The Quest for Pretoria's White Jacarandas

31 October 2016

I’m in America right now and I had really been looking forward to seeing the fall leaves here. I came home at exactly this time last year and the leaves were spectacular. Alas, it’s been a warm autumn on the East Coast and that seems to have slowed down the color change. The leaves have only just begun their transition in Maryland and Virginia.

Read More

Three Days in a Mozambican Paradise

14 October 2016

Yes, I’m a travel blogger, and yes, I travel a lot for work. Yes, I often field sarcastic Facebook comments like, “Wow, what a rough life you have!” or, “I wish could quit my REAL job and become a blogger like you.” I usually resent these comments. Travel blogging is harder than it looks and most of my travel is far from glamorous.

Read More

Three Random Days in Cape Town: Mountaintops, Beer, and Big Fat Seals

04 October 2016

Last week I went to Cape Town for an Instagram campaign, to attend a single two-hour event on a Wednesday evening. My friend Kate was invited too.

Cape Town being one the most beautiful cities in the world and all, Kate and I decided it was silly to fly down for just one evening. We extended our stay to two nights and three days. This decision resulted in two Jozi blogger chicks Ubering madly around Cape Town, meeting up with blogger friends, stuffing our faces, drinking lots of beer and wine, walking our asses off, doing yoga poses on mountaintops, and laughing at big fat seals.

Read More

The 2Summers Weekend Guide to Magoebaskloof

01 October 2016

Last month I participated in a weekend-long Instagram trip to Magoebaskloof, a mountainous area in central Limpopo that includes the small town of Haenertsburg. We visited about a dozen amazing places in less than 48 hours; it was so exhausting that by Sunday afternoon I was slumped in the grass outside a popular outdoor market, unable to talk or move or speak.

Read More

From Mansions to Muti Shops: Exploring Johannesburg's Heritage

27 September 2016

Last Saturday was Heritage Day, a South African public holiday celebrating the nation’s heritage. This holiday is interesting because “heritage” can mean so many things. South Africa has 11 official languages and dozens of distinct cultural groups, each with its own heritage. There’s also historical heritage, architectural heritage, artistic heritage, archeological heritage…Pretty much anything can be heritage.

Read More

Art Emerges From Dust on the Ribola Art Route

19 September 2016

I drove on a wide gravel road, my little car rattling as its tires pushed over the corrugated surface. Dust billowed behind me. I was headed toward a tiny Limpopo town called Mukondeni, where I would explore the Ribola Art Route, and I was making good time. I glanced at my iPhone’s GPS: The blue line was solid, assuring me I was headed in the right direction.

Read More