Ko Samui and Ko Phangan

We flew to Ko samui from Phuket for a week of island hopping. We caught a ferry to Ko Phangan and transferred by via 4x4 to Treehouse Lodge for 2 nights. Treehouse is a real "hey shoo wah" hangout, with little wooden bungalows overlooking a private beach and not much to do but chill.Then,for 3 nights, we went to Phangan Utopia on the hill above Mae Haad Beach;with such awesome views and wonderfully friendly staff, and met up with Lisa and David.It was great to catch up over plenty Chang and Sang Som and Coke.Tracey raved about the on-beach massages here and I rated the local speciality snack, called No-Name.We caught a very choppy ferry back to Ko samui for 2 more nights.The sea was very rough at Chaweng Beach and not good for swimming. This left more time for massages, cocktails, Thai food and parties!

only in Phuket

Only in Phuket do you...
-Spend all day lying on a beach chair in the sun, reading, drinking cocktails and getting up only to take a dip in the sea.
-Stay up till 2am in Bangla Rd listening to crazy music and sleep till 10 the next day.
-Scoot around everywhere on motorbikes.
-Have a massage, facial or pedicure every day.
We are now pals with our Italian guest house owner, Davide and his girlfriend Mui,and all the staff at Ka Jok See; still the best party ever! It is great to go to all the favourite bars and restaurants and meet all the familiar faces.Phuket feels a bit like home. Tracey stayed for 3 weeks and we had fun with Pat and Steve in Patong.We said good bye to Raewyn, who is on her way to Botswana and we caught up with Suzanne, who popped in from HK.

Sailing and Singapore

We only had a few days to catch up with everybody in Singapore this year.It always feels like coming home when we land at Changi and we always feel we could just slot back into life in Sing.Do you feel like getting a job in Asia, Neil? I didn't think so!! We had a great time, sailing with Rob and Andries, from Langkawi to Singapore.The closer you get to Singapore, the busier the shipping lanes, so you have to have your wits about you. We had good wind and really enjoyed the night sailing. Everything is really quiet, just the sound of the boat cutting through the water. There's only moonlight and the twinkling of distant ships approaching. We truly understand the meaning of the phrase,"passing like ships in the night" now!

Belvedere

It's a wonderful spot we always enjoy. In this busy and crowded world,having so much wilderness and natural beauty all to ourselves is a such a treat. Spending time with dear friends is a treat too.

Biking Again

Neil and the Achar Boys spent another weekend on the bikes.

January at the Perdeput

We enjoy spending January at the cottage in Vermont, near Hermanus. The December holiday crowds have left and the weather is better; with very little rain and much less wind. We also enjoyed entertaining our house guests; sharing wonderful days and times with friends and family; what else is life for? We enjoyed the walks along the beach and discovered a great, unspoiled stretch of beach at the Walker Bay Nature Reserve.We took a little side trip to the De Hoop Nature Reserve and the Bontebok National Park. We are sorry that Peggy and Gary got caught in Egypt and couldn't make it to the Cape, but we hope they will visit us again!

Eating and Drinking in the Fair Cape

You cannot blog about the Cape without going on and on about the food and wine. We did have a very gastronomic month. We enjoyed the newer wine estates up the Hemel and Aarde Valley like Ataraxia and Creation, a fabulous swiss owned wine farm with a great modern cellar and restaurant. We loved the food and wine pairing tapas platters; and the excellent wines of course. Jo-anne and Erica's knowledge and enthusiasm add the final touch to an excellent afternoon in the vineyards. We visited at least 4 times with different people. The Elim wine area is also great, with delicious Sav Blancs; we recommend The Berrio and Strandveld. Of course we re-visited the old haunts in Hermanus like Bientangs Cave for the view and Savannah Cafe for the lemon merangue pie.
In Somerset West, we had the best lunch of all at 96 Winery Road; thanks Carol and Jane, and in Cape Town we discovered Il Leone with Hugh and Jessica. Of course, if you are in Cape Town any time soon, you have to go to the trendy Grand Beach and Cafe, an opulently decorated old warehouse on the shore near the Capetown Waterfront. You can enjoy the sunset with a cocktail in your hand and your feet in the sand and then go inside for designer pizza and wonderful food, with cool chill out music as a backdrop.
Never forget the braais at home - beef fillet, lamb roast,turkey, snoek and kabelou and the now famous Kwaai Braai Pie, which is a boere, bbq version of a calzone.
No wonder the clothes are all tight!!