NowTHINK!AboutIt

Central Drakensberg Offers More

May 25, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Both Are Mountainous
But One Is Better

We recently made our first visit to the Central Drakensberg area (near Winterton) and enjoyed the stay immensely. On the map it’s further north than the Southern Berg (near Underberg) but we found it only requires about 30 kilometers more travel distance from Durban, and that’s if you take the long way. The roads are better, though, so travel time is about the same.

Besides the travel issues, we found it more inviting in every category than the Southern region. Both are interesting but Central more so.

Since both areas are remote, most things you buy will be more expensive so they’re equal in that sense, but two things made the Central Berg more accommodating. [Read more…] about Central Drakensberg Offers More

5 Reasons Mom Has More Appeal Than Dad

May 9, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Relationally
Moms Travel 180°

No one comes into this world without both a mother and a father, but Mom clearly has a head start in the race for relationship. Not only does she carry the biggest load, no pun intended, but in the category of supporting role, she has a clear advantage over Dad and usually receives most of the votes.

Mom’s influence is universally so pervading and wholesome we have a long list of pithy sayings expressing how generally wonderful and clever she is.

Mother knows best!
A Mother’s love never ends!
Mothers hold their child’s hand for a moment and their heart for a lifetime!

And examples of Mother’s influence abound.

Arianna Huffington named her mother as the most influential role model in her life.

Bill Gate’s philanthropy was influenced by his mother’s example and words.

Kat Cole transitioned from Babe status at Hooters to business mogul at Cinnabon because her mother said:

You can do anything and I expect you to do everything.

We can’t say enough about Mom. She is probably one of the most affectionately thought of individuals in the world, wedging Dad out by a long shot. Dad is loved also but the question remains: “Why does Mom seemingly maintain such a big lead in the race?” I came up with five quick answers. There may be more. [Read more…] about 5 Reasons Mom Has More Appeal Than Dad

Truth Coffee Shop – Cape Town

March 14, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

A Coffee Roastery
To Remember

Cape Town’s Truth Coffee Shop was rated one of the world’s best by The Telegraph in February 2016, and it was rated alongside several serious contenders. The Best list was comprised of vendors found in the world’s most popular cities.

After visiting the coffee shop (36 Buitenkant Street), I do agree that Truth is unique, but I’m not sure “Best” is the right fit. Not because of any inherent flaws but because there are too many great coffee shops in Cape Town alone to call any one of them the “World’s Best.”

More accurate descriptors might be: Interesting, worth the visit, worth a second visit, worth repeated visits, memorable, clever, appealing, enjoyable and really great food, but “Best” really gives little detail about the shop and is more sensational than helpful.

How To Find It

Sorry but “Convenient” is another word that doesn’t fit. We found Truth easily enough on Google, first page, but then needed a Garmin to get there. It didn’t seem like it was “on the way” to anything. Certainly not on the way for a tourist.

I can’t fault them on that, though, since Cape Town can be a little tangled at times. You learn very quickly that Capetonians never throw old buildings away. Tight fits are common and, I must say, can be very interesting if not a little maddening. Even Garmin gets confused occasionally.

But, if you’re in Cape Town, get out your Garmin and navigate to Truth. We loved it and would happily visit again. Following is what we found.

Riviera Resort – Sea Point, Cape Town

March 10, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Location, Location,
Location!

We recently stayed at the Riviera Resort (timeshare) in the Sea Point area of Cape Town. It was the week of March 4-11. The Cape Town Cycle Tour, which was the reason we visited Cape Town, took place on the 6th of March.

The weather was great the whole week and particularly nice on race day: Cool but not cold, Slightly breezy, sunny and generally very pleasant.

The Riviera Resort was just what we needed. It had a few bad points but it was mostly a great experience. We booked a four sleeper through RCI, but bookings can also be arranged through First Exchange.

Four Sleeper

Our four sleeper consisted of an open plan lounge-bedroom area that had one king size bed and a pull out sleeper couch.

There was a separate bathroom that had a bath-come-shower arrangement. The door for the shower extended half the length of the bath and swung free.

The kitchen had the usual appliances, which I won’t list other than to mention the stove/oven was counter top (microwave sized) and the fridge was half sized. That’s probably standard for a 4 sleeper and was fine for two. [Read more…] about Riviera Resort – Sea Point, Cape Town

Two Responses To The Gospel – Love And Hate

March 2, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

The Gospel
Is The Same
For Everyone

The Bible says some things that are hard to accept, even for Christians.

Not so much hard to understand, but hard to live with. Believing the Bible isn’t the problem. Putting it into practise is. Let me explain.

The core message of the Bible is positive, not negative. We call it The Gospel, which translated means Good News.

But this Good News is difficult to accept because it is consistent. It doesn’t change, and it’s universal. The Gospel is good news for me and everyone else, the people I like and the people I don’t like.

“Universal” is what makes the Gospel unique. Not all news is equally good for everyone.

The person who wins the lottery is ecstatic. Everyone else can only wish.

The good news in the Bible, however, is unqualified. It’s good for everyone. It can’t get any better, but it can be viewed differently by different people depending on the situation.

Most people are very happy that the Gospel offers upliftment to the hopelessly downtrodden or liberation to the impossibly enslaved or enlightenment to the bewildered.

When that part of the penny drops, people are elated.

But it gets even better than that. [Read more…] about Two Responses To The Gospel – Love And Hate