Christmas in Cape Town

We spent our Xmas 2005 with our family in Cape Town - our first Xmas with them in 6 years. Very special it was. Some our our Cape Town highlights were:

• Xmas day with the Botings and Mum and Mike and Russel , jumping on the trampoline, watching mum run throught the sprinklers!
• The reunion of the Hoar family - and especially watching Ally's granny meet her new grandchild for the first time.
• Walking with Mike at Kirstenbosch - and being amazed at his ability to power up the mountain
• Family trip to Seal Island
• Sally's 21st birthday
• Weekend with mum and Mike in Mekanos
• Watching Sammy in her Nativity Play
• Watching the sunset at Langebaan beach with Nicky and Shirly and the family
• Geocaching in Stellenbosch with Russel
• The fantastic Wit Els Hike with Mike and Russel and co
• Walking in HoutBay with Russel
• Sharing Anthony's 37th birthday
• Leaping at Paarl Rock
• Berry Xmas at Robyn's
• Being a very naughty Santa at the Hard Core Hiking Club
• Spending time with the Saunders at Pringle Bay

Croatia

I'll never forgot my shock of looking outside our hotel room and seeing a naked couple walking past. And two minutes later, another. Turns out our balcony was situated on a nudist beach. Turns out there are more nude beaches in Croatia than normal ones. Wouldn't be a pity if they attracted the toned and the beautiful, but it seems to work the opposite way. Mountains of wobbly flesh proubly put on display...

I got to try a bit of nude tanning myself but forgot to put sun tan on my flanks (too busy protecting other obvious bits) and got horribly burt. Dubrovnik was beautiful and we were there right in the middle of a large festival so got to see it at it's most festive.

 

.

Holiday to Barbados

Highlights

• Reading the "Conversations with God" books by Neale Donald Walsch
• Swimming with turtles
• Swimming in the sea and lovely pool
• All you can eat and drink
• Feeling very relaxed
• Feeling very in love with Ally

.

Holiday to Paradise Island, Mozambique

.Summary

• An idyllic week spent living in a delapidated hotel that used to be very fancy before the civil war.  There were plans to do up the hotel in the future to reclaim it's past glory - but in the meantime they allowed us "backpacker" types to stay there for a low fee.  It was rustic to say the least, but great fun and the beach and reef were gloriously unspoiled after such a long time without tourists.

Highlights

• Lazing on the beach
• Snorkeling in the beautiful coral reefs
• Trip to nearby Mazaruti
• The very run down hotel
• Using candles in the run down hotel room for the week, then discovering the lights were in working order
• Meeting Melanie and her sister and having lots of fun with them
• Lobster
• The tiny plane we flew in on
• Coconuts off the tree

Grahamstown Festival