South Africa

Sheila Kemp recently returned from a family vacation to South Africa, here are her comments about the trip:

SOUTH AFRICA “MY DREAM VACATION!”

I just returned from “My Dream Vacation” with my family (3 kids age 14, 17 & 21) and I wanted to share some of the highlights with you. South Africa is a beautiful country with spectacular scenery, friendly people and lots of unusual things to see and do. To clear the air right off the top, we did not experience or see any acts of violence or racism we only experienced warm hospitality from street vendors, people on the street and from those in the hospitality industry.

We started out in Cape Town visiting Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope but the highlight was swimming with the “Great White” Sharks. Definitely an experience not to be missed. We had a day in the wine lands visiting the many local wineries for some wine tasting. We toured the Garden Route stopping to see the Cango Caves, Ostrich Farms (of course riding and eating an ostrich) and zip lining in the Tsitsikamma forest. South Africa’s coastline is beach after glorious beach where the white sand goes on for miles and in many areas the beach is backed by rugged Mountains “a photographer’s paradise”. We spent a day at the beach trying to learn the finer points of Surfing before we headed north to Sabi Sabi game reserve for a 3 night/4 day game drive. To me this was the highlight of my trip. Our 1st ride out we saw 4 of Africa’s “Big Five” within a couple of hours. We got to see lions stalking an Impala, a herd of water buffalo stampede and we had a herd of elephants with babies surround us. We were fortunate enough to come across a pride of lions with a fresh kill but the icing on the cake was the cheetah sighting which is so rare.

After a night in Johannesburg we were off to Zambia to see the spectacular “Victoria Falls” which certainly lives up to its name and you can understanding after seeing it why it is one of the “Seven Wonders of the World”. Zambia offers a warm welcome the local people are extremely friendly and go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Besides the falls Zambia is full of adventure activities like river rafting, river surfing, bungee jumping, zip lining, helicopter tours, biking, elephant safaris and the list goes on and on.

We stayed in a combination of small country inns and hotels throughout our holiday. Meals and drinks are very inexpensive in South Africa.

South Africa is a country that is often overlooked as a vacation destination for Canadians and it really shouldn’t. It is a long way to travel but it is definitely worth it. It is an ideal holiday for a family, a couple and I think it is a perfect Honeymoon or wedding destination especially in one of the beautiful game lodges.

Call me if you have any questions or would like to inquire about a trip to South Africa.

Sheila Kemp

Spanish Treasures

"Discover the joys of small town life outside Barcelona & Madrid"

Spain's bustling metro centres buzz with activity on every block and they're home to some of the biggest must-see attractions for tourists. You can easily spend your days soaking up the sights in Barcelona and Madrid and be quite content. But many visitors are discovering the country's small wonders - the towns and villages outside urban areas. They still have the cultural treasures that we love, but they are balanced with the slower rhythm of the everyday life. Stay longer and get off the beaten path to really get an authentic taste of Spanish life.