A day of good food & shopping at the V&A Waterfront
Ostrich Farm & Blouberg Strand, Cape Town
-13 December 2012 -
South Africa is know for their Ostrich Farms. Ostriches are interesting creatures with their eyes being "way" bigger then their brain, and their love for anything shiny. We took a tour around the farm, got to meet and feed the smallest ostrich in the world. We even got to see a tortoise swim, which i never knew they could do. After the Ostrich farm we took a drive to Blouberg strand. Blouberg Strand is beautiful with an amazing view of Table Mountain. It is loved by kite surfers due to it being really windy almost everyday. We played around in the REALLY cold ocean water and stopped at Blue Peter Hotel for a drink.
Table Mountain, Cape Town
- 12 December 2012 -
I had the opportunity
to go home for the holiday which I was very excited about. Haven’t been home in
over 2 years so it was well overdue. My friend Rachel decided that she was going
to join me over in South
Africa Cape Town
Our first
stop was Table Mountain Cape Town
Wine tasting in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
- 1 December 2012 -
Valle de Guadalupe is the valley between Ensenada and Tecate Mexico. We had been planning a trip out there to check it out. Halfway into planning we saw that Turista Libre was planning the same trip, so that seemed to work out easier. We started out at the US/Mexico border and piled into the van. After a mild parking detour we were on our way. Heading down highway 1 we got to take in all the sites of the baja coast. Somewhere near Rosarito we stopped for tamales. There was a choice of something like 6 different kind of tamales. I went with one pineapple and 3 wildcards. My gamble paid off because the food was amazing. We walked around a bit and scored some hand made margarita glasses. Once we regrouped it was time to head to the first winery which was called Hacienda La Lomita. This was my favorite of the three wineries. We had one white and three reds are this place. If my memory serves me correctly this was the order: First a 50/50 Sauvignon Blanc / Chenin Blanc. Second was a Grenache, Syrah, Merlot blend. Third was a pure Grenache which was amazing this was worth the 400 paseos to take home. Last one was a Caberinet Sauvignon (I think). This place was amazing and I’d definitely go back if I was in the area. Next winery was Baron Balch’e which had an actual cellar that was interesting to see. I don’t recall the wine order or selection as much from this place. They did however have lovely scenery and we managed to take a group photo. The last winery on the tour was Emeve which had a Rosa that Charlene liked and for 100 paseos it was a no brainer to take home. I ordered a cheese plate here that was delicious and well needed at this point. I had been sneaking beers in the back of the van most of the trip and food was inevitable. Luckily Derrick the tour guide had planned for this and took us to one of the best pizza joints that I have ever been too. A couple of pitchers of Sangria and a few pies later I was full, drunk, and happy. It was dark by the time we headed home. We got stopped a couple times by the federales which I think is pretty routine. However, there was an accident ahead of us on the 1 and we ran into some debri causing the van to crack the oil pan and flatten the rear tire. Bummer but what can you do? We had to wait for awhile for another car to take us back to the border. It was quite amusing watching people try to interact without cell phones because the US phones didn’t work in Mexico. A couple hours of chit chat and we were headed back to the border. We missed the last trolley to get home and got stuck in San Yisdro, CA for a bit but we got a ride home. I had a blast. The trip was amazing even with the Van mishap. We all now have a Mexico story to tell. Cheers to all that came and Cheers to Turista Libre for an awesome trip
Blair's Headbangin' Birthday Bonanza
- 17 November 2012 -
Not sure how but we always seem to make it to Blair’s Birthday. When she mentioned “Metal” I was way in. Heavy Metal, Booze, and Old friends what more could you ask for? We headed up to LA for the weekend and raged our tiny faces off.
Happy Birthday Blair!!! We love you.
Wine tasting in Temecula
- 10 November 2012 -
I've lived in San Diego for close to 5 years now and I had never been to Temecula for wine tasting. Sure enough a Living Social deal came up and we decided to go. Temecula is about an hour drive north of us so we figured a day trip would be nice. We got picked up by the trolley at the embassy suites (too bad the place was booked). The driver kindly handed us a full glass of Champagne (I refuse to call it sparkling wine) and we were off. Our first stop was Bel Vino. This was my favorite tasting room of the trip. The dark lighting and display of barrels made this place seem quite cozy. We started with the whites and moved up to the reds. The best white I thought here was the Viognier. There was a loud group of surly women claiming to be the Fletcher park house wives up at the bar. I had no choice but to mingle in order to get to the bar and so I did. Luckily these women had some inside tips and suggested we try the 2006 Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon that wasn’t on the menu. Or bartender Spencer was happy to pour us a couple glasses of this delicious wine. By far the best wine of the trip. So good that we ended our tasting experience on this one even though we had two more samples. The next winery was Churon. This tasting room was less about ambiance and more about selling overpriced knick knacks. I believe the Syrah was my favorite wine here. The building and landscape at Churon however was quite beautiful. This is where we had lunch. One of the best Tri-tip sandwiches I've ever had. After lunch it was time to move on. Masia De Yabar was next on the list. Here people started getting annoying. A bachelorette party and a mustache / wig party showed up at the same time. Luckily the ruckus remained inside. Out in the courtyard was one of the most amazing views I've seen. I set up shop here listening to the violinist playing romantic covers of ‘Tequila’. All I could think about was Pee Wee Herman slow dancing on the table. For about 10-15 minutes I was perfectly at peace here. I don’t really know how to relax but, this place did the trick. Sitting there with a nice glass of Champagne listening to the violinist taking in the gorgeous vineyards all in with a Prosciutto sandwich in my pocket and a Compton hat on my head. My thoughts were interrupted with a five minute warning before we were off to Robert Renzoni. This place was as Independent as it possibly could be. I enjoyed the vibe here. We gathered our last tasting’s and awaited our departure home. All in all it was a really cool trip. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Cheers!!!