First night in Porto

The wine-tour will start officially on Saturday, so we decided to close a perfect evening off with some single malts. The group congregated at the bar on the 19th floor of Porto Palacio. We enjoyed a few glasses of the finest from Scotland looking out over the night-sky of the Port capital of the world. While we reminisce about twenty years of wine-tasting as a group, we started preparing ourselves for the next eight days of intense wine-tasting.

Dubai lounge

After a good night sleep in Dubai, we are having a quick breakfast before boarding for Lisbon. Porto will never be the same again after the Kurktrekkers invasion.

Last day at the old offices

Today was the last day for me at the "old" Fundamo offices in Plein Street. We are moving into brand new offices close to Willowbridge during the time that we will be on leave. I had a very busy day, but had time to spend some time in the garden and experience it for the last time.

Barbecue at Nitida

Me and some of the Fundamo staff attended an event at Nitida. It was an opportunity to socialize with a vendor from India that we have worked with for years. It was great to see old friends again and talk about all the things that we have done jointly.

Lourensford tea

We enjoyed a cup of tea at Lourensford after church. The autumn golden hues of the trees reflected underneath the towering mountains created the perfect backdrop for the white buildings. There was a slight morning chill in the air, but the bright sun had a promise for a warm day.

Back in Johannesburg

I arrived at OR Tambo on SA61 from Lagos exactly on time this morning. I was processed efficiently in 5 min through immigration, had a quick shower at SAA's arrival lounge, checked my eMail while having a Cappuccino and a croissant. The train-ride with the modern Gautrain took less than 15 min to the center of Sandton where I picked up my rental car from
Avis. Not too bad for a third world country.

Asaro

Asaro is a spicy pottage predominantly made of Yam (a vegetable similar to sweet potato and a staple food in West Africa). My dinner consisted of asaro and pepper beef stew enjoyed on the verandah looking out over Lagos lagoon. I was forced to drink copious amounts of Star (local beer) to ease the pain in my mouth while eating the hot food.

Early evening Lagos

The last rays of the sun paints Five Cownes creek viewed off the bridge towards Victoria island pink. The low clouds reflect some of the sunlight and the first lights can be seen in the city high rises. This beautiful, tranquil picture is almost in contradiction to the bursting energy that is Lagos.

Swimming pool at Federal Palace

I am staying at the Federal Palace hotel and casino on Victoria Island in Lagos. The hotel boasts well-maintained gardens looking out over the sea-channel to Lagos harbor, but it is the swimming-pools of the hotel that is something special.

Benefit of business lounge

Complimentary Wi-Fi, a cup of tea and a peppermint. Starting the journey to Lagos in SAA lounge at CTIA.

Tintswalo lunch

Having lunch with business associates at Tintswalo on a perfect Cape day. No wind, very calm sea, clear sky. It is indescribably beautiful. So thankful to live in such a special place and having opportunities to experience this.

Durbanvillehille lunch

After attending to some personal matters in Tableview, me and Annelie created some time for lunch. We decided on Durbanvillehills as we have not been there for ages. We enjoyed the magnificent views, the food and the local wine by the glass. I enjoy spending time with my wife.

Steenbokkies amongst the vineyards

I worked from home because I was a bit flu-ish. I noticed some movement amongst the vineyards in the distance while on the phone. Afterwards I could see the Steenbokkie-couple through binoculars in the distance. Kind of beautiful to see the two small antelopes carrying on with their life amongst all the hustle and bustle here in the city.

Fifty-six years old

Annelie invited friends to celebrate my birthday with me at de Wijnlanden. I realized how blessed I am when many friends interrupted their Saturday to share a glass of wine with us.

Dinner at Bryan and Zi

On a perfect night, we had a lovely dinner at the home of Bryan and Zi. We enjoyed some drinks on the deck with a beautiful view over Camps-bay. Good company, home cooking and a number of special wines made the evening something to treasure.

Late afternoon sun

We had some time to just sit on the stoep with a glass of wine and talk about the small things that filled our. We watched the last rays of the sun colour the mountains pink to end off a perfect day.

Sunday with the kids

Me and Annelie enjoyed Sunday lunch with the kids. With the grandchildren not that well, we spent a lazy afternoon talking and sharing. At one stage Nina rested her tired little body against mine, while Arden explained new-found wisdom to me: "Weet oupa...". It may seem small blessings, but I just realized how important these moments are in the bigger scheme of things.

Yellow route

The Wannabee cycle club built and maintains a number of excellent mountain bike routes through the vineyards and hills around Somerset West and Stellenbosch. I joined a few cyclists this morning for a quick yellow route ride. The wind was quite strong, but the scenery beautiful.

Hyatt swim

On a cloudy morning, I got into the rooftop pool at the Hyatt for a few lengths. Recently, I really started enjoying my swims. The one thing about swimming is that one cannot look at much while swimming, which forces you towards your own thoughts. This morning I could not help thinking about how blessed I am and that I have not done anything to deserve this... to the contrary.

Cape Salmon at Ocean Basket

We watched Afrikaans movie: "Verraaiers" at Somerset Mall. Afterwards we had a bite at a local fish eatery franchise, Ocean Basket, not expecting anything spectacular. They surprised us with a good wine list (all wines served by the glass), fresh fish (including scarce Cape Salmon) well prepared and good service. Which all goes to show that one should not judge anything on what it looks like on the outside.

Flamingos in the morning

Really special to be woken by the sounds of birds in the morning, to stand on the verandah with a cup of coffee and watch the flamingos in the early morning light at the edge of the lake. We slept over at MeerenBosch with Arden, thankful for so many blessings.

High heels for charity

So proud of my daughter-in-law who arranged a fund-raising for Common Good charity (funding education for entrepreneurs in poor communities). She finished the 5km run in high heel shoes and (with others) raised a sizable amount for the charity.

Busy ORT

One can see that it is the start of a long weekend. ORT is really busy as people fly to the coast for a few days of relaxing. I am also looking forward to the weekend after a successful few days in Johannesburg. Now, to just sit through the two hours down to the Cape.

Reuben's

Me and Annelie had lunch at Reuben's in Franchhoek. The food stood up to the reputation as real South African fusion, from the crayfish tempura to the melktert with koeksister ice cream. Unfortunately the service was sloppy and I was disappointed with the wines available by glass.

Fundamo kick-off

We were entertained by fire-eaters, a contortionist, acrobats and a magician at the annual Fundamo kick-off event. We all came dressed with masks or painted faces. Later, when the younger folk started dancing, me and Annelie left.

Pakistan visit

As I am boarding the plane for Dubai at Karachi International after a wonderful three day visit to Pakistan, I am trying to understand why I always enjoy visiting this country. It could be the food or the rich culture. Maybe it is realizing the potential of this huge country with its complex problems, yet a spirit of optimism. It may be all of those, but definitely at the root of everything is the wonderful friends that I have and that always welcome me with open arms.

Pakistan Domestic

My flight from Karachi to Lahore was delayed with more than an hour, so I had to wait in the domestic terminal for quite a while. Most of the announcements were only in Urdu and it was not possible to get onto the WiFi with an international mobile number. But then I suppose, unescorted foreigners (like me) don't usually travel on domestic flights in Pakistan. Pity.

Argus 2013

It took six Argus races for me to complete one that was most enjoyable. The weather was (almost) perfect, I had no punctures and felt great when I crossed the finish line. I missed a sub-four hour time with two minutes, but most important had a wonderful time. I thanked the Lord for blessing me with good health and energy to experience this very special occasion.

Pirates on the Cape Flats

On the way back from the airport, one can see the pirate ships in the light rain on the Cape Flats. I can see that there is a lot of activity on the decks. As we drove past the Cape Town Film Studios, I knew that I am a few minutes from home.

Laser-show over the bay

On our last night in Singapore, we took the water-taxi back from dinner at the Fullerton hotel to Marina Bay Sands. The laser-show just started and a light breeze from the sea cooled us down as we watched the spectacle. It was a good visit.

Indochine restaurant

A year ago the gardens on the bay was a construction site. Now it has been transformed into a tropical garden with massive steel and glass artificial trees towering above the landscape. High up in the branches of one of these "trees" is the Indochine restaurant (ten stories up with a spectacular view of the Singapore night sky). We entertained clients at this strange, avatar-type restaurant and enjoyed the views over a modern city.

Dell power supply

I left my Dell laptop's power-supply in Singapore. After asking around, I was told that it is likely that I will find a Dell charger in Denpassar only. So this morning I rented a scooter and drove into the city. And what an adventure it was. It took some time to get used to crossing an intersection with bikes coming from every direction at speed, how to pass slow traffic with a quick beep-beep and to not get lost at the same time. I had to buy petrol on the side of the road and got a puncture fixed at a small garage. In the end I probably found the only Dell charger on the island, negotiated the price down from Rp450k to Rp300k. Made in China, it fitted the laptop perfectly, but did not charge it.

Pura Luhur Batukaru Temple

The Pura Luhur Batukaru Temple on the southern tip of Bali is seen as one of the seven directional temples on the island. It is built on a spectacular cliff overlooking the ocean. Me and Annelie visited the temple see the sunset, but it was overcast. Annelie felt that the tame monkeys that calmly take peanuts out of your hand, was the highlight of the visit.

Singapore Sushi

We thought that we knew sushi, but after visiting a local Singapore Sushi restaurant, for us, sushi will never be the same again. The tastes, the displays and the variety of ingredients were like nothing that we have experienced before.

Lost luggage

Our uniquely "shockingly green" luggage did not appear on the carousel at Changi airport in Singapore, so we had to fill in the forms at lost luggage. We got paid S$150 for expenses and received an overnight bag. I feared that the bags got lost in Johannesburg, but SQ found it in a few hours and delivered it to the hotel.

Grandchildren with us

We were privileged to look after our grandchildren on Saturday. The two of them have grown up to be a handful. They investigate their world, talk all the time and exhibit their own ideas on when to eat, bath or go to sleep. Yet, when I watch them learn something new or when they snuggle close to me so that I can read them a story, I feel a serenity that none of my business ventures can give me.

At the top of Chappies

I joined the club for a really nice cycle on a big part of the Argus route. We climbed Smitswinkel and Chappies on a perfect day. One could see Argus fever taking grip with many cyclists on the road and most motorists accommodating the infrequent, unavoidable, cyclist straying into the road.

Angelhub

When I walked into the private dining-room at the Ching-ching bar, I knew that it was a gathering of the Angelhub. Everything was white: the floor and ceiling, the table-cloth and crockery. It was only the wine-glasses not being white, that glistered in the low light. Angelhub, a gathering of special, start-up people, invited me to talk about the Fundamo journey. It turned out to be a memorable evening.

Arabella congress

Participated at a congress hosted at the amazing Arabella hotel and spa. As I stood on the balcony and looked out over the lake, with the sea in the distance and rain clouds rolling in off the Kogelberg, I realized again how beautiful the Cape can be.

Mushroom race

Two years ago, during the Medallion race, I was involved in a serious crash. I wrecked my bike, dislocated my leg and suffered a concussion. Today, I finished the same race in a good time of 3:30, without a major incident. It was kind of closing a chapter on a bad memory.

Visit to the genocide museum

I visited the Kigali memorial to the Rwandan Genocide. It is a sacred and moving place about a terrible chapter in the history of Africa. So many thoughts raced through my brain as I looked at artifacts and photos of that time: why do people do things like this? what must we do to ensure that this never happen again? ...it is important that we never forget.

Kigali heaven

Had dinner at a quaint restaurant in Kigali, called Heaven. With a great location and attentive service, we were treated on interesting dishes including a dessert called "a study in banana". Proving that dining options are improving by leaps and bounds in Africa.

Baia feast

We entertained guests from California at Baia in the Waterfront. The views from the deck were spectacular. Most of us enjoyed the different versions of prawns and lobster meals that the restaurant is famous for. In the end our guests were surprised at how small the bill was.

Hartford house

A hundred years ago, if you wanted to enjoy the best meal in the country, you had to own the house, employ the best chef and stock your own cellar with the best wines. Today, you just make a reservation at one of the great restaurants that we have in South Africa - like Hartford House (close to Mooi River) rated no 10 in the top restaurants in Eat-out's latest ratings list. Me and Annelie enjoyed the perfect setting, inventive menus and good service this Sunday and then paid with Visa.

Fourth Midmar mile

In perfect conditions, I managed to complete my fourth Midmar open-water mile. The first 1000 meters was very comfortable, but I then had to dig deep to finish. I felt the lack of preparation and the rib-injury, but nevertheless finished in a good time (for me).

Spectacular sunrise

We were greeted by the most spectacular sunrise this morning. The sun painted the low clouds over the mountains with glistering gold and red. Later the sun totally disappeared as the rain came down.

New offices

Adriaan showed me our new offices that we are planning to occupy in April. The location and feel of the new premises are very upmarket and I really look forward to moving into our new home. We came a long way from our dingy offices in High Street.

Our salad garden

I have started growing some greens and tomatoes in a space next to the house. Initially it was a major disaster. Nothing was growing, insects got to the best parts first and the irrigation broke, but now things are cooking and we have fresh salad straight from the garden.

Mentor Dinner

I attended a mentor dinner for the new VC fund 88mph. The intention was to bring potential investors/mentors and entrepreneurs together. We met in the penthouse apartment of the fund's founder: Kresten Buch. I have always believed that Cape Town can become a crucible of start-ups to drive Africa's economy and the evening confirmed my suspicion.

2013 Harvest

Our small harvest of Pinotage were harvested on Saturday. Me and Annelie de-stemmed the bunches by hand till late. Notwithstanding the birds taking a big share, lack of care, the heat and lots of wind that we had this year the vines still produced in abundance.

Training on Saturday

Attending training in Johannesburg with my team with a great facilitator: Vince McFarlane. I enjoy his energy, the content of the course and the response of the team to the learnings. It may be Saturday, but it is time well spent.