Wouldn't you rather be here?

Imagine how amazing this must be?

Home to the African Penguins

Boulders Beach in the Western Cape is home to the African Penguins. 

Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach was started in 1983 and one of the very few mainland Penguin colonies.
The sea is great to swim in and the big boulders scattered on the beach provide shade and protection. 

Visiting the Penguins is a fun activity for the whole family, spend some time viewing and learning about the history and importance of conservation of these beautiful African Penguins. 

African Penguins, Boulders Beach

Tip: plan a trip with a few extra hours to spare and visit the small historical town of Simonstown. Simonstown has a lot to offer from whale watching to streets filled with history and heritage. Something you might not know is that their best time is during winter, I know right. Reason being they are part of the few small towns who are North-facing and they surrounded by magnificent mountains so well the rest are wet and windy, Simonstown is perfectly happy in the sun. 
  

Simonstown, Western Cape

If you have never been to Simonstown then I suggest you make a plan to visit this secret town situated between the mountains with magnificent views of the Giants of the Sea, our whales.

How precious

My ride on the Gautrain

My first time on the Gautrain was quite an experience. I caught the train with my mom, sister and little daughter. 

Gautrain Platform

The Stations are user friendly and there is always someone to assist you if you get lost or not sure what to do. 

Once you have out money on your Gautrain Card, you swipe and walk to the Platform where you will catch the train. Throughout your trip, there is always information on where you going, where the train is stopping and if you swopping over to the train to the OR Tambo International Airport.

My trip started at the Gautrain Hatfield Station.

Once the train arrived the excitement was incredible.

We boarded the train and took our seats and off we go.

Inside the Gautrain

We stopped by Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand, Marlboro and my stop was Sandton.Once we stopped in Sandton, you go up the escalators and exit the station. 

Midrand Station

Nelson Mandela is not even a 5minute walk from the station. There are several taxi services outside which offer assistance and transport in and around Sandton.

If you visit the Gauteng area make sure to catch the train, its a definite must.

Visit their website: www.gautrain.co.za

Drakensberg Cave Accommodation

Did you know that you can actually sleep in a cave while visiting the Drakensberg?

Yes you read correctly. You can book your cave for the night and experience the scenic beauty in a new way. 

How awesome must that be to spend the night in a cave while listening to the crickets outside. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Drakensberg Mountains

 

Would you do it?

Recipe: Beer Bread

Another perfect addition to the typical South African braai (BBQ) would be Beer Bread. 

Beer Bread

Beer Bread

Ingredients:

750 ml flour
5 ml salt
15ml Baking Powder
2 ml Bicarbonate of Soda
30 ml brown sugar
340 ml bottle of beer (your favourite beer)

Method:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Mix dry ingredients
Pour in the beer
Mix to form a stiff dough – Do not over mix!
Put the dough into a well greased loaf tin.
Bake for 60 minutes

 Try it out and let me know how it tastes :) 

Picture source: http://travelblog.portfoliocollection.com/FeaturedImage/beer-bread31.jpg

Recipe source: http://www.south-african-homeschool-curriculum.com/south-african-bread-recipes.html

Zebras

Baby Giraffe smiling

Mangwanani Spa

Just had the most amazing massage from Anna who works at Mangwanani Spa. She was absoultely brilliant!!!

Mangwanani River Valley