Home alone

Arrived back on woman's day after five days abroad, to spend the evening alone with the most important woman in my life. We sat for hours talking and then enjoyed a simple home-cooked meal with a favorite Merlot.

Westin beach

The Westin hotel in Dubai is close to our offices on the base of the Jumeirah Palm. I went for a swim this morning in one of the many swimming-pools. For a while it felt as if I were on holiday until the reality hit home.

Tiananmen Square

On our way to the payment forum we drove past Tiananmen Square. One could feel the historical importance of the piece of land flanked by impressive buildings and Chinese words written on red background. And hundreds of tourists following guides with little flags taking photos.

Sophisticated toilet

I have never seen as a sophisticated toilet as the one in my hotel-room at the Kerry Hotel in Beijing. Full of electronics and all kinds of sensors, it had a little control panel with which to manage its functions. I was happy to press the "flush" button, but much more careful with buttons like "pulsating".

Lammershoek

Lammershoek is a family-owned wine-farm with a fresh approach to making unique wines. We enjoyed an early morning wine-tasting with the Kurktrekkers there: experiencing wonderful friendship, passionate wine-making and the beautiful surroundings of the Paardeberg.

Morning sunrise

Cape Town winter sunrises can be so peaceful. With a dry, warm Northerly wind blowing and a clear sky, the night sky took on a pink tinge and then turned yellow before the sun peeked over the Simon-mountains.

Afternoon view

Big windows on the atrium floor of our new offices in Willowbridge gives a view on the Proteavallei residential area. As I left this afternoon, the sun on the houses, the winter greenery and the clouds in the blue sky, painted a beautiful picture.

Flowers at Emirates lounge

The flowers in the foyer of the Emirates first class lounge in Dubai always amazes me. Massively huge sculpture of the most beautiful flowers in a solitary display as one enters. The smell of fresh flowers hang in the air bringing some calm in the anxiety of the terminal building.

Lay-over in Dubai

My lay-over in Dubai (traveling to Cape Town from San Francisco) is eight hours. One of the benefits of Emirates is that they provide a hotel-room and dinner for their premier passengers. This time the booking was in the five star Al Bustan hotel; but I was disappointed when told that the swimming-pool was closed for renovations.

Dinner with Bill Barhydt

I had a great dinner with Bill Barhydt at Tamarine in Palo Alto. The restaurant specializes in Vietnam-inspired Fusion dishes and I enjoyed the simplistic food artistry. We spoke about mobile payments and the Visa card that Boom (Bill's company) issues.

African entrepreneurs

Running late for dinner with African entrepreneurs living in the valley. Looking forward to seeing Pieter, Vinny, Nmachi, Kersten and Sylvia. Mental note: add thirty minutes to travel time when the Giants have a home game.

Cottonwood Canyon Winery

I enjoyed my wine tasting at Cottonwood Canyon so much. Producing predominantly Burgundy wines, I found the wine making philosophy very interesting. Wines are made only with natural fermentation, and then kept at the winery for at least ten years before they are released! I was extremely impressed with the few single vineyard Pinot Noir's. This is how wines should be made.

Brett and Lyn Johnson

I had enough time for a short stop at the home of Brett and Lyn Johnson high up in the hills of Saratoga. Brett is the founder of The Institute for Innovation, Integration & Impact, an organization that had a profound impact on my life. Over a cup of Rooibos, we spoke about the power of the Lord and how nothing is impossible for Him.

Perfect dinner

With the exception of the Pinot Gris pairing to the corn soup, the dinner at Viognier in San Mateo was perfect. I enjoyed Jim's company as we talked about what we have done, and especially what is possible. We ended the evening with some excellent cheese, with a special LBV Dow's Port.

View over the bay

The morning sun on the hills across the bay behind Hayward from the 12th floor of Visa's headquarters painted a pretty picture. There are so many things happening behind the walls of corporate America, but outside, the sun still shines.

Santa Rosa to Dillon Beach

I joined the Santa Rosa cycling club for a stiff 95 km ride to Dillon Beach and back. I completed the ride with the last slow riders in a lot of discomfort because of lack of training. Nevertheless, it was a most enjoyable morning in beautiful surroundings. I will be back, God willing.

Hot Box Grill

Tripadvisor recommended the Hot Box Grill in Sonoma close to my hotel for dinner. I was lucky to find a spot as the place was clearly popular. The steak was "not-too-bad", served with fries and veggies. The glass of Merlot was good. A man must eat, but I wished so much that I could share this with Annelie.

Vault 164

I had a most enjoyable light supper with Vijay in Vault 164. The restaurant was a bank branch in the past - hence the name. We enjoyed a superb Pinot Noir and talked about mobile banking; amongst others. I thought that it was quite ironic that we should do so in a dis-used brick-and-morter bank branch.

California cycling

On a beautiful early evening, I did a quick 30km (or should I say 17 miles) cycle on the new Trek after work. I got an entry-level Trek for the times that I am in California (so that I would not need to rent bicycles here). The Canada road from Route92 through Woodside, is an ideal cycling spot, with great scenery, undulating road and wide shoulders.

Landed safely at SFO

I landed safely at San Francisco International on Sunday. With the exception that one could see the Asiana wreckage in the distance while we were landing and a more congested terminal, my journey was not impacted at all.

Winter ride

After shaking the flu that I had for a ling time, I dusted the mountain bike off and joined the club for a ride this morning. Soon, the rest of the group left me behind and I finished a windy ride on my own.

Dinner with friends

Vegetable soup, marinated lamb cutlets and roly poly dessert was served to very special friends for a belated celebration of Annelie's birthday at home. We opened Annelie's favorite Chardonnay and Kanonkop's Cab 2003. We are immensely thankful for all these special experiences.

End of the Visit

Izak and Julia left for the US this morning after two weeks in the Republic. While we feel sad to say goodbye, we carry such fond memories of the time together. Whether driving through the game reserve, meeting with family and friends, talking till late or eating and drinking, it was such special times.

Winter sunrise

Great to be back home after a long trip through South Africa by road. The winter sunrise is now the furthest north but still beautiful on this crisp and fresh morning.

Looking after my granddaughter

A roadtrip with small children all the way from Kruger Park to Cape Town, can be quite tiresome. At one of the stops, I volunteered to look after Nina for some time while the others finished their lunch. We played on the playground for a while and then she stole my heart with a casual wave and a "Ta-Ta Swing" when we left.

Last day in Kruger

As we packed the cars on the last morning in Kruger, I reflected on the past five days spent with Annelie, my two sons and their loved ones in the Kruger National Park. We saw many different animals and birds and experienced the magic of the "bosveld" with spectacular sunsets and mist-filled mornings. What was realy special was the hours in the cars, searching for game, where we had special moments talking about our dreams and memories.

Annelie's birthday cake

We celebrated Annelie's birthday in Satara Restcamp with a cake specifically baked for the occasion. All our children and grandchildren were present. We had dinner at the camp restaurant and talked about now and the future. Afterwards we enjoyed some Boplaas Port at one of our bangalows and reflected on a very memorable day.

Arden asleep

Arden decided to travel with his grandparents most of the way from Cape Town to Bloemfontein. He kept himself busy with his Leappad, talked to us for a long time, listened to songs and then fell asleep. I felt so blessed to see this young, little human, contently asleep, strapped in his chair, in the back of our car.

Upgrade Avis

"Sir, we have upgraded you" is how the Avis lady greeted me this morning. A BMW or maybe a Mercedes, I thought. Turns out that I got a 4x4 truck with a hard suspension and enough space for six. Upgrade? more like a Sidegrade.

Champion pigeon

Hendrik won the first pigeon race of the season with one of his one-year old pigeons: 5559. We were there to celebrate with him after a (short) speech and having popped a quality MCC.

Springbok supporter

Me and Mukhtar found a pub in Blouberg where we could watch the Springbok-Italy game. The place was clearly full of Springbok supporters, including an old dog that was more interested in the audience than the game.

Alan facilitating

I always enjoy being part of brainstorming work-sessions; especially if we touch on key architectural issues. I attended such a session with the R&D team recently and debated priorities till late. Alan standing next to an ideas board, in some ways symbolized the multi-colored discussions.

Water in the cellar

We had such good rains during the past few days that everything got saturated with water. Unfortunately something went wrong with my elaborate drainage system and water started seeping into the wine-cellar. I spent a large part of the weekend extracting water out of the cellar. Not a fun weekend.

Sea and sun and clouds and rain

My last meeting of the day was with Paul in the Strand. As I walked to the car, I was greeted by the sun and the sea and wind-torn clouds and a spattering of rain. It was as if experienced the four elements right in front of me: earth, water, fire and wind.

Annelie's pottery class

Sometimes Annelie attend a pottery classes on a Wednesday night. I joined her this time and tried my hand at some free-hand sculptures. Afterwards, as I listened to the rain on the roof, I just enjoyed sitting back and watching my lady concentrating to get a piece of clay.

Emirates lounge flower

One of my favorite lounges is the Emirates lounge at San Francisco. As you walk down the stairs and hear the water from the fountain it is as if you enter a tranquil world so far away from all the anxiety of the big city. The flowers in the dining room are real, fresh flowers. It struck me that one knew that they are real because of the small blemishes on them... if you don't have blemishes, you are not real.

Early morning coffee

The Marriott Courtyard here in Foster City is an easy-going, no-frills hotel. I enjoy the Quick-Start breakfast (Oatmeal with a juice and banana). I usually get a tall coffee and take it with me to my first meeting. Walking around with my coffee in one hand, help me to blend in - here in California.

Scoma's

On a perfect Saturday evening, after having spent most of the day working on business models, we decided to drive out to Sausalito for dinner. We arrived in time to see the sun set on down-town San Francisco across an idyllic bay. We managed to get a table at one of the famous restaurants on the water's edge: Scoma's and had a memorable dinner.

Clouds of JFK

It always intrigue me why the walk from the gate to immigrations always turns into a footrace. This evening after arriving from London on Delta at JFK, I had to stop for a moment and experience this beautiful cloud in the distance. Bathed in the red of dusk, you could see that it was huge considering the tiny specks of planes over it.

Rainbow over Hydepark

Sitting in the back of a London Taxi on my way to a dinner appointment, I could not help noticing the faint rainbow across one of the lakes in Hyde Park. While the late afternoon sun fought to break through the heavy rain clouds many people were out cycling or walking in the park.

Playground on the other side of the Bar

I decided to have a mocktail nightcap in the bar on the ground floor of the Intercontinental in Dubai. The brightly lit lights of the fairground on the other side of Festival City reflected in the windows behind a lonely guy nursing a drink on the other side of the bar. Strange place.

Ko Un

Annelie enticed me to join her for a Festival of Poetry at Spier. Called "Dancing in Other Words", it featured famous Afrikaans poets, but also poets from other countries reciting their verses in their own languages. It was a very special experience, but one particular poet just blew me away. Ko Un is an eighty year old poet from Korea and the emotions just ooze out of the man as he speaks. Sometimes a whisper, sometimes shouting words that I did not know, I could relate to what he was saying deep inside my bones.

New Willowbridge offices

Back from an amazing Portugal trip, I arrived at our sparkling new offices in Willowbridge. While I was away, Adriaan and team managed a complex move to the new offices. As the staff was settling in, workers and technicians were adding the final touches. It is my prayers that this new home will bear much positive fruit.

Boxes of Port

Through good planning, we managed to ship a number of cases good Port within the weight limit as we departed Lisbon for Cape Town via Dubai. It was almost a symbolic end to the wine-tour as the boxes moved away on the luggage belt.

Cascais Miragem

Cascais Miragem is a no-frills, five star hotel on the beach with a clear view of the Atlantic ocean. We arrived here after our strenuous wine-tour and immediately ordered a few ice-cold, long beers. A perfect finale to an amazing tour.

Rua Augusta

Rua Augusta is a quaint little street in Lisbon where tourists sit at small cafe's, watching other tourists walking past while being served by waiters from India and Nepal. Traders from West-Africa attempt selling imitation sunglasses to you, while musicians from South America try to get a few Euros from you to stop playing on strange instruments. I am still trying to find the real Portugal here in Lisbon.

End of Tour

After about 800 km through the most beautiful parts of Portugal, having tasted 85 wines, visiting ten wineries, multiple meals and making a lot of friends, the wine tour ended in Coimbra on Sunday. Some of us will stay here for a few more days, others are returning via Amsterdam. We are particularly grateful for this enriching experience.

Rui Paula

Rui Paula is one of Portugal's best chefs. The wine-tasting tour-group visited one of his restaurants (DOC) in the Duoro. We enjoyed a seven course lunch supported by selected wines from the region. Afterwards we were in agreement that the food and wine of the region are uniquely special and now occupy a unique place in our hearts.

Caneiro Restaurant

After a delightful visit to the cellar and vineyards of Casa de Valle, we enjoyed the wine-tasting presented by the young wine-maker, Luis. Afterwards we invited him to have lunch with us at a local restaurant in the village. The octopus cooked in red-wine with rice (a local dish) paired well with the wines of the region.

Ode Port Wine House

The wine-tour kicked-off with a dinner at Ode Port Wine House in the historic section of Porto. Serving only traditional Portuguese dishes supported by the local wines, it is rated the no. 1 restaurant in Porto by TripAdvisor. The owner, Christoph, was a perfect host explaining the origin of many dishes and local customs.