Tuesday morning brought Jilly from Rotterdam – yay! First I spent the morning at the Musee d’Orsay gazing upon the works of Van Gogh and Monet. How very Parisian of me! Then once she arrived and settled in, Jilly and I tootled off the Seine riverside to meet up with Melissa for a quick drink. We found a marvelous little cafe where we passed the time drinking 1664 beer and watching the people walk by. Life is so unrushed here in this sea of chaos, foreigners stand out clearly because we are the ones looking for order and guidelines in a city where there are evidently none. It appears to be socially compulsory to smoke, wherever you are and with whomever you’re with. I have never seen so many people smoking ALL THE TIME. 

On Wednesday we went to the Louvre, and Jill visits museums the way I do – straight to the point, no dilly-dallying and looking at every little detail. Awesome! Of course, we motored like possessed machines straight to the Mona Lisa, trying to get ahead of the hundreds of other tourists pouring in after us. She’s bigger that I imagined, but so understated one wonders whether half the fuss about this painting (last valued at $780m) is that there is no fuss about her at all. But her eyes definitely follow you! We then went to find the Venus de Milo – totally deserving of the praise and adoration, she’s an exquisite piece of work. We saw a number of impressive pieces of work at the museum other that these 2, and spent a good 2.5 hours getting lost – I completely understand why experts say it would take 9 months to see all 35,000 pieces of work in the Louvre – 8m 3w would be just trying to find your way out of the labyrinthine museum, then other week is to look at all the pieces.

After the Louvre we took a stroll over to the Eiffel Tower, and went straight up to the top to gaze over this city. So the biggest surprise for me was that there is more to Paris that what my tourist map says… Much much more! Gosh… We saw the cluster of skyscrapers that make up the financial hub of the city (and country I would assume) as well as various other well known or not so well known sights. Paris is definitely a very pretty city, very ladylike and chic – and spans for miles and miles because there are not many tall, garish buildings to disturb the view. So what I thought was the hub of Paris, is actually just the old part of the city and there is a lot more to be discovered when I come back to visit one day! On getting back down to earth, we moseyed over to a massive screen that had been erected for the sole purposes of showing the French Open. We watched the first set of Nadal v. Djokovich (sic), which was rather fun lying on the grass with loads of other tennis fans cheering our respective players along. 

Jill and I have perfected the evenings in Paris – pop past our local market and get some food and a bottle of wine or some 1664 beer, and then sit at our kitchen window which looks onto a small street and watch the world go by and chat the night away. The sun was setting after 10.30 every night, which means I seldom saw that – very weird going to sleep when it is still light!

On Thursday we caught a train out to the Palace of Versailles, and just getting there turned out to be half the fun! Our train stopped randomly at a station and Jill caught “terminus” which is quite self-explanatory. So we jump off and join a throng of other foreigners all looking dazed and confused as to why the train has terminated and how are we going to get to the Palace, still quite a way away. Luckily a lovely French lady named Beatrice (obviously!) guided us onto the next train, then off that one when that also came to an abrupt stop, and led us to the bus station a few blocks from the train station in a little hamlet outside of Paris. We caught a local bus straight to the Palace, blessed Beatrice! So the one thing we noticed was how lackadaisical the French are about security – a lot of chatting amongst themselves and randomly waving us through security checks seldom checking our tickets. Even when we did check in a bag (filled with our picnic goodies) they weren’t particularly fazed about who was moving where through the gates. 

Versailles is gorgeous and opulent, and the main palace is just a bit too flamboyant for my liking. Although I definitely like the idea of a grand Hall of Mirrors along the west facing wing to catch the setting sun over the massive cross-shaped lake you have in your garden. I’d totally do that. But the rest you can keep! We had packed a scrumptious picnic, with a delicious bottle of French Merlot, so Jill and I found a spot in the shade next to the lake and settled in for a few hours of eating, drinking, and being merry. How absolutely glorious, and oh so French! Naturally we had to top this off with a creamy ice cream before walking up to the real stunner – Marie-Antoinette’s abode. Now listen, that chick was possibly loopy at best and psychotic at worst, but she sure knew a thing or two about how to make a bedroom and a salon rather sumptuous and inviting. I’m assuming it was more for the guards and groomsmen who frequented her bed because one look at Louis’s portraits and I’m guessing he was not that into lavishly made up ladies  

Friday was both of our last day, so before Jilly jumped on the train back to Rotterdam, we got up to Notre Dame and entered before the heaving crowds arrived. Those of you who have read my previous travel posts, you’ll know what a thing I have for cathedrals and other places of worship like temples… And the Cathedral of Notre Dame does not disappoint. Oh my word it is breathtaking, especially when we saw the sunlight streaming through the famed Rose Window on the south side. It really is magnificent! 

After I left Jilly at the station, I went up to find the house where Jim Morrison (lead singer of The Doors) died – a bit macabre I know, but I am a die-hard Doors fan. I wanted to go to the cemetery where he is buried because apparently his gravesite is quite the testament to true Doors adoration, but I ran out of time.

And so, here I am sitting at CDG airport, waiting for my late night flight home. What a wonderful trip I’ve had, sharing special times with lovely friends and really having a fantastic time. But as they say, one of the best parts of a journey is the coming home bit!!!   

Saturday was my last day of sightseeing, and I desperately wanted to go up to the Cloisters museum in Washington Heights. First things first… A meander along the loveliness that is the impressive Chelsea Highline. It is magnificent, especially when you stroll past views of the various behemoth structures that dominate Manhattan, while being surrounded by this narrow walkway (old railway line) of greenery and spring blooms. And homemade blueberry, peach and jasmine ice-pops!! It was also a lovely view of the Hudson River (and yes, there was a small part of me hoping another plane would skillfully land on the river in front of me!) and it does magnify the lifestyle appeal Chelsea has, until I saw apartments for sale of between $2m and $20m. WTF?

I hopped on the subway and went right up to the top of Manhattan, and meandered through the exquisitely serene Fort Tryon Park before arriving at the Cloisters museum right on the Hudson River. This is dedicated to medieval displays and got his styled architecture, and I immediately felt drawn to it because in my past life I as definitely in King Arthur’s court, quite possibly even Morgan le Fey! This is truly one of the most gorgeous museums I’ve ever been too – do come here when you’re in NYC!

From there I caught a bus down to Columbia university which is a rambling complex of gorgeous old buildings and time honored academic traditions. I can see the appeal in getting onto this resting ions institution, although I’d hate to know the fees! From here I walked across to the enormous Cathedral of St John the Divine, so tall that the Statue of Liberty can fit inside it!! It is beautiful and tranquil, and has an incredible display of stained glass windows. 

I caught another bus round through Harlem, past some of the historic places recognizing Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, as well as past a couple of gospel churches from which the jubilant sounds of worship could be heard. I wanted to go past the Guggenheim, purely so I could see what all the hoo-ha is about… And what an anti-climax. Calm down and don’t clutch at your chests in horror. Nothing to write home about from my perspective, although those of you with refined tastes in art and abstract creativity might have enjoyed it. The building is nice… 

When I came out of the Gugg, the day was just glorious and I was alongside Central Park so I decided to walk down from 89th to 27th. Sounds far (it is) but it was such a great opportunity to see New Yorkers going about a Saturday afternoon. I even got stuck in the middle of some heated shouting and fisticuffs between vendors pulling their carts and limo’s and BMW’s trying to turn etc. Good to see it is not just Joburg drivers with the rage in them!

I eventually ended up at the Museum of Sex… Ummm…. Hmmmm…. A big dose of TMI and some visuals that I am still trying to get out of my head! I then went back up to Times Square, and noshed down a Lobster Roll (yum!) while watching the heaving masses of tourists and entertaining antics of crowd-pleasers and show-callers. I could have sat their for hours (not just to rest my feet) but also because people are truly the greatest form of entertainment ever produced

I came across Madame Tussaud’s so I went in to see what all this wax business is about. Holy crap, some of those statues are so lifelike I honestly was waiting for someone to go “boo” and we’d all kak off. It was excellent – some were totally brilliant. Of course I had a pic with Johnny Depp… There were all the usual celebs on show, as well as a lot of sports stars and important peeps like the Obamas. Very cool indeed!

So after a long day I headed home for my last sleep in NYC. I can honestly say this has been one of my best trips ever, meeting up with old friends, hanging out, seeing all the things I’ve read and watched about NYC come to life in an awesome display of WOWZERS’ness! I’ll be back NYC, I’ll definitely be back. I’m writing this from Washington Square where I have spent most of Sunday as a local – drinking coffee and reading the NY Times in the park while watching kids splash in the fountain and NYU students cavort on the grass. I totally NY!

Wednesday I spent most of the day on the hop on-hop off bus, viewing downtown first and then up town. One of the guides was a “rain-man’ish” kind of guide who orated nonstop on the history, peculiarities, and secrets of the city at every turn. He was awesome, and I had quite a few “wow, I would never have guessed” moments. I finished up at the NY Public Library, which is an exquisite building and I definitely need more time to explore inside! I then met Clare at her office (just down from the Empire State Building – how New York’ish!) and we first caught the 6 train to the end and stayed on for the turn past the abandoned City Hall station… Spooky! 

Then we tootled off over the beautiful and well known Brooklyn Bridge. It is an awesome, if somewhat masculine, bridge which makes his neighbor, the delicate and beautiful Manhattan bridge, and her neighbor the interesting and sturdy Williamsburg bridge, seem rather small in comparison. They most certainly are not, but this guy deserves his reputation as being one of the most well known bridges in the world! Clare took me along the river to the reclaimed Brooklyn Park area with its awesome piers. We got caught in a summer storm, so took refuge in Pier 1 where there was all manner of sports taking place, including roller hockey which looks like the most fun EVER! We made it to our spot on Pier 3 in one bedraggled piece, and caught the most exquisite sunset over Manhattan from our seats. I had my first meatball sandwich (yummo!) and we squeezed down a few of Brooklyn’s finest IPA’s… Such a perfect evening!

On Thursday I revisited the uptown tour, with the sole intention of cracking Museum Mile. I first went past Strawberry Fields, the memorial site for John Lennon, and then popped into the New York historical society building, which has a fantastic and informative 18minute movie on the history of the city. There were a number of political, historical, and cultural pearls of information available, highly recommend this to anyone visiting the city!

Then I went to one of my most anticipated museums – the American Museum of Natural History (aka Night in the Museum to most of you). As I explained to Clare, I am a “skimmer” not a “researcher” thus I move through museums/galleries/shops/everywhere with a practiced pace allowing me enough time to take in what interests me, discard what doesn’t, and move away from people moving in slow herds gawking at every flipping grain of sand on display. Hence, I am not a great tour partner for people who want to read each description of everything on display, but I am fabulous if you like moving at a consistent pace for a continuous period of time through all attractions. I can always read up on anything I’ve missed or anything I want to know more about. But I like viewing the items in motion, and the AMNH is perfect for this – although the life-size animals, especially the blue whale and the elephants did stop me in my tracks. Flip, that’s a great place – will definitely go back! 

I then mission end up Central Park W, crossed the park at 97th and went up to the Museum of the City of New York – slightly different to the first one as this focused on themes in particular. I was very interested in 2 of the displays they have at the moment – the history of Hip Hop (Salt n Pepa’s Push It is an all time fave) as well as the exhibition on activism in the city. Seriously worth a visit for those of you who like learning about the this that shape a city and its people!

I then missioned down to the Met, which was also incredibly interesting. They currently have an exhibition one “China through the looking glass” which was brilliant. However, I was taken with all the sculptures even though I couldn’t work out why most of the noses and willies were missing. Ok, I know the willies were all removed by some pious royal counsel and clerics hundreds of years back (can read so much into this about suppressed home-eroticism but I’ll leave that for the activists!). But their noses… Why oh why? Anyway, also loved the Met!

You’d think at this point I’d be finished… But I decided to pop up to the Top of the Rock on my way home… Yay! That was really worth a visit, so incredible to see the city from up there!

Friday dawned and I was up and out by 8am… I was heading to see the Lady herself and wanted to see Wall Street waking up on my way. Glad I did, it’s so demure one can hardly imagine the tales of woes and destruction those enormous finance houses have wielded on us all. Have to go back to do the tour of the NYSE!

I caught the ferry to Liberty island, although no need to get off as you have the most perfect view of the statue right up close on the way over as well as on the way to Ellis island. Ellis Island is where all immigrants were processed back in the day (I.e. Where Rose went to after she was rescued from the Titanic) although, the irony that this entire country was built by immigrants arriving 500 years ago but now some of whom claim that this is their country and no immigrants are welcome is not lost on me. So it was rather fitting that right by the docks is the Museum of Natural History’s sister exhibition on the Native American Indians. WOW!! This was incredible… And devastating. These people roamed this entire country in their thousands, and yet their legacy is currently tied up with casinos and fighting for their ancestral rights. I can’t go there, too much to be said and felt and thought and claimed. When you come to NYC, please go and see this museum! 

On my way back up to catch the train to Clare’s office, I “popped” up the Empire State Building…. Quite an experience and a massive information overload on the building itself. Wowzers! But I did get to stand next to an NBA player named Brook Lopez who comes in at 7 feet tall on the dot. HOLY CRAPSTICKS THAT IS TALL. I’m like, dude you can see more from just walking down the street than you can up top of this building. Anyway, between you and me I think the Top of the Rock is cooler than the ESB… 

I’ll post part 2 of explorations tomorrow. I have to start packing up now to leave this awesome city, but all is not lost as I am off to Paris and I get to hang out with my awesome friend Jilly for 3 days!!! Can’t wait  

Clare and I had lunch at a delightful place called The Lock Yard where we tucked into some pimped up hot dogs and fries with all the toppings, washed down with some local craft beer. Seriously… It was “holy crapsticks” delicious and totally worth the immense amount of walking required to burn those calories off! After lunch I took a walk along the waterfront and I’ve decided that Brooklyn is lovely and suburban’ish with a vibrant atmosphere, and I for one would choose to live there if (when?) I move to NYC! 

Today I caught the 7 line to the end stop of Main Street Flushing, in Queens. My friend Sua has been here for 7 months working in a Korean day spa which she treated me to. It’s very similar to the original 찜질방 (bath houses) of Korea which was such a long-awaited treat – I’ve missed my bi-monthly bath house sessions of scrubs and saunas etc. Of course, the highlight (besides seeing Sua who is an utter delight and total energy ball of love and laughter) was eating Korean food again! We started off with spicy noodles and then squeezed in some bibimbap (spicy rice and veggies) before heading off to Flushing Meadows park. 

The Mets stadium is not nearly as impressively imposing as the Yankees Stadium, and I’d had my fill of baseball already so didn’t stick around for that. My main reason for coming here was to see the home of the U.S. Open – and what an awesome stadium it is! The Arthur Ashe is currently under renovation in preparation for the Open, starting end of August, so we only saw the outer courts and the hall of fame. Wow! We then hired bikes and cycled around the Flushing Meadows-Corona park, specifically to see the Unisphere. Such an impressive piece of work! The park is gorgeous for cycling around and in fact it was so huge we came across a lot of sports being played on various fields – including cricket! 

A day with crazy Sua would not be complete without heading to a “good value and good food” Korean restaurant for 삼겹살 (basically grilled pork rashers wrapped up in lettuce with kimchi and other goodies). It was sooooooooo delicious, washed down with some good old Korean beer, that we could barely roll out of there. Flip, have I mentioned how much I miss Korean food??? Naturally, we popped past a 노래방 (karaoke room) for an hour of harmonious and “pleasing only to our own ears” squawking – I even managed to mumble along to some Korean songs and lined up the trusty old favorites like Bohemian Rhapsody and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. Flip, that was a lot of fun!!

Coming home tonight, i.e. catching all the right trains in all the right places at all the right times, I just could not stop smiling at what a glorious few days I have had with good friends. A splash of Rhodes, Treverton and Seoul memories and friendships all thrown into a few crazy days in one of the most awesome cities I’ve ever been to. Seriously, the gods are smiling down on me and I’m truly grateful. Such fun! 

On Saturday morning Bee and I went up to Central Park for a power walk. We entered at the bottom right (5th Ave and 60th) and wound our way up to the reservoir before heading back down to Bethesda Fountain. It really is the loveliest park and I certainly felt the magnitude of it when we oriented ourselves on the map and realized how little we’d covered in a walk that last 1.5 hours.  While we were at Bethesda Fountain we witnessed a flash mob wedding proposal! How cool is that

On our way home we stopped off for The World’s Best Pizza at Goodfella’s… It really was delicious and accompanied with some wine at lunch time on a hot New York day made it even more delicious! Bee has 2 little ones at home who aren’t big sleepers, so our afternoon naps became compulsory for her to catch up on 3 years of sleep deprivation. It’s also a good way to rest up for the night time adventures ahead!

We met up with the birthday girl for late afternoon drinks at her and Su’s local (Melissa stayed on Mulberry Str which is renowned for Little Italy). Of course, being her birthday she got to choose dinner – so off we went for Dim sum in Chinatown You can never go wrong with Chinese food! Afterwards we went to this dodgy Jolly Roger-lookalike place across from Melissa’s place which turned out to be quite cool. A great celebration of 40th’ness for Melissa!

Sunday, Bee and I were up early (you can’t keep us farm girls in bed past 7.30!) so we took a stroll over the Williamsburg bridge, into that gorgeous little suburb. For those of you who are TV watchers – Williamsburg is where 2 Broke Girls work in Han’s diner and have their cupcake shop.  We found an awesome brunch place and I tucked into a plate of French toast and bacon with syrup. Not exactly the healthiest choice, but totally delish and we walked for miles around markets and back over the bridge so I had no guilt at all!

In the afternoon we met up with Melissa and popped up to Time Square, specifically to get to the m&m shop. Time Square is a literal buffet for the senses with an absolute array of people, clothing optional, and things going on all the time. It was riveting, if not a little bizarre at some points. The m&m shop was as cool as I expected, although it’s an assault on the senses and taste buds after no sugar for 3 months! 

Bee left on Sunday evening and Melissa and Su are heading up to Boston today (Super-smart Su is participating in a conference at Harvard this week!!!) so I am left to my own devices in this crazy town… #bringtheaction! I’m heading across to Brooklyn just now for the Memorial Day parade, and then meeting up with an old school friend, Clare Hambly, for lunch.  Will blog more later this week     

I flew Airfrance, which was fantastic. The A380’s are impressive, and the feature I loved most was the camera on the tail which I tuned into for take off and landing – entrancing experiencing the flight like that! Charles de Gaulle airport was equally impressive with its expensive brand names in the departures lounge – Chanel, Hermés, Louis Vuiton,  Gucci etc. Not exactly my kind of shopping through, but interesting enough to wander about and gawk at the prices. The highlight of my stopover was that Snoop Dogg walked past me to his (much delayed) flight. Pretty cool hey!

I flew into JFK at around 10am and the pilot was kind enough to bank and circle so we got a skyline view of this impressive city. Catching the Airtrain to Jamaica station also gives an awesome view of Manhattan, and certainly adds to the tremendous excitement I was feeling on arriving here. I caught the subway into Grand Central station which lived up to its reputation of being one of the most beautiful works of architecture – certainly the most awe-inspiring station I’ve arrived that.  I walked down the famed Mulberry street in Chinatown/LittleItaly, before meeting up with Melissa and Su on the corner of my block at a little Irish pub. Fancy meeting you gals here

Last night we went to find some delicious Dimsum in Chinatown, where we experienced some of the more aggressive form of waitering – “you pay 15% tip now”. Ummmmm… Is tipping not discretionary? Ok then. It was worth it though because the food was super delish and of course one can never go wrong with Tsingtao beer! It is true that this city doesn’t sleep through, because I was up at my usual 5am to hear the streets alive with cars and people already (or still?). My apartment is quite close to the Williamsburg bridge, and a block up from the subway, so it’s an awesome spot to be in for my intense touring that will start as soon as the 40th festivities are under our belt!

One of the highlights so far was smuggling one of our varsity specials up into Melissa’s apartment to surprise her – Bee flew in from Vancouver this morning to join us for the weekend. We haven’t seen her since her wedding 5 years ago, so this is really incredible that we are all in NYC together to celebrate with Melissa. We mission end over to the West side at lunch time so Mel could meet up with Ogilvy and swap notes on awesomeness, so Bee and I thought it appropriate we find a nice pub and have a little beer to get our weekend off to a great start. When everyone wakes up we are heading up to the Yankees stadium for some baseball, beer and ‘dogs, and then let’s see where the night takes us

Later gators!

Last weekend I returned from one of the most incredible experiences of my life – the perfect combination of travel, people, experiences, food, exercise, and a massive dollop of self-discovery. The lovely and talented yoga teacher Cheryl Lancellas has a company called SA Yoga Safaris (http://www.sayogasafaris.com/), and she took a bunch of us up to Ponta de Ouro for a week of yoga, dolphin encounters, meditation, and rest.

My bestie Melissa came with me and we caught a 6.25am flight down to Durbs on Sunday morning, where we met Cheryl and the 3 other ladies joining us. The lovely and exuberant mother-daughter couple of Farieda and Aamena, and our lovely Swifficient Nordic import, Sonja. Everyone brought a unique dose of energy and character, and a lot of love which set the tone for magic time together. It was cold and rainy in Durbs, all the way up to the ever so friendly and laid-back border post, and by the time we got to our gorgeous log house right on the beach it was miserably cold. This wasn’t a great start because we’d all packed for a week of yoga and sun, so not a jersey or jacket in sight. Sunday evening we met up with a family who joined us on our yoga safari, all the way up from Cape Town. We all did our first yoga session with cold and tight bodies, trying hard to bend and be zen but mostly failing dismally. A hearty veggie soup warmed us up and we all crashed early to the sounds of waves crashing right outside our windows.

Monday dawned brighter and sunnier, but still rather chilly. A morning and afternoon session of yoga really got us into the swing of things and gave us the day to go exploring the little village. Unfortunately for our wallets we came upon the treasure chest called Magenta Moon, where over the course of our week we dropped quite a bit of cash in exchange for exquisite jewelry and clothes. Throughout the week we also spent a lot of time lunching at a few of the local restaurants, where for a pretty penny we enjoyed seafood and healthy wraps and not so healthy carrot cake and cappuccinos. Sort of balancing out the uber-healthy brekkies and dinners that Cheryl prepared for us each day. Of course it is only fair the we indulged in the local beers as well, I mean they are named after me so it’s only appropriate!

On Thursday we went out on our second dolphin encounter boat trip. The first one, on Tuesday, hadn’t yielded much in the way of swimming with dolphins because the sea was still rough and choppy after the weekend’s miz weather. But Thursday proved to be different, and the next 2 hours turned into the most magical ever. Just behind the breakers we spotted a mother Humpback whale and her calf, slowly making their way down south. They were close enough that we could see a massive scar down her side, and so we watched them for a while before moving on to find some dolphins.

We came upon a pod of sleeping dolphins, cute as ever with one eye closed and moving along slowly. Next we came upon a bigger pod of feeding dolphins, which we swam with and watched up close. It’s quite something to see them up close in their own environment, although they weren’t that interested in us and after a few minutes moved on. This was round about the time when our skipper urged us all to get closer together because we were in very deep water – the Mozambican coast drops off suddenly to deep, dark blue ocean – and we later learnt we were swimming over a popular shark hangout!!!  Talk about getting back into the boat snap snap.

We then started heading out to a snorkel spot when lo and behold, 4 more whales came sidling right past us. How incredible, watching these marine behemoths moseying along, spraying so high it made rainbows above them. I could not believe how magical this was, and when one of them gave us the tail-high-5 it was enough to bring a tear to my eye (ok, a few tears to my eyes!)! But the real excitement was about to begin, because while our whales were cruising down south a massive pod of playful dolphins came along and had a frolic over and around our whales, past our boat. Wowzers trousers! But wait, there’s more. While we were absorbed with with whales and the dolphins, coming up behind us was a huge group of spinner dolphins – maybe a hundred if not more. So now we were torn between whales and dolphins, entertaining us either by blowing rainbows or spinning in our wake. And then… I noticed something in the water nearby, and whistled to get our skipper’s attention… Yip, a loggerhead turtle had decided to pull into our marine conference as a brief guest speaker. He pulled up next to our boat and even posed for a photo op before diving down deep and disappearing. Honestly, I was in awe of all we had seen and as we made our way one everyone was lost in their thoughts and dreams of the magical moment we had just shared with these special creatures.

Doing ten yoga sessions in just 6 days really pushed us all physically, mentally and emotionally. We could literally watch our bodies changing as we got stronger, and bendier, and moved into positions previously only a dream. One hilarious moment, made Melissa and I giggle a lot. I have really weak wrists, and struggled my way through all the postures that required leaning on my wrists including doing the plank or even the cat and cow. So we get to a position that requires one to balance entirely on one’s hands while leaning one’s shins agains one’s lower arms – much like a frog balancing on his front legs. Get a mental image of me even trying to do this. Ok… Got it? Now you see why, when Cheryl said “Lauren, you might struggle with this pose because of your wrists” I just looked over at Melissa with raised eyebrows and whispered, “yes, that’s the reason I can’t get my entire body to balance on my lower arms while balancing on my hands!” We fell over laughing, and when I recounted the story to our group over dinner they also saw the lighter side of yoga with amateurs!

We ended our week off with a marvelous dinner of Mozambican prawns with lemon, chili and garlic sauce… Heavenly, especially when washed down with some of Moz’s finest beers. What a life, I tell you. Honestly, the week was beyond my expectations and I thought if so many of my friends and family member who would love to do something like that. I hope you get to go with Cheryl, because she’s a fantastic yoga teacher. Melissa and I both came back a few shades darker and embracing peace and joy, peace and joy (to be sung calmly when one feels one is about to depart from the zen moment because of taxi drivers, people who stop in doorways, no Vodacom signal again, long queues and only 2 tellers open, etc.). It was a very special thing to do with my long-time and lovely friend and we have both resolved to try and stick to yoga and embracing peace and joy (when possible!).

I was most excited to meet young Will.i.am, my new BFF who had been taught to greet me in Korean already. Of course, he has a brand spanking new little brother to cuddle, but young Michael is still more interested in napping and feeding. Friday night, Bruco arrived home with some biltong (yum) and then popped a couple of chickens on the braai before handing me an ice cold Savanna (yum yum). Another tough day in Africa. Clearly.

My fabulous friends organized for us to spend Saturday night at a little game reserve an hour or so out of the city, which was marvelous. We were right on a small river with abundant bird life (reinforcing my plans to become a real birder!) and a good bunch of animals around to make my return to Africa rather welcoming indeed. We had such a special time together, but the highlight was our canoe trip up the river early Sunday morning where we saw many birds including the shy African Finfoot, a juvenile Fish Eagle, and an African Harrier Hawk (formerly known as a Gymnogene). But my favourite were the kingfishers – we even saw the Malachite, what a beauty!

My time in Harare was super chilled – hanging out with Will.i.am, cuddling young Michael, chatting A LOT with my special friends from Rhodes days. I also had a visit from one half of The Zimbos when Sarah popped round with Dan the Man for a spot of tea and home-baked (by Harps and I) honey & ginger cake. Lovely to meet up with friends again, and have a good old chinwag ;). We even went up to Domboshowa which is a lovely rocky outcrop on which we braaied and watched the full moon rise up over the dusty land below us. Beautiful!! Really, what a magical time I’ve had here.

Some life lessons from a 3 year old
1. Confidence
Me: (playing with lego) ok, is this my guy?
Will: yes, he’s a cave warrior
Me: my guy’s very strong. He’s the strongest one.
Will: no he’s not.
Me: oh? Why not?
Will: mine is the strongest.

2. Competition
Me: (Will is behind me): ooooohh I’m winning.
Will: IT’S NOT A COMPETITION!!!
Me: (slowed down, now behind Will) Wowwww Will, you’re beating me.
Will: yes, I’m the winner.

3. Love and heartwarming’ness
Will: I love you Lauwin
Me: I love you too Wil.i.am
Will: we’re friends hey?
Me: *smile* yes, best friends.
What a wonderful way to end an epic trip – thanks McKinlays!

And so my odyssey has come to an end. In 13 weeks of travel, from Seoul to Joburg I have travelled via 13 countries, spent countless hours on planes, trains, buses, boats, motorbikes and bicycles, and got a fair amount of stamps in my passport. Sometimes I can’t believe I’ve actually done it all, seen it all, tasted, smelled and heard it all – it went so quickly and yet each place is as clear in my mind as though it was yesterday. I’ve made a promise to myself that every 4 years I want to take a couple of months off and do a “big trip” again. There is no excuse really – if you plan and save properly, you can do it too!

I know it was my hard work and effort that got me here, but I have an incredible support team!! If you’re reading this right now, then you are definitely one of those supporters, without whom I would have been lost and lonely, and had no one to share this with. So thanks family and friends, I can’t express in words how much I appreciate your thoughts, well wishes, enthusiasm and envy! And to my family and friends along the way who hosted me, fed me, entertained me, and cared for me – I can’t wait to return the favor one day soon, you are so so so very welcome to come visit me so I can spoil you too! But my biggest thanks go to Daddy Cool and The Favourite Brother. Those guys rock so much it’s almost ridiculous. Their unending support, encouragement and eagerness for me to come home has really made this trip even more special, especially because they’ve prepared everything for my move home which really does make life that much easier to enjoy!

Thank goodness for blogs and Instagram, and Facebook and email. I can’t imagine not have being able to share my journey with you all each step of the way. And now it’s all over. Hells bells. Well not to worry, when I’m next off on an adventure I’ll fire up the trusty old blog again and keep you all posted.
Or maybe you’ll be with me!
Love and light beautiful people xxx

On the recommendation of The Favourite Brother, I checked into the Generator Hostel just on the outskirts of the city centre. I didn’t have any expectations as hostels go, I’ve seen the best and worst of them on this trip, but oh my this place is grand!! I stayed in a room of five bunks, ladies only, and not only was it clean and cozy BUT it was the nicest hostel ever! If you’re coming to Ireland, and you’re on a shoestring budget, then stay here! My room was a bit of a UN village with an Israeli girl (yay, I could catch up on my kibbutz news!), a French-Moroccan horse trainer, a Chinese student who lives down South usually, an Irish lady visiting from down south, a Brazilian student studying in London, an Ozzie on a gap year, and a bunch of Americans. What fun hey

My first afternoon here I went off to The Leprechaun Museum, which is a delightful and interactive museum all about the rich folklore and tales from Ireland. It was gorgeous, and the Giant’s room was designed to make us understand how a leprechaun feels as they are one third our size and we are one third of a giant’s size. So all the furniture was big and we could feel small, lol. Listening to some of the fairy tales from Irish culture was really sweet, although some of them are known to be quite scary.

On Thursday I joined the Dublin Hop-on Hop-off bus which was marvelous!!! I got to see many of the city’s sights and heritage, as well as the beautiful buildings. I got off at Trinity College, one of the oldest universities in Europe and certainly one of the most beautiful. At the moment they have an exhibition of The Book of Kells, which is the beautifully illustrated Gospels done by some monks around about the 800th century. It is really exquisite artwork and ancient writing. There was also an opportunity to go into the Old Library of the university, which is centuries old. It houses millions of books, including a copy of every single British and Irish publication since 1801. That’s a lot books. It’s a lovely building, with marble busts of many famous authors of the country down either side.

The drivers on the hop-on bus are informative and hilarious. In fact, one of them told us about his friend who was applying for an Australian visa. When they asked him if he had a criminal record, he replied “I didn’t know you still needed one!” His visa was denied. I chortled a lot with this driver

Next I walked down past Oscar Wilde’s house – he of brilliant wit and deplorable manners – past the parliament buildings, up to St. Stephen’s Green. This is the largest public green in the country, and it is a wonderful place to sit and take a load off, feed the ducks, or just watch the world pass you by. I then walked up Grafton Steet, which is apparently where U2 started off busking back in their early days. Now of course, Bono is busy telling everyone how to solve their problems and run their countries. I did however construct elaborate fantasies of bumping into The Edge who would then invite to his place for dinner and then we’d pop out to his local where he’d strum a few tunes and sing Numb and tell me I’m his next best girl (after his second wife and 4 daughters) and then promise to come and visit me in SA and play live at my next social engagement. This fantasy would have gone on to include the lengthy and heartfelt discussion of a possible future together etc. but was cut short when I walked into a closed gate. Naturally one cannot help singing U2 songs when one is walking around their city. And also when said city is not great with street signs, so the roads really do have no name. LMFAO!!!

I then walked up (I know, I kept forgetting to hop back on the bus, so landed up walking most of the tour anyway) to Dublin Castle, but I got a little lost so I think I might have missed the good stuff. I landed up behind a bunch of school kids on a tour, which made me nervous because I couldn’t understand what they were saying in their little Irish voices. They might have been saying rude things about me. Or they might have been saying rude things about their teacher. Or the world. You know how teens are. So I left and went to admire the grand city hall.

After that I went to Christ Church Cathedral, which, it must be said, is a beautiful church but I was on a mission to see an even more beautiful church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve seen, and it is over a thousand years old with a very interesting history. I wanted to go back and join mass on Sunday so I could see the inside of the church, but overslept. My bad.

After all this touring, there was only one thing for it – I went off to the Guinness Brewery. Now Arthur Guinness was quite the visionary when he signed a lease for 9000 (nine thousand) years back in 1759. He obviously had faith in his product, because the brewery is still standing and producing enough beer to sell 10 million pints a day! Hells bells. Personally, I’m not a fan. The problem with Guinness is that it tastes too much like Guinness and not enough like champagne. I was the only person to leave half of the free pint when we got to the top of the brewery to see the 360 degree view of the city. What a stunning view, and incidentally there is only one “skyscraper” in Dublin, and after everyone complained about it being too high and ugly, no more skyscrapers were allowed so the view of the city is literally as far as the eye can see with no interruptions.

I did pop into the Jameson Distillery on my way home, mostly because its right behind my hostel. I’m not much of a whiskey fan either I’m afraid so it was all lost on me. But if anyone has some red wine they need testing and tasting, then I’m your gal!

On Friday I joined a day trip up to Belfast. Our tour guide/driver was a jovial fellow named Eddie, who along with his lilting Irish accent also had the (typical??) habit of rewording everything he was saying immediately after he said it, so it took ages to get to the point and also to know what it is I should be listening for. Eg. As we cross over into The North you’ll see some crosses on the left hand side as we come into the northern part of the country and you’ll see that those crosses are there on the left. And it’s those crosses on the left just as we come into Northern Ireland that are what we’re looking at. This went on for everything, and we saw a lot! I think he must speak non-stop the whole day, but most of it is repeated. Anyway, he was happy to give me a shortened, albeit it repeated two or three times, version of The Troubles. Now that’s an understatement if ever there was one, I had some troubles with my lower back for a while and my dad had some troubles with his trusty old Isuzu bakkie. The North was not having mere troubles, they were in a full on war and the scars and destruction left behind are a stark and sad reminder of the divisions of Ireland. For a person interested in politics, like me, this was a very interesting place to visit and I even got to write on the Peace Wall between The Falls road and Shankill road.

We also saw some less devastating, if not rather beautiful and interesting stuff. The oldest Muirdach’s Crosses in the world found in an ancient Irish-Celtic monastery. We also stopped in Drogheda, the former home of Sir Oliver Plunkett, the last English Catholic martyr who’s head is preserved in the church after he was beheaded and burnt. A bit gruesome really, but the church itself was gorgeous. We also stopped to see the Proleek Dolmen, some of the oldest tomb stone structures dating back 5000 years and still standing. Right on a beautiful golf course. Silly place to put big stones like that, hey! Lol.

And of course, no trip to Belfast would be complete without a visit to the Harland & Wolff docklands where the Titanic was built and from where it was launched two years before it connected side on with an iceberg. Interestingly, I saw on the list of those who lost their lives during that devastating tragedy, a young Walter Clark so I wonder if it was a distant relation because my dad is from Liverpool. How exciting, yet sad, of course.

The even more hilarious thing about the way our driver, and the Irish in general, spoke was that they don’t say their “th” sounds so a lot of what he said sounded like this – “I tink tis was built tree or four tousand years ago on a Tursday” which made me chortle more, but I had to be discreet so as not to offend.

On Saturday night, some new friends and I decided to go for dinner in the Temple Bar area, the (in)famous night life area of Dublin. It was of course interesting, but there is only so many drunk yobs one can take, so after a while we gave up but it was a lovely dinner and seeing the old buildings and pubs was great. I’m a little nervous about coming home because my drinking ability is rather poor, I think I’m maxing out on 2 glasses of wine nowadays. Oh how the times have changed!

Sunday I went to Dublinia, a wonderful Viking and Medieval Dublin exhibit in the hall adjacent to the Christ Church Cathedral. It reminded me of my hilarious student Mr. Lim who asked me, after seeing Daddy Cool once and The Favorite Brother a few months later, if my family were descended from Vikings. It’s quite possible I suppose, which made this visit all the more interesting. I love reading and learning about life in the medieval period, and this display was both vivid and informative.

On Monday I caught the bus down south to the popular little town of Killarney where a dear old friend of mine lives, from Eshowe days – Anthony Barber. We met in nursery school, and our moms became very close friends soon after and so we spent many a weekend and holiday together camping, on the beach, and generally having a good old time. We haven’t seen each other for about 15 years, so it was lovely catch up (albeit over too much wine – ouch) and meet his beautiful Hungarian fiancé Anita. The weather was rather miz, but we did fit in a blustery amble through the Killarney National Park and a drive up to the beautiful Ladies View, overlooking the exquisite lakes of Killarney. All in all it was a wonderful few days, and passed way too quickly!

And now I’m back in Dublin. Just enough time to prepare one’s winter body for reintroduction to the sun, post this blog, and rearrange my backpack sending all the warm stuff back down to the bottom and hauling out the shorts and tees! Tomorrow I fly back to Heathrow, wait 8 hours, then fly to Harare via Ethiopia! Hells bells… WELCOME BACK TO AFRICA!!! I’ve had such a grand time in Ireland, in fact this whole trip has been amazing and I love re-reading my blogs and looking at my photos but…. It’s time to come home now

Alexis is my tree-hugging aunt (as some of you know her), my mom’s older sister, and we hadn’t seen each other for almost 5 years! Eastbourne is a popular summer holiday spot, but for the rest of the year it is mostly populated by retirees so my few days there were very chilled and relaxing. Walks on the beach, a shiatsu treatment, a musical, and a pub carvery all added up to be a wonderful and restful time. On Wednesday we set off to Salisbury to see the cathedral and then Stonehenge. Oh my word, Salisbury Cathedral is without a doubt one of the most incredibly beautiful buildings I have ever seen. The details and history of the cathedral were very interesting and the grounds were serene, a very special place indeed. I’ve wanted to visit this place for years, as Ken Follet based his book Pillars of the Earth on the history and legends around Salisbury Cathedral. I love that book and have read it often, so I couldn’t wait to see the place and I certainly was not disappointed!

After the cathedral we went to Stonehenge. Upon arriving by car I was surprised at how small the stones seemed, and how random they were in the middle of nowhere. But as we walked around them I could see their sheer size and feel the energy around them, and we had an incredible moment when the sun was starting to set and the stones glowed as though they were alive. It was really peaceful there and quite wow!

On Wednesday night we stayed at a listed house in Salisbury (listed as in a heritage site, not listed for demolition) which was my aunt’s first experience in a hostel, and it turned out to be a lovely, lovely place – a lot of the loveliness had to do with the English breakfast they prepared for us the next morning! Also, the young and friendly people running the place really impressed us, so if you need a place to stay in Salisbury then go to the Yha Hotel. On Thursday we went up to Avebury which is not as well known as Stonehenge but is just as interesting! The village is built within rings of huge stones, which have been determined to be almost 6000 years old! Wowzers Trousers! There is a beautiful old manor house there, built in the 1600s which the BBC have redecorated to reflect the lives of the tenants of the manor over the last few centuries. This was really interesting and beautiful.

What a special few days exploring new places and see the English countryside with my aunt. It was sad to say goodbye again, she was a trooper of a road-tripper so we’ll have to do another exploring trip again one day! Anyway, I caught a train in to London and met up with darling Luc, and moved in with him and his gorgeous partner Antony who kindly offered to a accommodate me for a few days. And Luc whipped up a roast pork roll, which really made my entrance back into England delicious! Yum

I set off for CamdenTown market on Friday because I just love that place – all the goths and freaks and punks, yay! So I walked from Hammersmith station through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, down Oxford Road to Tottenham Square, and then caught the tube up to Camden (I’m telling you all that so you can fully appreciate the next part). A little history quick – when we were little, my dad took Rory and I to London near Camden, and I saw 2 punks and couldn’t stop staring at their blue and green spiky hair and piercings and tattoos and black leathers and chains, and of course their hateful glances at the rest of the world! I was intrigued and consistently have visited Camden Town to keep in touch with the life-hater punks and goths there. So imagine my shock and horror when I arrived after my long walk and its turned into a bladdie Biggie Best flea market! Everyone is so friendly and helpful, and I had to really hunt for some punks and people with luminous dreadlocks and pierced lips/cheeks/ears/noses/chins. Finally I found someone who appeared to fit my expectations and I entered her shop, a little fearful (like before) that I’d walk out ten minutes later pierced, with colored hair and a black leather collar. Instead, she asked me rather brightly how I was and if she could help me. What??? WTF?? You’re supposed to be in the corner injecting heroin and staring at me with apathy and hate, not becoming my new best friend. I stormed out and tried another goth cave, and the same thing – all rainbows and hugs and smiles. So disappointing, I can’t believe Camden is so clean and gimmicky. Where do all the haters and punks go nowadays? I remember going to Camden in the brightness of midday so as to avoid the terrors that lurked there in dark corners, and now it’s another tourist attraction to buy I heart London t-shirts. Very, very disappointing.

On Friday night I met up with some friends from Treverton, whom I hadn’t seen since matric (1994)! Debbie Sims and Craig Pitt-Pladdy were in my year, and Viv Hambly and Sean Tucker the year below us. It was so incredible to catch up, it really just was like old times, and we were near the river so it was also a beautiful night view of London. I do love that about Facebook – getting and staying in touch with people from your past (if you want to be in touch with them LOL).

On Saturday I caught the tube out to Theydon Bois (near Epping) to spend the night with Lori, my dear friend from Rhodes, and her hubby Kenny and their 2 little sausages Mika and Sami – both of whom requested that I come back and visit them again soon! Yay! It was lovely to catch up with her, especially when she produced a finely roasted chicken with roast veg – I was definitely in heaven! Throw in a couple of walks in the forest next door and beautiful autumn weather, it was the loveliest weekend with special friends.

All this fun and traipsing about in miz London weather inevitably led to a naughty head cold which put me to bed on Sunday arvie and kept me laid low on Monday. A trifle annoying as I missed out on seeing some friends, but when the body speaks one should listen. Monday night I went down to Wimbledon – of course I’m going to look for The Wombles of Wimbledon Common – to visit another special friend from my days in The Berg – Kelly! Yay! London has been great like that, seeing and staying with some special friends and catching up, although it is rather vast and requires some sense of direction (I have scant) and knowledge of the tube system (thank goodness for iPad apps!). Anyway, it’s a lovely city, and a good place to catch up with friends!

Tomorrow I’m off to the Emerald Isle for a week, my last jaunt before heading off to A.F.R.I.C.A!! I’m really thrilled about going to Dublin, not only for the gorgeous, lilting accents, but especially because I can’t wait to explore that beautiful place. And also because the place I’m staying at sent me a lovely welcoming email, and I’m such a softie for that kind of thing that I can’t wait to meet them! Can’t believe I’ve been traveling for almost 11 weeks, starting to get a little EXCITED about coming home
P.S. every SINGLE country I’ve been to since leaving Seoul has been playing this…