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M’s Adventures in South Africa

M's Adventures
At Betty’s Bay.

South Africa is known for safaris, Capetown, penguins, the garden route, where the two oceans meet, and wine country. If you want to get inspired, I recommend a South African Youtube channel called “Like a Tourist” (I think they may soon run tours as well). Get inspired by the lesser known parts of South Africa, shown with excellent cinematic skill, by a native. I got inspired to go to Barrydale Hand Weavers, but otherwise, I relied on the recommendations of a friend who lives there… If you want to do what I did, then I’ve listed it below. Note: I will write about these places in separate blog postings in the next six months.

My itinerary:

You might make eye contact with a lion.

Safari –– Four night safari at Madikwe Hills: Madikwe is a private game reserve to the north of Pretoria. It is a four hour drive of which the last hour or so is inside the game reserve (so you will be on your own game drive!). Madikwe Hills is a luxury safari lodge (Think in the $500 per night and up range). I will write more about Madikwe in a separate article. I highly recommend them. I will write about safari in a separate article.

The view of the “game drive” vehicle at our luxury lodge.

The Garden Route — two nights in each — Capetown, Hermanus, and Knysna:

Breakfast view of the back of Table Mountain, at the Vineyard Constantia hotel.

Capetown: We stayed at the Vineyard, not in downtown Capetown, and it was a lovely hotel with views of table mountain. While in Capetown, we went to the Cape of Good Hope (the “southernmost” point of Africa — actually location is Cape Agulhus which is 90 miles away), we did fancy dinners (Chef’s Table at the Beau Constantia Vineyard and Belly of the Beast). We took Uber (your account will work here too) as to avoid driving, drinking and driving, and parking nightmares. We flew to Capetown on Safair, a domestic airline, and two things to note about that — it is possible to take liquids onto your domestic flights so load up on your coffee or tea — and you can reserve the middle seat for not so much money thus making it a pleasant flight. While in Capetown, you can go up the cable car to Table Mountain. Some days you will see nothing but we were lucky with sunshine. The cool thing about the funicular is that it rotates! So you will get a good view wherever you are standing when you get in. The ride is short (five minutes?) but the line is long (buy the VIP passes). Check out the botanical gardens.

There is also a restaurant at the botanical gardens.

Hermanus: We drove to a secret spot to see penguins (Betty’s Bay, on the way to Hermanus, and park at the Stony Point Penguin Colony entrance — you will still see penguins even when the colony is closed. It’s an insider’s secret!), did wine tastings (more to come on those later), and stayed at the Marine One hotel. The staff are helpful, the penthouse is large with a view of the whale-filled bay, but there are no elevators). The staff there can help you get to your whale watching and wine tasting. This is the place for whale watching.

Penguins hanging out on the beach.
Amazing views along the Garden Route.

Knysna (‘nice-naw’): This is a place to see the Knysna Headlands (I really liked the East Head Cafe), enjoy a sailboat ride, eat seafood, shop at Old Nick Village (a small outdoor shopping area including Mungo and their workshop), visit Barrydale for the drive and the shopping, and explore other shopping opportunities such as a farmers market. We stayed at Mount Knysna which has amazing views (and an elevator) and very nice rooms (the presidential suite has an extra bedroom).

View of the Heads from Mount Knysna hotel.

Another national park and small town — Clarens: Not on my list, but I went along with it. The town is known for being a cute artsy town, for the local hikes, amazing vistas in the national park (Golden Gate is not just in California), and a fun pitstop on the way to Lesotho. We stayed at the Marriott in town because then the town square and delicious restaurants were within walking distance (five minutes), but you can stay at a castle or a palace, or something more rural. Up to you. There is lots of do in Clarens, from dinosaur hunting, hiking, gin tasting, brewpub visiting, and cheese tasting. I had the most delicious Italian food there. The owner is from Bologna.

Golden Gate park in Clarens.

Pretoria: See the government building and giant statue of Mandela, have clothes made (or not), enjoy the malls, the low prices for steak ($20 for a steak dinner) and other meat. Enjoy the jacaranda trees in bloom in spring.

Tender meat at cheap prices everywhere! This was a happy hour snack while on safari.

What time of year to visit? I went in October which is spring but the temperature varied depending on where we were. Some days it was unseasonably hot in the 90s F (35 C) and other days it was down to 50 F (15 C). The baby elephants and jacarandas are a springtime thing. Whale watching is in the spring.

Jacaranda trees in bloom because it was spring.

What to Buy In South Africa

M's Adventures

Not to sound too jaded, but I no longer buy magnets, keychains, or mugs as souvenirs. I try not to buy anything… and fail. Here are some of the things I looked at buying while I was in South Africa.

Traditionally in indigo colors but now found in the full range.

Shweshwe: is a fabric type. It is a thick cotton with printed geometric patterns. Read more about it on this blog. Apparently the name is the sound that the fabric makes when swishing around someone.

The original store. Okay, a well known store.

Vellies are a type of shoe that are thin soled (so you feel the earth) with leather uppers. They are a working shoe. It is a thing. These are made by many people and come in all colors. I wanted to buy the ones made by the pest controllers at the safari lodge (odd side business, eh?) but they did’t have the ones I needed in the color or size that I wanted (even though they were willing to custom make them) and I didn’t want to wait.

Our safari driver/guide wearing his well worn vellies.

Blankets: maybe it’s not special but I liked the all cotton ones I got at Barrydale Hand Weavers.

They had thin blankets, like this one, and heavier ones.

Linens: Seems odd, but household linens from Mungo are divine. All natural, handmade, locally sourced, and those other feel good goods.

Yes, we wanted everything.
I even bought the apron.

Leather is apparently a thing to buy but I didn’t find any that I wanted to buy.

Artwork, especially from local individual artists, is a good souvenir.

Artwork at the farmers market.

Clothes: If you are a ‘plus size’ person, then you will find that South Africa puts those clothes in the regular shops and makes them in colors and styles that you would actually wear.

The Garden Route

M's Adventures
The view from the Mount Knysna hotel.

I went to South Africa. I saw, did, and ate many things. One of the things was the Garden Route. I had never heard of it. There are artsy small towns along the way. The Garden Route starts in a big town, Cape Town, and you can drive it for days along the western cape.

At sunset from the Mount Knysna hotel.

Before visiting South Africa, I had watched a video about a blanket shop in Barrydale. So that became a destination along the route.

Capetown: We stayed at the Vineyard, not in downtown Capetown, and it was a lovely hotel with views of table mountain. While in Capetown, we went to the Cape of Good Hope (the “southernmost” point of Africa — actually location is Cape Agulhus which is 90 miles away), we did fancy dinners (Chef’s Table at the Beau Constantia Vineyard and Belly of the Beast). We took Uber as to avoid driving, drinking and driving, and parking nightmares. We flew to Capetown on Safair, a domestic airline, and two things to note about that — it is possible to take liquids onto your domestic flights so load up on your coffee or tea — and you can reserve the middle seat for not so much money thus making it a pleasant flight. While in Capetown, you can go up the cable car to Table Mountain. Some days you will see nothing but we were lucky with sunshine. The cool thing about the funicular is that it rotates! So you will get a good view wherever you are standing when you get in. The ride is short (five minutes?) but the line is long (buy the VIP passes). Check out the botanical gardens.

The crew will save your life when it gets rocky going through the heads.

Hermanus: We drove to a secret spot to see penguins (Betty’s Bay, on the way to Hermanus, and park at the Stony Point Penguin Colony entrance — you will still see penguins even when the colony is closed. It’s an insider’s secret!), did wine tastings (more to come on those later), and stayed at the One Marine Drive hotel. The staff are helpful, the penthouse is large with a view of the whale-filled bay, but there are no elevators). The staff there can help you get to your whale watching and wine tasting. This is the place for whale watching.

East Head Cafe.

Knysna (‘nice-naw’): This is a place to see the Knysna Headlands (I really liked the East Head Cafe), enjoy a sailboat ride, eat seafood, shop at Old Nick Village (a small outdoor shopping area including Mungo and their workshop), visit Barrydale for the drive and the shopping, and explore other shopping opportunities such as a farmers market. We stayed at Mount Knysna which has amazing views (and an elevator) and very nice rooms (the presidential suite has an extra bedroom).

And the East Head Cafe is educational!

A thing to note about the Garden Route (coastal areas) is that it is fun to drive past the baboons. We did not want any baboon encounters. Apparently that is a thing.

My Favorite Restaurants in the DMV

M's Adventures

Now that I have lived in the Washington, DC, area for over a year, these are my favorite restaurants. They are not in any particular order.

The hamburger meat at Franklin’s is locally sourced and tastes like real meat.

Franklin’s, Hyattsville, MD: American food in an old mercantile. The restaurant owns several shops and a tiki bar. It’s a whole day outing. Serves locally sourced meat.

Ruthie’s All Day, Arlington, VA: Southern food. They have excellent “white sauce” wings. Outdoor seating.

Woodmont Grille, Bethesda, MD: American food. Dark wood and they ask you not to speak too loud. Classy place.

Penny Royal Station. Mt. Rainer, MD: American food. Another secret place.

Caphe Banh Mi, Alexandria, VA: Vietnamese food. Serve banh mi with liver pate. One of the few places that still serve have this “classic” style.

Mandu Erang, Annandale, VA: Korean food. It’s an old school place in a tiny house in the middle of a parking lot.

Mum Aroi, Baileys Crossroads, VA: Thai food. Best authentic place we’ve found so far. “Mum aroi” is “it’s tasty” in Thai.

Le Diplomate, Washington, DC: French food. Busy, but the cheese balls and the seafood tower are worth the crowds.

L’Ardente, Washington, DC: Italian food. Best “cesare” salad evah!

IndoChen, Alexandria, VA: Indian Chinese food. Stick with the Indian food. The chicken breast marinated in yogurt is a weekly food for me.

Y Noodles, Falls Church: a new place that serves authentic (no tea served here!) spicy noodles and other Chinese food from Chongqin.

Cielo Rojo, Takoma Park, Maryland: High class, world class, cosmopolitan, Mexican food. Also includes a vegan menu. Really good food.

Where Have All the Hole-in-the-wall Places Gone?

M's Adventures
Taco Ssam surrounds the Pho and Grill place — they have a restaurant and take out on either side of the grill

Living in the DC area, I rarely go to a hole-in-the-wall. Even the famous ones are… famous. For example, Blue & White Carry Out in Alexandria is still a small “shack” but it is well known. And some say the prices are getting a bit too big for their britches.

Inside the grill. Lots of room.

Often, when invited to happy hours, the location is in DC, super crowded, and the appetizers cost $20. Recently, I went to a much less fancy happy hour. Actually there are two places, cantinas, in the Culmore strip mall. The one plays latin music at a slightly lower level. There were mostly guys enjoying a pail of 10 beers before going home… one guy was asleep on the table. But, no one bothered us.

Inside Taco Ssam.

The prices were good too. One place is called a grill and the other is a Korean taco chain (they have two locations). I’d go back. A the grill, they have pupusas from El Salvador and pho soup from Vietnam. No, it’s not like your Vietnamese grandma’s soup. But they figured that they could make a clear soup and their customers like it. America is a melting pot, remember?

Happy hour prices are a bit cheaper than the regular prices but not by much.

I’ll continue my search. Recently, I went to Table Talk, a local diner in Alexandria. It was really old school. But not a hole in the wall.

Farmers’ Markets

M's Adventures

My plan was to visit all the farmers markets in the greater DC area. But there are too many of them. Most are now under one collective, freshfarm.org. If you want to find a Fresh Farm market near you, then check out their handy calendar.

Old Town Alexandria market is in the main square of Old Town.

Alexandria Old Town Farmers Market: is the oldest continuously running farmers market in America from 1753 (which is before America was a country). It is every Saturday morning, 7-12noon, all year round, rain, snow, sun, and wind.

Alexandria North: is an independent market on Thursday afternoons and Sunday mornings.

Georgetown: is only June-October on Saturday mornings.

Dupont Circle market

Dupont Circle: is all year. Part of Farm Fresh. It is on Sunday mornings and includes many restaurant stalls and non-food stalls.

Bethesda: apparently this one is one of the few that has remained independent. It is on Sunday mornings. Apparently they also have a women farmers market on certain days as well.

Dupont Circle

Swag and Merch for M’s Adventures

M's Adventures
Screenshot from the video.

Once in a while I get creative about swag, or “merch” as it’s called these days because everyone is selling t-shirts advertising their YouTube channels. I have done this in the past and made mugs, pens, mouse pads, t-shirts, notebooks, magnets, and whatever I could easily put a logo and design on. But, now, it’s for real. Maybe I will start selling “merch”? If you want to watch the video featuring the the new t-shirt, click here.

Front of the t-shirt at a beer tasting.

The easiest was making a t-shirt.

But I also wanted to make a dining scarf (instead of wearing a bib).

Two types of scarves.

I made all these designs on Canva. I’ve been unleashed on Canva and it is a joy. Compared to the days when one could not afford Photoshop or InDesign, now, it’s free or inexpensive. All these sites (Capcut, Canva, etc.) also make plain old business cards too.

Good old fashioned business cards.

10 Things to Do in DC When You Have Done Everything Else

M's Adventures

When you have seen everything else you need to see in DC as a tourist, try these things (or look at my list of walks):

Listen to the Drum Circle at Meridian Park, Sundays at 3 pm. It’s free and loud.

Visit the Library of Congress. Free but timed tickets required.

The Capital Wheel at the National Harbor.

Go to the National Harbor and the National Wharf. Free areas with restaurants and outdoor activities.

Visit the oldest farmers market in the USA in Alexandria. George Washington sold stuff at this market… Free, only on only Saturday mornings 7-12 noon.

Shop at Eastern Market. On the weekends, there are also outdoor stalls with art, fresh vegetables, etc. The market is over 130 years old. Free and on capital hill.

Take a water taxi from Georgetown to Old Town Alexandria or Mount Vernon or to the National Harbor. It’s a cheap way to get a boat cruise.

Go on a wine tour. There is one right in DC and there are many about an hour or two from DC. Read about all these great places from this Washingtonian article.

Harpers Ferry is one of my favorite day trip destinations from DC. Go for a hike up the other side but make sure to learn some history in the town. Free.

Hike or drive in the Shenandoah. You might go there to visit the famous cavern, but driving along Skyline Drive is fantastic too. Or stop for a hike. Fee for entering the park. Or buy a year pass.

Take the train to Frederiksburg, Richmond, Baltimore, or Annapolis. All within a two hour train ride.

Watch a comic or movie at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse (this is a historic, if tired, art nouveau building from 80 years ago). Price of tickets, but you will likely not see other tourists here.

Take a paint and sip art class. See this list. Or a cooking class or some other class. Check out this site for more info.

Go to a Korean spa like Spa World or King Spa, or go to a hammam. Scrub yourself away to another world.

Good Things About Living in Washington, DC

M's Adventures

As I did in Dhaka, Bogota, Lima, and Rome, I will write a couple of articles about the good and not so good things about living in the Washington, DC, area. First, some of the good things.

Free drinking water. You can drink the tap water.

High speed internet.

International cuisine. I will write more about this later, but in the DC area, one can get good Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Salvadoran, Japanese… you get the idea.

International people. Many embassies are located here.

Public transportation. Between the train, bus, and light rail, you can get many places for 3-10 dollars.

Availability of things – Amazon is sometimes delivered the next day or faster, and some shops are open 24-7.

Free museums, free concerts, free meetings, and free libraries. The Smithsonian is a collection of 21 museums and almost all (I think only the one in New York charges an entrance fee) are free to enter.

National Airport (DCA). Having an airport on a metro line and within a mile of DC is gold. Dulles is also on the metro but 25 miles away.

People like dogs. Oh, wait, that’s not just here. But I still think it’s a good thing about being here.

Often the dog treats are free.

The Not So Great Things About Living in the DMV

M's Adventures

Just as I wrote some of the positive things about life in the Washington, DC, area or DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), here are some of the not so great things about this area.

Homeless people and beggars. This is a stain on American. Quite a shock to the tourists as well.

Prices. Things are pricey.

Price of going out to eat. I am now cooking, if one can call it that, at home.

A fried egg on fried potatoes and onions. It was delicious.

Housing prices. Gawd. Half a million dollars for one bedroom apartment!

Shootings and crime. Over 200 homicides in DC this year (as of October).

Preservatives in the food. Read the label. It is a bit scary.

Skunk smoke. Both DC and Maryland (or they will soon) have made it legal to consume marijuana. The stuff that smells like a skunk is low grade — so I am told. I wish they would switch to non smelly kinds.

The weather. George (Washington) did not choose this place for the weather (I think he wanted short commute). The weather is humid and hot in the summers and the winters are not spectacular. But, there is air conditioning so if I can avoid going outside from May to October…

However, I am still thankful for the overall quality of life in the DMV.

The Trick to Publishing Your Own Book

M's Adventures

Holding your own book, that you wrote, in your hands is a real treat. It is not tricky to publish it. The hardest part is writing the book. A book does not have to be 600 pages. To self-publish a book, it is better to keep it under 200 pages. Cheaper too. Once you have written your book, then you can find a place to publish it.

The self published books look just like any other book — as you can see, next to some of the marketing swag.

Even if you have no cover artwork, you can still publish your own book. Below are some of the sites you could use. I have used Lulu, Blurb, and most recently, Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing when I found that Blurb no longer publishes e-books. I wrote about self publishing twice before. I may experiment with other companies.

IngramSpark

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing

Apple — you can publish from Pages in the Apple environment.

Barnes and Noble

Dorrance — the oldest self publishing company

Bookbaby

Smashwords

Rakuten Kobo

You can read about what books I have published on my media page.

And if you want to print more than books, read this article.

Most importantly, if you want to write your own book and publish it, just do it!

How to Date An Italian

M's Adventures

One could easily fall for an Italian. They talk so sweet and call you beautiful. But, aside from it all being talk, how do people date in Rome?

In the usual way. They meet at bars, at social events, at sporting events, and many use technology. Bumble, OkCupid, Tinder, Grinder, Facebook, Instagram, Meet, and many more. Tinder which was known for mainly hookups is now used for dating. Bumble is where the women make the first move.

In person and online, it dating is still a visual affair. Once someone sees someone that they like (a nice smile, and not too many sunglass photos — no duck face!), then they ask for “a coffee.”

I heard that people are quickly moving offline and to the “coffee” so they can see if there is any chemistry at all, quickly.

Really famous coffee bar in Trastevere.

There is the stereotype of the Latin lover and for some that is true. I met an woman who, twenty years ago, moved to Italy to find a man. She did within three weeks. She found a friend who let her sleep on her floor while she set herself up in Rome. I guess she got tired of sleeping on the floor.