Bridget McNulty

A lovely place to live.

// August 23rd, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Cape Town, Decisions, Time, travelling

While I am and always will be a Durban girl at heart, I have to say that Cape Town is a lovely place to live. It’s such an easy city to live in – we have an independent cinema on our doorstep, bakeries on practically every corner, and you can walk around town. I absolutely love being able to walk around town, it reminds me of my days in good ol’ Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when I was a college student and spent hours wandering around the city…

Nowadays, of course, I am a Career Gal (believe it or not!) and I have to occassionally go on Business Trips to Big Cities. I was in Joburg for most of last week, a city I do not love (sorry to all those who live there, but it’s true…) Everyone is in such a hurry, there’s so much going on all the time, and I always feel tiiiired when I’m in the city.

I was there, oddly enough, to interview farmers for work (so that I can make videos of them for the website), so I got to meet a cucumber farmer, a strawberry farmer, a roasted seed producer and a man who sells grow-your-own-tree kits! More on that later… Nevertheless, it was still Joburg, with traffic and long distances to drive and altitude.

So I was very happy to return to Cape Town yesterday. Even happier when I discovered the MyCITI shuttle! It’s like overseas! Only here! A clean, spacious bus that arrived at the airport right on schedule and took me into town for only R50. What a pleasure! My only concern is that unless we all start using it more, it might stop running (there were only two of us on the bus yesterday). I think for solo travellers an airport shuttle makes so much sense – it’s kinder to the environment, kinder to your family and friends, and much much quicker than getting a ride. And it’s totally guilt free… What a pleasure!

Check out the schedule here, and tell all your friends. One more reason why Cape Town is a lovely place to live, hmm?

Photo: eguidetravel

One wonderful weekend…

// August 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Cape Town, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Nature, food

This past weekend was one of those weekends that will stick in my memory for a long time to come… My man and I went away with five other friends to a tiny little town called Prince Albert in the Karoo. It was a four hour drive (a stunning four hour drive, through some really majestic scenery) to get to the little town, and we arrived on Friday just in time for dinner. I fell in love then, even in the dark, mainly because there were succulents everywhere. Everywhere! Excitement overload.

The next day I fell in love even more. The whole town is centered around a main street, which has lots of the expected restaurants and guesthouses, but also has a Saturday market run by Afrikaans tannies and ooms (aunts and uncles, for those not from SA). They were selling pancakes for R3 each, big slices of homemade cake for R5, pots of tea for R3 and homemade roosterbrood for R8. It was like being in the land that time forgot…

Before the Saturday market, I’d gone for a long walk into the surrounding orchards and then out into the veld. It’s extraordinary how vast the Karoo sky is – like a completely different country, with a 360 sweep of sky. Incredible.

The weekend was spent strolling around, stealing succulents (see above), sitting in the sunshine eating delicious food, visiting the dairy (yes! A dairy!) to sample the homemade cheese (yum!), and playing a particularly fun game called Post-It (our name) where you think of a famous character, write it on a Post It and then stick it to someone’s forehead. Then they have to guess who it is in 20 questions, while dealing with the humiliation of sitting in front of everyone with a blue Post It on your forehead. Ha! Hilarious. Until it’s your turn…

The highlight of the weekend was our ghost tour – dinner combo. Prince Albert is a  town rich in history (and ghosts) and we went on a ghost walk around the town with a fascinating storyteller (dressed in a long black coat) who told us all the local tales… Creepy! We then went to African Relish for a superb dinner – bacon and spinach fritters (wow), Karoo lamb stuffed with roasted celery and pecans with the most amazing polenta I’ve ever tasted, and hands-down the best milk tart in the world. The dinner was long and full of laughter and I can’t wait to go back.

Oh! And how could I forget! That afternoon we’d visited African Relish (which is also a cooking school, and is co-owned by our friend’s father) and I tasted jamon for the first time! Jamon! The real deal! Made in South Africa using all the Spanish techniques! It was extraordinary.

So, all in all, a pretty wonderful weekend. We stayed in the most amazing cottage (see below), we ate some truly special food, and we spent good time with friends, laughing. What more could you ask for?

Photos courtesy of the extremely talented Mark Peddle: www.markpeddle.com

Day 7: Thank you gift

// July 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // 29 Gifts, Inspiration, Love, food, travelling

My man and I have had such a wonder-full time in Knysna… We arrived worn out, frazzled and in need of some quality down time. We’re leaving rested, relaxed, full to the brim of oysters and champagne, and having had a really lovely holiday.

The reason for that is one woman: Jeannine Orzechowski, the lovely PR who made our stay so great. She pulled out all the stops – a sunset cruise, a massage, whisky and wine tastings, an oyster bed cruise around the lagoon… Really, it’s been one pleasure after another.

So to say a (small) thank you, we bought her a gift. Because I think a lot of the time if being nice to people is your job, you don’t get the thanks you deserve. And isn’t it lovely to say thank you once in a while?

Spreading the bloggy love

// June 26th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // 29 Gifts, Blogs, Cape Town, travelling

Another reason I’ve been so quiet on the bloggy front lately (aside from, oh, I don’t know, one of the greatest sporting tournaments EVER being held in my country) is that I’m spreading my bloggy wings.

You’ll now find me, once a week, over at Travelstart Street, writing about a few of my favourite things (because blogging is one of those favourites, don’t you know). And remember Just the Planet? The lovely folks who made sure my man and I didn’t sleep in airports while we were travelling all over the world? I’ll be blogging from there, too, about Cape Town and travel and some beyootiful places to spend the night.

So head on over to Travelstart Street – http://www.travelstart.com/street/
And the Just the Planet blog – http://blog.justtheplanet.com/
if you’re in the mood for something a little different.

Never fear, though, with my birthday fast approaching (one week today wooohoooo!) I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and unknotting a couple of thoughts I’d like to chat to you about… For now, though, I have a stew bubbling on the stove, a man in need of one big hug (he doesn’t know it yet, but he needs it) and another soccer game to watch!

Have you been following the World Cup at all? Or is it just me who feels as if life now revolves around the results of two teams of strangers trying to shoot a ball into a net?

The simple things in life.

// April 5th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Love

I haven’t been talking much about our incredible six months of travelling, not because I don’t want to share stories about it, but because it actually feels like a long time ago… And then every so often I’ll remember something and think, “No way! That was only 3 months ago.” Or less – we’ve only been home for 6 weeks. I suppose it’s the kind of thing where stories will leak out of me slowly.

There is one moment I distinctly remember, though:
We were on top of this mountains in Java, Indonesia, staying at a charming little place where the whole village focuses on a 3am wake-up call to jeep up to this lookout point and watch the sun rise over the Gunung Bromo volcano. Incredible stuff. Once the sun is up, you walk across the field of ash surrounding the volcano, and up to the rim, where you can look into its sulfurous heart. It was a completely extraordinary morning.

But I remember that afternoon, sitting in the garden of this hotel in Java, listening to the village going about its business, breathing in the crisp air scented with woodsmoke, and thinking, “There is just as much beauty in the simple things in life.” We were nearing the end of our fourth month of travelling, and I had an acute sense of how wonderful it would be to drink a cup of tea (a real cup of tea!) slowly on the verandah of my own home. To prepare a really delicious meal for the two of us to eat. To spend time with my family. To watch my niece playing. To talk about everything and nothing to my mom on the phone without having to worry about the cost of the call.

And now that we are home, I’m happy to say that I still think these are wonderful things.
We just had a four day weekend, and I spent it eating with family and friends. Pretty much the whole weekend. Just eating. On Friday we had my man’s parents and grandpa over for tea and cake; Saturday we went for a beach picnic with friends in the morning, and a braai with other friends in the afternoon; Sunday we had a long, lazy lunch with my brothers and their lovely ladies; and today we went to the incredible Strandloper seafood restaurant with my brothers and a whole heap of friends (seven courses of seafood dished up on the beach… Wow.)

I suppose it’s also a novelty because I now have two brothers living in Cape Town (how lovely!) so I’m able to spend real family time without having to fly home to Durban (although I’ll still want to do that to see my other brother and my parents). Maybe it’s just the glow of having returned home so recently. But I think it’s as simple as this:

Life offers us a bouquet of moments that we can either appreciate or let slip through our fingers. They don’t last – most bouquets don’t – but if we can taste them fully as they are happening, I think that’s as whole and rich and wonderful a life as we can hope for.

What do you think?

Photo: Praziquantel

Home!!

// February 11th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Cape Town, Life (and the living of it)

What a pleasure.

We arrived home late yesterday afternoon, and I’m jetlagged and exhausted and so deeply happy to be back in South Africa.

I’ll be blogging regularly again, now that life has returned to semi-normal (still homeless till the beginning of next month, and interviewing for jobs in the next couple of weeks – I’ll keep you posted!)

Mostly, though, just happy. Happy to be home. Happy to not have to live out of a suitcase for much longer. Happy to see family and friends.

*Sigh!*

The Travelling Life

// October 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // Life (and the living of it), travelling

You know, I was pretty sure I was going to get sick of traveling. That might be a foolish thing to be sure of when you’re on a nine month journey, but I’ve always been such a homebody that I thought the allure would wear off. I was wrong.

So far, so good. We’re 6 weeks in and going strong, with not a hint of travel weariness or being sick of living out of a suitcase or being in a different bed every second night. Both Mark and I have become champions at sleeping in strange beds (hard, soft, long, short, small, massive, pillowy, bricklike) and apart from the odd sleepless night, we appear to be doing well. It’s not only about the beds, though (obviously). It’s about the whole malarkey – the finding out how to get from one place to another, finding a place to stay when you get there, making sure it’s the right kind of place (and within your budget), finding somewhere to eat, taking in the sights, and sometimes, every so often, finding a spot to chill out. I think if we were hardcore tourists, it would be completely exhausting. But we are, for the most part, quite laidback when it comes to traveling.

We’re doing it for such a long time, you see. And I think this is what I’ve learnt, so far: that traveling is a lot like real life. You have days that are hard work and admin, days that you have piles of paperwork to plough through (especially when you’re documenting it as thoroughly as we are!), days when you don’t feel so good and you just want to take it easy, and days when you really just need to chill. The beauty of traveling, as opposed to real life (apart from seeing amazing things and experiencing new cultures, of course) is that it’s easier to be good to yourself. There’s no point in pushing through, no reward from a boss at the end of the road if you get all stressed out and work yourself into the ground. And I think that’s what I’m really enjoying about it… The immediacy. It is all about right here right now. What do you want to do today? How do you feel? What do you hope to get out of the day? Okay, let’s work with that.

It’s something I hope to carry home with me, along with my already-battered suitcase and my taste for lime and black pepper (which I picked up fairly recently, in Cambodia!)

If you’re looking for more up-to-the-minute updates about our travels, videos, photos and video blogs, visit us at Sweet Life – www.justtheplanet.com/sweet-life

In the meantime, aren’t you tempted to take a travel day? A day where you do what you feel like doing, right here, right now?

And we’re off!

// September 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Life (and the living of it), travelling

For reals.

We leave this afternoon.

Our bags are packed, our tickets are confirmed, we’re outta here!
I can’t quite believe it…

For regular updates, check out our Sweet Life blog, and to find out exactly what we’re up to, you can watch this little video we made:

http://bit.ly/3YGoog

I’ll still be popping back here, though, so come and visit!

Byeeee….

Finished.

// August 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // Life (and the living of it), travelling

I’m finished. Exhausted, yes, and done with packing, yes (nearly), and done with goodbyes, yes.

We move out tomorrow, and then spend three heavenly no-packing-up, no-million-things-to-do days at my brother’s, so I’ll have time to spend with the baby (my neice), which makes me very happy! And time to unwind a little, and catch my breath. I feel as if I’m extremely tightly strung at the moment. I had forgotten how stressful moving was!
Now combine moving with trying to plan 9 months on the road… Yikes.

I also just wanted to say, in this brief moment of respite in between boxes, that I’ll still be popping in here now and again, but that my main bloggy emphasis will be over at Sweet Life (once again, for those who haven’t been paying attention! www.justtheplanet.com/sweet-life)

It’s such an integral part of our journey, the personal perspective, that I don’t want to dilute it by writing on two blogs at once and splitting myself in two. That said, sometimes I’ll think of something particularly suited to this blog (I’m sure) and I’ll write here too – so don’t stop visiting, please.

It’s funny, throughout all this extremely busy, frantic, preparation time I’ve felt stressed at the amount of work to do, but by no means stressed about the upcoming journey. I’m ready for it. It’s such a lovely feeling…

I hope you’ll come follow us and join in the journey!

On the same page.

// August 19th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Blogs, Cape Town, Inspiration

What’s interesting about the Mystery Company that I’m so in love with is that I’ve actually been in love with them for quite some time…
Since about March this year, in fact.

The love affair started when I needed to buy a ticket to NYC for my US book release, and the best fare I could find anywhere was R10 000 return (ouch), until I logged onto Mystery Company’s website and found the same trip for R7000 return – including taxes! That’s one of the things I love about Mystery Company – they don’t pretend to be cheap and then whack on huge taxes at the end, they’re all inclusive.

Another thing I love is that their website is really, really easy to use, and easy to check different details on – want to fly another day? No problem. Want to try a different city? Sure thing.

But the thing I love most about Mystery Company is that they’re human. They have all the convenience of an online company, but you can dial a number and speak to a real live human being without any trouble. And I think that’s pretty special in these days of automated answers.

All in all, you can see why I fell in love with Mystery Company, can’t you?
And then we sent through a proposal to them, to see if they’d be interested in sponsoring our flights for our just-around-the-corner Travelling the World with Diabetes journey, and they were interested! And are sponsoring us! Because we’re on the same page. They understand that sponsoring a cause they believe in will help them out down the line.

And that’s really why I love Mystery Company. Because it’s not too often you find people who are on the same page as you, people who speak your language. I am so excited to be working with them for the next 9 months!

PS: Want to know who Mystery Company is? Check out their fascinating, travel-and-life-related blog at  http://blog.travelstart.co.za/ and their website at  http://www.travelstart.co.za/
Next month they’re celebrating their 10th birthday with some crazy competitions – I’ll keep you in the loop!