You and your squad could be cruising down the coast, meandering through the mountains or wandering through the wild on an epic South African road trip worth R80 000, as part of MotorHappy’s Ultimate Journey campaign.
The campaign, now in its second year, is calling on South Africans to map out their favourite local destinations onto the Ultimate Journey website at www.ultimatejourney.co.za.
When you do, you’ll be entered into the draw to win the R80 000 road trip in a Kia Sportage SUV on loan for the special journey. Those who vote for their favourite spot will also stand a chance to win the prize.
“We encourage South Africans to support travel and foster a further love of their country by adding their favourite destinations and photos to guide and inspire others, and heading to the site to discover new places they might not have known about,” says Barend Smit, Marketing Manager of MotorHappy. “We know how much word-of-mouth recommendations influence another person’s travel itinerary, and so we’re calling on everyone to submit their favourite spots so that others can journey and have fun in their footsteps.”
From all the submissions and votes, which close on 30 September 2018, MotorHappy will then create the ultimate and most loved road trip routes, which you can bookmark for travel now, or further down the line.
During last year’s Ultimate Journey campaign, 2 000 locations were submitted, 3 500 photos added, and more than 37 000 votes received, says Smit. “While we already have a wide range of beautiful and must-visit places in South Africa on the site, there’s still an abundance of spots and hidden gems in the nine provinces that we’re looking forward to seeing added – and voted on – in this year’s campaign.”
To enter the competition and contribute to the creation of South Africa’s Ultimate Journey, upload an image and description of your favourite South African destination to the Ultimate Journey website (www.ultimatejourney.co.za). Share your entry on social media using the #UltimateJourneySA hashtag and encourage your friends and family to vote for your entry.
When doing an independent tour of a country you always kind-of want to know how much it costs to buy a bread or coke so you can budget. Well, here are some of the items we bought and their prices.
How much does alcohol cost on Reunion Island?
The cost of imported beer
Description
Price
Shop
Amsterdam Black Rhum 50CL
€2.29
Leader Price
Special Prestige 50CL
€1.29
Leader Price
Biere Gold 50CL
€2.20
Leader Price
Dodo in a can
€1.15
Local shop in Saint Philippe
Dodo Bourbon is the local beer and is the cheapest
How much does a baguette cost on Reunion Island?
Tip: sliced bread is more expensive than a baguette! Eat what the locals eat and your groceries will cost less.
Description
Price
Shop
Baguette
€0.65
Leader Price, Hermitage
Baguette
€0.80
Leader Price, Saint Philippe
Sliced bread
€1.49
Carrefour Sainte Suzanne
And if you want some margarine to go with your bread… we paid €1.90 for a 200g Plantafin. If for some reason you feel like you need tomato sauce, we paid €1.80 for a normal squeegee bottle.
How much does fruit and vegetables cost on Reunion Island?
Description
Price
Shop
Tomatoes x 4 which was less than a kg
€1.81
Leader Price
Banana bunch 1kg
€2.90
Fraicheur de l’est, Saint Andre
Onion per kg
€1.80
Fraicheur de l’est, Saint Andre
Potatoes per kg
€1.90
Fraicheur de l’est, Saint Andre
Pears per kg
€2.40
Fraicheur de l’est, Saint Andre
Dried dates 250g
€2.65
Carrefour Sainte Suzanne
Bag of carrots
€2.08
Carrefour Sainte Suzanne
2 x green peppers
€2.49
Carrefour Sainte Suzanne
Small bag of potatoes
€2.61
Carrefour Sainte Suzanne
…and if you need salt to cook, we paid €2.75 for a 110g grinder at Carrefour.
How much does cheese and biscuits cost on Reunion Island?
Description
Price
Shop
Babybel 120g 6 pieces
€2.75
Leader Price
Babybel 120g 6 pieces
€2.49
Carrefour Sainte Suzanne
TUC 100g
€1.63
Leader Price
How much do snacks cost on Reunion Island?
Description
Price
Shop
Chips BBQ 135g
€0.99
Carrefour Sainte Suzanne
Oreo cookies 176g
€1.80
Carrefour Sainte Suzanne
Mini Snickers 227g
€1.99
Carrefour Sainte Suzanne
How much does Coke-Cola cost on Reunion Island?
Description
Price
Shop
1.5l
€1.85
Leader Price
1,5l x 4
€7.29
Carrefour Sainte Suzanne
How much does a can opener cost on Reunion Island?
The cheapest, nastiest can opener will set you back €5.49 from a Leader Price! It is very expensive as that same can opener costs R38 in South Africa.
How much does Pilchards cost (in case you feel like you want some)?
€2.93 for a 425g can. If you get that plus a baguette you are set for a big lunch to share between 4 people.
How much does
fuel cost on Reunion Island?
We rented a Renault Trafic 9 seater diesel with a 60l tank and did over 400km. In the end we spent €105 to fill up. A Total garage in Sainte Clotilde charged us €1.21 per liter of diesel.
Some garages have people to help fill your vehicle, others don’t. In case they don’t you have to go inside the shop (usually) and pay upfront for fuel by cash and afterwards you will get the remainder/change.
Rental of the van costs us R5 000 for the 12 days and they reserved a deposit of €1100, but we got this back afterwards.
How much does McDonalds cost on Reunion Island?
Description
Price
Bic Mac Meal with hamburger, Coke and chips
€9.90
Kiddies meal with burger, chips, Coke and toy
€3.70
There were signs everywhere celebrating 50 years of the Big Mac, but finding a McDonalds… well, that was not so easy. They hide out in the bigger towns.
We had other takeaways from places lots of locals seemed to be eating at. Those meals were cheap as chips!
This is a sandwich that I ate for lunch + dinner. It has been Americano’d – chips added. Think it was €2.65.Local fare that cost less than 2 euros and I ate twice from it
Our Reunion Island holiday wasn’t without its snags or moments of meltdown (mostly me) or times we felt the roads were just too unsafe. Unfortunately, once you are on a route you can’t just turn around… plus at the end of every terrifying drive there was something new to discover.
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch
From the suspension bridge we decided to take a secondary road that would shave quite a bit of distance off the route, but since it had a lot of “squiggles” it might add some time. What we didn’t realise was that it would be a beautiful road, but that the view would also be terrifying as f***.
There were times I wanted to get out of the car and just lay down in the road. The turn on turn on turn was just horrific… and then Lexa got sick and threw up all over herself (while strapped into her chair).
Turns to make your stomach turn
This is my husband… I’m so glad he has nerves of steel. Yes he is sitting on the “wrong side of the car” it is not your eyes playing tricks.
It took like what felt like forever to get to La Plaine des Cafres, the town closest to the volcano. When we got there our AirBnb host didn’t respond to messages and couldn’t speak English so phoning was a big waste of time. Eventually she and her husband arrived… but he strongly smelled like alcohol and by that time my fuse was lit.
The AirBnb we rented was a dump
The horror of what was inside the highly rated traditional gite… I have many not so beautiful words to describe this place. The wi-fi password was incorrect and she claimed the internet was down (unfortunately she had 2 tech savvy guests who knew she was lying); the floors were dirty as f***; the kitchen sink was blocked and the tap was leaking at an alarming rate. We had to switch off the water so as not to flood the place ; and oh there were 3 forks for 5 people…
The only good thing about the AirBnb… it was almost right next to the Volcano Museum (coming in another post) and you could walk to a small shop just down the road.
The next morning we got the hell out of that dump and left at 6am to drive to the volcano. Nobody even bothered to shower.
On our way to the volcano, in the rain
We wanted to go up this volcano come rain or sunshine. Google Maps said it would take 46 minutes for 16 kilometers.
You will just have to follow my series of articles about Reunion Island to see the photos from our very scary drive to the volcano.
If you haven’t read the first 4 posts about our Reunion Island family holiday, here are the article links:
I am a sucker for beautiful architecture or engineering marvels. I’ll admit that I can spend hours studying something beautiful and appreciate what went into it, from the drawings to construction. So, when I read about the bridge I thought it would be cool to see on our way to the volcano.
Unfortunately the bridge is not open to stroll across – which would have been amazing. However when you look at the walkway, it is made of wood and I have seen enough movies to not want to tread on wood and dangle from a hole, legs flailing!
Old suspension Bridge in Pont Des Anglais, St. Anne/St. Rose
It is a 5 minute stop plus it is free. There is a vendor that sells some jams, pineapples and drinks.
I love graffiti, but when you do it on historic buildings etc… it’s not art but vandalism.
If you haven’t read the first 3 posts about our family holiday on Reunion Island, here are the article links:
“I don’t mind being described as vanilla in certain ways.” – Cal Ripken, Jr.
I agree with Cal Ripken on not minding to be described as vanilla – now that I know that vanilla isn’t just ordinary. Believe it or not vanilla comes from an orchid!
5 things you didn’t know about Vanilla (or Vanille)
Vanilla is originally from Mexico
and was brought to Reunion Island in the 1800’s. Here at first they unsuccessfully tried to get production going. What they didn’t realise was that the orchid needed Melipona bees to pollinate them (as in Mexico). Then one day they realised that you have to pollinate each flower by hand… and voila!
Each flower lasts 1 day and if it isn’t pollinated within 12 hours of blooming… no vanilla pods.
The pods grow for 9 months… Once the green pods start turning yellow that’s when they are ready to harvest. They are first boiled and then dried in the sun for weeks (months).
It can take 3 to 5 years for a vanilla plant to bloom and after harvest there is still months to go before you’ll find the vanilla on the shelves
ProVanille – Bras Panon
We went to ProVanille, a cooperative near Bras Panon on Reunion Island for an English tour. They buy their vanilla from farmers and do the curing, drying and sorting on the premises. However, they still have a few Vanilla plants for demonstration purposes.
We first enjoyed a cup of vanilla coffee before the tour. The tour cost 24 Euros for 4 adults.
They keep the plant low to the ground so they can reach the flowers and pods. These green pods are starting to go yellow so they would be harvested soon.
They dry the pods on wooden shelves in the sun, but as soon as the sun waves goodbye the vanilla is brought inside. See how rounded and puffy the pods are? This means they still contain a lot of moisture and still have some drying to do.
These vanilla pods are much dryer, but according to our tour guide they still had some drying to do!
This photo and video clip shows how they “class” the vanilla by length. You will pay a premium for longer pods.
Escale Bleue Vanille – Saint Phillippe
We also stopped by Escale Bleue Vanille to look at an award winning vanilla grower’s operation. It is pretty much the same everywhere, so if you visit one farm the next one is the same. We got in for free because their English tour guide was away… we aimlessly wandered about looking at everything, but it was still interesting.
On the left is the shop and on the right (yes, that is a garage) a workshop to harvest the vanilla, boil it etc.
See how they keep the plant low to the ground? This is so they can get to the flowers and pods easily.
If there is a tree, their is a vanilla plant creeping up. They cut the “tentacles” holding onto the tree to reign in the height.
If you want to know what you can do with vanilla – other than baking – keep on coming back to my blog.
If you haven’t read the first 2 posts about our family holiday on Reunion Island, here are the article links:
Our first day on Reunion Island had a slow start. We had to get everyone through one bathroom, feed them with the provisions our hosts provided and get out and up to Hell-Bourg.
If you don’t know, Reunion Island has mountains in the middle of the island and the cirques where they have built little towns – plus little towns dotted along the coast. However, to get to these little towns on the cirques is a story on its own…
We first set off to buy provisions for our day trip, but Google Maps just couldn’t get us to a shop and we were left buying from real dodge-looking little shops. What we didn’t know was that there was a Carrefour not too far away – and that it was actually a grocery shop. We got routed to these 2 churches instead…
Anyway, we started our trip up to Hell-Bourg… and it was one hell of a road! Turn on turn on 180 degree turn all while my husband had to change gears with his right hand while sitting on the wrong side of the car and a very narrow road with a 1m ditch and a barely there shoulder… My heart was beating a million miles a minute and I was cursing like a pirate. My husband was glued to the middle line while I had to keep my eye on the closeness of the ditch.
When we finally arrived at Hell-Bourg we were more than a little relieved. My legs were jelly and I was never that glad to walk with my 2 little feet on this planet.
Hell-Bourg
Hell-Bourg is a quaint little town with an even older version 20 minutes away by foot. We couldn’t do the walk as we had Lexa and the pram as well as my very old parents.
However, we walked the main street, looked at all the sights that were open on a Monday (because most places are closed on a Monday and some shops and attractions observe a siesta. The main attraction on the cirque is to hike around, music museum (closed on Mondays), graveyard and eateries.
With a view like this when you will never see it…
After a quick lunch we made our way back down the mountain and had the most beautiful views. The jagged edges stabbing the sky was just beautiful.
Vanilla Farm, St Suzanne
We then tried a vanilla farm, La Vanillerie near St Suzanne, but they did not have an English tour and could not tell me when they will have someone to do an English tour. I must add that I had emailed them 3 weeks prior and NEVER received a reply.
So, we then decided to go to La Cooperative Pro Vanille (Provanille) near Bras Panon when we drive down that way. It was lucky that I jotted down and printed out quite a bit of information on places to visit as we only found the tourism office at the end of the first day.
Temple du Colosse, St Andre
Instead of vanilla we then hunted for the colourful Temple du Colosse and a place to buy food. All the gates at the temple was locked so we couldn’t explore it but it was still impressive. It is definitely worth a visit.
To travel is to breathe. It is the single most important thing you could do in your life that would change you for the better.
Nothing could quite prepare us for the roads of Reunion Island. We’ve been to island destinations – and I promise, we (I) don’t sit in a resort waiting for my next cocktail to arrive. We explore. We are on the road looking around, (attempting) to connect to locals, eating, drinking and taking photos.
Lexa did not scream or sleep on the flight, she was having the time of her life!
Meeting the roads of Reunion Island
If you’ve ever been to Zimbabwe you will know those tarred roads where if traffic comes from the front you have to scoot on over and drive one wheel in the dust… Reunion Island is the same, but far, far scarier. I will share more about the scariest road we’ve ever driven on my next post.
First night on Reunion Island
We rented a Renault Trafic, a very wide minibus with 3 seats per row. When we signed for it the rental agent showed us the damage card and it was scratched f.up on the passenger side… and then we took to the road with Google Offline Maps, in the rain, 9pm at night to find our self-catering accommodation “15 minutes away” (only because we got lost).
The cottage in St Andre was hidden on a narrow street (read 1.5 cars should fit). Numbers on most of the houses were non-existent and well it was dark and raining and we were tired as we landed 8pm after 3.5 hours in the air – but you know that you pretty much lose a day at the airport when travelling. Eventually when we drove the whole street we turned around the boat of a mini bus in the dark, in a narrow street – me standing outside with a torch at the back and my dad relaying signals to husband at the wheel. Then we found it, the sign only visible from one side. Husband mounted a manhole that was almost 20cm high and tried to drive over it (because that’s what real men do) to turn into the driveway.
The owners must’ve heard us (me yelling in a panicked voice at husband not to floor it over the manhole) because they came out of their home across the road looking very concerned. They immediately welcomed us and got us in the gate and settled at Casa Floria that I booked via Booking.com.
The little cottage was perfect, 2 bedrooms, a huge bathroom with shower, fully equipped kitchen and livingroom plus internet – and a patio with a huge table for meals. The best part, the owners had thought of a family of 5 arriving very late in a new country and bought bread, milk, coffee, jam, butter, cheese and cold meat! It was just that touch that made us feel welcome in a French department in the Indian Ocean.
If you would like to find out more about our family holiday on Reunion Island, I will be sharing a few blog posts over the next few weeks. Tips to survive the roads, places to see, what to do and a lot of photos!
We survived… a family holiday with my parents and Lexa – and 2 x 4 hour flights! Loved it, but also really glad that the trip is over. I missed home, my cats, lekker chips, pap & sauce, hearing South Africans talk and driving on the left of the road in a right hand drive vehicle.
It was tough, but I would do it all again.
In the next few weeks I will tell you all about the museums, vanilla farms, waterfalls, towns and beaches we visited as well as what I thought about creole food. There will be tips on what to take and where to go as well as what to expect when you do a road trip.
I took along some products to test… because when you do a road trip your skin gets punished. One product in particular lived up to its promise – but you will have to wait and see…
I can’t even tell you yet what I loved most about the trip, I am just so tired right now… I just know that I took over 3000 photos and still need to sort through mine, my mom’s and still need to submit a travel insurance claim for my dad’s lost video camera.
With few days to go and lots to do before we leave for Reunion Island… I am beyond stressed as I have been working non-stop even over weekends and have barely had time to think about this holiday.
However, I have managed to at least scribble out a list of things to pack in-between work, taking a single 3 hour break, eating, taking Lexa out of the house so she doesn’t drive us mad and sleeping.
The biggest change in what I’m packing is that I’ve actually chosen to chuck in only jeans and T-shirts. Plus I only wear Jockey undies and they roll up so small… 1 pair of sneakers and flip-flops. That reminds me… I still need to print out medical aid documents…
Did I mention I’m only taking a cabin suitcase and bag for camera and documents?
SARS at the airport and the DA 65 form
You know, my back just went up when I read the horrible story of a guy having to pay R1,500 to bring his own old laptop back into the country. I mean really, for (bleep) sakes, it is stressful enough to travel and wonder what will get stolen at OR Tambo and not have to keep track of more forms for a trip. Seriously!
Anyway, download the form before you travel and complete it at home. You do not want to get into a situation where you have to fill in this form at the airport with all your electronics strewn on the floor – and forgetting something.
When you get to the airport and you are through the gates, get this form stamped at the SARS/customs desk.
Lexa is getting her first passport stamp – before she is 2!
So little Miss Lexa is the biggest issue because well, diapers and pram… I’m not going to wash clothes by hand every few days so I am packing enough clothes.
4 pairs of socks
Sunhat
Toothbrush, toothpaste and hairbrush
1 x 48 bag of diapers with wipes and cream
1 x pair of “closed” shoes and a pair of flip-flops
12 sets of clothing
4 sweater sets
2 blankets
Travel sleeping tent
Stroller
Harness so she can run but not get away
What do I do with my cats while I’m on holiday?
My cats are very important to me and they actually get someone to come stay with them. I want to know that all 3 my cats are home and safe.
Giving a major shout-out to the Thule Partners at Fourways Crossing in Jozi for awesome service. Plus getting us the space we need so we can do roadtrips!
In April we packed 3 adults, 1 toddler and 3 cats into the Kia Sportage. Hubby and I took very little luggage but Lexa… well, she takes up quite a bit of space. The cats were split across 2 carriers with 1 set going in the back and one on the backseat between Lexa and I – with snacks toppled all over my feet.
It was the most uncomfortable 7 hour drive ever.
When we got back to Jozi it was time to call it like it is – we need more space to pack stuff for holidays. The Kruger Park camping holidays we want to do will stay a dream if we can’t make or find space.
A trailer was out because we do not have that many parking spaces and no garage. Plus I’m not sure I would be able to reverse a trailer either. The only solution… a roof box.
We looked at both companies that sell roof boxes and then we went to the Thule shop at Fourways Crossing in Johannesburg…
We strolled into Thule looking all tired-af and dishevelled – because that is how real people look the next day after a 7 hour drive, a screaming toddler (6 hours of screaming) and being pushed in a tiny corner with no space for feet. I knew the minute we walked in that we would be going home with a roof box – I just didn’t know which size or colour yet.
The owner slid out the first box from its shelf and I could see hubby’s eyes get that glint that warns me I am about to spend lots of money. When the lid came off the box I could see hubby measuring how many suitcases he could fit. When the slightly smaller Thule roof box came out he was already talking about how it would look on top of the car.
And there I was, the voice of reason asking for pricing…with quotes in my inbox I wanted to sleep on it, weigh the pros and cons. Hubby however was obsessing about which Thule roof box would look the best on the Kia – the 440l or the 400l.
2 days later, only because hubby went to the office, we were back at Thule in Fourways Crossing.
The guys at Thule quickly fitted the roof bars and finally hubby could see which roof box looks better on the car. They marched out with the 2 Thule roof boxes we were interested in and fitted them both on the roof so we could have chance to see for ourselves how it would look. It was a good thing too, because it showed us how easy it would be to do it all ourselves.
We walked side to side and looked at both. We uhmed and ah-ed and chose the one that looked the best on our family car. The lines of the 400l worked perfectly with our car and within 15 minutes everything was fitted and I’ve paid – and drove off into the sunset 🙂
We’ve already taken it up the mountains in Limpopo!
The first weekend getaway with our Thule roof box was in beautiful Limpopo. All our luggage was on top and a family heirloom piece of furniture in the boot – and when we came back the boot was full of fresh products from the market.
…and I’m going to say this, when the roof box is off, my car looks sexy-af sporty with the roof rack. Now I feel that the car reflects me.
In the box, Lexa’s camp cot and her big Lou Harvey bag – plus 2 cabin size suitcases will fit in and then some.
What makes the Thule roof boxes so special?
The boxes come in a glossy black or a matte grey finish – in a few different sizes. The shape of the boxes lets the wind just quietly whizz past it and you wouldn’t even feel the difference driving. Plus they told us they also rent out the Thule boxes and recently sold a 10 year old one (it was still on the shop floor) and that thing looked good.
Now for the best part… you can open your roof box from driver or passenger side! So if you get parked in next to a tree or someone that decided they want to cozy up to your car, just go to the other side.
So when you want to take it off or put it back on it is so super easy, my hubby did it all on his own! You open the lid after popping it on the roof, tighten the “screws” and done. The plastic, locks and clips are really durable – but if anything goes crack! it has a warranty.
So how can you get your hands on one of these amazing Thule roof boxes?
Pull up your car close to the Thule shop in Fourways Crossing (by Wimpy) and say that you’ve read about them on my blog… and that you really want one but really would like a little discount. And don’t stop at roof racks, boxes and bicycle carriers – look at the strollers and backpacks… suitcases. I think I became a fan-girl and now have visions of myself carrying amazing luggage on my travels too.
This btw is not a sponsored post. I just really love my Thule roof box so much that I wanted to share this with other city slickers that also have space issues.
