1000 views!

1000 views in a bit more than a month! And this is my 70th blog post. 🙂 I am so excited and grateful about this. Thank you to everyone who read my blog and who is part of the journey!

I hope you will visit Africa often.

Tomorrow is the start of my series of 31 reasons why I love South Africa. Please join me on this journey of discovery.

For more information about the series please click here.

A giraffe in my heart!

 I took these pictures of a giraffe a few years ago in Namibia (hence the date stamp and blurryness lol) When I looked for something else in my pictures folder I saw these and missed my dear sister in law even more. (I miss my brother also a teeny weeny bit 😉 ). She is American and visited South Africa and just fell in love with giraffes. So whenever we saw one everyone got excited and she took pictures. So this post is for Hawie and Lindsay- a couple of world travelers. They are in Peru at the moment starting Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu for four days.

 

Giraffes have different spots and it is just like fingerprints. An interesting fact is that their necks are too short to reach the ground that is why they have to drink water in such a funny way.

Only two days left!

 There are only two days left of September! Then 31 days of 5 minute free writes starts on 1 October.  My theme will be Why I love South Africa.

I will talk about my love for the wildlife, the food, the people, the landscape etc etc. .South Africa has so much to offer! I can’t wait to share it with you.

For a list of posts that is posted in this series please click here.

Please remember to visit  this website for more information. Please do join me on this adventure.

 

Are we there yet? Week 3 link up

I cannot drive past a sign next to the road without taking a picture! I find it very interesting and a momento of my travels.

How do I participate?

I would like to challenge you to take pictures of signposts and post it in a blog. If you don’t want to take a picture you can simply write about what a moment on the road. Where you’d like to travel to, a road that you love or maybe even about the time you went on a road trip.

1. Title the blog: Are we there yet? and add a photo of a signpost. To make it more fun please add your country and more or less where this signpost is.  If you don’t want to take a picture you can simply write about what a moment on the road. Where you’d like to travel to, a road that you love or maybe even about the time you went on a road trip.
2. Please add a link to this page in order for others also to find this page and be part of the fun.
3. If you choose you can link up here
   An InLinkz Link-up
4. Add the Are we there yet? badge to your page (If you’d like).
5. Post a link to your page in my comments box it will be appreciated. Then I can see your great post as well.
6. I will post the top 10 signposts every Sunday on my blog. Just post any signpost that you see.

Click here to see what happened the previous weeks.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog in order for you to stay informed.

 

Weekly photo Challenge: Signs

Here is my contribution for the week. For more great signs visit here or here

 

Both of these pictures were taken inKaapse Hoop, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Second month!

The second month is almost over! This blog is 2 months old. The last two months have been an exciting time of learning and sharing. I hope that you’ve enjoyed these last two months with me and that it has brightened your day to read about this amazing continent we call Africa. It has a lot of offer from great food to and amazing heritage. Writing some of my posts was a trip down memory lane and others a look at the future. Writing about Namibia made me miss it a lot. When I wrote about Johannesburg I realized again what a great city it is. Meeting new people was a highlight and I hope to meet many more.

If this is your first time here-get something to drink and relax…you are in Africa now!

Hope you enjoy your stay and please do come back 🙂

 

This post is part of SOCS please visit their page and be part of the fun!

A perspective on South Africa all the way from Singapore!

Another blogger friend, Freddy and his wife Jolene, was so kind as to agree to give his perspective on South Africa. They are from Singapore.

Enjoy!

Question: Why did you decide to come to South Africa?

Jolene: When doing research, South Africa proved to satisfy our cravings for the outdoors, nature and wildlife. We liked that there were cities to visit and national parks to retreat to, all within a short flight of one another.

Freddie: I just received a text one fine day from Jolene to tell me that we are going to Africa and it’ll be fully paid for by her. Well, I got to admit that I was hesitant at first but there really wasn’t much of a reason to say No to a free trip! 

Question: Did you do any research online about South Africa and what where your challenges? What information was hard to find?

Jolene: Yes, we did extensive research about safety, currency, tourist attractions and activities. Most information was readily available online and through blog posts by individuals who had travelled to South Africa previously.

Freddie: I only did a fair bit of reading at the Airport to find out more about safety and updates on the Ebola crisis. She did the rest of the research. I find it pleasant to not know what to expect because I am surprised everyday! I did however, try to do some reading on recommended places to go to on our next trip to South Africa and most of the sites that were fine when I visited them in SA didn’t seem to be accessible here.

Question: What places did you visit in South Africa?

Jolene: Our first stop was the Kruger National Park, subsequently we flew into Livingstone, Zambia and ended off in Cape Town.

Question What was a highlight on your trip?

Jolene: It’s difficult to pinpoint one highlight, I would say highlights of our trip were having sun-downers by the Crocodile River in the Kruger National Park, swimming in the Devil’s Pool atop the Victoria Falls in Zambia and ascending Cape Point in Cape Town.

Freddie: Yeah I agree with her. There’s a highlight everyday when we were in South Africa! Spotting Cheetahs eating their hunt, seeing White Lions, feeling small at the top of Table Mountain, watching the Whales check us out and so many more! We are truly blessed to be able to visit South Africa.

Question: What was a disappointment?

Jolene: Having to leave was a major disappointment!!

Freddie: She got that right! Having to deal with withdrawal symptoms after being back from South Africa is hard!

Question: How would you describe the food in South Africa?

Jolene: Absolutely fantastic! I like how meals are well-balanced; 1 starch, 1 meat and fibre for every meal. Fruits were sweet and the greens were so fresh.

Freddie: Like we said in many of our meals “These Chefs can make no mistake!”.

Question: Was it easy to exchange foreign currency?

Jolene: We changed our Singapore Dollar to South African Rand in Singapore and it was hassle free.

Freddie: It is not commonly traded as we thought it to be but it wasn’t too much of a hassle. We managed to buy the currency in our Business District where there is a good concentration of Money Changers.

Question: Name 5 places in South Africa that you would recommend visitors to South Africa should see.

Jolene: The Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls, Table Mountain, Cape Point and Stellenbosch!

Freddie: I will add Woolworths for the godly pies they have and Two Oceans Restaurant to the list. Hahaha!

Question: Any advice to future visitors to South Africa?

Jolene: Start saving because now it will not be your last trip to Africa! Every corner of Africa is magnificently beautiful and breathtaking. We are already planning a trip back in 2015!

Freddie: Disconnect yourself from the rest of the world for as long as you can. Leave your phones on Airplane mode, spend minimal time on the Internet and enjoy the natural beauty of South Africa. Good time to find yourself so make the best out of it!

I want to thank Freddie and Jolene again for sharing their experiences with us. You can find his blog here. It is worth a visit.

To read more Tips  when visiting South Africa please click on the picture:

Because He cares..

Africa is a beautiful continent. There is an abundance of wildlife. The animals and landscape echoes that there is a Creator. If you look up at the sky at night you must wonder in awe who created this?

Another harsh reality is that Africa is full of wars and strife. Because our Creator cares for us He sustains us. He gave us the Bible full of references to plants and animals (and the stars) that we can just look around us to be reminded of Him.

Because He cares He sent His only Son so that we can live forever in His presence.

I have linked up with the global Five Minute Friday Community, bloggers join together to write freely on one prompt for Five Minutes.  

Who am I and why am I here?

Let me introduce myself. My name is Amanda Calitz and I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. I am a teacher and I love my job. I live in Johannesburg, South Africa.

I’ve decided to write this blog because I LOVE traveling and meeting new people. The aim of my blog is to introduce others to the beautiful continent that I live on.

Welcome and make yourself comfortable. It there is anything that you’d like to ask please do.

What my friend from India thinks about South Africa

A new blogger friend of mine, Vasantha Vivek,  gave me her opinion on her experiences when visiting South Africa. She is from India. Please visit her blog you can find it here.

 I hope you enjoy reading her viewpoints.

Question: Why did you decide to come to South Africa?

Answer: To spend the vacation with my hubby, to enjoy the beauty of nature, to have exciting & adventurous trips. 

Question: Did you do any research online about South Africa and what where your challenges? What information was hard to find?

Answer: No, we had collected quite useful information from our friends there and from Internet also.

Question: What places did you visit in South Africa? Aggeneysm Springbok, Cape Town, Johannesburg. Durban, Kimberely …

Question What was a highlight on your trip?

Enjoying wild nature, Zapped by the love of south Africans, Cruise Ride, Helicopter Ride, Visiting Lion’s Park and the list continues …

Question: What was a disappointment? Not so much choices for Veggies in the restaurants

Question: How would you describe the food in South Africa? Mild and tasty …

Question: Was is easy to exchange foreign currency?Yes, no problem

Question: Name 5 places in South Africa that you would recommend visitors to South Africa should see.

Table mountain, Cape Town, Kalagadi National Park, Lions Park & Crocodile Park, Johannesburg, Big Hole, Kimberely, Cape of Good Hope.

Question: Any advice to future visitors to South Africa? Enjoy the nature to the fullest …  But have the safety measures.

I want to thank Vasantha again for her time and effort in answering these questions.

For more tips when visiting South Africa please click here.