Received from Amazon

Friends asked us to buy some items for them while in the US (at Walmart). I convinced Annelie that it is easier, cheaper and more convenient to buy this through Amazon. The packet arrived here at the hotel today. It made me think of Izak.

Busy in San Mateo

Usually this is the slow-down time of the year, but I am busier than ever here in California. Meetings in the day, followed by business dinners and then slogging through all my eMails. Luckily Annelie is here and at least I could start the days having breakfast with my wife.

Last night in Thailand

Rather than eating at the hotel, me and Annelie took a taxi into the heart of Pattaya to experience something of the night-vibe. The streets were filled with noise and lights; lots of wandering people on their way somewhere. Little shops lined the streets and sidewalks, selling anything possible - including promises. Luckily we found a family-run restaurant in a quiet side-street where we enjoyed a proper Indonesian meal.

Gym on the pavement

When in Thailand you kind of expect to be able to buy anything on the pavement. Nonetheless, I was surprised to see a gym ( complete with treadmills and cycles) on the pavement in Pattaya on our way to the hotel.

Corrupted by the good life

As we relaxed on the deck of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, sipping a cold beer, enjoying exquisitely prepared dishes and looking out over the Chao Phraya river, I realized I am corrupted by the good life. I prefer this to having a burger on a busy street. How much have I fallen?

Ernst thirtieth

We celebrated Ernst's thirtieth birthday at de Wijnlanden with a spit-braai. It was such a privilege to host him and Catherine with about forty of their friends at our home. There was lots of laughter, a few speeches, some serious moments and reflection on all the blessings received in his life.

Sippers Year-end

The Sippers wine-club had their year-end celebration at Babel restaurant on Koos Bekker's wine-farm: Babilonstoren. Before lunch we had a guided tour through the gardens and had a wine tasting. The Shiraz was very impressive.

Early morning cycle

After the storm-winds of the past few days, this morning was perfect for a few hours of cycling. We were only a few WannaB's this morning, but had a great Vlaeberg circuit at a good pace.

Koi harvest

The landlord decided to clean the Koi pond at the offices today, tens-, if not hundreds- of small Koi fishes were discarded to make room for the bigger fish. Everyone with a pond at home took fish home today.

Sunday lunch at Cape to Cuba

Cape to Cuba is a quaint restaurant situated on the Kalk Bay Harbour, serving Cuban inspired food here in Cape Town. Me and Annelie enjoyed the tapas, fish and paella-type dishes with a good bottle of Chardonnay on Sunday for lunch.

Kloofzicht Lodge

Kloofzicht Lodge is a five star establishment close to Muldersdrif in the Cradle of Mankind. I was scheduled to give a talk on the story of Fundamo in the morning so booked into the lodge the night before. I appreciated waking up with the sound of early morning birds and water flowing into the dams, especially after the hurly burly of Luanda

Visa Billboard in Luanda

Daniel Nascimento (the son of famous MPLA leader) is a well-known entertainer here in Angola, but also in Portugal. He features in an advertising campaign for one of the local bank's Visa pre-paid card. I saw a huge billboard of him in one of the streets of Luanda.

Arrived in Luanda

Rushed from the Luanda airport to my hotel, the Epic Sana, in order to change into a suit, so that I can be in time for my first meeting. I glanced through the window at the city's mix of old and new buildings, shiny cars and shacks. In the distance boats were waiting to enter the port.

Year-end at Waterkloof

Waterkloof is a new winery and restaurant set high on the hills outside Somerset West with spectacular views over False Bay. We had the year-end of the Kurktrekkers wine-club at this venue and it was once again one of the highlights of the year. Good friends, good food and wine, a perfect setting: all of this made it a perfect evening... again.

Jetlag

It is 03:00 in the morning and I am wide awake. Tired, but awake. I am back in South Africa after ten days on the US West Coast, watching CNN in a Protea Hotel in Johannesburg. One of those things, I suppose.

Great lunch at Emirates lounge

It is not often that one can enjoy a great lunch in an airline's lounge. I just had a great lunch at Emirates lounge at San Francisco International. The meal consisted of a Chinese duck salad starter with a good Viognier followed by a traditional Indian Chicken Tika Tika supported by great Californian Cab. This is why I prefer Emirates.

Techonomy12 Conference

I attended the Techonomy12 conference close to Tucson in Arizona. Participants were limited to a few hundred and speakers and panelists were entrepreneurs, execs from large companies academics and venture fund managers, as well as a few artists. The topics ranged from robotics to weather manipulation - all asking the question how are/or will technology impact our lives. During the social events, I met some very special people and made new friends. A worthwhile few days spent in the Arizona desert.

Giant cacti in Arizona

Arrived in Dove Mountain (north of Tucson in Arizona) for Techonomy12 conference at the Ritz Carlton hotel. I elected to do a guided mountain-bike ride after I arrived and it was such an amazing experience. The track was interesting with some technical descends and sand patches. The sun was setting in an orange glow and the air had a sharp, cold bite, but it was the vegetation that was the most spectacular. These huge cacti was everywhere also with a wide variety of other cacti and trees.

Pebble to San Francisco

I travelled back from Pebble to San Francisco in a rented Merc E350. The first stage of the route winded through a beautiful part of California and ended with the Multi-lane 280 towards the city. During the two and a half hour journey I enjoyed the balanced power of the luxury German car.

Passionfish

Who would have thought that a brussels sprout salad could be one of the best meals ever. I had this as a starter with business colleagues at a Monterrey seafood restaurant (Passionfish) and it was exquisite, well supported with a local Californian chardonnay.