Magical Kalahari

After 3 weeks of sickness and Air Travel delays, a trip to the Kalahari was just what the Dr. had prescribed. I must say this was the smoothest trip to the bush I have ever experienced. It started in the ExecuJet Lounge at CPT airport followed by a 2 hour flight on a Pilatus PC 12 where Vesper made herself very comfortable in her very own business class seat (there are only 7 seats on the plane!). What a pleasure!!! especially after my 10 hour delay at the very unpleasant Istanbul airport last week. After flying for 2 hours over very desolate land. We landed at Tswalu Private Game Reserve airstrip (the largest privately owned Game Reserve in Southern Africa!) to be welcomed by cold towels, ice tea, our own private ranger (Adrian) and vehicle. What a treat! A very good first impression, was followed by 3 magical days filled with interesting game drives, spectacular sunsets, close encounters with meerkats, lounging by the pool surrounded by warthogs, springbok, kudu and incredible birds, good food and a very friendly staff who attended to all our needs and so much more! we feel so spoiled and re-energized!!! I'll let the pics tell the story!

O Sole Mio!!!!!

Our trip to Italy was not the most successful to date but we did manage to have a few very happy moments with the family, just to remind us how lucky we are to have such amazing people in our life!!!! Here are some shots of my beautiful hometown Palermo and of the few moments Vesper did not have a fever of 38 ++++ !!!!!! I managed to eat almost everything I normally dream of and to "power" shop in the only 24 hours I could get out of the house my my SUPER sister Mari!!!! Hopefully our next trip in July will be a lot more successful!

Where do I begin!!!!???

Since my last entry I have visited at least one new Cafe', revisited an old one, been to 2 concerts and managed to use a Groupon coupon for what to date must be the most bizarre Spa Treatment I've had....

NEW CAFE' (new to me!): Petit Fours  in Blouberg...yes, that side of town. I know it is not the first place that comes to mind, but I have to tell you, it was an absolutely glorious morning and this little corky, retro, want to be French Cafe' was just the perfect stop for a Cappuccino and a Quiche (+ a Carrot Cake and a Chocolate Cheese Cake for take away!!). Everything on the display shelf looked absolutely amazing....here are some examples.

CAFE' REVISITED : Dear Me on Longmarket Street in town, where breakfast was as yummy as the last time. Most importantly during my last visit I had a chance to look at their lunch menu which looked great, with very interesting and unusual dishes...I also learned that they do dinner on Thursday nights only, and Drinks and tapas at their Bar Tjing-Tjing from Tuesday to Saturday from 4 PM to...late!!! They are thinking about opening for BRUNCH on Saturday...so stay tuned for more news! and you know what...most importantly, the woman who manages this place Ronel (ex- Caveau Newlands) is just the nicest person !!! and Vanessa Marx is a good chef with great food ethics (and she makes a mean Mushroom Risotto!). So....make the trip to Dear Me, I think you'll like it!

SPA TREATMENT: Le Fish Spa in Blouberg (hence the visit to Le Petit Fours!). This must be the most bizarre treatment I have ever had. I have the feeling that these fish were the very distant cousins of the Garra Fish found in the outdoor pools of Turkish and other Middle Eastern Spas, and although the setting left a lot to be desired and the chair I had to sit on was borderline torture....I actually enjoyed the fish nibbling on my dead skin. The sad part is that to really get rid of all my dead skin I would have had to keep my feet in the tank for the whole day!!! Not sure I would recommend the Blouberg establishment, but I would definitely try this again in some fabulous Spa in Japan or Turkey.

I'm off to ITALIA for some real LA DOLCE VITA....see you all after October 20th!!!