*Click on title to view original post* As most of our clients are based in Jo'burg, Kelly and I have been flying to & from there quite frequently. I've shot a commercial right in the middle of the CBD (once upon a time you wouldn't dream of walking in the open here coz of the crime... some people still wouldn't dream of being there now, but it's really OK). There are policemen, some with guard dogs, on every other street corner, and apparently they've set up a security camera system on every street corner so thugs get nailed within 2 seconds of committing any crime.
I was expecting Jozi to be full of graffitti, with bullet holes in walls and shopfronts boarded up... but the place is very surprisingly... just like American suburbia... It's the world's largest man-made forest (they needed all the wood in the gold mines back in the day), and it's extremely lush and green and leafy. It takes at least 45 minutes to an hour to drive anywhere, and coz it's so spread out and sprawling, it kinda reminds me of LA (with lots more trees). ...it's still hard to say what the place feels like coz there really isn't a sense of place about the city... every now and again you drive past a mine dump (like a 10-storey high mound of earth the length from Ngee Ann City to Wisma Atria), right outside the city and it's a bit bizarre.
Haven't managed to take good photos of the rolling green passing by the car yet, but got a couple shots of a monstrous power plant we drove past yesterday. Will be there again next week, will update with more pictures.
We drove about an hour to Franchoek last weekend, which is 1 of the wineland areas (kinda sorta near Paarl and Stellenbosch), and went to the Moreson vineyard for lunch with Kelly's dad, Margarita and Neil French and his son.
It was a really pretty drive - lots of mountains in the area, and very dramatic skyline... there was a bit of snow on top of the Stellenbosch mountain... and it's funny that I recognize the Moreson wine label (which has sun rays emanating out from the name), and it's weird when you're on the property knowing the wine is actually FROM THERE. It really is quite spectacular down the Franchoek wine route.
Got pix on my phone-camera, but they're itty-bitty and don't do the scenery justice. The food was really good too... almost like nouvelle cuisine (you know lah, immaculately styled portions with foam on the top...) and not expensive either... the equivalent of only about S$20 per main course.
We've gone from non-cooks to cooking at home most week nights (we didn't even own a frying pan in Singapore until 3 months before we were leaving town). And then didn't end up cooking much anyway. Most friends back home can't believe I'm actually cooking now, so here's pix to prove it.
Produce here is FRESH FRESH FRESH, and so cheap! Organic free-range chicken, grain-fed non-antibiotic beef, and other good stuff seem to grow abundantly and Woolworth's can make anyone a cook. (it's a dept. store/ supermarket chain that owns its own distribution network from farms through to retail stores. It's more "atas" than your average Pick & Pay [aka NTUC] store, but oh so good for you).
Introducing Baked Lemon & Garlic chicken, Garlic & Herb chicken, Peach & Rocket salad with Balsamic glaze, Pan-fried Haddock with smashed butter pumpkin & brussel sprouts, Hake Bobotie (it's a local Cape malay dish traditionally done with lamb or beef mince curry and egg custard. I've customised a healthier hake fish version). And everything done from scratch, none of that pre-mix rubbish. Heh. Not bad for an amateur cook, if I say so myself.
Kelly's moaning about doing the dishes and now wants to install a dishwasher. Except we've got no space for one. So he's starting to attempt to cook (so he doesn't have to do the dishes). His black bean stir-fry's not too shabby but he's made a gazilion scratches in the brand new non-stick frying pan, making it completely cancer-causing so we've gotta go and get another one now.
Kelly's mom's personal trainer was taking part in the Muscle Man Grand Prix. We went to support him and ended up stuck in the Artscape theater (like the Kallang Theater, where they perform the ballet & musicals, etc.) for 5 hours watching various sizes of Incredible Hulks - under 21's, women, men (up to 70kg, up to 80kg, up to 90kg, more than 90kg). I've never laughed so hard in my life - and it's funny when some of these macho men come on stage and the music for their routines come on and it's the sappiest stuff they're flexing their muscles to- Kenny G, R. Kelly, love songs & ballads. Rock on!
Last weekend we decided to drive to Simon’s Town and check out the penguins on Boulder’s Beach. Yes, these are the famous South African Jackass Penguins who hang out by the beach with the humans, like you see on Discovery Channel. Pretty happening.
So I’ve been so busy with work and haven’t had time to update this blog (plus still haven’t got internet connection at home yet). But the least I could do is share the awesome safari adventure I’ve just been on.
It was Margarita’s 50th birthday on May 15th, and the best present she could get from Robyn was a trip to super shee-shee Londolozi, a private game reserve, with 15 of their friends to share the experience (how lucky were we? No complaints this side).
After a 2hr flight to Jo’burg, we took another 20min ride on a 15-seater Cessna plane from Mpumalanga to Londolozi (yes, it has its own landing strip). While we were landing, we spotted giraffes & zebra hanging out by the tarmac – a very good start already! It’s a beautiful reserve, 1 of the top reserves in all of South Africa (perhaps even all of Africa)… At night, you’re not allowed to leave your room unless you call a guard to escort you – the lions & leopards roam around the camp site and you could be their next meal. (!)
What followed in the next 3 days was an awesome adventure – our group was split into 2 Land Rovers, each with a Ranger (he drives the vehicle and provides all kinds of information, a la Jeff Corwin or Steve Irwin), and a Tracker (he sits on a chair attached to the bonnet and watches the road ahead to spot for animal tracks – very exposed). Once they pick up a trail, we’re off to spot some animals! It’s amazing what they can tell from what’s left in the dirt – “male leopard came this way, he bumped into a female leopard that way, looks like she’s tried to entice him… see how their tracks go this way and then that way? Doesn’t look like she was successful, he’s headed to the river...” er… yah. Right.
Lucky me – on my virgin safari trip I saw the Big 5: Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo. They’re called the Big 5 coz they’d be the most dangerous animals to come across on foot (this is from back in the day when Land Rovers didn’t exist and people walked the bush on foot). On Day 2, Victoria, her friend Jacky & me decided to be brave and go on a bush walk (while the boys watched the rugby). Lo & behold, the 1st animal we ran into was an elephant barely 10m away. ARGHHH!!! Good thing our guide spotted it and swiftly led us far, far away (plus he had a loaded gun on him which kinda made you feel a tad bit safer. Only a tad.)
Saw so many other animals too like nyala, impala, waterbuck, wildebeest, hippo, hyena, giraffe (the collective term for them is “a journey of giraffes”), zebra, and a whole bunch of other deer/antelope-type animals (they start to look the same after a while). It was rutting season for the waterbuck & impala and we saw lots of fights between the males. The best experience must’ve been when our Tracker let me sit in his chair on our final ride back to camp… and we turned a corner and ran into a herd of elephant (who started trumpeting). I thought I was going to die by stampeding elephants. Oh, and then there’s also the dinner these guys set up for us IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BUSH. I kid you not, it’s the most unnerving experience ever. They lit beautiful fires everywhere – in the trees, on the periphery of where we were having dinner, and apparently the fire & noise keep the animals away. Every now & again you hear a hyena nearby and you *know* there are many pairs of eyes watching you beyond the darkness. Going to the loo then was pretty nerve-wracking (yes, they even set up a port-a-loo IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BUSH!)
Very classy and very unforgettable – any other safari experience after this is gonna pale in comparison… but can’t wait to get to Kruger National Park now in our own car, trying to spot animals on our own.
