Posted: May 5th, 2013 | Author: Guest Author | Filed under: travel | No Comments »
The following is a guest post.
(I think if I were to go on a cruise, the Mediterranean would be my first choice! Dang, I bet they’d have great olives in the buffet.. - Shawn)
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Mediterranean cruises are among the most popular and widely accessible itineraries on the cruise holiday market. Given its location, it’s generally an affordable option and it doesn’t always require flights, which makes many Mediterranean itineraries suitable for non-flyers, or those who want to keep the holiday costs down.
If you’re flexible on your choice of cruise operator and liner, the best way to search for Mediterranean cruises is to use a tour operator. For instance, Thomas Cook – who are perhaps best known for their land-based package holidays – don’t have their own ships, but instead offer a wide range of cruises from all the major cruise operators such as Royal Caribbean International, NCL, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises and many more.
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Posted: March 30th, 2013 | Author: Shawn | Filed under: travel | No Comments »
Apparently there was some decision made to declare a new Seven Natural Wonders of the World list. I had no idea. However, they seem to have done an okay job choosing their wonders, as Table Mountain is on the list. It’s definitely some sort of wonder.
It’s pretty much impossible to go anywhere in Cape Town and not see Table Mountain. So after a couple days in town, this visit to the top felt a bit like quenching a nagging curiosity. I’d been constantly loomed over by the mountain, and was going to finally get a chance to look down for a change.
We chose a hot, sunny day and took the cable car up in the evening. Ideally, with enough time to stroll around a bit, then catch a nice sunset. We’d originally considered hiking up, but by the afternoon we were a couple beers too many, and about ten degrees too hot. Next time though the hiking is going to be the way to go.
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Posted: March 25th, 2013 | Author: Shawn | Filed under: travel | 2 Comments »
It struck me as an unusual combination of activities, A game drive and wine tasting. Villiera was offering quite a deal though, so we gave it a whirl. Firstly, let me give you the spiel on Villiera,
Villiera is a family run winery in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. We are a pioneering quality wine company committed to preserving the environment.
Their environmental angle was the lure for us. We figured their game reserve would likely be handled well and be friendly toward the animals if they were so environmentally conscientious. It turns out we weren’t far off the mark. Here are my thoughts on our experience, plus a few photos from the game drive.
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Posted: March 21st, 2013 | Author: Shawn | Filed under: travel | No Comments »
Easily one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been in the world is the Cape Point National Park in South Africa. Which of course encompasses the Cape of Good Hope.
It was an amazing experience to be standing on the very same rocky promontory I’ve heard about all my life. One can’t make it very far in any history lesson or tale of the high seas without imagining how it must have been to round the Cape. Our world’s history changed forever as Bartolomeu Dias first accidentally sailed around the Cape in 1488.
As I stood at the Cape lighthouse, looking out over the Indian and Atlantic oceans*, it was very easy to imagine why it was originally called the Cape of Storms. We were there on a very serene day, and it still looked daunting for anyone who has to sail nearby.
It’s easily a full day worth of things to do in and around Cape Point. The coastal road leading to the park has Boulders Beach which is an area popular with African Penguins. Plus heaps of great beaches, coastal towns, and vistas which take you all the way back up to Cape Town.
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Posted: March 11th, 2013 | Author: Shawn | Filed under: travel | No Comments »
Less than 2 hours after landing in Johannesburg, we were already spotting cool wildlife. Which is certainly sooner than I’d expected. Motivated by an enticing coupon, we’d opted to make Mongena Game Lodge our first stop in South Africa. I personally had never been anywhere in Africa before, so I was very excited to see some of the iconic wildlife.
Mongena is a very simple drive from the Johannesburg airport. 80-something km in a simple straight shot. In no time at all, we were inside the Dinokeng Game Reserve, and checking in.
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Posted: March 7th, 2013 | Author: Shawn | Filed under: blah blah blah | No Comments »
Well, now that I’m safely on the ground, I’d like to provide the opinion I mentioned in my previous post. The question was of course whether or not my full day of flying with Delta was going to be horrible or if they’d rally and improve my poor opinion of them as an airline. Obviously they didn’t drop me in the Atlantic, so I’m grateful for that.
The answer unfortunately is a bit of both good and bad. There is a decided difference between domestic Delta and trans-continental Delta.
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