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12 Things You Need To Know About Native Teacher Apartments In Korea

I just wrote a new article for Hubpages:


12 Things You Need To Know About Native Teacher Apartments In Korea


Click to follow the link for advice, tips, and some pictures of my first Native Teacher Apartment in Korea.

Autumn Candle Holders

I saw a picture of something similar to this on Pinterest so I had to give it a go.  The picture showed the candlelight flickering through the leaves and the Autumn colours make the room feel so warm and cozy.




Step 1 - Assemble the items

 - Autumn Leaves
I looked like a crazy foreigner in the park across from my house collecting leaves... I had the dog with me and had attached him around my waist so I could have my hands free... but the Korean's definitely thought I was a lunatic!  Make sure you get a range of sizes and colours.  Turns out the smallest ones were the ones I needed most and I ran out of them way too quickly!

 - Wide Glass Jars / Glass Vases
I went to the Korean equivalent of a dollar store and chose a few different shaped glass jars and vases.  The have to be wide so you can easily get the candle in and out but the overall size is entirely up to you.

 - Glue / Mod-podge
For my Commonwealth buddies the easiest and cheapest thing to use is PVA glue which is a little watered down - about 3 parts glue to 1 part water.

For my American buddies this is basically a home recipe for Mod-Podge (which doesn't exist in Aussie-land).

If you are confused by both then basically what you are looking for is a white glue that dries clear - and a little watered down!

 - Varnish
I had a big pot of furniture varnish lying around from when I built the coffee table... (I must remember to blog that too...)  But I am pretty sure you can pick up small pots of varnish at any hardware store.  I like a gloss varnish because it gives it a nice shine - and protects the surface in a way the glue doesn't.

 - Ribbon (Optional)

 For the glass jars I used a stiff wide ribbon to tie around the top and hide the ridges where the lid would join.  I think the Jars work best for gifts because you can put the candle inside, put the lid on, and then tie the ribbon!

Step 2 - Putting it all together

First the leaves need to be pressed and dried - put them between sheets of absorbent paper in a heavy book - I just used two sheets of printer paper and a handee towel because it was all I had in the house!  Leave for a couple of days - just to be on the safe side.


Make sure the glass is nice and clean and then paint a layer of the glue directly onto the glass. Place the leaves onto the glue - if you want to overlap the leaves then glue the underside of the leaves as well.  Once they are all in position  leave to dry for a while (until the glue starts to clear) and then paint a layer of glue over the top of all the leaves.  Leave to dry overnight.


Once everything is really dry paint a layer of Varnish over the top and then leave overnight again. Once the Varnish is dry you can tie the ribbon around the top (or not if it's a vase)... and then it's finished!

Two Years in Korea: A reflection

 So...today is the anniversary of my arrival in Korea... 2 years ago!  I can't really believe that I have been here for two years now.  Time is a little bit crazy in Korea, some things seem to go really fast, and others really slow. I don't feel like it has already been two years - and yet I feel like I have been living here forever!

So much has changed in two years... I went back to read the blog I posted the day I arrived and found myself laughing a lot and thinking about all the things I didn't know then that I know now!  I have also changed a lot since then - for starters I am now married to the love of my life...who I probably never would have found if I hadn't come here!

I thought I would take this time to list a few of the top things I have learned, observed, noticed or discovered since I have been in Korea;

• Being a millionaire every month is awesome.
• Paying rent in the equivalent of $10 bills makes you feel rich.
• Spam is a major food group.
• Spam can be given as a gift on family holidays provided it's in a gift box
• older Korean women can be lovely or frightening & there is no way to tell until you interact with them.
• If you eat enough garlic you can't tell how bad everyone around you smells from eating too much garlic.
• English movies where they speak other languages suck - they only translate those sections into Korean.  (I may never know what the apes said in the new Planet of the Apes movie).

• You don't need to speak another language to make someone understand you.
• The Google translate app is legendary; as long as you only write really short sentences.

•  If you are going to drive, drive like a race-car driver, otherwise get off the road.
• Mini-skirts and hot-pants can be worn all year round - if it's cold just wear stockings underneath!
• Samsung makes everything.  If Samsung doesn't LG does.  If neither make it...it must be rubbish.

• Dokdo belongs to Korea. End of Story. Lol.
• Everything is negotiable.
• If you get married while in Korea you must immediately have babies.  If you are not married...why not? You are getting old. You must get married soon or no-one will want you.
• What do you mean it says no parking?

• What do you mean you need more notice that we were planning to have a school dinner?
• The voices over the loudspeakers on the trucks that go past are only selling fruit. DON'T PANIC!

• The F-16's that fly over your house are just practicing.  In case North Korea decides to be really naughty.
• Don't forget to turn your hot water on BEFORE you get into the shower...otherwise the water is going to take a really really really long time to warm up.
• Galbi is awesome. Soju is a bad idea.

• If you can't find it at Homeplus then you can probably live without it.
• Having fried chicken delivered to your door at 1 am is awesome.
• If it doesn't come with a freebie attached to it then it probably isn't worth buying.
• When it's really cold street food is the best.
• Socks are everywhere.

I am sure I have missed loads of things but that's the shortlist off the top of my head!  All in all I am super glad that I made the decision to move here two years ago.  I learned a lot and my life has changed a lot... and all for the better!  Looks like we are going to be here in Korea for at least another year and then who knows where after that!  In the meantime there is still plenty for us to explore... and a party to celebrate my two year anniversary this Saturday night which should be awesome!

 Last but not least I would like to add that today is doubly special because it has been 5 months since I married my darling husband.  I wanted to say thank you to him for being so wonderful and finding new ways to make me smile every single day.  Every day that I have been with you has been happier than the last my darling - I truly feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

The Korean War 1950 - 1953

Click here for Pictures-History website
for more images of the Korean Conflict.

The Korean War occurred within the context of the Cold War; a global ideological battle between Communism and Capitalism. Korea had been under the rule of the Japanese Empire since 1910 and after Japan had surrendered at the end of World War 2 Korea was divided, at the 38th Parallel, between the Soviet Union and the United States. Soviet forces occupied the Northern half of the country and U.S. forces occupied the South. The North established a Communist Government and the South established a Capitalist Government – both in keeping with the ideology of the forces occupying the land.

January 2012 Update

So, I know I have been pretty quiet on the blog front for a while, it has been a really busy few months! Excuses aside I figured it was time to give you all an update on what I have been up to!

A few months back now I finished my GEPIK contract (thankfully!) and started working at a Hagwon / Private School in Byeongjeom.  Byeongjeom is not to far from where I was in Osan so it was pretty easy to settle in.  I moved into a new apartment and I was excited to start working - it had been a bit of a rough exit from my last school with a few broken promises and some fairly average treatment - but after meeting my Hagwon directors I was fairly certain it would be different here.  The differences are fairly unbelievable, my co-teachers are lovely, helpful and super friendly.  The majority of the students really want to learn and are polite and helpful. Then, of course, there are my wonderful hours... I work from 1pm till 7:30pm Monday to Friday which means I get to sleep in every day but everything is still open when I finish.  All in all I am so glad I made the change - and many thanks to Sonya (the previous native teacher at my Hagwon) who gave me confidence in my new employers and made the hand over process so easy!

Korean Cultural Customs

Things to remember, things to do and things to avoid doing while in Korea!

Take your shoes off!
It is disrespectful to enter someone’s home with your shoes on. In Korea they sit on the floor to eat and then roll out a sleeping mat onto the floor to sleep so it is important to keep the floor clean. Many Korean’s view westerners as backwards for keeping our shoes on in the house and I have actually seen some of Korean colleagues wrinkle their noses with disgust at the thought of sitting on carpet – especially carpet we have walked on with our outdoor shoes on!
For foreigners in Korea there are three things to remember:

- Take off your shoes when entering someone’s home
- Don’t try to tell Korean’s it’s ok for them to leave their shoes on
- Keep your floor clean!

My student's are tired!

A substantial amount of research has been done into how much sleep humans need to be healthy. Sleep is crucial to our health as it is the time that allows us to rest and regenerate and gives our bodies time to deal with damage our system has sustained during the day. It has also been suggested that sleep is important because it allows us to dream and therefore lets our subconscious deal with and rationalize the events of the day. So sleep maintains or physical and psychological well-being.

Girl's Necessities

I am writing this because sometimes it can be awkward to ask your co-teacher these questions... especially if your co-teacher is male, or if you live somewhere outside of the main cities.

These are the basics that every girl needs to know...

The list below includes;

Shampoo & ConditionerDeodorant

Hair Removal Products

Birth Control

That time of the month

ToothpasteUnderwear

Fake Tan

Perfume

Make-up

Handbag's & Shoes

Things you can get here that SHOULD be made available at home

What Your Blood Type Means In Korea

Don't be surprised if you are asked what blood type you are when you are in Korea - they consider it a normal question - so normal in fact that it appears on some job application forms! If you are someone like me this question can prove to be a bit of a problem because I have absolutely no idea what blood type I am. The most interesting thing about being asked this question is that it does not, as I would have thought, have anything to do with you health or donating blood. Actually in Korea they believe that blood type dictates personality type.

Plettenberg Bay & Oudtshoorn (part 2)

Oudtshoorn (continued)

After our nice relaxing lunch we launched into the next item on our to do list: Cango Wildlife Ranch. We actually arrived at the park quite late and took the last guided tour - again to see most of the park you needed to be with a guide - though we did spend the 20 minutes we were waiting playing with the baby goats in the petting zoo area! The guide led us through the different animals; otters, hippos, a big group of lemurs, crocodiles, and then onto the big cats.

Number 99. Photograph an endangered Species (The African Wild Dog, The Mountain Zebra & The White Lion)

The African Wild Dog.

The African Wild Dog is one of South Africa's most highly endangered mammal species. It is a carnivorous hunter and requires a large territory which means it is constantly coming into contact with, and conflict with, humans.

In the wild the largest killer of these animals is the Lion, however, due to their territorial needs forcing such extensive contact with humans their numbers have rapidly declined due to poaching and traps set by farmers.

The frightening thing for me is at the time I photographed the African Wild Dog I had no idea that it was an endangered species. We called in to visit the Wolf Sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay after we had visited the Elephant Sanctuary across the road and we were wandering around snapping a few pictures of the wolves when I saw the dogs in one of the fenced off yards. They were all sleeping in the afternoon sun and appeared to be quite relaxed and happy.

My understanding is that the woman who owns the sanctuary rescues these animals. We took some pictures of them - though not many because I couldn't get a good shot through the fence and then went on our way completely unaware that this animal was so at risk.

More information can be found at:

African Wild Dogs Conservancy

The Mountain Zebra.

The Zebra belongs to the horse family, which makes sense given it's horse-like appearance, the thing that sets it apart is the distinctive black and white stripes which are as individual as a human fingerprint. Each Zebra has it's own unique pattern. There are 3 different types of Zebra, the Plains Zebra, the Grevy's Zebra, and the Mountain Zebra.

The mountain Zebra was almost hunted to extinction. In the 1950's there were estimated to be between 50,000 and 75,000 of these animals remaining, in 1998 they estimated that there were approximately 8,000 left, which places the Mountain Zebra on the endangered species list.

We photographed both the Mountain and the Plains Zebra at Sanbona Wildlife reserve. I remember our guides description of how you use the stripes to tell them apart, the stripes are closer together, and are almost continuous around the tail end of the zebra. To be blunt...Plain's Zebra have whiter bums! They have quite a large herd of Mountain Zebra at Sanbona but even the guide thought it was interesting that we saw one Mountain Zebra with a whole herd of Plain's Zebra!

More information can be found at:

Animal Diversity Web

The White Lion.

White Lions are not albino Lion's but rather a genetically unique form of the Tawny Lion.

They are only found in one area in the world, the Timbavati region, which is a region of South Africa. The unique white Lion gene is carried by the Tawny Lion and sometimes, though rarely, a white cub is born to a pride of Tawny Lions.

Since their discovery these beautiful animals have been hunted and removed from their natural habitat by humans and the last White Lion was seen in the wild in 1994.

They are now technically extinct in the wild. Perhaps the most disturbing thing is that there is still no law which protects these animals even though we have practically wiped them out and the only remaining White Lions exist in captivity. They are still not even classified as an endangered species as they are considered to be merely a subspecies of the Tawny Lion. I am including them on this page, however, as there are less than 300 White Lions left and they no longer breed or are self sustaining in the wild.

We went to Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in as a part of our trip to South Africa and this reserve has 54,000 hectares of land in which the animals roam freely. One of their mission statements is to preserve the White Lions and they boast that they have the only "free and self-sustaining" White Lions in the world. When we visited we saw evidence of this, we were told that they started with one pair, a male who had been bred in order to be shot and a female who had been kept to mate with the male and produce offspring. Sanbona took these animals and although they were unable to be freed, as they would not have been able to hunt or care for themselves, they did produce offspring. On our visit we were lucky enough to see one of the original pair's offspring with her two young cubs.

We had been out on a game drive in search of the White Rhino, which had been proving elusive all day, and we were on our way home when in the semi-darkness Karel spotted a white Lion cub sitting in the bushes just off the road.

Our guide immediately stopped the vehicle so we could look and asked us to be quiet so as not to alarm them. The cub came closer to the vehicle and then we heard the rumble of the cubs mother calling him back to the safety of the trees - it was the most incredible sound. The cub ran back into the trees but less than a minute later the first cub emerged with his sister just behind him, a little more cautious, but still curious. They came over to the vehicle, so close we could have reached out and touched them, watching us and listening to the various clicks and whirs made by our camera's as we snapped photo's. The worst possible time of day to take pictures as the sunlight was fading away quickly and I was loathe to use my flash in case we scared them away.

It felt like only a minute passed before the mother Lion also emerged from the bushes, keeping more of a distance from the vehicle, but clearly more concerned about what her cubs were doing than about the fact that we were there. She wandered away from us down the road rumbling at her cubs to follow... which they were clearly not interested in doing given that they had found something more amusing.

The cubs hesitated but eventually followed the mother off down the road and we drove on leaving them in peace and daring to breathe again. It was an amazing experience and such a stroke of luck that we got to see these beautiful creatures in as close to a wild setting as they exist now.

More information on the White Lion can be found at:

Global White Lion Protection Trust

Dubai & Business Class on the A380

We landed in Dubai at about 2am and were shocked and slightly horrified to discover that it was still 37 degrees Celsius. We walked across the tarmac to a little bus which then took us to the terminal.

We had to collect my friends visa for the stopover, our travel agent hadn't been particularly helpful with this so we weren't 100% sure where to go or what to do, but it was an Emirates stop-over package so we figured that we would work it out somehow. Things are very complicated when you are travelling with a South African... As an Australian citizen I never realised how lucky I was to just be able to get on a plane, and have my tourist visa stamped in my passport on arrival, pretty much in any country in the world. It's not like that for South African's.

My friend had to have the visa for our 3 days stop-over in Dubai issued before we even left South Korea - and these visa's are not cheap!

So we went to the emirates desk where they directed us to another window to pay to have the visa printed, then we had to go somewhere else to pick up the visa and get it stamped, then we had to wait in a long queue so that my friend could have an "eye-scan" for who knows what... about 45 minutes later we were waiting in passport control. My friends went first in case there were any complications and it took the guy a good 5 minutes with the paperwork then I handed over my passport...he looked at it, looked at me, and stamped it. So incredibly lucky to have an Australian passport - I take back many of the horrible things I have said about the Australian Government on the basis of this alone!

We were advised to go to the Arabian Adventures counter once we had collected our baggage and they would arrange the transport to our hotel. Soon after we were in a little mini-bus, loving the air-conditioning, and by around 3:30am we were tucked in bed and asleep within moments. Even though it was a late night and we were wrecked from the flight we still woke up early wanting to make the most of the short amount of time we had in Dubai. What we didn't realise was that we had arrived during Ramadan... and so very little was open. The other thing we didn't become aware of till much later was that during Ramadan, because everyone is fasting, you are not allowed to eat or drink in public. Oops! My Grandma worked in Saudi for many years and many of my friends are Muslim... I just didn't put two and two together, and (naive traveler again) it never occurred to me that you would actually be prevented from buying food because the majority of people were fasting. This also meant you weren't allowed to drink in public - even water - which when it was 45 degrees Celsius outside was hard to take.

When we eventually worked it out we hit the super-market and stocked up on food for our hotel room!

We spent the day making the most of the "big bus tour", hopping on and off to look at things, although given most things were closed and it was so hot that we spent most of our time "on". We wandered around the massive and luxurious shopping malls, caught a ferry across the river, wandered a little bit through the markets and then went back to the hotel to relax and have a break before we went on the desert safari I had booked that morning. I had visited Dubai with my Grandma in 2003 and we had been on a similar adventure and I was keen to show my friend how incredible the experience had been.

It is an Arabian Adventures tour called "The Desert Sun-downer". To begin with you are collected from your hotel and taken out to the edge of an Arabian desert conservation area, where the wildlife is protected, not far from the royal palace and zoo. This is the first time you get to jump out and have a wander around on the sand. They have to let the tires down on the 4wd's so that they can drive easily on the sand. Then it's back into the vehicles for some real sand dune 4-wheel driving. You definitely get a rush from zooming up one side of a sand dune when you have no idea whats on the other side, or how steep it is, and twice we had to stop to help tow out a vehicle that had gotten stuck in the sand. You stop once for a drink and another wander around, and then again to watch the sun setting over the desert, and then finally you arrive at the bedouin style camp set up seemingly in the middle of no-where.

At the camp you are encouraged to wander around and look at the various things they have set up, have your hand painted with henna (a kind of temporary tattoo), ride on camels, hold onto a falcon, and eat and drink as much as you like... after 8pm of course! It was beautifully set up and the food was wonderful; a selection of all the different things that would have traditionally been cooked by the desert people. Given the heat of the night it was easy to understand why the desert camps were set up in this fashion, with carpets spread across the hot sand, and cushions everywhere for lying back on after a feast. The one thing that boggles the mind a little at first is the way these giant Persian carpets are spread across the sand, these carpets are worth a fortune, and they are just lying on the sand!

We arrived back at the hotel quite late at night and fell asleep within minutes of turning the lights off...planning to get up nice and early again the next morning!

We were up bright and early again and getting ourselves organised to go and visit the Wild Wadi Water Park that we had seen advertised and had heard was fantastic. To be on the safe side we checked with our hotel about what time the park opened during Ramadan. The hotel let us down a bit in this regard... they told us the park opened at 10am when it didn't in fact open till mid-day. We arrived shortly after 11am and found out that we had to wait, which is not great news when its already over 40 degrees Celsius, and you are miles from anything. At any other time of year we could have gone to the meridian hotel next door and sat in the bar with a cold drink...but as it was Ramadan we couldn't even do that...we checked. In the end we walked for 15 minutes in the stifling heat to the public beach where we stripped off our clothing (public beach...and we had our swimsuits on underneath) and ran for the water.

To our dismay the water was hot! Literally like swimming in bath water. The only benefit to being in the water was that you didn't continue to sweat but it didn't cool us down at all. There was no escape! It was lovely being out in the sea... and from our spot we did have a fairly fabulous view of the Burj al Arab...

By the time we had walked back to our clothes we had dried already and we stopped at the bus stop on the way back to the water park because the bus stop was air conditioned! When we got back we waited about 5 minutes at the entry and then we were into the park stuffing our things into a locker and heading for the first pool of water we could find. The water was cold! I have never been so happy to be in cool water before! We spent most of the day at the water park, going on various water slides, and lolling about in the wave pool. It was a heavenly way to spend the day in the heat.

We decided, based on the time, that we would go to the Emirates Mall before we went back to the hotel and pick up some food items that we wanted to take back to Korea. It just so happened that we were there when the fasting ended for the day so we were able to arrange a nice dinner in the food court - soooooo much food! Once we had the things we needed we went for a wander in old Dubai to see if we could find a Shisha pipe. We had decided that we wanted to take one home since we both enjoy playing with the flavoured tobacco and the Shisha pipes you can get in the Middle East are so beautiful. We found one we loved, I am sure that we paid more than a local would have, but we got everything we needed and I had fun bargaining!

On tired feet we wandered back to a main"ish road and hailed a taxi. We went back to the hotel, snacked, re-packed and got ready to leave. We had the hotel room until we were collected at 12:30pm (after midnight) for a flight that left at around 3am. The Airport looked practically deserted when we arrived and we went straight up to a counter to check in. The guy behind the counter was so friendly, and I asked if we could check on our seats as well, to see where we were sitting. The man looked at all our documents and made and received a quick phone call, none of which worried us because we weren't in a hurry, and then cleared his throat to get our attention.

"I have good news," he began, getting our attention instantly. "You have been upgraded to business class."

We must have been grinning from ear to ear as we effusively thanked him and told him he was our new best friend. With our business class boarding passes in hand we strolled through airport security and did our last minute duty free shopping... we didn't stop smiling for even a minute. The smile only grew bigger when we learned that we were travelling on a new A380 in business class...which meant that we had our own walkway because the business class seats are all on the top level of the plane. We were greeted at the door of the plane and shown to our seats which were the most luxurious plane seats I have ever seen in my life. Emirates definitely knows luxury! The seats stretched out to completely flat, and after the meals the staff came around to offer us a mattress to put on top for a little added comfort, but when in sitting position they could also be used as a massage chair... that's right a 9 and a half hour flight on a massage chair! There was a little built in table area to one side of the seat with some drinks stocked in just in case you suddenly decided you needed some Perrier mid-take-off.

Once we were seated the crew came around to deliver a drink, and a fancy menu, letting us know that they would be back to take our order before take-off. The menu itself was impressive... I never believed I would be able to order a medium-rare steak on a plane! They took the orders and then after take off they arrived with our trays... no more "chicken or beef?" They lay a white table cloth over the massive extendable tray table and even the trays were beautifully set up. Silver cutlery, white serviettes, and delicious looking food... entree and then main course.. with extra hot oven baked rolls if you would like them.

Shortly after the trays had been cleared my friend and I both stretched out and went to sleep. We were woken by the crew about ten minutes before breakfast was served so that we could freshen up before the meal... meaning that we had slept for almost 5 hours! It was the best flight I have ever been on... the difficulty now will be that we know what we are missing out on! My friend and I both discussed the fact that it would be hard to go back to travelling economy class after that little experience!

It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip! I can't wait for my next holiday!!

Worcester & our last day in Cape Town

We spent Sunday night, and then Monday and Tuesday in Worcester, my friends home town. We spent some time catching up with friends and family... dealt with the fact that we had broken the hire-car, and generally spent a little time relaxing before another few hectic days!

The Wednesday morning we were up bright and early and on the road to Cape Town again. Our first port of call was the ferry terminal at the waterfront where we purchased our tickets for the tour to Robben Island. Since we had missed out the last time we tried to get tickets we wanted to make sure that we weren't going to miss out again. We booked the tour for the afternoon and then jumped back in the car bound for Table Mountain which had finally re-opened.

The view from the top was spectacular. There are a number of walking tracks that lead you around the top of the mountain which is actually deceptively large. Aside from the view I was also on the look out for a small mammal called a Dassie (Rock Hyrax) which my friend told me looked like an over-sized guinea pig. Not at all a bad description actually because when I came home and googled them it came up with "superficially resembling a large guinea pig"... We didn't see any at first but then... Lo and behold... there they were scrambling around the rocks. I was ridiculously excited and like a good tourist rapidly snapped a bunch of pictures.

We mucked around up the top of the mountain taking pictures for about an hour and then decided to head down again. On the way down I was much more together, looking around, and looking down. I had been told that if we were to go up Table Mountain we had to use the cable car because the criminals hid along the paths to rob you...and no, this is not another naive "I'll believe anything bad about South Africa" instance I was told this by South Africans! The naive part was when I was busy looking down at the path to see if I could spot any...

Once at the bottom we jumped back in the car and went in search of some breakfast before our tour left for Robben Island. Before we even made it to breakfast we got a little lost and accidentally found Bo Kaap, an area with lots of brightly coloured houses, and went for a little drive. Bo Kaap was formerly called the Malay Quarter and is the historical centre of Cape Malay culture. More information can be found here.

We had spent most of the trip talking about how happy we were that we had chosen to go to South Africa in the winter because we had less tourists to compete with and nothing had changed that morning. We waited in line to buy our ticket for the cable car for less than a minute and were on the cable car 5 minutes later. I was a little nervous on the trip up, which I am sure is mostly due to an overactive imagination, and having watched the James Bond movie where the guy with the metal jaw bites through the cable car's cable...

We eventually found our way back down to the waterfront and after breakfast sat at a great little restaurant right by the water to have a nice cold drink (yes it was winter...but it was a really warm day) and we were treated to a little show by a seal swimming up and down in the water right next to us. Before long we wandered over to the ferry terminal and waited for the boat to arrive... which unfortunately was about 20 minutes later than it was supposed to be. We had arranged to meet with our photographer, from the engagement shoot, at 4:15 as on our ticket it said we would be back by 4pm... needless to say we were a little worried but then we assumed that they would still leave at the same time so we should still be back in time.

The ride over to Robben Island was beautiful, Cape Town behind us perfectly situated in front of Table Mountain, and Robben Island ahead of us. For those of you that don't know too much about the history of South Africa Robben Island is a monument to a time called Apartheid. It is currently listed as a world heritage site as a reminder of a time that none of us should wish to return to. In the 17th Century the dutch first used Robben Island as a prison for political prisoners from it's other colonies. When the English took over the governing of South Africa in the 1800's they also used the Island to imprison some of the African leaders involved in the Grahamstown uprising in 1819.

After 1845 the island was used as a leper colony and an animal quarantine station. During WW2 guns and fortifications were added to the island, as an added defense for Cape Town, though the island itself continued to be used as a prison. The period known as Apartheid spanned from 1961 to 1994 and during this time the Island was used as a maximum security prison for political prisoners. These political prisoners were predominantly black Africans who were campaigning for greater black rights within South Africa. After the end of Apartheid Robben Island continued to function as a prison, housing medium security criminal prisoners, for one year. In 1997 it became a museum and a national monument and then in 1999 it was declared a world heritage site.

Nelson Mandela, known affectionately to the people of South Africa as Madiba, was imprisoned on the Island in 1964, and spent 18 of his 27 year prison sentence living in a tiny cell and peering out on a tiny garden. Our guide told us that much of Nelson Mandela's book "Long Walk To Freedom" was written during his time on Robben Island. Because of the incredible history of the Island it was an impressive and yet very sombre place to visit.

We arrived late in the afternoon and were the last group to go through for the day. All the people from the boat were loaded onto 4 tour buses and taken to visit the various buildings around the island, including the limestone quarry, and houses where the prison guards once lived. When we first got onto the bus the guide asked where people were from, I was surprised to discover that my friend was the only South African, and suddenly wondered if the fact that we were both wearing our springboks jersey's would be offensive (again the naivety). It was a big moment for me. My friend is an Afrikaaner and during Apartheid it was this group of people who were considered to be the oppressors, I wondered how the people who had lived through this history felt about escorting us around this place. We were let off the bus to walk around the maximum security prison and were escorted by a tour guide who had actually been a prisoner on the island.

Our guide showed us around, explaining what each building had been used for, and talking a little about his life within the walls. Our guide had been imprisoned on Robben Island as a teenager for being a part of a smaller student uprising that was linked to the larger Soweto Uprising. He was an incredibly knowledgeable and gentle man who could answer any questions we had. All in all it was an amazing experience.

The next morning we were up bright and early again to re-pack our bags and head off to the airport. We had to return our hire car and check our bags nice and early and we were keen to have a final wimpy breakfast before we flew out. Before long we had done everything we needed to do and after a spot of shopping we were on a plane again bound for Dubai and leaving Africa behind.

Number 40. Go on a safari in Africa

I have always dreamed of going on a safari, after how amazing my trip had been so far I started to worry that it might be a bit of a let down...especially after walking a cheetah through the forest for a few hours, but it was a truly amazing experience.

We were booked into fancy accommodation at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve which is about a three hour drive from Cape Town (though we drove through from Plettenberg Bay) and has 54,000 hectares of land over which the animals roam free. We chose this Reserve largely for that reason, the animals are not fed, so they are really only 1 step away from wild. Sanbona also has the only "Free, self-sustaining" White Lions in the world.

When we first arrived at the gate of the Sanbona reserve we were given a map and directed down to the welcome lodge. In hindsight we should have asked if the little mini-van could come to the front gate to collect us, since we broke our hire car, but then we would have missed the welcome lodge which started to give us a idea of what we were in for. The drive was alright, a few patches that our little Kia Piccanto struggled with (e.g. where we broke it), but a 4WD would have handled it easily. The welcome lodge was gorgeous. It was the kind of building where I had always imagined you would wait for your safari to begin. A lot of wood, spectacular views, a pot bellied fire place and a host to serve you a hot cup of coffee or tea on arrival.

We waited a little while for the minivan to arrive which would take us to our accommodation and then we were off. Before we had reached any of the accommodation the minivan came to a halt to allow us time to look at the two cheetahs that were running across the road - sheer luck that we saw them on the way in - and we thought it boded well for the rest of our stay. We drove past the first accommodation, the Tilney Manor, the second accommodation the Gondwana Lodge which is mainly for families and then arrived at our destination - The Dwyka Tented Lodges.

Sanbona calls the Dwyka Tented Lodges "secluded luxury" and it is an understatement. It is a series of 10 tented individual lodges, and a main building, which are located in a horshoe-like rock formation in the Karoo desert. The scenery is visually stunning and the luxury is complete.

When we arrived at the main building of the Dwyka lodges we were greeted by a charming concierge, Bernard, and handed a steaming hot face-cloth by one of the waiters (bearing in mind that we were there in the middle of winter and it was freezing!). We then headed into the main building where we stopped in front of the fire and Bernard served us a hot chocolate with a touch of Amarula and gave us a few general details about what was happening for the rest of the day. The first game drive would be at 3pm so we were free to take our lunch when we were ready and freshen up in our rooms before we left. We decided to take our lunch before heading down to the rooms... we ate breakfast at around 6:30 am and we were starving!

The lunch was incredible; I chose the butternut pumpkin soup with fresh baked bread for entree, a chicken and avocado burger with a trio of home-made sauces for main, and then the creme caramel for desert. This was a few weeks ago now and I still remember the menu in intimate detail which should give you an idea of just how amazing the food was!

Once we could no longer eat we were shown to our rooms to quickly change and get ready for the game drive. Bernard showed us around the room, explaining where everything was, and how everything worked. He mentioned that if we needed anything, even at 3am, we should pick up the phone and let them know.

Before long we were being introduced to our guide, Martin, who would be driving us for the four game drives that we would do during our 2 night stay. He explained a few details of the reserve and showed us where we could find the blankets and then we were off. It was amazing! The vehicle seats 6 people up high behind the driver though there is room for a 7th to sit in the front of the jeep behind the glass windshield.

In our Jeep we were lucky that it was only my friend and I and one other couple who were from Cape Town. Martin asked us which animals were on our wish list and after thinking for a moment we rattled off the names of most of the big animals, which brought a smile to Martin's face, I suspect he had heard the same list a dozen times already.

We had been driving for less than 5 minutes when we spotted a small herd of Eland which is the largest antelope in the African continent and are very impressive. Minutes later, mostly due to the terrible noise they make, we spotted some baboons in the distance on the cliffs around our lodges. We continued on and spotted both mountain and plains Zebra, Klipspringer's, and then through sheer luck I spotted the two Cheetah's that we had seen earlier. They had covered a massive distance in the time it had taken us to eat lunch and they appeared to be hunting...though they were miles away and the wind was going in the wrong direction so they stood very little chance.

We watched them until they disappeared from view and then drove down to the big damn / lake where we saw two hippos floating around. Once they disappeared from site we moved a little further along the lake and Martin got out to set up a little table at the front of the Jeep, he spread out a table cloth and put out a few little dishes with different nibbly foods, then poured us each a drink. The waiter had asked us what we would like for a "sun-downer" so I had a glass each of one of our favourite white wines.

It was a perfect moment, sipping wine, standing next to a big lake in the middle of the mountains. Real African-style wilderness!

We returned to the lodge to be greeted with another steaming hot face-cloth and hot chocolate with Amarula and advised that we should feel free to take our time and come back to the main room for dinner at any time. We went to freshen up and then decided to take our dinner right away so that we could relax and enjoy our gorgeous room. Dinner was even more spectacular than lunch and the chocolate mousse / meringue combination for desert was a taste sensation! We went via the bartender on the way back to our rooms who graciously agreed to whip us up a few cocktails even though they weren't on the menu. Then we turned in for the night...after a nice hot bath and enjoying our cocktails in some of the most comfortable bathrobes in the universe.

The next morning our wake-up call came through at 6:30, we bounced out of bed to get ready and went up to the main building for a mixture of a continental buffet, and for myself the pancakes... yum. By 8am we were back in the Jeep...delighted that Martin had arranged hot water bottles as well as the fleecy blankets for our chilly morning drive. We drove for a while before we were lucky enough to see three giraffes enjoying a morning snack... really close!

When we arrived back after the morning drive we were told that since it was such a beautiful sunny day we would be welcome to take our lunch in our rooms if we chose to. We were given a menu and advised to just call to tell them what we wanted and what time we wanted it... again the meal was stunning and we ended up falling asleep and waking up only minutes before we were due to be leaving again! That evening was a real treat, we saw more eland and wildebeests, a whole herd of elephants, and then on the way back out of the darkness we somehow spotted a White Lion cub. We saw both the mother and her two cubs who all actually came out onto the road around us. For more detail on this amazing experience please click here.

We came back a little late and my friend and I were both a little worried because we had booked an hour long massage treatment... not that we needed to worry... Bernard repeating his mantra of "we never hurry our guests here" and asking us if we would like to freshen up before we went in for our treatment. The massage was stunning and the rooms were so beautifully decorated. All this luxury followed again by a wonderful dinner and then we were fast asleep!

The next morning was our final game drive. We began with a large group of springbok's, who are unbelievably cute when they spring, and then we were lucky enough to find two white Rhino. We watched them for most of the morning before we had to head back to finish packing and leave. When we left and said goodbye to our waiters, and to Martin and Bernard, it really felt more as though we were saying goodbye to people who had become friends in the two nights we had been there. The rooms were luxurious and beautiful, the facilities were amazing, the landscape is incredible, but the staff there really made the experience. I can't speak highly enough of them or of our time at Sanbona and we definitely intend to return...maybe when the little White Lion cubs have had time to grow up!

In terms of my first Safari experience... wow! We had spent so much time up close and personal with these animals in a more captive environment so it was amazing to see them in the wild living as they are supposed to. They also look different in their natural setting, perhaps its the way they blend in with the landscape or that they look more at ease, but I think if everyone had the opportunity to see these animals this way they would have a better understanding of why it's such a shame to lock them up in zoo's.

Overall I was blown away by the whole experience and I can't wait to go again or maybe even take on Kruger National Park!