Today I have spent my day with 33 people in the Cape Winelands, a good start for new years eve:) Sparkling wine,wine, and brandy. In an hours time Im meeting the group again and we are going to Lagoon Beach for dinner, back before midnight to Cape Town, to watch the fireworks at V&A Waterfront.
A very happy New Year 2011 to all of you!
Love,Jannika
Räätälöityjä matkoja eteläiseen-ja itä afrikkaan / Tailor-made Tours to southern and eastern Africa
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Photos from tour
Sunset from Table Mountain
Penguine paradise Boulders Beach
Cape Point
Sunset Table Mountain
Liina posing on the beach:)
Me walking on Table Mountain
Leopard and our snacks
Same leopard,beautiful!
Elephant watching our moves...
Waterbucks posing for me
Christmas Eve with my guest, at Honeyguide
One of six lions ruling the area
Langa Township
Here in this room lives about 8-10 people
And some wine on winetasting:)Monday, December 27, 2010
Back in Cape Town
Hello to everyone,
A 10 day trip behind with a very nice group, thank you to all my guest:)
We had very good weather all trough the trip starting in Cape Town. We saw the sunset from Table Mountain on the first evening, visited Cape Point and saw the penguines at Boulders Beach near Simostown on our second day, it was almsot a windless day, vary rare in Cape Town.
We also did a visit to the winelands, there is so many wine estates to choose from, over 300 estates. We started the morning with sparkling wine,then moved over to wine and ended the day with brandy/liquere& chocolate:) We also had time with a township tour, we visited Langa township,did a walk trough an area, children gathering around us, especially when someone had pens to hand out, we also visited a little flat where 12 families lived, very basic and hard to understand how so many people fit into such a small space , and there was only 5 rooms and maybe 3 beds in each room, 15 beds and over 40 people...
When it was time to leave Cape Town, we left eeeeeaaarly in the morning, flight at 6h45...and what happens...the flight was cancelled, but luckily I managed to arrange a flight soon after, so at 7h30 we took off, and was almost back on schedule:) One never knows what can happen on tour, so I have learnt to take one step at a time, that is all one can do:)
We started the second part of our tour up north, in Mpumalanga province, stayed first night at Hannah Lodge, very clean and pleasant place for a stop over, and during dinner that night we listended to christmas music. From there we moved on towards Kruger Park, but before that we visited Blyde River Canyon, said to be the worlds third largest canyon, and the only green one, beautiful. Unfortunatalt I have no good pictures from the tour as at 4h30 in the morning when we left Cape Town I forgot my camera battery:( I had the whole camerabag with me to carry around, and no use of it! At the canyon we visited the Three Rondavels and Bourke Lock Potholes, very impressive to see, and a nice hot day, at this stage about +35. We stopped at Graskop, had lunch at the well known Harries Pancake, and then carried on the Shangaan Village to meet the chief and see the village,sangoma and enjoy a dance performance..and the heat carries on building up. Our guide for Kruger Park ,Andy ,joined us,and we entered Kruger Park from Kruger Gate, drove to Skukuza, the first and biggest camp in Kruger Park. I think guest where a bit tired after the hot day and where more than ready to relax a bit, but as the schedule on the tour is quite hectic, there is not much time for that:) It was time for dinner just a few hours after that, and a very very early wake up the following morning, game drive starting at 4am when still dark! It was the first game drive and we did see many hyenas, and some antilopes, 2 rhinoes in the distance, and an elephant. After 3 hours driving around, it was breakfast, packing up and in the bus again and off to the next camp, and the temperature just raising, a record for this tour, +45! We saw a heard of elephants crossing the road on our way to Satara( our camp for the next night). Once we where in Satara and everyone was settled in there was a few hours time to relax before the evening game drive, again 3 hours driving around. We saw some elephants close by,impala, giraffe, zebra,and a leopard next to the road in the dark. We did see some buffalo somewhere also but I cant rememeber where anymore. After that we had dinner,and I can tell you that when the manager is gone the staff switch off and has all the time in the world!! The service between the two camps Skukuza and Satara was like night and day, when it comes to the restaurant staff, a bit more dedication at Satara thank you!
The the last part of the tour was starting,a visit to Moholoholo Animal Rehab center and 2 nights at Honeyguide Tented Camp. I think this was the highlight of the tour for all guest:) At Moholoholo we had the greatest guide, Ardes, he has such a wonderfula relationship to the animals you seldom see, and the way he explained made everyone understand. A big thank you to Ardes! We got a chance to meet and touch a cheetah,and see so many other animals and birds that are looked after at Moholoholo Rehab Center , I will defenitely recommend a visit to anyone travelling trough the area.
After a 2 hours tour it was time to go to Honeyguide and fulfill our safari experience..and I can tell you we saw a lot of animals, from lions, leopards to elephants, hippos,buffalo...Honeyguide is a great place for safari, and the staff makes sure everyone is looked after, you wakeup in the morning to drums, telling you coffe/tea is on its way and you have to get ready for you morning safari. During the days you can relax by the pool,or on the veranda of your tent reading a book listening to the sound of the nature/bush.
With the group we ate lunches and dinners together,even if we had 2 camps in our use, I think everyone enjoyed the christmas eve in the bush:) We had a lovely dinner, sparkling wine, wine...and the weather was lovely.
One incident on my last game drive, we where stopping for sundowners, our safari guide Faniel, walked a bit further to check, he came back and asked us to get into the vehicle, there was a leopard 50m away, we got in, drove to see the leopard and followed its move the next 20min, it almost went to eat our snacks on the table that was still standing out there.
Overall we had a very good animal experience, not often one sees so many animals in a few days.
The tour ended yesterday and I flew back to Cape Town to be with my family again, until my next tour starts in a few days.
Last night christmas father brought some presents under the tree, Liina missed him,she would have liked to give him a hug..:)and Viivi fell asleep in the car from the airport, so she could only open her presents today.
Take care and some pictures will follow soon.
Sunny Greetings,
Jannika
A 10 day trip behind with a very nice group, thank you to all my guest:)
We had very good weather all trough the trip starting in Cape Town. We saw the sunset from Table Mountain on the first evening, visited Cape Point and saw the penguines at Boulders Beach near Simostown on our second day, it was almsot a windless day, vary rare in Cape Town.
We also did a visit to the winelands, there is so many wine estates to choose from, over 300 estates. We started the morning with sparkling wine,then moved over to wine and ended the day with brandy/liquere& chocolate:) We also had time with a township tour, we visited Langa township,did a walk trough an area, children gathering around us, especially when someone had pens to hand out, we also visited a little flat where 12 families lived, very basic and hard to understand how so many people fit into such a small space , and there was only 5 rooms and maybe 3 beds in each room, 15 beds and over 40 people...
When it was time to leave Cape Town, we left eeeeeaaarly in the morning, flight at 6h45...and what happens...the flight was cancelled, but luckily I managed to arrange a flight soon after, so at 7h30 we took off, and was almost back on schedule:) One never knows what can happen on tour, so I have learnt to take one step at a time, that is all one can do:)
We started the second part of our tour up north, in Mpumalanga province, stayed first night at Hannah Lodge, very clean and pleasant place for a stop over, and during dinner that night we listended to christmas music. From there we moved on towards Kruger Park, but before that we visited Blyde River Canyon, said to be the worlds third largest canyon, and the only green one, beautiful. Unfortunatalt I have no good pictures from the tour as at 4h30 in the morning when we left Cape Town I forgot my camera battery:( I had the whole camerabag with me to carry around, and no use of it! At the canyon we visited the Three Rondavels and Bourke Lock Potholes, very impressive to see, and a nice hot day, at this stage about +35. We stopped at Graskop, had lunch at the well known Harries Pancake, and then carried on the Shangaan Village to meet the chief and see the village,sangoma and enjoy a dance performance..and the heat carries on building up. Our guide for Kruger Park ,Andy ,joined us,and we entered Kruger Park from Kruger Gate, drove to Skukuza, the first and biggest camp in Kruger Park. I think guest where a bit tired after the hot day and where more than ready to relax a bit, but as the schedule on the tour is quite hectic, there is not much time for that:) It was time for dinner just a few hours after that, and a very very early wake up the following morning, game drive starting at 4am when still dark! It was the first game drive and we did see many hyenas, and some antilopes, 2 rhinoes in the distance, and an elephant. After 3 hours driving around, it was breakfast, packing up and in the bus again and off to the next camp, and the temperature just raising, a record for this tour, +45! We saw a heard of elephants crossing the road on our way to Satara( our camp for the next night). Once we where in Satara and everyone was settled in there was a few hours time to relax before the evening game drive, again 3 hours driving around. We saw some elephants close by,impala, giraffe, zebra,and a leopard next to the road in the dark. We did see some buffalo somewhere also but I cant rememeber where anymore. After that we had dinner,and I can tell you that when the manager is gone the staff switch off and has all the time in the world!! The service between the two camps Skukuza and Satara was like night and day, when it comes to the restaurant staff, a bit more dedication at Satara thank you!
The the last part of the tour was starting,a visit to Moholoholo Animal Rehab center and 2 nights at Honeyguide Tented Camp. I think this was the highlight of the tour for all guest:) At Moholoholo we had the greatest guide, Ardes, he has such a wonderfula relationship to the animals you seldom see, and the way he explained made everyone understand. A big thank you to Ardes! We got a chance to meet and touch a cheetah,and see so many other animals and birds that are looked after at Moholoholo Rehab Center , I will defenitely recommend a visit to anyone travelling trough the area.
After a 2 hours tour it was time to go to Honeyguide and fulfill our safari experience..and I can tell you we saw a lot of animals, from lions, leopards to elephants, hippos,buffalo...Honeyguide is a great place for safari, and the staff makes sure everyone is looked after, you wakeup in the morning to drums, telling you coffe/tea is on its way and you have to get ready for you morning safari. During the days you can relax by the pool,or on the veranda of your tent reading a book listening to the sound of the nature/bush.
With the group we ate lunches and dinners together,even if we had 2 camps in our use, I think everyone enjoyed the christmas eve in the bush:) We had a lovely dinner, sparkling wine, wine...and the weather was lovely.
One incident on my last game drive, we where stopping for sundowners, our safari guide Faniel, walked a bit further to check, he came back and asked us to get into the vehicle, there was a leopard 50m away, we got in, drove to see the leopard and followed its move the next 20min, it almost went to eat our snacks on the table that was still standing out there.
Overall we had a very good animal experience, not often one sees so many animals in a few days.
The tour ended yesterday and I flew back to Cape Town to be with my family again, until my next tour starts in a few days.
Last night christmas father brought some presents under the tree, Liina missed him,she would have liked to give him a hug..:)and Viivi fell asleep in the car from the airport, so she could only open her presents today.
Take care and some pictures will follow soon.
Sunny Greetings,
Jannika
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Jannika on tour...
Sorry I havent had time to write lately, and now Im on my way again on safari with the group( in 15 min). Everything is going fine, I have a wonderful group once again, the sun is shining, it is +40, everyone is melting, we saw some herds of elephants crossing the road on our way to Satara Camp today in Kruger Park, this morning we saw hyena,rhinos, elephant, crocs....and many antilopes, lets see what we find tonight:)
Tomorrow is christmas and I spend it without my family:( , but we make up for it on the 26th when Im home again. I will be at Honeyguide tented camp with my group, safari safari safari the whole christmas.
Just wanted to wish you all a Wonderful Christmas, where ever in the world you are:)
Time to go.....( and off I run:)
Hugs,
Jannika
Tomorrow is christmas and I spend it without my family:( , but we make up for it on the 26th when Im home again. I will be at Honeyguide tented camp with my group, safari safari safari the whole christmas.
Just wanted to wish you all a Wonderful Christmas, where ever in the world you are:)
Time to go.....( and off I run:)
Hugs,
Jannika
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Chapmans Peak drive
Last night was windy, a storm. I had planned to go jogging at 6am with a friend, but 5am I got a sms, saying no chance of jogging,as we probably will blow away. Today we went for a drive along the western coastline towards Cape Point,and the ever so beautiful Chapmans Peak Drive is always worth driving. The views over the Atlantic ocean and the cliffs,mountainside is amazing. I took a few pictures I will add.
After that we stopped for late lunch at the Barnyard, and Liina go to ride on a horse. It is a touch and feed farm, but I must say it needs some upgrading, I had expected something very different, like an idyllic little farm in a beautiful setting, with an old, rustic feeling to it,but it was far from that...maybe 10 years ago! Even the kiddies playground was like a forgotten place. The website looked so inviting and perfect for a day out with the children. But the food was good and Liina enjoyed her horseride, maybe she can start taking ridingclasses once we get home again?I know she would like to.
That is about all we have done today:)
Sun is shining, no signs of last nights storm, it was gone in the morning, wonder when we are getting some rain? It hasnt rained for 2 weeks here...I would not be suprised if it rains on friday when my guests arrive!
Hugs,
Jannika
Sun is shining, no signs of last nights storm, it was gone in the morning, wonder when we are getting some rain? It hasnt rained for 2 weeks here...I would not be suprised if it rains on friday when my guests arrive!
Hugs,
Jannika
Life is...
..a beach, it feels like:) I think last week we where about everyday to the beach, in the morning, or afternoon or evening. We had a nice picnic evening, saw the sunset,and on sunday we had a very hot day so we took the girls to the beach and enjoyed the waves, and one day we picked shells. But the amount of sand one drags home even if trying to be careful! The whole floor is like a sandpit!
On sunday we went to get sushi take-aways, I love sushi!..and the place in Sea Point we went to had a sunday special, get double of everything you order, and of course at first I didnt think about that an ordered, the lady asked me if Im sure I want so much, and we counted trough and it was over 60 pieces! So, I minimized my order a bit,I paid R200 ( 20eros) for 40 pieces.A very nice sunday dinner.
On saturday we went to a kiddies party, the girls spent the day jumping in a jumping castle, and can you believe, it only cost R350( 35euros) /day to rent it.Would be popular in Finland, but much more expensive
I have been finalizing a few things for the upcoming tours, first one starting on friday. Looking forward to work again:)
I also have been out jogging some mornings, and yesterday I found a nice gym close by I will join per month.It was new, fresh and clean, it also had a sauna:)
So, our days are very relaxed.And next week christmas is already on the doorstep. We will only celebrate on the 26.12 as Im coming back from the tour then, as it was too expensive for Nico&the girls to just fly up 2 days, over R 10 000!
Tomorrow evening christmas father is arriving to the V&A Waterfront,so we will be there watching his entrance:) And on thursday he will be there for the children to come and say hello.
We are coming home one month earlier than planned,beginning of March, so we will hopefully have time to enjoy some winter& snow in Finland.
Have a wonderful week.
Jannika
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Beachlife
Today it has been a warm day in Cape Town. This morning I went to meet Jeff, the owner of Head South Lodge, a very nice, lodge well located in Green Point, style modern, and can I say with a Scandinavian feel to it. Can warmly recommend.
In the late afternoon we went to the beach, girls got their buckets with and played in the sand, it was a bit windy, but still ok. And sometimes unexpected things happens, there was a famly close to us at the beach with two children in Liina&Viivis age, they started playing and we talking with parents, and next week I will going jogging with her:)
Here is a few pictures of Liina baking and the girls at the beach.
Goodnight and sweet dreams!
Jannika
In the late afternoon we went to the beach, girls got their buckets with and played in the sand, it was a bit windy, but still ok. And sometimes unexpected things happens, there was a famly close to us at the beach with two children in Liina&Viivis age, they started playing and we talking with parents, and next week I will going jogging with her:)
Here is a few pictures of Liina baking and the girls at the beach.
Goodnight and sweet dreams!
Jannika
Monday, December 6, 2010
First week in Cape Town
This weekend was very relaxed. Yesterday we drove around and checked out the gyms in the area that we have a membership to, and of course the gym we like and is close to us, is not part of the club we belong to...:( So we have to drive 20min to get to gym, but usually when I set my mind on something I get it worked out, so now I will try to get our memberships rented out and we can go to the close one...lets hope it works out, but meanwhile we drive that 20min out.
Today I worked a few hours , have to catch up a bit as I havent had a chance to do too much last few weeks...so I have a bit to do, next group is coming 17.12.
After that we made a dough for gingerbiscuits, and tonight we will bake them. And after that we went to the V&A Waterfront for lunch and just to walk around. It is still quite relaxed there, but wait another week and it will be hectic when it is holiday times for the local people in SA. I like the Waterfront, there is a certain holiday feeling to the whole place, you can go shopping , take a boat tour, eat and just enjoy some entertainment or just watch people walk by. Anyway, went to the Two Ocean Aquarium, a very nice place to go with children, Liina& Viivi run around laughing ,seeing all those different fishes, small and big , even sharks!
Now we are back, I have to work a bit and then it is time to bake those gingerbiscuits:) And maybe we still make it to the beach today, before the sunset, just to enjoy the sea and let the girls run it off before bedtime.
Have a lovely week, here the sun is shining and about +25.
Jannika
Today I worked a few hours , have to catch up a bit as I havent had a chance to do too much last few weeks...so I have a bit to do, next group is coming 17.12.
After that we made a dough for gingerbiscuits, and tonight we will bake them. And after that we went to the V&A Waterfront for lunch and just to walk around. It is still quite relaxed there, but wait another week and it will be hectic when it is holiday times for the local people in SA. I like the Waterfront, there is a certain holiday feeling to the whole place, you can go shopping , take a boat tour, eat and just enjoy some entertainment or just watch people walk by. Anyway, went to the Two Ocean Aquarium, a very nice place to go with children, Liina& Viivi run around laughing ,seeing all those different fishes, small and big , even sharks!
Now we are back, I have to work a bit and then it is time to bake those gingerbiscuits:) And maybe we still make it to the beach today, before the sunset, just to enjoy the sea and let the girls run it off before bedtime.
Have a lovely week, here the sun is shining and about +25.
Jannika
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Picture time
Here follows a few picture from last few days. Today we are going shopping, I didnt feel too good yesterday,so I dragged around inside the apartment the whole day,luckily in the evening I felt better and we went for dinner with my clients that have been here for 3 weeks and loved it! Thanks Koivula family for a lovely evening!
Girls just love to play in mud...and sometimes they are allowed:)
Monkeytime!
A ringtail eating
Chippie the capuchin
A turtle the size of Viivi
Liina is a bit more careful
A squirrel monkey
Landscape along the coast close to Wilderness
And landscapes as we got closer to Cape Town, pictures taken from the car.
Close to Gansbaai we went to look at whales playing in the water, a bit far away to get a good picture, but we found this little turtle on the path. 
View from our guest house
And here you can see the guesthouse and our green car called froggy:)It worked very well for our roadtrip( besides a few minor problems Nico managed to fix), here in Cape town froggy is a bit big as it is not so easy to find parking in town, better to have small car that can park anywhere.
And below a few pictures from our apartment in Green Point, on the last picture you an see the view from our balcony,you can see the new stadim build for the world cup. We are very centrally located, and still it is not too busy, from here it takes about 5 min to the beachpromenade, where we can go running. A few things needs to be done to make the apartment feeling like home, but it is in a very good condition, so no major things:) Nico will paint a few paintings to hang on the walls and I take care of the rest:)
Have a lovely weekend!
Today the girls will get their christmas tree, and decorations,lights etc...and we are going to bake, probably gingercookies, a few to put in the christmas tree too, we are starting our christmas tonight...feels a bit far as the sun is shining and it is warm outside...
Here pictures:
Girls just love to play in mud...and sometimes they are allowed:)
Monkeytime!
A ringtail eating
Chippie the capuchin
A turtle the size of Viivi
Liina is a bit more careful
A squirrel monkey
Landscape along the coast close to Wilderness
And landscapes as we got closer to Cape Town, pictures taken from the car.
Close to Gansbaai we went to look at whales playing in the water, a bit far away to get a good picture, but we found this little turtle on the path. 
View from our guest house 
And here you can see the guesthouse and our green car called froggy:)It worked very well for our roadtrip( besides a few minor problems Nico managed to fix), here in Cape town froggy is a bit big as it is not so easy to find parking in town, better to have small car that can park anywhere.And below a few pictures from our apartment in Green Point, on the last picture you an see the view from our balcony,you can see the new stadim build for the world cup. We are very centrally located, and still it is not too busy, from here it takes about 5 min to the beachpromenade, where we can go running. A few things needs to be done to make the apartment feeling like home, but it is in a very good condition, so no major things:) Nico will paint a few paintings to hang on the walls and I take care of the rest:)
Have a lovely weekend!
Jannika
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