“Bali is better than Thailand” - Me. 

I have said these 5 words countless times since I have arrived home from my fleeting, sensational 10 day trip. Some don’t like this claim I make very much, others are intrigued, and ask me why I would say such things. So let me delve a little deeper. I am not going to do a comparison post, as the last time I went to Thailand was 16 years ago and I imagine it to be very different now. But, what I will share with you, is some of my highlights, and then in another post, go into why I thought the perfect little town of Canggu was my absolute favourite place in Bali.

Bali highlight 1: The Food - Canggu.

As I mentioned right just now, Canggu was my favourite place in Bali (one of out the four I visited). It was recommended by my good friend Claire, who has been to Bali a few times and is in love with this part of Indonesia. One of my favourite things about Canggu was the food. Every place, from their western-style vegan restaurants to their Warungs (traditional Indonesian, family-run establishments) offered fresh, delicious food, with a bit of a local twist. For dinner, we enjoyed vegan burgers at The Avocado Café, but I would also recommend BetelNut Café for their Falafel Bowls and Deus Ex Machina for their everything. For breakfast, there was only one place for me. Crate Café served up the best Nourish bowl I have ever had (called the Hipstar) and the best flat white I found in Bali. If I could eat purple Dragon fruit for the rest of my life (which looks like a pink kiwi but tastes sweeter) I would.

The Hipstar Bowl from Crate Cafe 

Bali Highlight 2: Yoga at The Yoga Barn - Ubud

The YogaBarn is one of the most famous yoga studios in the world, and just after spending one afternoon there, I can see why. Slightly pricy (one class will set you back R150, which is more than what you would pay in Cape Town), this studio is set in a whimsical forest, complete with a café, juice bar, accommodation and a spa. The jungle-like environment is so quiet and calming, but the classes counter-act this quite well with their vibey, active nature. I was taught by an American guy called Levi and I can’t explain to you the feeling of just being in a space together together with people all over the world, doing the same moves and breathing the same breath. The class took place in a large treehouse and the whirring fans did little to combat the heat of the sequences. If you’re into yoga, I would suggest doing one class there and then finding the other hidden gems in Ubud like Intuitive Flow (it was closed when I was there but I saw the studio and looked heavenly). 

YogaBarn, Ubud

Bali Highlight 3: Hiking Mount Batur Volcano – Mount Agung

When you hear that you will be fetched at 2am in the morning in order to hike three hours to the top of a volcano to see the sunrise, you doubt your decision for a second or two. Regardless, I am glad we didn’t chicken out of the opportunity to experience Mount Batur and it really was a great adventure (albeit slippery one). 12 slightly scared novice hikers where fetched from homestays in the area and taken to a pitstop for banana pancakes and sweet coffee. We were then sorted into groups of 4 and led up the steep, slippery path, hundreds of torch lights twinkling as we slipped (and complained) our way up to the top. We made it to the top with a few minutes to spare and settled in to watch the sun rise over the island of Lombok and Bali. The view is magnificent, the weather a bit chilly, and the packed lunch (of bread, boiled egg and banana) leaves much to be desired. After a quick look at the crater and steam (the volcano is active but has not erupted since 1986) and an aggressive water-bottle-stealing monkey encounter, we made our way back down the path (where I bailed and cut up my hands like the smarty pants that I am). Note to anyone who wants to experience Mount Batur – take a warm jacket, walking shoes that have a good grip and don’t let the monkey steal your banana.

Sunrise from the top of Mount Batur

Bali Highlight 4: Snorkelling - Gili Islands

If you're looking for romance, go to the Gili islands. There are three popular islands and each have different attractions suited to your taste. Gili Tarawangan (also known as Gili T) is the party island. Gili Air is the chilled, more hippie one one and Gili Meno is the pricey resort one. My friend Natalie and I opted for Gili Air (because: old) and loved wandering around this island, dotted with cute restaurants with sunbeds, as well as one or two little beach spots. I also did some yoga here at H2O meditation which was great. During our time there, we went on a half day snorkelling excursion, which took us to four spots and gave us some time on Gili Meno for lunch. Even though these spots were all pretty much the same, I got to see some coral, hundreds of colourful fish and got up close and personal with some sea turtles. If you’ve done a lot of snorkelling before you might not find this very exciting, but it is definitely worth the day out and is easy on the pocket (less than R100).

Me, being cool

Bali Highlight 5: Single Fin Sundays - Uluwatu    

As I am not much of a party animal when I am on holiday (only because I drink enough in Cape Town) we decided on one night out – the famous Single Fin Sundays at Single Fin Bar, Uluwatu. This bar/restaurant is situated on the edge of a cliff, overlooking surfers paradise. Sunday nights they host live bands and various DJs and the outside deck is turned into a bumping dancefloor, playing happy house tunes to compliment the boiling evening temperatures. Unfortunately the drinks are a bit steep, so we opted for a couple Bintangs (indonesia's most popular beer and my personal favourite) to help us along as we watched the sunset, and then moved onto their Strawberry Daiquiris (strong as all hell). We danced, we drank, and then we wandered home and had a good night’s sleep.

Sunset at SingleFin, before the party started. 

Bali is an affordable beach and cultural holiday destination, somewhere I would recommend to those looking for the perfect honeymoon escape, a getaway with friends, or even, to be honest, a solo mission. 

Anyone who knows me has heard me say the following sentence at least once. If I had my way, I would head out of town for a weekend away at least twice a month. I love Cape Town with all my heart, but I love the Western Cape just as much. This past weekend I experienced Robertson for the first time in years and I must say, it’s most definitely one of the most beautiful places I have been to recently. 

The Robertson Wine Valley (which includes Bonnivale, Mc Gregor and more) has over 50 award winning wineries, but if that’s not your thing, there’s 4X4 trails, hiking routes, restaurants and boat trips. Robertson has just the right amount of activities that can be comfortably coupled with a generous amount of chilling out.

 On Saturday afternoon, I experienced my first 4X4 drive, something I found quite terrifying but oddly exhilarating at the same time. We were taken to the top of the mountain in a Jeep where we set up a braai, drank beer and chatted, while admiring a view that looked over Robertson, McGregor, Bonnivale and beyond. 

Just like any other winelands area, Robertson has a selection of restaurants for any palate and pocket. Anything from a quick meal at the local pub to magnificent culinary experiences at Mo and Rose or Reubens at The Robertson Small Hotel, quick snacks or long lunches are only a short drive away.

For accommodation, your best bet would be to rent a house (I would recommend trying to get as close to the river as possible). Alternatively, Google a few guest houses in the area. They are small, neat, friendly and most have a fantastic view to wake up to. Friends have recommended places such as Pat Busch Orange Grove Farm as well as the Small Hotel and Mo and Rose mentioned above.

And when it comes to wine, you don’t have to settle with a simple tasting. Viljoensdrift wine farm does a wine cruise! Simply pick up a selection of meat, cheese, spreads and breads from their deli, add a bottle of their White, Red or Sparkling and create your own picnic basket. The cruise is just under an hour long, enough time to nibble at your food and enjoy a glass or two, before heading back to dry land. 

I am looking to return to Robertson for one of their upcoming festivals. There are 3 events on the cards between now and the end of October – Wacky Wine (4 – 7 June), Robertson Slow (7-10 August) and Wine on the River (16 – 18 October).

But if you’re not into the busy festival scene, head about 2 hours out of Cape Town for a weekend away and enjoy some down time in Robertson. It’s all about food, wine, and the river that runs through it. 

I’ve been thinking about the desert a lot lately. Maybe it’s the solitude, the clumsy, uneven dirt roads that go on forever or the lack of cell phone reception you get upon entry, but I feel like the Karoo is calling me, yet again.

This I suspect, could be owing to the fact that I (not so recently) visited one of the Western Cape’s tiniest and most obviously charming towns – Matjiesfontein. Described as an “outpost of Empire from a bygone era”, this town is straight-collared colonial and, according to local fables – haunted too.

The perfect place for a wedding of two of my most favourite people, you can basically have the town all to yourself, with the right amount (around 110). Matjiesfontein consists of: a hotel (pictured below), a motel, a coffee shop, a pub, a gift shop and a museum. That’s about it. And to be honest, they wouldn’t have it any other way. 

We arrived on a 37 degree day, had some champagne with the bride-to-be (for the nerves), got ready and sat, sweaty palmed, in the little pink church, flapping our fans and waiting for the lovebirds to get hitched.

After the ceremony, we enjoyed gin and tonics and a bus tour of the town. This consisted of 1X tour guide (comedian),1x BIG and very old red bus and ten minutes of driving 5km per hour – up the one street in the town and back.

After another G&T stop at the bar, we were taken down to a grass lawn where a marimba band entertained us while we drank home brewed pale ales. 

 As the sun sank, so we made our way to the courtyard for the reception. Delicious local food like Karoo lamb and Cape Salmon accompanied our plates and then our bellies as we laughed (and maybe shed a tear or two) during the speeches. 

 After the first dance, the night quickly escalated to something out of a movie! Wedding cake piñatas that exploded with little bottles of vodka, an amazing fireworks display as the clock struck 12 (with cake) and a secret glowstick dancefloor under the trees from 2am, where we drank red wine from the bottle and chatted until early morning. 

 Matjiesfontein is under 3 hours away from Cape Town, which means that it qualifies as a weekend away destination (well, to me, anyways.) It is just so PERFECT for a wedding venue, a big birthday, a weekend away with friends, or family, or just for two. It ignited a love for the desert that I never knew I had and I cannot wait to visit Matjiesfontein on my way to many more tiny towns, which I know are ready for me.

Man, I’ve made a big deal about turning 30. When I was 16, I thought that by 30, I would be married with kids, a home, a dog and probably some debt. We all thought that, didn’t we?  Either that or I would be living in some European city with a high powered magazine job, wearing Prada heels and sipping on champagne. Just me? Ok.

Well here I am. Light years away from either of those ideas I put in my head and never shook off. But this is where I am, right here. What I do have is two arms and two legs and ten fingers and ten toes. I can walk to the kitchen. I can see my computer screen. I have a little bit of money that, even though I should be spending it on adult things like curtains and bonds and paying off university fees, I use most of it for eating at restaurants and buying wine. And with the rest of it, I am going to go on a holiday I don’t really need, but I want. So I will go.

Right now, I have no one to look after besides myself. I can go anywhere and do anything. I can be selfish and this is probably the last time I can be selfish until my kids leave home, if I ever have any.

So, I am not going to sit here and reflect on my 20s because, goddammit, I’ve had some flipping weird times that I am happy to not look back on. And when you can’t look back, the only thing you can do is look forward. So here’s to the things that might or might not happen. New careers, marriage, children, relocation. Who knows, none of these or ALL of these could happen in my 30s. How mad is that?! I am quite excited over the fact that I still am yet to meet my partner (cheese I know), see the world, work my way up. It’s not all bills and admin and break ups and stuff. There is good shit in there too.

Everyone has told me that when you’re in your 30s, you just care less, but in a good way, and damn – that sounds good!  So I'm going to celebrate in the most mature way possible - by dancing on a table and drinking champagne out the bottle because I can.