TRAVEL EPISODES
City that brings out the best in me… Contrary to all the rumours I’d heard about Joburg while still living in KwaZulu-Natal, Joburg has really embraced me. I love it for its great weather and infectious energy. It has loads of opportunities and is the most blazing city in Africa. By the way, my new favourite city in the US is Los Angeles. It feels like home — in a strange kind of way — because it combines Cape Town’s beautiful scenery, Joburg’s vibe and energy, and Durban’s weather and laidback fun. Plus, there are a lot of black people there!
My very first getaway… Mozambique in 2005. I’m proud that it was an African country.
The first country on my bucket list… I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt and Morocco and I just did Zanzibar, Tanzania. Italy and Brazil are also on the cards and so is gorilla trekking in Congo.
I had a surprisingly lovely experience in… China. I was there for the Olympics, and it turned out to be the best time to visit. The factories had been shut down, for four weeks, prior and during the Olympics. Many of the locals had not seen much of the sky in a long while because of all the pollution brought on by the factories. When we visited The Great Wall of China, some of the guides said they had never seen that far into the mountains.
Words could never describe… The life-altering experience I had in Brazzaville, Congo. Due to my very limited French, I couldn’t communicate effectively with the locals. However, I had some powerful spiritual connections with the people I came across. I learnt that spirits have their own language and experienced the most powerful spiritual awakening while there.
Before I discovered travel… My dreams seemed too big and the world too small. I used to think that one of the only things that could excite me was being a wildlife vet — I just wanted to go around cleaning elephant and rhino wounds. However, travelling has truly expanded my world! I recommend that… People fly to Europe during the day, just once in their lifetime. My recent flight from Amsterdam to South Africa felt like a National Geographic expedition — I watched the landscape change from dense forests into the Sahara Desert. I did a tour of all the African countries along that route. I’d be very happy if I died having seen every African country.
My go-to travel ritual… As soon as I touch down, I head straight to wherever I’m staying, settle in and make that place feel like home — I’m very good at that. A week in a new space and you’d swear I’ve been living there for years! I usually unpack some of my clothes, put out my toiletries and try make the space as neat as possible, take a shower, make sure I smell and look amazing and then hit the streets in search of something to eat.
My ideal travel mate... A friend, a lover but most importantly, I can’t wait to travel with my daughters when they are older. In 2020, my heart will take me to… This
is assuming that I can trust my heart [chuckles]. I hope to go wherever God wants me to be! My favourite place in the world right
now is… As close to wildlife and the ocean as possible. Also, Bassline in Newtown for their reggae night sessions — that’s where I take everyone who is new to Jozi! Those sessions have been going on for over 20 years.