South African wine on the radio rocks! No I haven’t gone mad, I’ve found this amazing radio station that talks about wines. There is so much information about wines from around the world and they are going to be featuring South Africa in some of their future shows, so I thought you would love to look at what they are doing.

Go to www.graperadio.com to discover such things as Retail wine buying, All about Wine Tasting, Wine Myths and Wine Travels. I am sure you will love listening in and learning more about grapes and their journey to the table.

If you are looking to buy South African wine, why not try eWine? eWine is a South African wine portal where you will be able to buy your favourite South African wines, but you will also find interesting information about South Africa’s winemakers, wines, restaurants, accommodation in the winelands and almost everything related to South African wine.

Make sure to pre-order your John Platter book too, so that you can plan your Winelands tour. If you want help with your tour, Tailor Made South Africa Travel will be delighted to assist you. There are so many wonderful estates to visit, you might like a personal guide to some of the smaller estates offering your particular favourites.

My favourites include Backsberg, Saxonberg, Villera and Thelema. Check them out now!

Get your safari in South Africa through a a new blog!  Coast 2 Coast Connection brings together the two travel destinations dear to my heart and my businesses.

The name, Coast 2 Coast Connection brings together two amazing coastlines, Costa Brava, Spain and the whole of the South African coastline that stretches for more than 2500 km from the Namibian border on the Atlantic coast right up to Mozambique on the Indian Ocean.

The Costa Brava is tiny in comparison, only 160 km, but its beauty is no less.  Stunningly rugged in parts with turquoise blue seas and long sandy beaches and tiny inlets and coves.  It is a fascinating destination with history, beauty, culture and cuisine which are international icons.

Much like South Africa then!  But boy, don’t the incredible animals on a luxury safari in South Africa really have the edge!  Any safari, which is a Swahili word meaning long journey, is great though, be it a wine safari, bird safari, mountain safari …  travel is so enriching!  If you need any help defining exactly what you want from your South Africa travel, don’t hesitate to contact me.

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog about the colour and vibrancy of South Africa.  Take a look at this photo, and indeed scroll through the other photos on this site for some truly amazing photos of South African life.

I particularly like the one with the little boy and the bananas. Don’t you think they really give a feel for the place?  Let me know your favourites …

I received the Stellenbosch Wine Route newsletter this morning, and of course, loving wine like I do, settled down to read it with a chilled glass of Delaire Sauvignon Blanc wine in hand.  Ooops, I think that was wishful thinking!  Mine was an ordinary mug of coffee … I digress.

I couldn’t help but agree with  Annareth Jacobs CEO Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes in her monthly newsletter.  She has been in London for two weeks and whilst she has had a wonderful time in the art galleries, shops, restaurants and general life in London, she thinks that the people of London look miserable!

On arriving back in Cape Town, South African airlines plays a video of life in the country, what you can expect to see, that sort of thing.  The marked difference between the colour, life, smiles and downright vibrancy of the people is dramatic.

Here’s what Annareth says, “ I do agree that our lives in a third-world country is unpredictable, but that is what keeps us alive, vibrant and colourful. The rest of the world is envious of our way of living, that I can ensure you!”

I for one am certainly envious!  But I am one of the lucky ones, as I get to visit frequently, so if you want to know what all the fuss is about, make sure you add South Africa to your list of places to visit – just don’t leave it too long before we see you there!

Going to Cape Town between December 1st and 23rd 2007 or between January 3rd and 31st 2008? Why not take a special sunset ride up Table Mountain and see the spectacular sun set over Signal Hill and Camps Bay? I can guarantee it is one of the most lovely sights and you won’t regret it!

Normally the highest point you can get to is on Signal Hill, which is not bad! But going that bit further up really is the cream on the top of the mountain, or should that read cake …

Weather seems to be high on every travellers list.  Cape Town weather is no exception and I wanted to point you in the direction of my lovely friends at South Africa Blog.  Here in the Costa Brava, Spain, Costa Brava weather today is our most looked at page, so it is no surprise that you all want to know what the temperature is and whether you need to pack that bikini!

At the moment it seems to be much like we have here, 18 degrees centigrade  and mostly sunny.  Get out the beach gear for the weekend!

Voting has been taking place all week with the South Africa Blog Awards with some very interesting blogs having been nominated in various categories.

One of my favourites, naturally enough, is those blogs writing about food! I very much liked Sophia Lindop’s “A Unique Food Experience” because of all the lovely stories she got to tell and her upbringing sounds facinating! Take today’s entry, “Go To The Ant!” she very neatly tells us how watching ants deliver food to their queen brings out the inspiration in her! Go and read it, it’s great. What’s even better is the recipe just waiting to be cooked – Fried Bananas served with Ginger Caramel Sauce.

I love reading about South Africa, so even when I can’t be there in person, I like getting updates about what’s happening!

Google Alerts are fantastic at finding out what’s going on and even better at letting you know about blogs writing on your subject.

I have found a number of very good blogs and websites through these alerts and I want to share them with you, so I have created a page especially for my favourites. I will continue to add blogs I think have extra special connections with South Africa and give great information.

Take a look now at Blogs We Love and whet your appetite for a visit to South Africa!

Endangered Loggerhead turtles have finally settled down to their nesting and created records on the Northern KwaZulu Natal coastline.

With careful monitoring over the project area, morning and night to ensure the safety of these huge sea creatures, the Loggerhead and the Leatherback turtles have responded by breeding almost entirely within the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, which is a designated marine protected area and a World Heritage site.

Numbers have declined in other areas due to the consumption of tutle meat and eggs by poverty-stricken communities and fishermen’s abandoned drift nets drowning the imprisoned turtles.

One of the most facinating places to visit on your tour of South Africa is the St Lucia Wetlands. The diversity of wildlife and outdoor activies will have you wishing you could stay forever! Imagine wandering through coastal forests fringed by white, sandy beaches watching the whales and dolphins perform for you in the surf, whilst if you are incredibly lucky, in the warm summer evenings in the months of October to March, you may well find the baby turtles emerging from their nest sites on their dash to the sea. What paradise!

Take a look at South Africa – The Good News for the full article on the safe haven for sea turtles, where you’ll discover more about the WWF/Green Trust Turtle Monitoring and Community Development Project.

Tailor Made South Africa Travel is now back online! Can you believe it but we have been three and a half months without internet connection here in the office. Moving to Spain was the easy bit and I must say that in all the dreams and actuality of the move, I never once imagined that we would have so many internet problems. Other problems, yes, especially language and communication with real people, but never once did I think we wouldn’t be able to access the internet.
Needless to say we will be breaking open a bottle of South African sparkling wine to celebrate our great good fortune. A bottle of Villiera Tradition from Stellenbosch has been sitting on the cellar stairs just waiting for a suitable opportunity to be consumed! I think it deserves to be tonight.
I feel like a small girl in a sweet shop – the excitement is almost too much. This blog is the first thing I’ve done since we have been connected, but I wanted everyone to know that I can now talk to the world again. I must say that it’s been isolating in the extreme and a great example of how much we depend upon modern technology to operate our lives. Not something I wish to experience again in a hurry. So, long live Telefonica (for the time being).