One Great Raodtrip

Ingredients:

• One sturdy vehicle
• Dried fruit nuts and biltong, enough to sustain you through hours and hours of driving
• Ipod loaded with songs you can sing along to
• you best friend in the seat next to you.
• one map book preferably with tattered pages and a lot of character

Shake vigorously for 3-10 days and enjoy.

It was Monday afternoon, Jess and I had just finished helping with a new program where she works at the sustainability institute (more about that later). We rushed to her little farm and packed all of the necessities and we hit the road with the killers blaring. We started our little adventure off just perfectly. As we drove the sun sunk behind the mountains of the western cape and the stars came out to guide us to our first destination. We made it to Storms River in just 51/2 hours. That was some kind of record. The journey seemed to fly by, but by the time we got there we were pretty exhausted and ready to flop into bed. We had no idea what to expect at the Tube n' Axe. We walked up to a backpackers filled with young people and one very friendly bartender who showed us to our diggs for the night. We were pretty happy to find two beds and a door that locked. We fell into bed and slept beautifully. In the morning we awoke to find that our first stop was actually stunning.

 
Jess decided to take a little nap in the morning sunshine.


Jess took this shot as I looked out at the beautiful view.

We decided to have a little hike at Storms River National park to the Swinging bridges. The hike was easy and the views were stunning. We took in the sounds and smells and enjoyed every step. The bridges were long and narrow and stretched across a beautiful blue river mouth.




 







Looking down it becomes obvious that the confluence is home to many many sharks. It is a bit of a thrill to walk over sharks on a swinging bridge. On the hike back we decided it would be a good idea to walk down to one last little cove.

 Jess and I couldn't help ourselves. We stripped down to our skivvies and jumped in. The water was so refreshing, it was a relief to wash off that film of dirt and sweat. After our swim we scampered past the enclaves of tourists and jumped in the jeep to continue on our adventure.

People drift in and out of our lives, sometimes they touch our hearts even if they are only close to us for a very short time.
 
In South Africa it is fairly common to have a domestic worker. At first, it seemed strange to have someone doing my dishes and laundry, but in South Africa, with roughly 25% unemployed, it just makes sense. It frees up time to focus on work and other things while providing someone with a job. 
 

On the first day at our place in Johannesburg I awoke to a little knock on our bedroom door. Charlie sleepily said, 'come in'. In walked Salome with a huge smile on her face. This was the first time I met Salome. She brought in a tray of hot tea with a warm hello. I knew we would be friends, and not just because she was feeding my tea habit. I  slurped down my tea and walked down to the kitchen where Salome was busy making breakfast. The table was all set with fresh flowers from the garden. Charlie and I sat down to breakfast, enjoying every bite. Then Charlie scampered off to work and I got started working on admin from home. And this is how just about every morning started while in Johannesburg.


Salome and I became very close in a  very short time. We went to the shops together and shared stories along the way. She told me all about her family, her house (which is almost finished, it just needs a roof), and life in general. I used my time in South Africa to work on improving my business processes which meant a lot of computer time. When I was not out on an adventure I was working pretty hard, having Salome with me was a joy. Salome would try to distract me, 'Your eyes must be so tired. Stop looking at the computer. Here, look at this tea.' She would regularly tell me that I needed to move to Johannesburg and buy this house. 'You should live here.' she would tell me. Almost every day.


Salome. She is strong, kind and funny. She stood up for herself and her family when it mattered most. She has courage. She has built a life for herself and she is proud of what she has accomplished. She has a big family including a grandson on his way to becoming a doctor. The highlight of her month is when she gets to go home and see her family. Salome has been working for the same lady (the owner of the house we were staying) for almost 30 years. When Salome was just 23 she moved to Johannesburg and taught herself to speak Zulu, the fourth in her repertoire of languages.

When it came time to say goodbye to Salome I told her that I was leaving for Cape Town and I probably would not see her again before I leave for the United States. She said 'No! I will not eat all week. Do not tell me this.' The very last thing I remember her saying to me was, 'Oh no, my Baby is leaving.' It was true. I was leaving and she had touched my heart. 

I don't know if I will ever see Salome again, but I will never forget what she has taught me. No matter what life throws at you it is important to give it everything you have. Be strong. Enjoy life and greet every day with a smile (and a cup of tea). Sing while you work. Don't forget to take breaks. And most importantly, always show the people around you how much you care for them. 

I often have people asking me questions. Questions about life, questions about owning a business, questions about photography. Last night I got to thinking, there are probably more people that have those same questions, why not just put them on the blog. So, here I am starting a new little blog-series that I call it tidbits. Little nuggets of information that you might find helpful. The catch: you have to ask the questions! It can be anything photography related or not. It can be business questions or it can be life questions. Basically this is an open forum. Also, if you have suggestions, this is where I will post them for others to see. So email me, facebook me or leave a question in the comment section. How often will I post a tidbit? At least once a month depending on your response. If there are a ton of questions I will post more frequently. So there you go. Fire away. I am waiting...

Sonny: I wanted to ask your advice regarding a good lens to travel with.  I'll be taking a trip in March to Turkey, London, and Calgary.  I wanted to take good lenses with me, but I didn't want to deal with the hassle of carrying two lenses with me (wide and long) that I'd have to switch between while on the go.

Tidbit: If I was limited to only one lens, I would bring my 70-200 f/4. This is a beautiful lens and it is a lot lighter than it's overweight cousin the 70-200 f/2.8. I would use this lens on the Canon 5d mark II. Then, if I had the option I would bring a point an shoot that I can stick in my pocket for taking pictures in tighter quarters. The one reason I might bring a wider lens is if I plan on taking landscape type images. In this case I would bring my 24-70 f/2.8.

These are some images that I took recently with my 70-200 f/4. I know you probably will not be photographing hippos in Europe, but it gives you an idea. Happy travels!

The last bite, it is always my favorite. Give me a huge bar of chocolate, and you bet I will have a piece. But if you gobble the whole chocolate bar and give me the last piece, I will treasure it. I will love it. I will praise you for life. Charlie knows this. A few evenings ago we were having lunch at a little steak house just down the street. I ordered an ostrich fillet (delicious). Charlie ordered a hamburger, fries and a vanilla milkshake. Oh my. That milkshake was not any run of the mill sloppy wet milkshake. It was a double thick vanilla milkshake. The kind of milkshake you have to eat with a spoon. It was love in a retro tumbler. It was liquid heaven. I had a few sips (bites really) and we enjoyed our meal. Then Charlie looked up at me and said, 'would you like the last bit?'. Would I? Yum, yes please. It is the last bite that I love. The last little bits. D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.


Unfortunately on my way to lunch I was thinking with my tummy and I left my camera at home. Luckily I did find this image, which approximates the lovely shake that Charlie ordered. I borrowed it from mackenziephoto on flickr.