Many thanks to all those who took part in this weekend’s competition.
The winner of Rock & Pop Studies for Piano published by Faber, is:
Matthew Ellson
Congratulations! Please send your address via my contact page and your book will be on its way.
If you would like to find out more about this publication click here.
Finally, after seven months stateside, I broke out my worn navy passport and traveled abroad once again! I needed a break, but I still can’t believe it lasted seven months.
This month was about South Africa. My friend Beth and I spent just over two weeks in the country, my third visit and her first. In addition to that, we spent a day in Amsterdam and the rest of my time was spent in the New York and Boston areas.
I love summer — I’m a summer baby and I’ve always loved summer weather, the hotter the better. But the older I get, the less I’m able to tolerate long periods of heat and humidity, so a trip to South Africa during their winter was a perfect way to take a break from the heat. It felt great to wear the closest thing I have to a uniform: jeans, boots, and my leather jacket!
New York, NY, USA
Reading, Lynn, Salisbury, Newburyport, and Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Johannesburg, Kruger National Park (and environs), Cape Town, Muizenberg, Simonstown, Cape Peninsula National Park, Stellenbosch, and Franschhoek, South Africa
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
Cape Town. After three visits, I think I finally have a favorite destination in South Africa.
Stellenbosch. Fantastic wines, beautiful surroundings, and a lovely town to walk around.
Amsterdam. The second time was the charm — good weather had me swooning for this city.
South Africa was an amazing trip. I had such a good time with my friend Beth and loved seeing how much she fell in love with South Africa! We also got along great the whole trip, which is all you can ask for when traveling with a friend.
Flying business class on KLM was amazing. This was my first time flying business class for longer than a two-hour flight, so flying super long-haul (eight hours from New York to Amsterdam, then 11 hours from Amsterdam to Johannesburg) was a treat. It was just so pleasant. The food was constant, the seats were so comfortable, the flight attendants were so nice, and the souvenir KLM houses they give business class passengers are my new obsession! I even slept a full eight hours on an overnight flight!
We saw amazing wildlife, including the Big Five, on safari. Seeing the Big Five at any time of year is somewhat rare, but we lucked out: first rhinos (I know!!), then lions, Cape buffalo, elephants, and finally a leopard. Beyond that, some of our wildlife highlights were a tiny baby rhino nursing from his mother, a lioness feasting on a kudu, the most playful elephants you can imagine, and two cheetahs, seen on foot, just 15 feet away!
I got to spend time with my dear South African friends in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Seriously, the best thing about travel blogging is having friends all over the world.
Cape Town was unbelievable. This was my third visit and the best visit by far! From hanging out in Camps Bay to enjoying steampunk java at Truth Coffee Roasters to having an unforgettable meal at the Potluck Club to making friends with a Wine Guy at the bar at the Doubletree and sharing a bottle of the most interesting wine I’ve ever tasted, Cape Town blew me away this time around.
Stellenbosch was all about the wine tasting. I couldn’t think of a better way to wind down our trip. In four days we actually did tastings at 10 wineries in Stellenbosch and Franshhoek, pairing wines with chocolate, cheese, cured meats, and even salts!
We had an unexpected layover in Amsterdam. Our connecting flight to New York was cancelled, so we were booked on the next day’s flight and had a 24-hour layover. Beth and I both love Amsterdam, so we went out to explore the city! The weather was spectacular. I took tons of photos (making up for my rainy first visit to Amsterdam), Beth bought her husband his favorite cheese, and we enjoyed a delicious Indonesian rijsttafel dinner.
I went home for the Fourth of July and got to spend time with my family. And the North Shore of Massachusetts is a fantastic place to hang out during the summer!
And at the end of the month, my mom came to visit me and my sister in New York for a few days. We got to check out some new parts of the city, including the New York Botanical Gardens, where the corpse flower was in bloom!
A lot went wrong this month. So much that my previous months look quaint by comparison.
My debit card was stolen online. Hope you enjoyed the $38 worth of Panda Express, motherfucker. (Seriously, who buys $38 worth of food at Panda Express with a stolen credit card? If I stole someone’s credit card, I’d go straight to Barneys.) And a reminder to all of you — have multiple bank accounts and multiple debit cards when you travel. I was okay because I was able to withdraw from my other accounts; that wasn’t the case when my cards were stolen in 2011.
I left my coat and scarf in Johannesburg. Yeah. Dumb move. I was cold on safari and thankfully Beth had brought an extra fleece that I could wear. That said, both the coat and the scarf remind me of times in my life that I’d rather forget, so it’s no big deal that they’re gone. I asked the hotel to send them to a shelter, so hopefully they’re keeping someone warm now.
I got the worst sunburn EVER. You know when you use that spray-on sunscreen? You need to rub it in. I had a speckled burn on my thighs which eventually turned into a speckled tan on my thighs.
Jet lag was rough this time. It was only a six-hour difference but it was the worst jet lag I’ve had in years, in part because I forgot my melatonin and you can only get it with a prescription in South Africa. My friend Jodi sent me some unusual jet lag tips she’s discovered, which she later turned into this excellent post.
The worst Lyft ride ever. I usually take Lyft Line rides (carpooling) home from JFK because it’s $35 as opposed to $55ish, and they just pick up someone near you. Well, Beth and I hailed Lyft Lines at the same time and got paired together, which is bizarre because she lives in Brooklyn and I live 50 minutes away in Harlem. Long story short, it usually takes me 30 minutes to get home from JFK, but between the traffic and the detour it took me TWO HOURS to get home.
I got sick and puked out the side of my safari vehicle. Because I am a classy lady.
I had a few bad street harassment incidents this month. There’s one part of my neighborhood that I feel the absolute safest in, and I never get catcalls there, but men yelled at me constantly in that neighborhood one day. I wasn’t flashing people or anything — I think it was because I was wearing an above-the-knee dress and forgot my sunglasses so my eyes were showing. NOTE: That is NOT blaming myself, because the only people that deserve blame are the street harassers. All women deserve the right to walk down the street without being harassed.
And I actually caught another street harasser while in the middle of a snap this month! My Snapchat followers loved that, particularly since it ended with me telling him to fuck off.
And finally…I can’t believe I’m telling you this…I dropped my phone in the toilet. For the first time ever. BUT the toilet had just been cleaned AND my phone was fine because of my LifeProof case! PHEW! That case saved me from having to buy a new phone. Worth every penny and then some.
Don’t Expect Travel to Solve Your Problems — Many of you related to this and shared your stories.
Visiting South Africa in the Winter: Worth It Or Not? — A must-read for South Africa visitors.
Hudson, New York: The Coolest Small Town in America — I loved discovering this cool local getaway!
This month CNBC did a lovely little video feature on me! You can find it here on Facebook.
Hello, Amsterdam! I love your houses so much! This is one of my favorite shots from our brief layover.
For real-time updates from my travels, you can follow me on Instagram and Snapchat — I’m adventurouskate on both!
The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball — One of my guilty pleasures is reading memoirs from city girls turned country girls, and this is exactly what this book is. Kristin is a Manhattan freelance writer who suddenly falls in love with a farmer and starts a new farm with him in upstate New York.
As much as I love reading about farming, this memoir had a lot missing. While she wrote about a year’s worth of events and the technicalities of farming, she wrote so little about her thoughts and feelings that I found myself wondering why she even liked her husband in the first place. Yes, he was handsome and a great cook and he did thoughtful things for her, but other than that, I feel like he was didn’t even have a personality. Nor did she. I enjoyed the book, but I found the emotional distance borderline bizarre, especially for a memoir.
The Girls by Emma Cline — This was my book club’s pick for the month (and to be fair, I voted for it), but it took me a long time to get through it because I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes. A teenage girl joins a cult of mostly women led by a messianic leader in 1969, and later the cult is involved in a murder. It’s a fictionalized version of Charles Manson and the Family, which is what interested me in the book.
This book is enormously popular right now, and I get it, but the author’s descriptions went way overboard. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of similes (yes, I get the irony of this statement). It was just too much. And I kept waiting for the plot to start and as soon as it became mildly interesting, it abruptly ended. Talk about a disappointment.
Grace by Natasha Deón — A dark, haunting, beautiful novel. A former slave is on the run from bounty hunters while in labor. Shortly after giving birth, she’s shot dead — but her spirit decides not to leave her daughter. The book takes place in two parts: Naomi’s life that led up to her death, and her daughter Josey’s life from the beginning, both stories told by Naomi’s ghost.
This novel is beautifully told — I got it after reading its laudatory New York Times review. For literary reasons alone, you should read it, and because it was originally a screenplay, it has a cinematic quality to it. But beyond that, I think it’s important to read books by women of color, who are too often overlooked in the publishing industry, and it’s also important to read books about slavery, as it’s the root cause of blacks being treated as second-class citizens in America today. It does not matter that you personally did not own slaves — the effects of slavery have been passed down through generation after generation, and the more you read, the more you will understand.
Orange is the New Black — wow. Season Four made up for the weak previous season — and ultimately ended devastatingly. The show has significantly changed direction since Season One and I don’t think anyone would consider it a comedy or even a dramedy anymore.
It’s tough. Season Three was about the prison going from nonprofit to for-profit, and all the negative changes that ensued, but Season Four pushes the horrors to new levels. Without giving anything away, this season highlights many of the problems with our prison system, and on top of that, the storytelling is fantastic. Well worth a watch.
Sorry, I’m still listening to Hamilton! No new music to share this month. I had “History Has Its Eyes On You” stuck in my head for most of the month.
Image: AleNunes
I’m going to Colombia! This trip is seriously overdue. It’s been just over a year since I’ve visited a new country (!) and I haven’t done a solo trip or been somewhere adventurous in quite some time. Plus, I haven’t been to South America since 2008, pre-blog!
I was actually hoping to visit the Caucasus this month — Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia, in that order — but as the costs, time required, and Azerbaijan visa complications added up, I didn’t feel good about the trip. I ultimately decided to go with a shorter, cheaper trip closer to home.
My plan is to fly into Cartagena and fly out of Bógota 2.5 weeks later. In between I hope to visit Santa Marta and/or Taganga, Tayrona National Park, Medellín, and Salento, plus day trips to places like Minca and Guatapé. A fairly basic Colombia itinerary, but one that will take me to the most popular spots and let me create the most useful blog posts for you.
Almost all of my travel blogger friends who have been to Colombia consider it one of their favorite countries. Let’s just say I have very high expectations! I’m a bit nervous about how rainy it will be on the Caribbean coast, but while it’s not the driest time of year, July and August are a slight reprieve from the rainier months. We shall see. My biggest priority, as you guys know, is getting good photos!
I had some trouble finding the PGA Championship on tv, and thought others might also: Friday – TNT, 1-7 p.m. Saturday – TNT, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; CBS 2-7 p.m. Sunday – TNT 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; CBS 2-7 p.m. TNT is not the channel I usually turn to expecting to find golf.
The post 2016 PGA Championship TV Times appeared first on GolfBlogger.
“You’re going to South Africa in the winter? Why?!”
This was the reaction of most of my South African friends upon learning of my July travel plans.
Truth, I very rarely travel during the low season anywhere; for me, it’s not worth the risk of bad weather. But this time it wasn’t just about me — it was about my friend Beth. She’s a teacher and can’t take time off unless it’s during the summer. Beth’s schedule is the reality for countless other teachers and professionals: it’s summer or nothing.
As someone who typically avoids low season, I was nervous about our winter trip — but it turned out better than I could have imagined! We had perfect weather in Johannesburg and Kruger, two clear days and two rainy days in Cape Town, and a mix of sun and showers in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
Winter doesn’t have to be a bad time in South Africa. Not whatsoever. So I decided to dive into South African weather and create a guide that will help you plan your winter trip.
I’ll be profiling six of the most popular South African destinations here: Johannesburg, Kruger National Park, Durban, Cape Town, the Garden Route, and Stellenbosch and the Winelands.
(For the record, I have visited all these destinations 1-3 times, but I didn’t visit Durban or the Garden Route on my recent winter trip; all of the information here is drawn from my experience combined with interviews with locals I know and online research. Weather averages come from Holiday-Weather.com.)
Map: geology.com
This is a map of South Africa’s nine provinces, six of which I’ve visited.
Most visitors to South Africa concentrate on the Western Cape (the green region in the lower left corner): this is home to Cape Town, the surrounding winelands (including Stellenbosch) and most of the Garden Route. This is also where South Africa’s winter is at its most miserable.
The other regions I cover are further north and east: Johannesburg is in Gauteng Province in the northeast; the Greater Kruger Region is in the east of Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces in the far northeast. Kruger National Park itself is huge — it’s the size of Israel or New Jersey. Durban is on the Indian Ocean coast in Kwazulu-Natal.
When you visit South Africa in the winter, you don’t have to worry about snowbanks and blizzards. Johannesburg has a similar climate to Atlanta; Durban is like Miami; Cape Town is like San Francisco. Winters aren’t harsh here; it only gets very snowy deep in the mountains.
Like many destinations, prices in South Africa fall in the low season. South Africa offers incredible value for money to begin with, but prices are at their lowest in the winter months.
Another factor to keep in mind is that school holidays in South Africa take place during a month from June to July, which can make some places busier.
Finally, winter means that the days are shorter and the sun sets earlier. South Africa is a country where you need to be a bit more on your guard about safety, and in many places it’s not safe to be out on your own at night or even in late afternoon. Keep that in mind.
No matter what time of year you’re visiting Johannesburg, you’re probably not planning on spending a ton of time outside. Many of Johannesburg’s attractions, like the Apartheid Museum and Liliesleaf, are indoors or partially indoors; even the Sterkfontein Caves, being caves, are an indoor “outdoor activity” by definition.
Even so, winter days in Johannesburg are wonderfully pleasant for being outside: it’s cool and clear with minimal rainfall. The land surrounding Johannesburg turns dry and brown. The city’s famed purple jacaranda trees have little to show (but to be fair, they only really bloom from October to November). People eat outside year-round in Johannesburg — head to Parkhurst for outdoor cafes.
Average Johannesburg temperature, June-August: high 61-68 F/16-20 C, low 39-45 F/4-7 C.
Average Johannesburg rainfall, June-August: 1-2 cm per month, 1-2 rainy days per month.
Where to Stay in Johannesburg: 54 on Bath. One of my favorite boutique hotels in the world and the only place I like to stay in Joburg.
Winter is actually the best time for visiting Kruger National Park and its surrounding area! There’s very little rainfall and because the trees are sparse, you have a much better chance of seeing wildlife.
Know that the mornings and evenings can get very cold, especially when in an open vehicle on game drives, so bring your winter weather gear and huddle under blankets. It can get very warm during the day, especially if you do an all-day game drive, so layers are the name of the game!
We wouldn’t have seen this leopard if it hadn’t been winter. Had it been summer, he would have been completely obscured by foliage. Leopards are the hardest Big Five animal to spot in Kruger and our guides were giddy at this sighting!
Average Nelspruit temperature, June-August: high 70-73 F/21-23 C, low 45-46 F/10-11 C.
Average Nelspruit rainfall, June-August: 1 cm per month, 2-3 rainy days per month.
Where to Stay in the Greater Kruger region: My overall favorite is Vuyani Safari Lodge, which is value for money and fully all-inclusive. Africa on Foot is a wonderful, simpler midrange option, focusing on walking safaris, while the tented camp at &Beyond Ngala Lodge & Tented Camp is divine if you have a TON of money to spend.
Durban is often compared to Miami: it’s a big, beach-loving city with fantastic weather year-round — and spicy food to match!
Winter is a beautiful time to visit Durban — temperatures are more mild and rainfall is at its lowest in June and July. That said, depending on how hot you like it, it may not fit your definition of lie-out-by-the-pool-all-day weather. It’s the kind of destinations Brits would visit in winter for a pleasant level of heat that wouldn’t result in any sunburns.
Average Durban temperature, June-August: high 73 F/23 C, low 54-57 F/12-14C.
Average Durban rainfall, June-August: 2-7 cm per month, 5-9 rainy days per month (August is rainier than June and July).
Where to Stay in Durban: I had a great stay at the Southern Sun Elageni & Maharani, which has nice views and is walking distance from the beach.
If you choose to travel Cape Town in during the winter, you’re making a very big gamble. Why? Cape Town is one of the most beautifully set cities in the world and it is best seen in good weather. Four of my favorite Cape Town activities — going to the top of Table Mountain, taking a helicopter ride, hanging out in Camps Bay, and exploring the Cape Peninsula — are weather-dependent.
While there are some museums, including the fascinating District 6 Museum, Cape Town is nothing like London or New York — outdoor attractions are primary and indoor attractions, while they exist, are limited.
That said, you may end up lucky: Beth and I had two perfect, clear days, which we spent doing the aforementioned activities. Several dark, cloudy, rainy days followed. Our friends from safari who came to the city a few days after us sadly didn’t get to experience sunshine in Cape Town.
One other thing to consider: our Robbin Island visit was cancelled due to bad weather, so that’s something to keep in mind.
Average Cape Town temperature, June-August: high 64 F/18 C, low 45-46 F/7-8 C.
Average Cape Town rainfall, June-August: 7-10 cm per month, 14 rainy days per month.
Where to Stay in Cape Town: Doubletree Cape Town in Woodside is a fabulous mid-range hotel with very affordable rates, not in an ideal location but a short Uber ride from the action. For budget, I recommend Atlantic Point Backpackers; for luxury, I recommend Queen Victoria Hotel. My favorite quirky accommodation — if you’re visiting outside winter, head to the Airstream trailer park on top of the Grand Daddy Hotel!
The highlight of traveling the Garden Route is seeing so many beautiful and diverse landscapes and enjoying the outdoors. Because the winter months can be quite rainy, I recommend that you visit the Garden Route during a different time of year.
Yes, you still might be able to enjoy your trip, but you know what my favorite memories of the Garden Route are? Paddleboarding on the lagoon in Sedgefield. Horseback riding in Swellendam. Hanging out in hot springs near Oudtshoorn. Segwaying through the Tsitsikamma Forest. Going on a water safari in Plettenberg Bay. Or even just watching the sunset.
All of these activities would be uncomfortable or impossible during the rain. Please keep that in mind before you plan a winter trip here. I visited in May, which was the fall (or shoulder season) and I thought it was a nice, cheaper time to explore this region.
Average Knysna temperature, June-August: high 70 F/21 C, low 50-52 F/10-11 C.
Average Knysna rainfall, June-August: 1-3 cm per month, 18-21 rainy days per month (June is rainier than July and August).
Where to Stay on the Garden Route: There are tons of high-quality hostels with terrific, affordable private rooms along the Garden Route: I love Afrovibe Adventure Lodge in Sedgefield (more of a party place), Swellendam Backpackers Adventure Lodge in Swellendam, and Nothando Backpackers Lodge in Plettenberg Bay. On the luxury end, Phantom Forest Eco Reserve in Knysna is a fantastic romantic hideaway (I felt like I was on honeymoon with myself).
The Stellenbosch region is an indescribably beautiful landscape, with endless vineyards and bright blue mountains encircled by cottony clouds; during winter, there are solid white skies with few mountains to be seen. I would feel bad if people came for a visit and didn’t get to experience the view of the mountains.
But views aren’t all — I was surprised how much I enjoyed Stellenbosch on rainy winter days. Most wineries have fireplaces and are superbly cozy places to curl up with a tasting glass! The wineries are also at their least crowded this time of year, which means you never have to wait anywhere.
Average Stellenbosch temperature, June-August: high 64 F/18 C, low 46 F/8 C.
Average Stellenbosch rainfall, June-August: 2-3 cm per month, 7-9 rainy days per month (June is rainier than July and August).
Where to Stay in Stellenbosch: If you’re going the Airbnb route, I stayed here — cute two-bedroom apartment in a great, walkable location, but be cautious that the only heat is space heaters. Not quite ideal for winter; I’d probably stay in a hotel next time. Find Stellenbosch hotels here.
If there’s any one thesis to take away from my analysis, it’s this: traveling in South Africa in the winter is risky on the Western Cape, but can actually be wonderful in other parts of the country.
If you want to plan a trip to South Africa during the winter months, I recommend planning at least part of your trip in Johannesburg, Kruger, and/or Durban. If not, just know that you’re risking an entirely rainy trip.
As always, keep in mind that anything can happen. You can come during a freak period of sunshine in the Western Cape; you could also get stuck in downpours in Joburg. Nothing is ever a guarantee.
That said, don’t let traveling in the winter bother you. I had a great time on my winter trip to South Africa and I know you will, too!
