#sojourn As an avid #wanderluster, lockdown affected me in a significant way... at the core of my essence floundered my sense of adventure having been confined to an already suffocating environment indefinitely it seems.
New hobbies were started, new skills were learnt, latent talents were unearthed and #Tik Tok blew up the internet! I learnt I have pretty green thumbs and love talking to my plants. I also enjoy discovering and interacting with cool people in foreign lands. With lockdown though the journey was inward for most of us, for the brave few it was deeper still shining light in the closets and burrows of one's own consciousness... A journey back to you. And this is how this idea to write about my travel experiences was sparked and percolated. Here she is: 'Sojourn: Journey To Self 1.1 Strawberries in George George is a very laid-back little city of about 155,000 people with a large retiree population. It is quaint without being corny I guess. My trip to George was business in nature but started in a very casual setting, watching a Liverpool match at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Woodstock. This was downtime on the back hosting a corporate travel group of 200 people for five days for the Jazz Festival. Bar banter and heckling led to a conversation of a business nature and 48 hours later we flew FlySafair to this sleepy city; preparing to pitch a travel & tourism concept & strategy proposal the next day. We were greeted by a nasty crosswind that earned the pilot an ovation soon after landing. The temperature was brisk being the peak of winter. Our trip to the hotel was retarded by low-hanging mist that enveloped the road verges and turned blind spots into portals via which traffic and land masses just appeared in. Oubaai Hotel Golf & Spa is a premium luxury hotel situated in a unique location with a view of mountains in the east, and pristine beach views on the west of the hotel. It is set up as a private community with biometric check-in at the entry points into the complex. The hotel also features an award-winning golf course designed by golf legend Ernie Els making it a sought-after destination course. Arriving at night didn't do the hotel much justice, but the koi pond under the lit recesses of the entrance walkway was an amazing welcome; flowing into the foyer's vaulted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling glass panels gave it a very grand appearance. Check-in was seamless and we were shown to our rooms by porters. My room was a deluxe suite with a beach-facing balcony, walk-in glass shower and a standalone tub. The bath robe was even more luxurious than the one at the Hilton loft I was staying at that morning, and the walls were tastefully adorned with recycled metal art. After check-in we went straight to Herold's for dinner and the rump steak and chips was my choice. Cooked to perfection, medium with crispy chips and onion rings... it was a satisfying introduction to the hospitality we would experience for the next couple of days. In the welcome lobby on our floor (every floor has one), was an assortment of cheeseboards, cold cuts, hot and cold beverages laid out for new arrivals. I met the Head of Jaguar (Africa region) and discovered he was also a Liverpudlian... football, that common thread tying it all together it seems! The pitch the next morning was a gruelling 2 hour marathon, but went very well. Our hosts treated us to a trip to Redberry Farm soon after. This is one of the city's major exports and we picked our own strawberries and sipped on Koppaberg Cider as we relished the prospects that our future business deals held in store. Brunch was Augusta George Grill, and I had a succulent impala steak that was the highlight of my cuisines in George. The trip was a short and sweet one and I honestly never got to do any of the touristy stuff on the Garden route or even play a few holes on the course. Definitely a recommended destination, albeit so you can experience Oubaai Hotel!