Barcelona and South Africa

Hello dear friends,

When I finished off the previous post I suggested I would tell you all about Barcelona and South Africa. So here we are, a day by day, hour by hour, blow by blow account.....just kidding. Just the highlights of the two trips, this time with my usual brand of quirky humour. (If at this point you don't think my blogs are all that funny, um....sorry)

So Barcelona. City of sun, capital of the Catalonia region of Spain, and the location for the annual World Mobile Congress. In my world, it is the Olympics of the mobile year, to Sammy (and to the wives of the colleagues who travelled with me) it is just a reason for mobile phone nerds from around the globe to get together and drink as much as possible in four days whilst working on their tans. Not far off the mark.....but in truth we do work hard during the day to reward ourselves with the local beers and food in the evenings. I travelled to Barcelona with my boss and two of my colleagues Richard and Ryan, who happen to be mates as well. Very convenient! We had a nice hotel only 15 minutes walk from Las Ramblas, the famous street near the sea front. Rich and Ryan and I made the most of the first two nights (the lads went home on the third day, I had two extra days), catching up with some ex customers from SA and Botswana, and sampling the local cuisine. My good friend Alan Lipchin was there, and for those of you who don't know him, Alan is loud and fun and busy and it was no different in Barcelona. It was great to see him and my other mate Marko, we caught up over a ridiculous number of beers and tequila, and each night saw the famous TUDs making their appearance in the early hours of the morning. A TUD is a Totally Unnecessary Drink, ordered at the end of a long evening, normally paid for with the last few remaining Euro's in ones pocket, and guaranteed to be the one drink you blame the next morning for the fierce hangover you are experiencing! The only blip on the radar over the four days happened on the evening of day two, when during a meeting with a very big network, after the show had closed for the day in a small bar right next to the World Mobile Congress venue, my bag was stolen from right underneath my feet. I mean I was literally standing on the straps. As a South African you would expect nothing less from me, as we are a suspicious lot at the best of times! Still, someone managed to steal the bag. Luckily for me my passport was safely locked in the hotel safe. I lost my drivers licence, and sadly also Sammy's digital camera. All the other bits and pieces too, sunglasses, laptop, two Xoom tablets and about 4 mobile phones. Whoever managed to sneak the bag from the biggest guy in the bar that evening was extremely well rewarded! Oh well, the police were very good in taking my statement and providing me with all the copies I needed for insurance and it didn't cost me more than 40 minutes out of the evening. I was pleased however to get home to Bournemouth after the four days, as we were due to travel to SA the next week.

One of the things we like about Mud Island is the way things work so smoothly. On Saturday morning I applied online for a replacement drivers licence, and it arrived on Wednesday morning so I could use it in South Africa. Excellent! And so on to telling you all about our South African trip. Sammy and I were so excited to be travelling to SA. We had decided to go to Cape Town first to see my mom, and then stay with Cam and Jules for a few days so we could meet our nephew Travis. Flying SAA can sometimes be a gamble, but we had excellent service both at check in and on the flights both ways. The food on the other hand, um.....next time we will pack some sandwiches! Leaving the UK went off without a hitch and the flight was great, and I enjoyed the last two hours of the flight in the morning cruising over the Namib desert and down the west coast of SA. We landed around 9am and taxied in to the International terminal (which is pretty impressive now). Everyone got out of their seats and queued up bags in hand to depart the plane. They use walkways in Cape Town like most international airports so it is very easy to get off the plane. Now the problem I had was that we had just come out of winter in the UK, which suits me because I cope better with lower temperatures. This proved to be a problem as I got off the plane.

Me to Sammy: Woaahh, where is that heat coming from????

Sammy: Don't be silly, its 34 degrees outside of course you will feel it!

Me: No seriously is something on fire?

Sammy: Where are you going??

Me: Back on to the aeroplane, its too hot here!

Sammy: Rich stop goofing about and walk the right way, you are causing a traffic jam!

Me: But Sammy its too hot out there, seriously look! I am bleeding from my eyes, the heat is melting me.

Sammy (by now tapping her foot, never a good sign): Get up off the floor you are embarrassing yourself.

Me: In a minute, let me just sit here for a minute or two, the jet blast from the plane behind us is cooler than the wind in here........

Luckily for me, the hire car's aircon unit worked a treat and I was back to normal in a couple of hours (ok a few minutes, but you know what I mean). We had a great visit with my mom at her new home in George, with a few pics of that below. Then it was off to Cape Town to meet Travis and stay with Cam and Jules. We got to Cam's home around midday and leapt out of our hire car (I was still moaning about the heat, even though we had been in SA for three days by then) to meet the little guy. It was just wonderful to meet the little dude, he immediately took to us and he is just a little champ. He was already having fun with us when there was a knock at the door. Cam had been out on a long mountain bike ride and had not been home yet when we arrived. For those of you who know Cam, you will know that he is a huge guy, with arms like tree trunks from years of professional sailing. I went to open the door.

Me: Hi, I am Rich, Cam's brother, please to meet you. You are? (Extending my hand to shake the very skinny guy in mountain biking kit standing in front of me)

Mountain Bike Guy: Rich, its me, don't be daft!

Me: Cam?? Boet, where is the other half of you?

Cam: I have lost a little weight, makes me faster on the mountain bike!

Me: If that's a little weight, then I also want to lose a "little" weight!

Cam is now super skinny and enjoying a lot of success on the mountain bike in addition to still sailing for a living. The rest of the Cape Town trip held no surprises and we had a fantastic time with Cam and Jules (Cam's wife) and Travis, before flying to Durban to spend some time with my Dad. Of course it was fabulous to see my Dad and Janet, and they are brilliant hosts. Any time spent with them is ruled by where and what we are going to eat, which as you know is how we live here on Mud Island too. We had some great wine at cheap prices whilst we were with them. Lets not get started on the price of groceries in SA now, but know this, it is cheaper to shop in the UK by miles now! As we were in Durbs, we were super keen to get in some beach time, so on the Thursday before our 10th wedding anniversary (yes I know, I don't know how she puts up with me either!) Sammy and I took a drive up the coast to Salt Rock for a bit of beach time. It was pretty hot when we got there and I had a great swim, before watching dolphins surf the waves like experts. Sammy does not like the shoreline at Salt Rock as it is a bit steep with a backwash, so we opted to walk down the beach to the tidal pool. I keep on telling everyone that she was full of wine, but in truth she was stone cold sober. As Sammy entered the tidal pool, she stepped onto a rock step which is normally underwater but was exposed as they were flushing the pool out. She slipped and had an almighty fall. As quickly as she fell she sprang up and looked ok. I also got a bit of a fright but checking her over she had at least not hit her head. Unfortunately she had landed very heavily on her left wrist which was clearly broken. She also had a lot of cuts and scratches and was bleeding a bit. Poor Sammy! She was still determined to have a swim, which she bravely did before getting out. We took her to Alberlito hospital where the brilliant staff and Dr Dinesh Pillay patched her up and put her wrist in a very big cast! They were excellent and she has since made a full recover from the bad break without the need for pins, thanks to their work. Pictures are below. Although this cramped Sammy's style a little, she still enjoyed the rest of the holiday to the fullest. A testament to my darling wife's bravery and determination!

On the Saturday our mate Glenn flew down and joined us and Dad and Janet to watch the Sharks play at our beloved Kings Park stadium. Although it rained on us the whole game, we loved it and the Sharks came away with a solid victory which made me ecstatically happy. A bit of car trouble on the way up to Johannesburg the next day did not dampen spirits and we had a great week and a bit in Jozi catching up with everyone. It was very busy whilst we were there, Sammy and I felt like celebrities with all the breakfast, lunch and dinner functions we had to attend. To those of you we were unable to see, there will always be a next time and we are sorry we couldn't this time around. Don't forget we have a guest room here in Bournemouth! We had a few must do places on our list, and of course I had to have a Nando's whilst I was there. The funny thing was the first chance I had was at the airport on the way home! We were able to entertain some friends with two braai's (BBQ's for our Brit mates) hosted by Smed and Estiaan, and Brett and Shelley. Both events went off very well with some pretty sore heads the next day! Glenn also did a masterful roast beef for me just before we left, which was superb. We were spoiled by Sammy's mom Barbara when staying at the guest lodge she runs with the owner Pat. I admit to some clothes shopping before we left, something I normally hate, but as the brands I really like are either unavailable or too expensive here, I was forced to add a few Fox and Zoo York shirts to my collection. Sammy and her mom spent a day shopping at the Chinese market and she picked up some serious bargains whilst there. Unfortunately one of the bargain purchases was a black button up jersey that unravelled itself the first day she wore it to work. Inconvenient as it was a bit of a chilly day! Some last minute pool time and tanning went down well, and we were sad to say goodbye to all our dear friends before we hopped on the plane back to our home on Mud Island. We had a brilliant time, but we are happy to be home and our adventures continue. There are lots of pictures beneath on this mammoth blog, more to come soon! Much love as always from both of us.

Yes its blurred. So were we!

Las Ramblas by night

World Mobile Congress

Mr Rich Godwin, discussing our bar plans for the evening

This is how it begins (taken at the bar where my bag was stolen)

Looking towards the harbour

TUDs!

Barcelona Yacht Harbour

My boss James drinking a mammoth Sangria. Not bad for a man who rarely drinks

Barcelona sea front. A lot like Durbs really

Looking back over the harbour from the 25th floor of the W hotel

Kimmeridge - Dorset scenery at its finest!

Sammy at the pub we had lunch with our mates Rich and Carmen

Carmen

Rich, again with that lets drink look in his eye

Cruising down the west coast of SA

Stopped in a laybye. Sammy putting her shoes on to take over driving duties on the way to George

Bit dry compared to Mud Island!

Sammy at the controls

View from my mom's place in George

Sammy and Gail (Mom)

Restaurant we took my mom to for her birthday right next to the theatre

View of Herolds Bay, on the way to swim with my mom

Sammy is grinning because the parking was FREE!!

Great beach and weather for a swim

Casey the cat, my mom's pride and joy

Looking over the Hops farms at the top of the Outeniqua pass

Clouds rolling in up the pass

Really nice piccy of Sammy and I

Dramatic scenery on the drive back to Cape Town

Our little nephew Travis

So busy its a blur sometimes. Is he not super cute?!

Our friends Hayden and Vanessa made a trip to Cam's home to braai with us

Travis with Hayley and James, both little angels

Braai time!

Charcoal is the only way. No gas braai's please

Travis showing off for us, he is such a busy little boy

Cape Winelands only 10 minutes from Cam's home

View of the mountains in the background near Stellenbosch

View from a hill in one of the vineyards, not too shabby!

Just a cute pic with his mom's sun glasses on. Next year I will get him some Oakleys

The view from Tokara wine Estate

Skinny Cam!

Jules!

Now that is a view. From the patio of Deli Cat Essen, one of the restaurants at Tokara

Great pic of Cam and Jules!

My Dad!

His partner Janet

Another splendid lunch!

View from Umhlanga Rocks

Walking along the promenade

Dad deciding which wine to have. Its an important decision!

Little sunset at Dad and Janet's home

 

Sammy on the beach at Salt Rock

Salt Rock beach. There are dolphins in the waves, but difficult to see with this picture

Bit blurred, but the aftermath of Sammy's big fall!

Dad and Janet on the way to the Sharks game at Kings Park

Glenn and Sam walking towards Moses Mahdiba Stadium, which is next to Kings Park

Toothpick!

Andy having dinner at Nat's home

Barbara, Sammy's Mom

Swimming with my niece and nephew and their mates

Braai at Rich Smed and Estiaan. Mel and Estiaan in deep conversation

Mr (Dr) Rich Watson, the man, the legend. Top chap.

Alex and Mel, posing for the camera

Rob chirping something, but he arrived with Chivas and a kilo of dry wors, so I didn't chirp back!

Rich and Estiaan

My mad mate Owen, we had a great MTB ride. And he is going to be a Dad for the second time, fantastic!

Brett the Champ, standing in his bar, sipping on a beer. Good times!

Shelley grinning like a Chesire cat, not sure why!

"Enough with the photo's Rich!"

Owen telling me a story

Sammy and her mom Barbara