A holiday travelling around my very own country!
I’ve been reminiscing about all my magical travels around my own beautiful country during my time at home. Let’s just say, I’ve been around the world but truly; my HOME is beautiful.
It’s been a whirlwind of a journey since I flew in from Singapore. After a 9-month dance contract travelling Asia, I was pretty darn excited to be home in Johannesburg! Besides my family who always welcome me at Arrivals, not only did my special friends surprise me at the airport but my best friend, Jill, flew in from Cape Town – I had absolutely no idea she was coming! My heart almost exploded.
THE ADVENTURES BEGAN.
Joburg, which is South Africa’s biggest city, has a constant hustle and bustle. Catching up with reality again was slightly overwhelming. (I even headed straight back to the dance studio.) The weather in December is SO HOT in SA – bikini time for sure. Summer African sunsets on Northcliff Hill, overlooking the entire city are out of this world!
A few days later, I got on a plane to fly to Cape Town, one of my favourite cities in the world. It is a port city on South Africa’s southwest coast on the peninsula beneath one of the 7 Wonders of Nature, Table Mountain – a natural heritage and bemusing flat-topped mountain. Cape Town is where my friends and I planned to start our road trip (literally planned this whilst cruising around Japan, I even remember paying for my flights online in the Japanese Yen currency haha)
I was the happiest hearted of hippies travelling along the Garden Route coastline. This is the stunning stretch of the south-eastern coast of Southern African, dotted wild beaches on one side and picturesque lagoons and the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountain range on the other side. This is a type of panoramic view only found in magazines. We picked up our friend in Knysna along the way and ended in Plettenberg Bay, staying in a real minimalist backpackers for a few nights. Hiking Robberg Nature Reserve, grooving at a festival, watching sunsets over the Keurbooms lagoon, swimming in wild-waved beaches, drinking every cocktails and soaking up Mother Nature’s beauty, all filled my soul with absolute rejuvenation – I was home!
I have got to say Plett will forever be my favourite place on earth!
After sleepless nights celebrating life and staying in our noisy (and not so safe) backpackers, we hit the road heading back and stopping over in Mossel Bay, about 3 hours down the coast, where we spent the night. On this vast and empty beach I danced, feeling free amidst my countless blessings.
We then landed up in Somerset West, situated on a wine farm closer to Sir Lowry’s Pass with a secluded country-type lifestyle overlooking False Bay. Waking up with a view of pure nature is the most calming feeling.
PLEASE put The Garden Route on your Bucket List 🙂
In the early hours of the morning a few days before Christmas, I flew back to Joburg.
Christmas ’18 was for sure a merry one ~ continuously GRATEFUL for the love that surrounds me. It was an endless celebration of my favourite festive holiday with family and friends. I FELT THE LOVE, FOOD, FESTIVITIES AND GIN.
My family and I then drove 12 hours back down to PLETT for our annual holiday in our holiday home. We scuba dived with wild, playful seals (one literally nipped my brother, Will, on the head), dived the Plett Reef many times, chased ocean views daily and rode our boat down the Keurbooms river and through the mouth into the ocean. – I always find this a humbling experience, even after having dad’s boat since we were little, the ocean is a vast entity with a whole other life beneath our tiny boat. I am forever in awe of the deep blue sea and the power it beholds.
One day, we even climbed barefoot to the top of Arch Rock in the blazing heat. Climbing back down, the tide got the better of us. We had to crawl through the bushes in an attempt to find a path back down to the beach. Arch Rock is in the heart of the Garden Route on the beach with breath-taking views of the Indian Ocean. Throw a stone through the arch and make a wish ~~
What a beautiful time this all was, inviting the magical new year of 2019 in.
Holidays continued with Stand-Up Paddling, Vegan hippie markets, 108 sun salutations for The New Year and reacquainting myself with the earth beneath my feet. There is so much to do in the little town of Plett.
I celebrated another year of my being on this earth at Nautilus Bay, a bit of a drive further up the coast, with Sarah, my soul sister who is more like family to me. Celebrations by the seaside were truly special ~ yoga on the beach, ocean swims and moonlight praises.
I say it again, “I’ve been around the world but truly; my HOME is beautiful.”
Life is an adventure…
If you ever plan to travel to our South African coastline, there is so much adventure awaiting you. The wild and untouched beauty that is South Africa.
I am proudly South African!
~love&light always
JO xox
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you have altered.” – Nelson Mandela
