Monthly Archives: January 2010

Polisiekar in Cape Town

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Visiting Cape Town has never been easier, nor has it ever been more exciting.  It has always been a place where the culture is extremely lively, and also innovative.  Some of the musicians here play sounds that are very traditional, but then again, these are some of the oldest traditions in the world, and it’s expected that some of the history would seep into the creative forms.  In recent years, however, there seems to have been a rather successful push as developing new local forms that hit a larger sphere of influence.  It seems almost fortunate that some of these forms are likely to hit the U.S. market, because that gives you another reason to visit and see it for yourself.

Visiting is extreme fun, and there are many ways to have a fantastic time here.  This site has some excellent lodgings to get you situated in rare style, and the rest is up to you.  If you’re here in South Africa’s summer months (if you’re in the U.S., remember this is the other side of the world, and the months are reversed), try to get to see the Summer Concerts at Kirstenbosch.  This is an outdoor arena, with absolutely breathtaking views.  It boasts a warm and friendly environment, and is a great place to see Johnny Clegg.

Interestingly, this coming year they’re also hosting Polisiekar, which is not your typical warm and friendly band playing feel-good melodies.  This is Afrikaans punk, and so far, they may have cornered the market on this particular niche.  The band started as a joke that caught on, but the musicians are no joke.  They’re really talented, and have a lot to say about how things are today.  It’s almost like seeing a rowdy art band, like Sonic Youth, playing music about music, but with an unusually developed sense of form.  This will probably be one of the most fascinating events of the year.

Great Southern Food of the Carolinas

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When many people consider a common association to the southern states one of the first things that comes to mind is southern hospitality. Almost immediately after that comes southern food, which is frequently the one that tourists staying in one of the hotels Carolina wish they could take with them. And frequently recipes of their favorite dishes are what they consider to be primary souvenirs from their trip. In fact, for many locals and testified by visitors the two common associations of hospitality and great food often go hand in hand.

Southern food and great taste become synonymous to many tourists who visit these cities and states and it is a reputation they hold in pride. And while many of the dishes may sound common enough, or by name may lack a particular regional quality to them, when they are cooked and prepared in the Carolinas, they take on a meaning and flavor all their own. This true for foods like slow cooked baby back ribs and great deserts such as peach cobbler just to name a couple. Even the way stews and soups are prepared become unique to their location and it is common for people to travel back to one particular small town diner, which is the only place they can find their favorite pulled pork sandwich or chicken pot pie.

The spices that are used throughout the Carolinas and the southern states are one of the major aspects of their cuisine distinction. Cajun foods are common to many regions and as a whole are pretty spicy. Mustard, particularly Creole mustard, brown sugar, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, paprika and red pepper are common staples for spices used in southern cooking. And of course most breakfast plates are served with a healthy portion of grits. Regardless of your personal taste, indulging in some of North and South Carolina’s great cuisine is an essential aspect of most vacations.

Losing Ones Passport is Florida’s Gain

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Jacksonville, Florida wasn’t in our travel plans, but what could we do when, on our way to Mexico while in the Dallas Airport, we realized that a passport is missing? We figured we lost it at the Los Angeles airport when we passed through security. There, they not only ask us to show proof of our identity, but we also had to remove our shoes, belts, coat, open up our computers and we all did this simultaneously. Well, somewhere in all that dance, my passport disappeared.

After we spent a couple of nights in Dallas, we flew from there to Atlanta, Georgia. That’s where we contacted the Belgian Consulate and applied for a new passport. We had to rent a car so we could at least pay an impromptu visit with some hometown friends that now live in Georgia. Actually, it was really great to see them again, we relaxed at their lake house and were somewhat grateful that this mishap with my passport brought us here. After a few days with our friends, we decided to go to Jacksonville, Florida, where we spent an entire week. While we were in Atlanta, I went on-line to see about finding any good deals for a luxury hotel, I came across this site: http://www.luxuryhotelsflorida.com, and it was very appealing, so we booked our room on-line and drove to Florida!

We relaxed on the beach and played in the water with big waves rolling over us and I got to practice some more with my kite maneuvers. We went back to Atlanta so my husband could catch a flight to Bolivia. He had an important engagement with World Vision, so I said good-bye to him and stayed with our friends one more time waiting for my passport. This did end up being a great opportunity to visit with our friends, but I would rather be with my husband in Bolivia, I didn’t have to wait long, my passport arrived two days later!

The Possibilities are Endless with a Car in New York

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My plane was almost a half-a-day delayed and so the friend who was going to pick me up at JFK couldn’t do it. I ended up, while in-flight, going on the Internet and investigating some sites in New York that will let hire a car. I got lucky and found this site: http://www.newyorkcitycarhire.com, and I managed to hire a car at a decent rate. Whew!

When I arrived, It wasn’t hard at all to find the car hire place and retrieve my car. I’ve been to New York many times, but I’ve never ever considered driving in New York, I’ve always used the public transportation or hailed a taxi. But, as I’m driving out of JFK, I had a sense of adventure, I felt very free to go anywhere I wanted to, I’ve never felt this way before while in New York City. I could handle the traffic quite well, coming from the big city of London. Just driving on the other side of the road was the tricky part. I took it a bit slow at first, being honked at constantly, and it only took me a few turns here and there to get the hang of it.

It was nice driving up to my friends house, which was not far from Grand Central Station and actually finding a place to park. From her house, after dropping off my bags (had a key), I went to do some sight seeing, I wanted to take my car, but wondered about finding any parking no matter where I went. I threw caution to the wind and drove to Central Park. Believe it or not, there was a parking space! Central Park is really very nice, this is the first place I always see when I’m here. I always managed to find something new at the park, something I hadn’t seen before. The park is so big, I think no matter how many times I visit it, I will always find something new. There were a lot of people out on boats along the canals today. I found a rock I could climb on and then headed to Strawberry Fields where I made arrangements for my friend to find me when she gets off work.

After she arrived, I told her about my car hire. She got the biggest smile on her face! I could tell her mind was working away with where we could possibly go. She hasn’t owned a car ever since she moved here. I told her the possibilities were endless!

Ghosting Jewelry in New York

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Last year, we came to New York for New Years, plus I wanted to see the ‘Ghost Busters’ fire station. By the time I found it, it was dark so none of my photos turned out well. So, the next morning, bright and early, I headed up Moore Street in order to get a nice daylight photo. It was perfect!

I next headed down to Wall Street, just so I could say I was there. I got out of the train stop and witnessed one of the most beautiful buildings of my life; Tiffany’s. I’ve been in the Tiffany’s in Palm Springs and bought a ring, but now I had the opportunity to buy a matching bracelet. I knew I needed to watch what I spent, but I dragged myself inside anyway. I was greeted by a beautiful sales woman and she was very personable and made me feel very welcomed. As I talked to her for a bit, she told me some great stories of all the places she’s lived, including Florida, which was the next stop on my trip! So, we had a lot to talk about, almost too much, really, but I found the bracelet that matched my ring; the style is known as the ‘love knot’ because it resembles a knot in the shape of a heart. She showed me 3 or 4 bracelets, each one with the ‘love knot’, but the width on them varied. I picked the bracelet that was the prettiest, but it didn’t quite match my ring.

But, my story of finding a ‘love-knot’ bracelet has a tragic ending. I lost them the next day. After I checked out of one of the better New York Casino hotels, I headed into Manhattan. I do remember having the ring and bracelet on the train, because the gal sitting next to me commented about how pretty they were, but when I got back to my hotel very late in the evening, I was no longer wearing them. That whole night was kind of a blur, due to clubbing it at as many clubs as I could afford. They must have slipped off while I was dancing the whole night away and I didn’t notice.

What a shame, really. I finally had exquisite jewelry, from Tiffany’s and only got to enjoy them for a brief moment. I can’t help but sing ‘Moon River’ in head and sigh.

Zoombezi Bay Water Park in Columbus, Ohio

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Last summer Curtis went to Columbus, Ohio to visit his cousin Tim. It was the first time he had been to this city and while he didn’t know quite what to expect he was familiar with Christopher Columbus, the city’s namesake and kind of expected it to be a small colonial dirt or log cabin village. While he knew this was a ridiculous idea, after all he turned twelve last July; he could not resist entertaining that imagery every time his upcoming visit to Columbus was mentioned.

From the moment Curtis’ plane landed he was absolutely amazed with the city and for a moment thought the pilot must have gotten lost and landed in New York. He was traveling with his older sister Jane who calmly assured him that they had landed safely at Port Columbus and sure enough, Tim and his family were waiting for them in the baggage claim area. Both Curtis and Jane thought the city was beautiful as they drove to their cousins’ home. They passed a few of the finest Columbus luxury hotels and Curtis asked if they would be staying in one of them. Maybe someday, like on his next visit, was his only response.

One of the many attractions they visited while they were in town was the Zoombezi Bay water park. This provided Curtis one of the most exciting and happiest days of his young life. The water park is relatively new. It opened in 2008 so it had only been operating about a year when Curtis and Jane visited it with their cousins. It had that feeling of newness and excitement about it, which instantly transferred to Curtis. His favorite rides were the Wild Tides and the Roaring Rapids. He couldn’t wait to tell his parents about his day later that evening when they called. This was definitely one of his favorite features and something he would never have imagined to exist in the small colonial village he had imagined prior to his visit. Curtis would never see Columbus, Ohio or Christopher Columbus in the same way again.