Time to spread the word....about AFRICA!

Today I wrote a letter to the editor of an international 'travel' magazine. They send 'postcards' to thousands of e-mail recipients all over the world on a daily basis telling us about wonderful and not so wonderful destinations they would recommend (or not recommend) we visit. What astonished me was the fact that I could not easily find, for a long time, any significant information on the beautiful country I live in, South Africa. I managed to stumble onto an article about shark cage diving on the south coast, but wondered where articles about other cities such as Cape Town was hidden!

So I decided to write them after really ignoring my disappointment for far too long. And this is what I said:
SUBJECT: Africa a no-show...but why?

Greetings!

For far too long I have simply ignored the fact that your newsletter and postcards never make mention of my beautiful country and continent, Africa! But now is the time that I speak up.

My city, Cape Town, South Africa, is simply alive with endless possibilities. Everything you would imagine a paradise would be, is here! How come it is not mentioned in your publications?

If you know the right places to visit in Africa, you will find paradise, this is true. Living in Cape Town, you can find yourself jogging on white sand beaches, hiking up a majestic mountain or mountain biking in a forest within a time frame of 10 minutes. I kid you not!

Cape Town has the honour of having the most visited tourist attraction in South Africa right on its doorstep, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. It is the blend of some of the diverse cultures of its people and the modern touch of the interesting curio shops as well as five star luxury accommodation that hosted the likes of pop star, Michael Jackson, that sets the scene for some fun filled and interesting leisure time in this friendly city.

I cannot express the desire I have for you to add to your publications South Africa, Cape Town specifically, to your list of paradise destinations in the world, because it simply qualifies with distinction.

And yet, I have not even begun to tell you about all the other paradise destinations in Africa such as Namibia, desert kingdom, favourite of Hollywood couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Also Botswana, diamond kingdom, home to the ancient civilisation, the San Bushmen, as well as wildlife mecca. Also Lesotho, mountain kingdom, situated at high altitude amidst a majestic mountain range.

Africa has endless possibilities, please do not ignore us any further.

Looking forward to your reply.

Sincerely yours

Marlon C. Thieras

I feel that South Africa and the African continent should not be excluded from such publications, for what reason should it be so? We have an enormous treasure straight from paradise to share with the rest of the world, we have so much to be proud of and to admire. Why should we not feature as a retirement haven or a holiday destination of choice?

I hope I will receive a response from the editor and if I do I will let you know what was said.

I love my city....I love my country....but most of all, I love my AFRICA!

Till next time.

Home is where...

...you find yourself staring, in awe of God's creations. The unbelievable majestic views from the top of a canyon slowly but unmistakably carved out over many, many years, by the fresh waters of the Fish river. When you cast your eyes as far and wide and close to the edge of the horizon as you possibly can, you cannot help but feel proud and privileged to be one the 'chosen' few to witness the indescribable brilliance of an ingenious Artist, our Creator. And to think that, compared to the unspeakable vastness of the universe, this small and insignificant 'sketch' can create so much emotion and internal reflection that cuts to the depths of your soul. You are indeed instantly connected to the source of our souls...

To live this experience you need to take a trip down to the south of the magnificent Namibia, where the Fish river Canyon awaits you. Camp at Hobas and stay to take the 5-day hike through the canyon. The refreshing Ais-Ais resort awaits you on the other side.

Africa has indeed the most profound effect on ones soul and it doesn't take long to find a spot that can create the euphoria one could only dream of experiencing...in Africa dreams do come true!

It goes without saying that coming to Africa alone is an act of true selfishness. You simply cannot experience this elation without having your loved ones around to feel it with you. So I urge you, please, bring your family along.

I hope I leave you enticed and ready for an adventure, AN AFRICAN ADVENTURE!!!

Till next time.

Your African journey begins

You see, I fell in love with Africa while working as a sales consultant for a South African based company in Lesotho and Botswana during my varsity years. There's probably nothing on earth that beats travelling with a bunch of students who's only purpose in life is to have fun every moment of the day. But that's not always the best way to go, because irresponsible behaviour leads to negative consequences most of the time.

That is why I picked my friends very selectively and one such friend was Gerhard Rijke. He studied nature conservation and was an experienced ranger on a very large resort somewhere in the north of South Africa. I learnt a lot about nature and the outdoors from him and the more he shared with me, the more I wanted to learn!

For those who are wondering, Lesotho is a very tiny country situated roughly east to the center of South Africa, it's called the Mountain Kingdom, because it is virtually on top of a mountain range. Botswana on the other hand is situated north of South Africa and is locked in by Namibia on the west and north sides and Zimbabwe on the east side. Lesotho's capital is Maseru and Botswana's is Gaborone. These countries mentioned here all form part of Southern Africa.

Join me again next time as I take you further on this journey and discover with me the hidden wonders of Africa!

The African bug

May 17th, 2007

As I was saying previously, my presentation of a creative new business idea was well received by my fellow classmates.

But this story about my love for Africa or an african setting brings me to my passion, Africa and its magnificent scenery and landscapes, interesting people, untouched beauty and so much more. Have you ever travelled along some of Africa's long winding roads and just marvelled at its beauty, the wide open spaces and felt spellbound by its magic??? I have. And it's like lighting a fire, once it burns it captivates you, it has your full attention fixed upon it, it traps your mind and you love every second of it! The african savannah, the african bushveld, semi-deserts, its imposing mountains, the lakes and dams, rivers and oceans, coasts and jungles, the fauna and flora, wildlife like nowhere else on earth. This is something every person has to experience. I was bitten by the african bug and I will never get cured...

Join me next time.

Where does this name come from?

So here it is, my personal space on the world wide web. Let me start at the beginning, how did I decide on this name: The Lion's Den?

There I was, my first year at varsity, Stellenbosch University, beautiful town in the Western Cape in South Africa. Our lecturer decides to test our creativity in our Business Management class. "Come up with a totally new concept for a business, test your entrepeneurial skills" was his request.

So I go home brainstorming and I start thinking about how I would appreciate a really good time, but in a very relaxed and comfortable atmosphere with smooth sounds flowing all around me, but still retaining the exclusivity for only a handful of similar souls. So then it comes...I want a club, set in an african setting, dimmed lights, leather furniture, the sounds of really smooth but husky background music, allowing live bands to perform at times, well groomed gentleman waiters so serve the patrons, obviously a classic african style bar as a central point of the space.

Can you feel it with me? Let me go on...access to the club will be granted to gentlemen only, a place where executive type men can go after a hard day and experience the tranquility of a few hours in the company of men alone. Now, allow me to qualify this by saying that the idea is NOT to exclude woman, but rather to afford men the opportunity to spend some time away from them but in the company of other men, so that there isn't the chance of the women thinking the men are out looking to chat up other women. I hope you are with me so far.

So the next step was to decide on a name. And it just came to me, men like to feel like they are the kings of their worlds or kingdoms, similar to the way a male lion is perceived, you know, king of the jungle... And that's how it came, I called it "The Lion's Den".

I handed this assignment in with pride, like a lion, just kidding! But I knew the lecturer would find this one above average. And so it was. Some time after, he announced that he's picked five or so papers that he feels deserve to be mentioned in class. He read mine out loud after stating that it was a very interesting paper and the response of the class was, well, audible. They really enjoyed it.

Let me continue this tomorrow. See you!