other – judging from the pass by greetings in the road which often turned into long conversations As beautiful as the country is (I’m convinced Bali must be a preview of what heaven looks like), poverty has its root there too. And I was set on supporting locally owned businesses, wherever possible. Particularly those owned by females. #Feminnism SITES & WONDERS “When we smile, we all speak the same language.” I thrive in culturally diverse environments. I guess it taps into my roots being etched in more than one culture. I’m the new girl who’s always asking questions. Yip, I’m that girl! There was such a commingling of events to choose from, all over the island. As my intention was more of the relaxation kind, I spread out and did more of the sightseeing toward the middle and end of lengthy my stay. I walked EVERYDAY, and this is where I spotted most events that were less trendy. There are many excellent establishments showcasing good music, but my fave was the raw; unpolished; FREE live beach bands. Getting around is easy, too. For sightseeing/ day trips I chose to use a female-owned private tour service. There are also apps available for download - offering scooter transport services, as well as public (privately owned) tour buses. The most captivating story I heard, relating to Balinese history was about these tiny caves. It was used for hiding, during the Dutch military interventions in Bali, in 1906. I love me a celebration and there were a few traditional ceremonies happening, during my stay in Bali. Of them being Galungan and Kuningan. This is a Balinese holiday celebrating the triumph of good over evil. On Galungan people feast on delicious Balinese food and dress up in traditional clothes to visit temples and family members. The festivities last for 2 weeks and take place approximately every 7 months. The last day of the celebration is Kuningan. ISLAND-HOPPING As beautiful and vibrant as Bali is, it can get quite crowded and raucous. So in pursuit of deeper tranquility, I embarked on a 30 minute boat ride, to a neighboring island for a few days. Ahhhhh! Like entering the golden gates in heaven. Hardly a loud scooter in plain sight. And the roosters can be heard in the distance - not next door or by my bedroom window. THIS IS NOT GOOD-BYE
I am a firm believer in the energy you exert being the energy you attract into your own life, i.e. you reap what you sew. This could not have been truer for me than in Bali. From “you can pay when you get here”, to free scooter rides, to free extra’s with meal orders, to free gifts & prayers of blessings, to paid invites to social events and those who felt my comforting nature when choosing to share their personal (often sad) life stories with me. When experiencing any kind of automated issues with electronic devices, professionals often recommend rebooting as the first point of call. So why is it frowned upon to do the same if the human body is experiencing a malfunction and all other avenues have proven ineffective? If nothing else, this reset has taught me that when the way you’re living aligns with the way you were created to live, the consequence surpasses that of material stability. As a tourist in a foreign country, many of its inhabitants often have expectations from those who visit. In most instances, tourists drive their livelihoods. Even if the humidity was not conducive to my ethnic tresses, my first week there saw my cocoa-butter thighs flare up in heat rash and walking in the street often felt like an extreme sport, Bali has given me more than I could have invested into its economy – restored health, peace from depths of my soul and a new found love for fresh coconut water, Jack-fruit tacos and open air showers under the stars. Terima Kasih, Bali Living in a world where we’re ultimately more connected, yet less in touch …
I’m from an era of letter writing and walking or driving for a few kilometers to find a working pay phone, just so I could have a time limited conversation with another person before my money ran out. An era where mailing birthday cards had to be strategically planned, so that the receiver would get it just in time for their special day. And now, even though various social media platforms send automatic reminders to one’s cellphone (which is then also automatically saved) people still forget to send birthday greetings to a loved one. Or is it a case of selective memory loss? The other day I received an invitation. Actually… No… Wait…!!! Let me not get it twisted. It was a WhatsApp message. From someone I had not had any contact with in almost 10 years, saying: “I’m sending out invitations for my 40th Birthday, Should I send you one”? My response (while sarcastically thinking how my presents must be amazing, in comparison to my presence): “I have other commitments”. That commitment being myself and doing something that I was actually interested in doing. Like lying in bed & watching a movie, with a plethora of snack and beverage options. I understand that life happens to us all. However, I feel strongly that all healthy relationships are meant to be cultivated. Friendships are not merely antidotes in a time of need. They are a lifeline and often the family we choose. Therefore, we need to be intentional about our commitment to those we choose to have close relationships with. Most people tend to make New Year resolutions. This year I chose to embark on setting a few New Year intentions. One of them is to build and maintain better, stronger friendships. Some practices I have found quite useful, are: Respond. When someone messages and one really cannot do a lengthy chat, why not send a ‘quick message’? These messages are automatically prepared on our cellphone and we just need to select and send. The person on the other side doesn’t feel dismissed or ignored and knows that we’ll get back to them at a more convenient time. We all know how annoyed we get if someone takes what may feel like years to us, to respond to a message sent by ourselves. Diarize, sticky note or schedule. When forgetfulness strikes (especially around important dates, occasions or events) setting reminders on electronic device/s or calendars, can be a relationship-saver. Alternatively, writing it on a sticky note or noticeboard and placing it somewhere easily visible can be helpful too. Start a band! No, I’m kidding. Start a new tradition. Create intimate social gatherings. For example: once a month soup nights (or any meal you enjoy sharing). Gather your close girlfriends and share a delicious soup. Alternate on who makes the soup and the rest can bring accompaniments to enjoy with the meal. Be the friend you expect others to be. Make an effort to be supportive when a friend is ill or going through a tough time. For example: if a friend is scheduled for a medical procedure, check in on them before, during &/or after the procedure. Perhaps set a reminder to message, call or have a care package delivered to them. Everyone feels comforted knowing that someone is thinking about them, especially whilst going through a challenging season. International Friendships. Time zoned, across country or inter-continental relationships can often be the most challenging to maintain. I have a friend in the U.S and I am in Africa. However, this friend knows more about what’s currently happening in my life, than those who I share the same area code with. And she’s a working mom with one baby, a toddler and a husband!!! *cue applause Schedule Skype or video calls. And just as one would a boardroom meeting, reschedule if the agreed upon time is no longer suitable. Lets build community, not just Facebook friends. #BeGoodToYou |
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