Author Archives: UnderAnAfricanSun

A Long Birthday Weekend in Swaziland Part 1-Hlane

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It is somewhat of a tradition for my birthday (July 11th if anyone is taking notes) that instead of lavish gifts, we try and celebrate by taking a trip somewhere, long or short, whatever we can manage that year. When we lived in Europe, as my birthday was smack in the middle of summer, this usually meant some time spent on a beach. Greece, the Amalfi Coast, Croatia… just some of the fabulous places I have spent my birthday. This being the very first year I would be spending my birthday in Africa (and in winter now to boot!) I absolutely wanted to keep with our tradition and sneak in a little birthday excursion.

Hlane ReceptionHlane National Park Reception

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An Artsy Afternoon at the Turbine Art Fair

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The 2nd annual Turbine Art Fair was held from July 17-20 2014. This was a fantastic opportunity to view the talented work of a selection of South Africa’s top emerging artists. One of the emphases of the fair was accessibility of the artwork and for those attendees looking to add to their art collections or to get one started, all items were priced under 30,000 ZAR.

Turbine HallTurbine Hall

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A Walk Through Jeppestown with Ancient Secrets

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After our first outing with Ishvara of Ancient Secrets for his Troyeville Walk, we needed no further convincing to sign up for the next scheduled visit to Jeppestown. Jeppestown is said to be Johannesburg’s oldest suburb, having been established around 1889 by Julius Jeppe. The neighborhood lies just to the east of the CBD (Central Business District) and is a fascinating historical and cultural blend.

Our walk commenced at the House of Baobab restaurant in the Maboneng Precinct with coffee and a sweet Tanzanian doughnut-like treat called Mandazi. The group then headed off into the heart of Jeppestown for the next 3+ hours lead by the captivating Ishvara Dhyan. Ishvara’s knowledge of the area is extraordinary and it would be impossible for me to share all the details here so for this blog post I am mainly going to focus on some photos with the hope that they may inspire you to take one of these tours yourself.

Mentis BuildingsMentis Buildings-Art Nouveau. Currently being used as private residences.

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Savoring Stellenbosch

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In my previous post, I wrote about a Perfect Day on the Western Cape that I spent while down on a work trip back in May. Luckily for me I had one more free day and chose to spend it doing 2 things that I do best: tasting some of the region’s best wines and indulging in some fine South African cuisine.

The Cape Winelands counts 6 different regions and choosing where to imbibe can be difficult. There are many companies organizing custom, private tours where you can choose exactly where you’d like to go as well as other small group tours which usually do 5 or so different stops. We have always chosen to go on our own, sometimes hiring a driver and sometimes just driving ourselves (of course if you choose to do the later, the driver will need to employ the spit technique if doing much tasting).

Welcome to Hidden Valley WinesWelcome to Hidden Valley Wines

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A Perfect Day on the Western Cape

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As I am sitting here freezing in Jozi, I thought this might be a good time to write a bit about some warmer days or rather, my trip to Cape Town last month. I was fortunate to get sent down for work to attend WTM Africa, so I decided to go a day early and stay a day after to get a in little play-time as well.

This was not my first time to Cape Town but my first visit since moving to South Africa and because I had already done many of the touristy things, I didn’t plan a single thing. I was just looking forward to being in and around Cape Town, wherever my days would take me.

I had flown in late the night before and woke up to some gorgeous views from our 6th floor balcony in the heart of Sea Point. I really enjoy this neighborhood and have stayed here on each of 4 visits to Cape Town. I probably should branch out one of these times but then why mess with such a good thing ?

Lion's HeadLion’s Head, view from our apartment

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