I was so excited the day Phillip Baird rang me up to tell me he was planning to propose. I have been friends with Phil for a few years now (you might all remember him from Evoke Photography – we worked together on some amazing projects for Kzara Visual Concepts).
Like me, Phil had struggled to find the one, and I was so happy to hear that he had found her. Alexandra Power is beautiful not only on the outside but on the inside too. She has such an amazing energy and such a positive vibe about her, that you just can’t get enough of her, and I can see why Phil is madly in love with her.
This has been the 4th proposal I have done in the last year, so I get really excited when people trust me with something so very big! This puts a lot of pressure on me to make the day extra special. It’s a really big deal. I chatted with Phil and got an idea of what he wanted to do. He told Alex that he wanted to do a couples photoshoot – he told me something completely different. He wanted to do a fun photoshoot/proposal in a fun setting and then when she least expects it he was going to pop the question. Pretville has always been my first choice for these kinds of fun photoshoots – not engagements of course, but fun shoots.
Usually my “fiancés” know what they want to do or want to say on the day – my part comes in on planning out the location / the “proposal” queue and capturing that special and unique moment. Many phone calls were made to Phil asking him “Are you sure you don’t want it to be a bit more romantic?”, his response was: “She is not that kind of girl”.
Everything went really well, except for Phil having the wrong ring in his pocket, and having to frantically run away to get the right ring. And then this happened … he got down on one knee for “the photo queue” and his beige loosely tied suspenders unbuckled nearly knocking them both in the face. It was a really funny moment for Phil and I, as Alex still didn’t know what was to come.
Join me on a tranquil retreat to South Africa’s very own Sacramento. A place of unspoiled settings, attractive seascapes, and diverse landscapes that leaves you feeling like you just came back from northern Ireland.
The circular trail starts at the bronze cannon at Schoenmakerskop, which points towards the Sacramento, a Portuguese galleon that was wrecked in 1647. It stretches as far as sandy bay, aptly named Cannon Bay where one can find the ruins of a mill, which used to crush seashells are located.
Last week I spent a few nights in God Window in Port Edward – a small town in the KZN province of South Africa that borders the Eastern Cape. This one should not be confused with the much-loved Gods Window lookout point in the Mpumalanga province.
Here the owner, Marcel Lottering has turned his once residential property into a nature retreat and provided the perfect getaway for the everyday individual that would like to leave all the stress of their busy city lifestyles behind.
The establishment has been around for the past 3 years, and Marcel has created four secluded accommodation types that will ensure a peaceful escape that is best offered by nature.
God’s Window is his primary abode, which will offer you a spectacular view of the Umtumvuna River, the Indian Ocean, and the bridge that connects the KZN province to the Eastern Cape Province. It can sleep 6 with its three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It is a self-catering unit, with a fully equipped kitchen.
The Gods Window flat is completely secluded and perfect for the couple. It has a deck that peers into the dense KZN jungle.
I stayed in the Cottage which is higher in the valley and shares an entrance to Marcel’s private property. It is also a self-catering unit, a bit on the rustic side with its antique-looking decor and furniture.
The Forest tent is my favorite. If I had not been in town for a wedding and had to enter in the middle of the night, I would have given this first preference. The tent is rested on a deck between a really dense part of the Jungle and is the perfect place to rekindle your love. It even has a “love couch” in the front part of the deck.
Most of the accommodation types have a gas braai (barbecue for our American fans) on the premises and private outdoor braai facilities. The communal swimming pool will ensure that you are kept cool, during the humidity of the summer, and the fireplace will keep you warm in the winter.
Marcel is constantly doing improvements to the property. As we speak he is busy completing his Mediation Yoga studio set in the middle of a dense forest. It’s an amazing place to unwind in the depths of nature. The studio should be complete in a few months’ time, but in the meantime, he is offering some reiki and yoga classes. Weekend retreats are on the cards too. It also has a fully functional sauna which you can unwind in.
Here are a few images of the studio in the making. I can’t wait to visit it again once it is complete.
If you would like to plan your retreat into nature get in touch with Marcel via email: marcel@adsadr.com or telephonically: +27 78 976 2311. Accommodation prices range from R200 – R400 per person per night. (Rates are current at the time of publication)
Once booked, read my top 10 favorite things to do in the area to really enhance your experience on the South Coast. These include a visit to the Petrified Forest, the world’s smallest desert, mountain biking at Clear Water Trails, and much more.
All images on this site, are the property of Kzara Visual Concepts and have been taken by Chantelle Flores.
I arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland after a 30-hour flight from South Africa. You could get here in a little under 16 hours on direct flights, however, I opted for the cheaper latter. Long waits at airports meant extra time to meet new people from all corners of the world.
I arrived early evening at The Capital Inn on a night’s board of R280 in a 10-bed dorm. I was welcomed by 2 Moroccan ex-pats (Taha & Walid), One guy from Switzerland (Steven), A South Korean (Kate), A Slovenian girl (Sanja), a British guy (Ben), One American (Gia) & one French girl (Martine). 90 % of solo like-minded travelers looking for their own adventures who were destined to meet. Life-long friendships were forged as meaningful stories and experiences began to be shared.
As the days went on, we encountered a few other people that added to our story. Evenings were spent in the Capital Crowd basement where we cooked our communal dinners and took pleasure in sharing and dancing to our favorite songs from our hometowns. We created unique memories whilst we joined in the celebration and taught each other how to sing Happy Birthday in our home tongues, amongst other rare words we learned from these favorite gypsies. This is rather fun to do, and a first-time experience for all of us. The Happy Birthday song is a universal language we all speak, yet sounds so unique and different amongst all these cultures. I would like to challenge you to try this on your next trip and send me a video recording of all the people you meet on your journey singing this in their home tongue. Let’s start our own cappella group of Happy Birthday Songs.
We formed a diverse team with a pool of travel expertise that collectively made our experiences. We were so tight that Taha created a private Facebook group – Capital Crowd 1012, to post our unique and crazy pictures from our trip. It’s private because it got pretty crazy most nights while everyone expressed his or her individuality.
Drinking in Iceland is a no-go, and can be rarely afforded. Import prices and taxes make it one of the most expensive countries in the world to have a drink in. To put it into perspective, a bottle of Amarula in South Africa would cost around R89 a bottle, and in Iceland over R1200. An R50 bottle of wine from Stellenbosch would cost an average of R400. A pint of beer would cost you anything from R98.00. And that is their local beers – Viking & Polar Beer.
I would highly recommend buying as many drinks as you are allowed at their airports duty-free prior to flying into the country.
Drinks aside, the people you will meet in Iceland, will keep you entertained for hours.
Most nights, as 11 pm approached we suited and geared up for our evenings ahead in Iceland’s extreme weather conditions to chase the northern lights. 9 of us filled our 2 rented cars and headed to mountainous locations out of sight of city lights. Usually, our journeys out of Reykjavik lasted 45 min to an hour but offered the best-untouched views of the northern lights. We stayed out till 4 in the morning most nights.
Steven and Gia were the best coordinators in establishing visibility of the Aurora Borealis and had a good understanding of the factors involved in viewing these like hPa numbers and cloud cover types; lower, middle & high clouds. I took one look at Vendur – Iceland’s preferred website for measuring activity and my lack of a geological understanding and degree thereof was to my disadvantage. My knowledge extended thus far “Does 4 mean we can see the lights?”.
Have a look at this in your effort to understand me on this:
By night 3, we all became pros & tour operators by acquiring Gia & Stevens’s understanding of the Auroras – To the point that I ran my own Northern Lights tours in Northern Norway – a country I was yet to visit. Only on arriving, did I realize I had learned so much from these two incredible jet setters.
Not something on your everyday bucket list – but a definite must-do for the brave. Soweto, South Africa
I was hosting a photographer friend over recently visiting from Spain. He has an adventure-seeking soul, so I wanted to give him a thrilling experience of what life in Johannesburg was really all about. What better way to show him what the traffic was like than by playing Dodge ‘em with Soweto taxis whilst on quad bikes?
Cristian Viko & myself are ready to hit the streets of Soweto
So I contacted the guys from Naledi Backpackers in Soweto and put together a unique tour that showcased all the best tourist attractions that Soweto had to offer.
Both nervous and excited, I had no idea what to expect.
On arrival, we were greeted by Naledi’s friendly staff and the community who assisted us with all safety checks before departing on our 6-hour journey that was about to turn into the most memorable experience we have had in South Africa.
We thought we would share this sort of experience with you. Pictures do after all communicate 1000 messages!
Just a little after dusk and as the beaches start to empty, local fishermen gather to take part in a series of illegal activities on Eastern Cape’s beaches.
I happened to stumble across this purely by chance on my recent visit.
This great white shark was caught through a process of catch and release, after having fishermen take photos with it. Kinda like a trophy animal. They later dragged it back to sea so as not to harm the poor animal.
They didn’t seem too impressed that I happened to be there, and appeared furious when I managed to sneak a few images of their illegal activity.
I later learned that hammerhead sharks are commonly used as bait for drawing great whites to shore.
Spring day – My absolute favorite day of the year! And there is a very good reason why!
I visited the Limpopo Province in South Africa recently and noticed that the flowers were already in bloom and I couldn’t help but grab my camera and start capturing the essence of everything that was in front of me.
Spring is more than just a season to me. It is a time of self-reflection. A time to remind yourself that although you may be going through some storms in your life, and surrounded by the ugly aspects of winter, life is beautiful, just like you are and those rough times you may be facing are only a season. Your character and personality are shaped during these times and you develop skills that help you stand tall during those moments in your life that God has thrown at you to make you the person you are meant to become!
And isn’t this person just beautiful?
Here are a few of my favorite images from my spring day collection. These are intended to be blurry, soft abstract art pieces to remind you that you are beautiful even when things are a mess.
Recently, I decided to explore the rehabilitation programs available in South Africa for introducing Baboons and Vervet Monkeys back into the wild. I found myself at the Bambelela Monkey Rehab Centre in the Limpopo Province.
Bambelela in Zulu means to “hold on”, and Silke from Germany has dedicated her life and savings to the conservation of these baboons and vervet monkeys in South Africa. The program is reliant on volunteers from around the world who are passionate about giving monkeys that have been abused and orphaned a second chance at life. It is incredibly sad to see how many monkeys they house that have been victims of the Illegal pet trade {Animals that have been captured by shooting the mothers}.
One of the “wild” vervet monkeys that have been released back into the wild, but found its way back to Bambelela, and stayed there ever since. Monkeys are territorial, so once they are released into an area they tend to stay in that area.
It is estimated that there are only 250 000 vervet monkeys left in South Africa, and could possibly be one of the next species to face extinction. They are currently having a huge problem with habitat loss, and are being squeezed into smaller and smaller areas, so although there are so few left, they are still common to see in certain environments.
Boys will be boys! No comment!
Vervet monkeys in Afrikaans are known as the “blouaap” for the blue color in their skins and of cause their genitals like this guy here.
“Freddie” has a lot of love to give by giving me kisses for days! Freddie’s mother was shot by a farmer and as a result, found himself orphaned at Bambelela.
Newborn monkeys are hand reared and get fed milk every 15 – 18 minutes by the volunteers. Once they weigh 1 kg and have received their Tetanus vaccine they are released into the Kindergarten where they can begin interacting with other monkeys.
Currently, Bambela has 400 monkeys that are in captivity waiting to be rehabilitated. Monkeys are grouped into troops, usually between 35 – 40, and kept in the main rehabilitation camp for a period of 3 years to develop skills that will help them survive in the wild.
Rehabilitation is not simply progress. Bambelela does a site visit to ensure that there is adequate vegetation in the area as well as scouting for other troops that these can be incorporated into which will help with the integration of the males in particular. They will then get a permit from Nature Conservation and once they have these permits they have 30 days to release the monkeys. Two weeks prior to the release, a team of professionals will go to the site to build them a temporary cage which will be their home for the first 7 – 10 days so that they can get used to the area and familiarise themselves with new sites and smells, Like humans, monkeys don’t like to change too quickly, so they ensure that the new conditions are similar to what they are used to. Once this is ready they start with the release preparations.
Early morning their caretaker removes all food and inserts a trap cage with food into their cage. Because monkeys can’t be darted and relocated this is the only option available during the process. Once done, these monkeys get vaccinated against Tetanus for the last time. The caretaker then lives with the troop in their new environment for 40 days to 3 months monitoring them and ensuring they make an easy transition.
Their food is still substituted during their first year, especially during the dry season but a lot of the food is left as they prefer to eat what is available to them naturally. Every release is different, in previous releases that they did the caretaker lived.
The average release of a troop will cost anything from R35 000 and includes food for the monkeys, payment to caregivers, and Tetanus vaccinations amongst other things.
“Kingsley” was horribly abused. Someone gave him a banana with a firecracker in and it exploded in his mouth burning away half of his lips. He I slightly brain-damaged as a result and will forever long remain in captivity. The team at Bambelela did an amazing job at looking after him through his recovery process.
Volunteer Programs are available from R3000 per week which includes your fo
od and accommodation.
If you would like to consider volunteering here, it is advisable to book directly with Bambelela as agents usually take 40 – 60% of the monies, Booking through Bambelela directly ensures that your money spent goes to the benefit of these animals.
Baboons are not kept in cages, and Bambelela encourages them to remain in their natural habit. They usually wander off during the day, but come back to feed in the afternoons.
Day trips are available when booking in advance and cost an average of R130 for a 2-hour tour with a monkey interaction. Monkey interactions are only available from July – November. If you would like to book you can do so by emailing info@bambelela.org.za with the subject line ‘Day Tour’ or by telephoning +27 (0) 14 736 4090. You will then receive a gate code and will be able to enter Leopard Rock Estate where you can access the rehab center.
I must admit I have never been a fish enthusiast, yet visiting fishing villages is high on my list of places to explore when visiting a new country. When Morocco Excursions contacted me to photograph their tour to Essaouira– Morocco’s historical coastal city and a World Heritage Site – I jumped at the opportunity.
I had first heard of this exotic and soulful fishing city from locals in Marrakech. They mentioned that it is a perfect destination to immerse oneself in a world of color, indulge in freshly caught fish, sample colorful traditional culture, and mingle with friendly fishermen.
Essaouira’s port was once an important hub for trade between Europe, Africa, and America until the 19th Century. Today the harbor is dominated by the comings and goings of local fishermen who make a living from the sea.
A variety of unique fish species unique to Morocco
I spent a few hours in the harbor watching the small blue fishing trawlers coming in at a relaxed pace with their catch of the day. A selection of fish species can be found on display by individual “fishmongers” in an open-air market alongside the quay. Fishermen tend to their stalls gutting and filleting their catch whilst bartering the best prices with local restaurateurs.
I visited each stall, fascinated by the wide variety of unique fish both big and small that can be found here and nowhere else in the world. Tourists and locals can hand-pick their favorite fish and have it cooked while they wait at the open-air restaurants around the market.
I struggle to remember each species’ name, so decided to share all the images of them I mustered up.
Local fishermen, equally intrigued by me, shared stories of their lives with me and with pride let me try out some of their fish. I am not the bravest foodie out there and very seldom you will find me trying out something I have never experienced before. I mean I have never even plucked up the courage to eat an oyster before.
One cheerful gentleman with a stall of fish you don’t have to cook – offered me a sea urchin. Its shell is made of calcium carbonate and its spherical body is defended by hundreds of spines that can pierce through human skin (This is the way I remember sea urchins – always getting stuck in my feet while exploring rock pools). Its mouth alone is home to five sharp teeth that can chew through stone, and as far as I can remember these things are poisonous. So why would one want to eat it?
He cracked open the shell to reveal 5 chambers of orange-colored gonads with a creamy appearance. Gonads are both male and female reproductive organs. It is this part of the sea urchin that gets eaten. It was just amazing to see. I had never before wondered what these sea hedgehogs looked like.
October, a few years ago and a group of my friends from Varsity ventured to Cape Town for a wedding. This fun-seeking crazy bunch of friends decided to make a 6-day holiday out of it to explore the region and all that it had offered. Danielle had her heart set on going strawberry picking in Stellenbosch. She loved artsy things and was always on the lookout for unique activities to do around South Africa. The idea of strawberry picking in SA had never crossed my mind before this, and at that stage, I wouldn’t have ranked it as an enjoyable afternoon outing. Especially, since Cape Town had many other cool things to do.
That was until – I actually went!
We popped in for a quick brunch stop in Somerset to visit a friend who had moved to Cape Town after our varsity days had ended. After a lot of laughs and full bellies, our quest to find something different to do began! I was thrilled!
Driving down the R44 leaving Somerset you can’t miss the Mooiberge Strawberry Farm tucked away in the picturesque mountain ranges and amongst a few magnificent wine farms.
We were amused by the offbeat and widely creative scarecrows that were scattered across the farms picking fields. Some were riding bicycles, working in the fields, riding tractors, and some were just simply hanging out with some unique colorful animal characters. Camera in hand, I can see why these scarecrows are the most photographed set in the world.
Amateurs at strawberry picking we grabbed a couple of baskets and hit the fields. We spent about 90 minutes selecting our favorites, and eating one or two of them along the way! There’s nothing quite like strolling through all the rows with a bunch of friends while you fill up your baskets with fresh luscious strawberries.
Strawberries are believed to help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. They are also low in calories and high in vitamins C, B6, K, fiber, folic acid, potassium, and amino acids. In fact, eight strawberries have more vitamin C than an orange.
Fubar (our nickname for Gerhart for as long as we can remember), is a complete nutter. With a zest for life, he is known for doing pretty funny and crazy things in every environment he finds himself in. Each time make sure he has a snapshot of the moment! This one was no different. We found him horizontal in the fields as if he was lying on a beach sunbathing, and at other times animatedly eating his pick of the day.
Not something on your everyday bucket list – but a definite must-do for the brave.
