As I was preparing to move to Johannesburg in the summer of 2013, many of my friends wistfully spoke about going on safari and sipping South African wines in Cape Town, but there was only one person who I knew (without a doubt) would make the long trek, my friend Kaycee. When she bought a plane ticket to Johannesburg with the request to see Victoria Falls and loads of elephants, I began planning another adventure.
I consider myself to be a rational person. I don’t actually believe that objects have the power to protect people from harm, but that doesn’t stop me from covering my bases by traveling with a talisman. I never leave home without a bracelet wrapped around my wrist or tucked into my carry-on.
Since moving to South Africa eighteen months ago this week, there have been countless moments where I have to stop and marvel that I am lucky enough to spend a few years here. Cape Town is an easy city to be awestruck in – the city is endowed with an incredible natural beauty like no other city I have visited.
The Orbit Jazz Club and Bistro in Braamfontein has been on my Johannesburg must do list for quite some time, but it took a colleague visiting from Malaysia to organize an evening of Jazz for a group of work colleague – all of whom are likely in bed on a Sunday evening instead of listening to amazing Jazz. The Orbit Jazz Club and Bistro opened a year ago and hosts many jazz performances (some blues, salsa acts) throughout the month and with ticket prices that average R120 for a show, this is a must do for any visiting tourist of Joburg denizen.
“Have you been to Durban yet?” Despite having traveled extensively around South Africa, in a year and a half I had only spent one day in Durban for work. So, I finally booked a weekend away to explore South Africa’s third largest city and a place The New York Times named one of the 50 places to go in 2015. I had great plans for a weekend in Durbs except that when I arrived, I chucked aside all of my plans in favor of lazing around the beach.
I often get asked what I love about safari and besides being in nature away from the hectic pace of city life, I keep returning to the bush to witness the intricacies of animal behavior and learn more about the ingenious and multitude of ways birds, animals, trees, and insects have adapted to their natural surroundings. Londolozi is the first place that I went on a proper safari and I knew after my first visit that I would be back not only because of the superb tracking and guiding, but also because of the camps commitment to the surrounding community and conservation.