List of the most awesome weekend
- driving singing in the car very loudly (Neil singing wrong words)
- having the excitement of a surprise and not knowing where we are heading
- arriving in the most beautiful place
- amazing view, smell of thatch
- cote de'or choc on the pillows
- lamb shank at dinner with wine and good conversation
- beautiful animals all over, cheetahs that look placid but probably want to eat you
- cold nights and crisp air (attempting to find someone to remove spider)
- laughing non stop, smiling non stop, eating non stop
- looking up and seeing the milky way
- game drives, poncho's to keep to warm, sundowners
- omelette (most amazing ever)
- animals, reptiles, facts
- walking around the beautiful scenery
- big fire with big couch, sleepy, dreamy, cosy
- driving up the coast, secret spots, walking through bush
- sea, sand rocks
- almonds, sun
- canola fields, jumping for joy
- singing 80's and 90's tunes in the car
- stopping for coffee, multitasking
- smiling and feeling at ease
Sigh, I really do have a ridiculously romantic boyfriend. After much debate (starting months ago) about where we should go for a weekend away together, and sifting through numerous sites and online guides, he informed me the search was over! He found and place, and no he was not telling me where because it was a surprise! (swoon) So after a long wait and having to be very patient, which is not my strong point, we finally set off on our journey on Friday afternoon.
Driving up the Garden route at this time of the year means gorgeous canola fields brimming with gorgeous bright yellow flowers, lush rain drenched country side and animals roaming at ease. The surprise lasted right up until we turned into a slice of heaven, Garden Route Game lodge. To say it is beautiful is an understatement (my pictures dont do it justice, please see the site. OMW)
My only memory of a game drive is when I was about 8 years old in Sun City and I was more concerned with eating smarties and having a lesson in how to get the coating off by my mother than I was with any animals. So this was ideal, since its been something I have wanted to do. On top of the ridiculously good service and insanely amazing location, came a beautiful room with the biggest queen sized bed, blissful shower, comfort and a spider (which in the end I got over). It was perfect in every possible way. Starting with a gorgeous roaring fire in the main dining area, romantic tables, and a hearty buffet, we headed back to our room for a good nights rest before an early morning game drive.
The first drive started before 7am. After piling on the layers of clothing, watching the sunrise from the deck we headed out. And how lucky we were! First up were the two cheetahs. That morning they had killed one of the ostriches and pulled it into the bushes. It was fascinating to watch the two feed. The entire drive was amazing. Watching the sun-kissed valley with its gorgeous animals and setting with incredible views of the mountain and wild. You really feel like you are far away from everything. After our drive we dived in the breakfast buffet which is too delicious. next up cheetah sanctuary! ( see below post) The guides were all so passionate and informative that you cant help but ask questions and get involved! After some exploring and view admiring, we spent the afternoon reading and relaxing. Evening time we met at the bar for sundowners and wrapped up warmly for the evening drive. This time we got to see the Rhinos (including baby rhino Oliver) and also spent time discussing poaching (currently a massive problem and a disgrace on mankind). The guides have an unbelievable eye for the animals and spot them long before we do. We had the chance to see a giraffe parked off in the middle of one of the paths (apparently they don't sit down often) along with some hungry looking female lions and some very placid and pregnant zebras.
Again we indulged in a dinner feast and ate to our heart's content. Beautiful sunsets, amazing company and the bliss of been away was beyond satisfying. Fresh air, the person you love and the gorgeous surroundings are enough to put any person in a calm state of mind. Not to mention so grateful for the opportunity to see animals that man has endangered and to see people trying to stop this from happening and who have a real passion and concern for our wildlife! Sunday saw us devouring our last breakfast of the weekend and silently wishing we didn't have to leave and return to the city. Next stop was the reptile park, some scary looking snakes and some crocodiles that looked lazy (which I am sure they are not) and then a farewell to the little huts scattered on the hill, the friendly staff and the stillness. We stopped along the coast and the contrast between two place so close together is astounding. We truly live in such a beautiful, serene part of the world with everything only a few hours away with so much to offer. It's worth every second to be out in nature and reassess what you have in life and how much you should live everyday with passion, joy, love, happiness and gratitude.
(so many photos of so many animals, this is just a few pics from the trip)
By: Saturday Girl Sa
Please check out Garden Route Game Lodge
http://www.grgamelodge.co.za/
Garden Route Game Lodge Has the most amazing wildlife! After our morning game drive we went to the cheetah sanctuary. Words cannot describe how truly beautiful these animals are. Although they are behind fences they have a vast amount of space to roam and this particular day the two brother cubs (who have formed an incredible bond and will maintain it when they are realised into the game park) decided to put on a little show for us. The two youngsters came and sat right at the fence where we stood and started to clean and play with each other. They really look like gorgeous cats, but they are super wild, super powerful and super interest in the children roaming around! (easy pray) The facts and information on these incredible creatures is fascinating and I couldn't help snapping away with my camera. I feel incredibly lucky to have seen them like this and so playful. The very brave tour guide even popped into the enclosure so he could demonstrate that they are wild cats and not fans of humans. eeeek
I don't want to give away to much in this post because I think the actual site is awesome and you should follow the links and check it out. But I will say I am super in love with these sunnies. Firstly they are local and yes, local is awesome! Secondly, below is a Q&A I did with Hout Coutures Craig Cameron-Mackintosh! Enjoy the info and please check out the links at the end of the interview!
Tell us about yourself?
I am one of the founders of Hout Couture. I love to get involved in all things creative - oil painting, photography, writing and film-making. I recently graduated from AFDA in Directing and Scriptwriting and I'm loving this new avenue of mixing fashion and design with business and money making. There are four other members of this young brand from all kinds of different backgrounds. Juliet is a Silwood trained chef, Brandon is a former UCT accounting student, Chris did Marketing at AAA and Aisling studied Television in Southhampton, England.
How did Hout couture come about?
The five members of our team are currently doing a postgrad in entrepreneurship at UCT. As part of the action-learning part of the course, we had to start a company and then design, manufacture and sell a fashion accessory. The brief for our products specified that it had to be unique to South Africa, eco-freindly and aimed at the student market. Hout Couture came about in response to this brief - we wanted to create a brand with a high-fashion feel and local flavour.
How long have you been working on this project?
The project has been developing since February this year. The business needs to 'close down' at the end of October for the purposes of our course, but we plan on continuing with the company after that as it has shown a lot of potential for the future.
What materials do you use?
For our current range of sunglasses we are using bamboo but our aim is to explore other types of sustainable materials and other woods. Our lenses are polarized but unfortunately they had to be imported. We make up for this 'carbon footprint' by planting a tree for every pair sold through Eco-Schools projects.
Where do you see the brand going?
We see huge potential in the brand. Sunglasses are just the start but we would love to introduce other ranges of accessories made from wood. We are also constantly improving the design of our sunglasses and hope to launch a more refined, high-end range in various different styles very soon.
What is your dream for the brand?
Collaborating with local fashion designers and accessorizing their models down the runway at Fashion Week would be a great start. After that it would be exciting to launch our little South African brand to the rest of the world.
Why Sunglasses?
A pair of wayfarer sunglasses is something that can be worn by men or women, with any outfit throughout the year. Since we didn't have much time or money to launch this brand, we thought that keeping it simple to start would be best. Plus, the combination of Cape Town being such a sunny and fashionable city made the decision easier.
Favourite pair of sunglasses that you own?
My Hout Couture bamboo wayfarers of course.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I was working in Europe last year and was walking through the 'designer shopping alley' of Naples in Italy. In between all the big Italian names like Armani and Prada was a tiny little sunglasses store where an old man called me in to have a look. He showed me a handmade pair of wooden spectacles. If I had needed to wear spectacles I would've bought those ones because they were beautiful. The idea stuck with me and I thought wooden sunglasses would go down well in South Africa. Since then I've discovered American brands that are also creating wooden sunglasses, but I guess it's always good to have a bit of competition to keep us innovating.
Favourite sunglasses designer?
I love classic and understated Ferragmao designs but I own a pair of plain black D&Gs that look great on everyone who wears them.
How did you come up with the name of your brand?
Our name kind of came up by mistake. Our group had been discussing the direction we thought our sunglasses brand should go and Aisling mentioned something about 'Haute Couture', which I misheard as 'Hout Couture.' I thought it was a brilliant name for our concept as it ties in the wood and the fashion aspects and gives it a unique South African twist.
Interview By: Natalie Leicher (Saturday Girl Sa)
Thank you to Craig for answering the questions and Pierre for the incredibly cool pictures
Ok let me explain. my whole life I have wanted this kitsch vibe of having a couple of flamingo status in hot pink dotted around the garden. When I have a garden one day, (living in a flat means limited room) I am hoping to have a little collection of these, hey maybe even some real ones! Madness for the day is complete. As you were.
This past public holiday was spent up the coast. I cant say where exactly as it was a surf mission and its all hush hush with the surf spots etc etc get the point :) But never the less, it was worth waking up at 4am for a beautiful drive. watching my bf surf, seeing the sunrise and a whale playing close to the shore. In amongst all of the surf talk and watching the boys brave the freezing cold water, we found the most perfect untouched beach. I didn't take pictures of it because it was so perfect and blissful.
Its too beautiful and since going I have dreamt about it. Its my new favourite place. The day all in all was a huge success and there is truly nothing better than been around awesome people, on the beach and just taking it all in. It really was a peaceful day and the chance to stop, switch of and really just enjoy.
(Pic of Lisa and puppy.)