I entered 2022 with very high expectations. I had started a new job a few months prior at a company I’m extremely proud to be associated with, and there was something in my gut that said it was going to be a special year. I started a new relationship on New Years Day with someone who turned out to be a soulmate, but I knew almost immediately that he wasn’t “the one”. Yes, he’s my soulmate, but he is not my primary soulmate, the one I’m meant to marry. We dated for 2 months and I ended it because I knew it wasn’t going to go anywhere and I didn’t want to string him along. We remained friends for several months but when I went overseas again later in the year, I realized I needed to cut ties completely, so I did.
Since my last trip in 2019, I was itching to travel again. In fact, not being able to travel thanks to the dreaded thing-that-shall-not-be-named was agonizing. My biggest issue was that certain countries were closed to South Africans.
Towards the end of January, my mentor and father of the podcast, Ken Rutkowski, told me about the Gulfood event in Dubai and invited me to join him and his fiancé, Sandy Grigsby, my close friend, for the week of the event. That discussion was just the start of a fantastic year.
If you’re reading this and don’t know me, I’m a very sentimental person who greatly values human connection, time, and living without regrets. Here are my highlights from this year in (mostly) chronological order. Heads up: there’s a lot!
I saw my friend after 3 years
I met Sandy at an event in 2019 which I wrote about in a previous post. We met briefly at the night-before dinner, and then after the event as well, and that was the last time I saw her. We became close friends after that and I did her Reveal You program at the end of 2020 and again at the end of 2021 which absolutely changed my life. Sandy has a similar background to mine and she became someone I could confide in. She knew my deepest fears and helped me through them, constantly provided guidance and support while expressing her pride in me, and always knew exactly what to say to motivate me to do better. She is my number one role model and I have undying love and respect for her, so being able to see her again and spend an entire week with her was priceless.
I hung out with Rob Angel, the inventor of Pictionary
Ken had arranged for a few friends to join us in Dubai and Rob was one of them. We had dinner plans in the Old Town and had to meet on the docks where we would catch a quick ferry, and that’s where I met Rob and his super down-to-earth, former model girlfriend too. I recall even seeing a shooting star as we waited for the ferry.
Rob, Susan and I shared some humorous moments while walking through the souks, haggling, and tasting things like camel milk chocolate. When we hung out again the next day on the yacht where the below picture was taken, Rob wanted to know my story and how I had come to be friends with Sandy and Ken. He then said the most surreal thing to me: “I think you’ve got a lot of potential and you’re surrounded by the right people to make your dreams come true. I look forward to seeing you again and if you need any support or guidance, I’d be happy to help”. Those words will stick with me forever.
I have chatted to him a few times since and he is honestly the sweetest man. Rob is deeply spiritual and an all-round good human, and I really wish the best for him. I hope to catch up with him again in the near future.
I spent the afternoon on a yacht with a billionaire
Wayne Bos is an Australian billionaire who was kind enough to invite about 20 of us to hang out with him on a yacht he had rented for the day – this was where Rob and I had the chat I mentioned above. Wayne has a penthouse apartment overlooking The Palm Jumeriah, which is one of his many homes, and at the time was staying with his young twin sons and teenage daughter. What I loved was that while his kids obviously have every luxury imaginable, they were very dignified, soft spoken, and respectful. Wayne is completely self-made and is extremely intelligent and actually quite the joker. I cannot describe the quality of the conversation we had, although brief, but it was an absolute privilege being able to spend time with him. I didn’t get a photo with him (he’s in a video I can’t attach here), but here’s some photos of the yacht itself, my view from the yacht with Wayne’s apartment building in the background (can you guess which one?), and the view from his apartment.
I did Dune Bashing and had dinner in the desert
Yes, it is one of those must-do things in Dubai, but when I visited with my parents in 2004, we didn’t have time to do it and it was always a pending bucket list item. If you haven’t already checked out Ken’s website, then what you should know is that Ken is the founder of M.E.T.A.L, a men’s organisation designed to create better husbands, fathers, boyfriends, and overall members of society. All the men that were with us were M.E.T.A.L members, and I got to see first hand what the highest quality of men look like. I already thought my standards in men was high but after hanging out with these guys, including Rob Angel who is also a member, my standard was raised even higher.
These men are dignified, respectful, eloquent, extremely well put together, successful in their own right (most, if not all, are self made), and above all, exude healthy masculinity. They are protective, self-confident, and are constantly working to better themselves and create a better life for those around them.
Women, there are good men out there, but you have to level up to meet them. Ken was like a father to me on this trip and he gave me the single best relationship advice I have ever gotten: “You’re looking for the right man, what makes you think you’re the right women for him?”.
Don’t blame men for your unhappiness; do better so you can attract better. Have enough pride in yourself and your future relationship to know when you’re not ready to stand next to the right man, and until you are ready, leave him alone. Relationships are meant to be a partnership – if you want a king, become a queen first.
Good things are worth waiting for!
I met the Post Master General of the UAE and Ralph Simon
Like the men in the picture above, Abdullah Al Ashram, the Post Master General of the UAE, is also a M.E.T.A.L man. After he was done with his meeting in the restaurant we were having dinner at, he came over to say hello along with Ralph Simon. Abdullah has a great energy about him and is very warm, distinguished man.
Ralph, as Ken says, is the “most famous person you’ve never heard of”. He has launched every major music artist there has ever been, from Michael Jackson to Madonna to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Surprisingly, Ralph is South African and we both grew up in Durban. He couldn’t resist changing his accent to that of the typical Durban Indians and he did so in the most un-offensive way ever. It made him feel at home, and that’s what I loved.
I met Sara al Madani and Spencer Lodge
Sara is an Emirati entrepreneur and is actually really famous in Dubai. She was in the process of filming The Real Housewives of Dubai during the time that we met and she joined us for dinner one evening at the Arabian Tea House. The first time I saw Sara on one of Sandy’s Instagram Live videos, I thought it was the Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone whom I’m a huge fan of. She has an immaculate sense of humour, is super down to earth, and just another humble human being who has worked her butt off to get where she is. Sara is also a lot more beautiful in person.
Spencer Lodge joined us for dinner the same night and is behind the camera for the photo below. I had been following him on social media for a while because of his podcast which covers a wide range of topics. Spencer is based in Dubai and to everyone’s surprise, treated us to dinner. Thanks again, Spencer!
I had a BrioFive photoshoot
BrioFive is Sandy’s photography business and she is honestly one of the best personal branding photographers in the world. I didn’t know that on my last day in Dubai, she planned to photograph me. After all, it was because of her guidance that I came out of my shell and have grown into the person I’ve always been but was too afraid to show.
We had a few hours to spare before dinner so I took a few nice tops to Sandy and Ken’s room (we were all staying in the same hotel) where she selected one that not only was in line with my personal brand, but which also highlighted my face. I didn’t expect her to iron it but being the humble queen that she is, she did. She then had me sit with her next to a big mirror by the window so that she could do my makeup in the natural light. When she was done, I didn’t recognise myself – I had never looked that good in my life.
After doing my hair, we snacked on some dried figs (Ken had bought a whole kilogram of the stuff) before heading downstairs and outside to find some good spots to do the shoot.
Watching Sandy work was mind-blowing and it showed me the difference between an amateur and how a true professional does things. There was a moment while Sandy was adjusting my hair where I was so incandescently happy that I told her that it was one of the best days of my life. I explained that seeing my friends happy makes me happy, and considering I’ve looked up to her for a number of years, to now be the subject of her work and see her enjoy what she was doing was truly special beyond words.
This photo is the first one she took and is the raw, unedited copy. Sandy, you are truly a genius. I hope my eyes convey my absolute love and adoration for you.
I went on my first work trip
While work trips may be a common thing for some people, it is something I’ve wanted to do ever since I was in high school. I had heard about my cousins/family friends going to some foreign places for work and even though they never thought anything of it, I marveled at the possibility and thought one day, I hope I too can be working at an organization that will see value in sending me to a new place. At the time I didn’t understand why my cousins/family friends weren’t grateful for the opportunities because they said they just went for work and couldn’t see the place, but now that I’ve travelled so much, I realised that they were never true travelers. Sitting in that office in Germany was the happiest I’ve ever been while working – I felt like I was finally home.
Props to my Hungarian colleagues for driving 12 hours just to meet me and my other South African colleagues. The below photo was taken at a Turkish restaurant called Gök-Tas and I loved how multi-cultural the entire evening was – we had 1 Turkish German, 1 German, 5 Hungarians, and 2 South Africans. It was tonnes of fun learning about each other’s cultures, foods, and languages and it reminded me of yet another reason why I love travelling so much – no matter where you go, the more you travel, the more you will realise that we are all the same.
I found another Soul Sister
I had a 3 soul sisters that I knew of until I met Ebru – you know those people you feel like you know for much longer than you actually have, like from a different time, and you instantly feel at home? I didn’t expect to find another one in Germany, let alone in a colleague. The funny thing is the bond is so strong, I instinctively know if something is up and I need to check in on her.
Ebru is one of those people that made me realise the kind of friends I used to have and how big of an upgrade the people I have in my life are now. As an introvert, I don’t like being the centre of attention at parties, and especially not on the dancefloor. I’m much more comfortable watching others enjoy themselves while I sit aside with a drink and maybe a friend to keep me company. In the past, I had people force me onto the dancefloor and I absolutely hated it; I even cried once because I was going through a rough time and the person refused to listen when I said I really didn’t want to.
Ebru didn’t know this, and one night she asked if I like to dance because she thought she could take me partying the next time I’m in Germany. In short, my response was no and that it makes me uncomfortable. She immediately responded (and I’m paraphrasing), “It’s ok, we don’t need to go out to have fun. We can do a girl’s night at home and you can stay over by my house. We can party at home”.
Any introvert, particularly INFJs, will understand what a huge deal that is. Knowing I essentially have family in Germany is the best thing ever.
Thank you, Ebru.
I attended my first European football game
Nope, I’m actually not a soccer fan at all. I know of some players but that’s about it. However, when my colleagues said that there would be a game taking place during our trip to Germany, I agreed immediately. I joined 7 of my South African colleagues and headed to Stuttgart where we grabbed a quick bite before heading to the Mercedes-Benz Arena. We stocked up on beer in true German style, and ended up having a blast. My colleagues were impressed that I bought a Stuttgart team shirt and got fully immersed in everything, but for me it was just another once-in-a-lifetime experience I couldn’t pass up. You don’t have to like something to try a new experience, and when you travel, seize every opportunity that comes your way. Stuttgart won 5-1.
After the game, we followed thousands of supporters out of the stadium and back into Stuttgart. We stopped at a pub to get some beer, and carried it with us all the way, even on the packed train, back to town before heading to Five Guys to dinner – quite a disgraceful choice in my opinion, but after a long day, I wasn’t in the mood to convince 7 guys to have local food! As for beer on the train, I’m not sure if it’s allowed, but the cops in the train station didn’t seem to mind.
I reunited with my High School Penpal
Melanie and I became penpals in 1998 when I was in high school. Born just 2 days apart, we always shared similar interests, but only now did I realise how similar we actually are too. In fact, we mirrored each other a number of times. We first met in 2013 – I stayed at her mother’s house in at the very address I used to write to her to, and I’ll never forget their kindness and hospitality. Her mother barely spoke English but somehow we managed to communicate. She was the sweetest lady.
When I found out I was going to be back in Germany, a mere 3 hour train ride from Melanie, I had to make a plan to meet her again. I was free on the Sunday after the soccer game so I planned to take a train and meet her in Offenburg, the little town in which she teaches. To my surprise, my German colleague Bernd offered to drive me there along with my 2 South African colleagues, since they hadn’t been and had nothing else planned.
It was a 2 hour drive to Offenburg and we arrived just a few minutes after Melanie. We had a bite to eat at the Hamburg Fish Market which happened to be in town at the time, then Melanie showed us around the town a bit before we got some coffee and ice cream. It was also the first time I had cinnamon ice cream – if you’re a fan of cinnamon, the German word for it is Zimt – don’t miss it!
I have no doubt I won’t need to wait another 9 years before Melanie and I meet again, and I’m sure my German will be much better by then too so I can communicate more easily with her mom.
I finally saw the Blackforest
When Melanie and I used to write to each other, she mentioned how the town she lives in, Rheinhausen, which is part of the state of Baden-Württemberg, was in the Blackforest region. I had been to Germany 3 times before this trip, more than any other country, but it always eluded me.
When Bernd drove my colleagues and I to Offenburg form Sindelfingen, we went north west via Karlsruhe and then south. On the way back, I asked Bernd if we could go north east via Freudenstadt instead because not only would it be nice to see a different part of Germany, but it would also save us 30 minutes of travel time.
Now while I heard of the Blackforest region, I never looked at a map to see exactly which area it covers. It wasn’t too long before I realised we were in it, because the forest is unmistakable. We went through quaint little villages and climbed a few hundred meters through winding roads and beautiful, thick forest. Bernd actually thanked me for the trip, even though he offered to take me, because he had never been to the area before and kept saying “wow” throughout the drive. It really was awe-inspiring. I felt as though my life had come full circle and that driving through that forest filled a hole in my heart I didn’t know I had.
I didn’t really realise how much we had climbed until I could eventually see through the trees and I said to Bernd “I wish there was a viewpoint where we could see what’s going on beyond these trees”, and I kid you not, not even 10 seconds later, we came to a clearing with a parking area where we could stretch our legs and admire the view.
When I stepped out of the car, I was overcome with emotion and my body began to shake. It was as though a past life memory got triggered, one of freedom, joy, and even flight. I didn’t want to leave. It was a moment I appreciated being alive.
I did Germany and Austria with my best friend
Anine and I had been talking about doing Europe together for years but it never worked out. We became friends in 2013 just after my 3rd trip to Europe, and I went back alone in 2015. We wanted to do Norway in 2020 and we all know what happened there, so this time we had had enough and we decided that she’d meet me in Stuttgart after my work trip and we’d travel from there.
I picked her up outside Arrivals at Stuttgart Aiport and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that happy to see me before. I had always imagined what it would be like fetching a friend from the airport in a foreign city and it materialised exactly the way I thought it would. Because I had already been in Germany for 2 weeks, backed with my previous trips to the country, I felt like I was showing her my home town, so I assumed the role of host and big sister, even though she’s older than me!
I will do detailed posts on each day of our trip, but from Stuttgart we travelled to Munich, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Vienna, and Budapest over the following 2 weeks.
I visited Neuschwanstein Castle again, with Hohenschwangau this time
Last time, I joined a tour group which drove me from Munich to the castle, but this time, being almost local and all, I decided to use local transport. After all, I still felt like I was Anine’s host since I had been before, so I wanted to take her. I had to pinch her a few times because she couldn’t believe we were there. My inner pluviophile was jumping for joy as we walked through the forest in all its autumn glory in the pouring rain. It gave the entire area a sense of character and mood you only see in movies which only added to the magic of the castle itself. We honestly didn’t mind the rain at all and I made sure we stopped where we could just to close our eyes, breathe, and listen to the rain on the leaves, something we never get to do, at least not out in the wilderness like this. Yes, we were just outside the town of Füssen, but the forest is so thick, you cannot see or hear anything beyond it.
I visited Berchtesgaden, Eagle’s Nest, and Königsee, and had Glühwein
Eagle’s Nest was Hitler’s holiday home and you have to travel to Berchtesgaden to get there. Berchtesgaden is an idyllic town about 2 hours north west of Salzburg. There were plenty of tours there but we decided to use local transport again. Even if you’re not a history buff, the views from the top alone are worth it. You can even see Salzburg in the distance – look out for the distinct Hohensalzburg fortress.
We made our way down to Königsee afterwards, which you can see from Eagle’s Nest, where I got my first taste of Glühwein which tasted as amazing as I hoped it would be.
I saw my friend after 5 years
And I met her husband of 2 months too! Tejal and I met in college in 2003 through a mutual friend and we formed our own bond thanks to our shared love for travel. We always spoke about one day relocating to Europe and her opportunity came up in 2017. She has been living in Munich ever since but we never got a chance to meet again and I always promised her that I’d visit.
Finally, this year, I was able to fulfill that promise. We met at the Hofbräuhaus and had some local snacks, dinner, and of course, beer. What made it extra special was that I was the first one from all her South African friends and family to meet her husband in person. I had always talked about Anine but they had never met – who would have thought I’d get to introduce her to Tejal in Munich! I’m looking forward to seeing them again soon.
I did the Sound of Music bike tour (again)
If you’re going to ask me why I did it again, it’s only because you don’t know how good it actually is! I wanted to take Anine on it because I had had the best time last time and it really is better than any other Sound of Music tour you can possibly do. I mean come on, even the name of the tour company is Fraulein Maria’s Bicycle Tours!
There were 2 groups and ours was the smaller one consisting of only 6 people, including Anine and I. The weather was absolutely perfect unlike the last time I had done it which made the entire tour 100x more beautiful. It was one of the top highlights of the entire trip, even though I fell onto my bike in slow motion at the end which left my shin blue and ankle swollen for the rest of the trip until I could get ice on it. Nothing like good old evidence of a trip! Somehow, I still managed to walk over 15km a day with some steep hiking thrown in.
I spent 2 nights in Hallstatt
Sounds like a silly topic, right? But hear me out. I first visited Hallstatt just for the day back in 2015. The weather was dull and miserable, and I only had about 4 hours there because I needed to be on the right train and then bus back to Salzburg. I remember thinking “God created this place” and that I had to be back and spend at least 2 nights there.
This year, I got to do that, but to be honest, even 2 nights isn’t enough. Even though we made the most of it, there’s still so much to do that we didn’t get to.
Hallstatt was the absolute number 1 highlight of the entire trip. I fell in love with it completely, and the universe had definitely heard me because it gave me absolutely perfect, sunny weather. It was just as beautiful, if not more so, than I remembered it. Back in Egypt in 2019, Anine and I had sat alongside the Red Sea at 1am listening to the gentle waves with no one else around, and this time we did it with hot Glühwein alongside the lake. Because it’s a super tiny village, there isn’t any nightlife apart from the few open restaurants, so by 7pm, the lakeside is almost totally void of tourists and is completely silent. I captured the silence on video, but it is hard to describe. It calms the soul in ways us city-dwellers will never understand but desperately need.
If you truly want to experience Heaven on earth, go to Hallstatt. You won’t want to leave; I know I didn’t.
I experienced the clock switching back for the first time
For those who are used to daylight savings, bare with me on this one because as a South African, it’s always the same time; we never do anything with our clocks.
I never fully understood what “gaining time” felt like until the day we were leaving Hallstatt. Anine and I set our alarm for 7am because we were going to take the 10:15 train to Vienna (via Attnang-Puccheim), so we wanted to give ourselves 2 hours to get ready and grab a bite so we’d be at the train station on time. I didn’t sleep well that night because I kept thinking I was going to be late, kind of like those dreams you have before a flight or an exam.
When our alarms rang, I noticed it was daylight already, which is when I realised how the time-switch worked. I had been in Europe for 3 weeks at this point and the sun only came out close to 8am. My cellphone said 7am, but my watch said 8am. It was then that we realised we actually had 3 hours to get ready, not 2. We also woke up totally rested because we actually had an extra hour of sleep. And that my friends, is how you gain time.
Because we thought it would be sacrilege to have the local Hallstatt beer anywhere else but Hallstatt, we had it for breakfast from our balcony and appreciated our mountain view one last time.
My friend visited from Prague
I met Ranjana about 6 years ago at work. Her company was consulting for the company I worked for and she and I became friends. She went back to India in about 2016/2017 and after she got married, moved to Prague. When she realised I was travelling more east, she came to meet Anine and I in Vienna for the day. She took a 4-hour train from Prague and met us in the morning so we’d have at least 6 hours together, then took another 4-hour train back.
Thank you for coming to see us, Ranjana. It was so great to see you again and I will definitely come visit you in Prague next time!
There is so much else to talk about but hopefully this whet your appetite enough for the posts to come where I go into detail about how I planned everything, where I went, and what we got up to.
If you have never travelled before, I will leave you with this thought:
Travel. Make memories. Have adventures. Because I guarantee when you’re on your death bed, you won’t think about that flashy car you bought or the 20 pairs of designer shoes you owned. You will think about that time you got lost in your favourite city. The nights spent falling in love under the stars. The mornings you woke up and watched the sunrise and all the beautiful people you met along the way. You’ll think of the moment that made you truly feel alive.
And at the very end, those memories will be the only possessions that you own.