VirtuArte.com

Mother's Day is right around the corner, May 13th this year.  Thinking about Mother's Day brings back memories of me making gifts at school for Mom, plaster of paris hand prints for one.  No matter how bad these gifts were my Mom loved them and proudly displayed them around the house.  How did Mother's Day get started?  Was it the creation of the greeting card or flower industry?

We left Cape Town the next morning and made our way into the heart of the Cape Winelands.  The Cape Winelands is the largest wine producing region in South Africa and is divided into six main wine regions, each offering its own wine route.  One of the more popular regions is Franschhoek.

As I wrote in an earlier blog post it was my intention to write about my trip to Namibia and South Africa within two weeks of my return.  I got the Namibia posts done within a week and my goal was to get the South Africa posts uploaded the following week.  However as often happens, I got bogged down in my daily routine and it has taken me a lot longer to write about the South Africa portion of my trip.

The day after our bike ride to Cape Cross we flew to the sand dunes of Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert, considered to be one of the most spectacular sights in Namibia.  This area is characterized by high sand dunes of vivid pink-to-orange color, a consequence of a high percentage of iron in the sand and consequent oxidation processes.  The dunes in this area are among the highest in the world.

After one night in Windhoek we were off to Swakopmund, distance between the two cities 163 miles.  As we were trying to see as much of Namibia as possible in a limited amount of time we were going to fly.  When we arrived at the airport I saw the plane we were going to be using for the first time.  I had been told it would be small, but I really did not realize how small the plane was going to be until I saw it.  I have to say I was nervous during the first take off, but got use to the take offs and landings very quickly.  By the end of the trip, the worst part of f

After spending the night in Johannesburg, South Africa we flew to Windhoek, the capital and the largest city of Namibia.  It is located in a basin between the Khomas Highland, the Auas and Eros Mountains.  Whether due to pure luck or a brilliant stroke of Germanic planning, the city is situated in almost the country's epicenter.

The city centre is characterized by a proliferation of German style buildings, a lasting reminder of Namibia's early colonial history.  On our quick tour of the city I saw:

As many of you know I just returned from my trip to Namibia and South Africa.  It was my intention to blog during the trip, but for a number of reasons it just did not happen.  So over the next two weeks I will be posting here about the trip.

The first country I visited was Namibia and as I mentioned in the blog post before I left, the only thing I knew about this country is one of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's children was born there.  It turns out, as our Guide informed us, that that is what most people know about Namibia.

Today I am running around trying to finish the items on my "To Do" list, including this blog post, because in a couple of hours I will be leaving for the airport to catch my flight to South Africa.  For the next two and half weeks I will be traveling in Namibia and South Africa, both for business and vacation.  Our guides have already scouted out a couple of artisan cooperatives for me to visit.

February 14th is fast approaching.  If you haven't quite figured out how to "wow" your Valentine this year, check out this list of glamorous gifts from around the globe.  All handcrafted by artisans from around the world -- from eco-friendly to fair-trade.  Some use recycled items, others use natural items, and yet others are handcrafted using skills that have been passed down from generation to generation.  Most of all, these artisans are trying to preserve their traditional skills while generating a sustainable income.  We suggest ...

The holidays are meant to be a time for family -- for singing carols and shipping hot cocoa in front of the fire place.  But, more often than not they end up being a time of rushing from store to store and waiting in seemingly endless lines at the mall.  Thankfully, we've done some of the work for you and put together a holiday gift guide.  Whether you've got a stylish teenage girl or a successful business man or both on your list this year, we've got you covered!