When I was younger I used to be a Lucid dreamer. Every night I could control and decide what I was going to dream, and know I was in a dream. It was like going on an adventure.
It faded over the years, even though my dreams are often still vivid.
Have just read that Vitamin B6 has been known to enhance Lucid dreaming and make dreams more vivid.
Getting me some of that, now! 
Reminded once again the reason we are put on this earth. To reach that perfect moment of blissful peace within ourselves, the world and the people around us. To live life, create, be inspired and to inspire others. To feel connected to the soil (or sand ), to lose our ‘selves’ and find unity with the universe inside and out.
Suddenly in that moment of realisation I feel happy and content once again and back onto the path of simply being and not worrying about every little or seemingly big thing.
Happiness is not about reaching any particular goal or status it is right here within you to be experienced right now. There is nothing at all that can take you away from the happiness that stems from your connection to each and every thing.
This beautiful picture is where my sister is right now- living life, connecting with others and appreciating what is within and all around us. I feel slightly envious I admit, which is not a good feeling to have (!) but more than that I feel so happy that she is doing what we were all put on earth to do- to experience and enjoy! and that potential is there for everyone. There is always a way =)
<3
Return To Nature (I)
by Tao Yuanming
While young, I was not used to worldly cares,
And hills became my natural compeers,
But by mistakes I fell in mundane snares
And thus entangled was for thirty years.
A caged bird would long for wonted wood,
And fish in tanks for native pools would yearn.
Go back to till my southern fields I would.
To live a rustic life why not return?
My plot of ground is but ten acres square;
My thatched cottage has eight or nine rooms.
In front I have peach trees here and plums there;
O’er back eaves willow trees and elms cast glooms.
A village can be seen in distant dark,
Where plumes of smoke rise and waft in the breeze.
In alley deep a dog is heard to bark,
And cocks crow as if o’er mulberry trees.
Into my courtyard no one should intrude,
Nor rob my private rooms of peace and leisure.
After long years of abject servitude,
Again in nature I find homely pleasure.
归园田居(其一)
陶渊明
少无适俗韵, 性本爱丘山。
误落尘网中, 一去十三年。
羁鸟恋旧林, 池鱼思故渊。
开荒南野际, 守拙归园田。
方宅十余亩, 草屋八九间。
榆柳荫后檐, 桃李罗堂前。
暖暖远人村, 依依圩里烟。
狗吠深巷中, 鸡鸣桑树巅。
户庭无尘杂, 虚室有余闲。
久在樊笼里, 复得返自然。
For the last day, we spent most of the day in Soweto.
Soweto has a lot of history. The name is an abbreviation for ‘South Western Townships’. A township was an area that the Government mass relocated Black Africans during Apartheid.
Soweto grabbed the worlds attention on June 16th 1976- an event took place known as the ‘Soweto Uprising’. Students led a protest against the new instruction of schools to be taught in Afrikaans, which in Desmond Tutu’s words was labelled as ‘the language of the oppressor’. Basically, when the students protested in large numbers, the police shot fire. The first child to be killed was a 13 year boy called Hector Pieterson, whose image shocked the nations. That day over 176 people were killed, including women, men and children.
Hector Pieterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo after being shot by South African police. His sister, Antoinette Sithole runs beside them. Photograph by Sam Nzima
It’s heart breaking to even imagine what took place those days. Thankfully those days are over, and the kids there seem to be real happy. I am sure there are some tough areas still, but at least those sign posts are gone and the restrictive outright racist laws!
Hanging out in Soweto, I felt a real sense of community.. something we lack in most of the Western world.
We were picked up by some members of the choir, and taken to Mary’s place (also a choir member) She cooked us up some real South African cuisine! 
Mary lives right next to a park where loads of kids were playing. They were so happy and loved having they pictures taken! So while Mary cooked up a feast we played with them and took lots of photos
When food was ready, we all got stuck in. We washed out hands in a bowl full of boiling water and then ate the traditional way, with our fingers. We grabbed the food from the bowl then ate it with our fingers. They told us to try a bit of everything, and afterwards revealed what the contents was..
Well, guess what– I ate cow TONGUE (!), intestines!!! & cow liver.
Admittedly, none of them tasted that bad. It was all stewed and flavored with spices. Just the thought of it! :p
COW TONGUE!
[I was keen to show off to my fiancé that I tasted cow tongue, of course forgetting for a moment that the Lebanese love to eat sheep tongue!]
After our meal we popped to Sandton and took a look at the Nelson Mandela statue and the mall.
Then we went to Newtown to a bar/ restaurant called ‘Sophiatown’ for a few drinks and some food. Good vibes.
Ahhh, so that’s it! for now
And what an experience…! A week to remember forever.
Tears and laughter, music, beautiful people, incredible energy, nature… I feel extremely grateful to have had this experience.
Life is about making it happen!
The Soweto Gospel choir blew me away… and I can’t wait for you all to hear the song!
UNITE!
SIMUNYE!
<3
Pilanesburg Game reverse is about 2 hours drive from Johannesburg and is one of the countries best National Parks, with over 7000 animals including ‘The Big Five”- lion, leopard, black and white rhino, elephant and buffalo.
We were really lucky to see great close up views of the Matriarch herd of elephants with a nursery, 3 pairs of white rhinos with their babies (adorable!), hippos, a giraffe, zebras, warthogs, and many more. We didn’t see lions, leopards or buffalo, but we’d been to the lion park already, so it was okay.
I am in love with warthogs, elephants and rhinos after seeing them in the wild. Such beautiful animals! Rhinos are extremely cute- especially the babies!! as are warthogs!! (Pumbaa!!)
Elephants- wow. Majestic creatures…
I was impressed learning more about elephants. They live in a Matrichal society, are extremely intelligent, emotional and social, with a strong social norms. When an elephant dies, they bury the dead and mourn them. They basically hold a funeral! Quite extraordinary.
We were lucky to be driven and guided by a lovely lady called Paula, who has been spotting game since she was a child. She has an amazing talent for spotting seemingly hidden wildlife, and knows exactly how to act around the large mammals, so we were able to get really close to them without disturbing or being disturbed.
Next time, Kruger Park!!
But if like me you are in Johannesburg with only time for a day trip- I would strongly recommend Pilanesburg for a fantastic experience
One of the must- go places in Johannesburg is the Apartheid museum.
It is crazy to imagine that Apartheid only ended 18 years ago, and quite incredible to see how much South Africa has changed in that time. Of course, you cannot say that the effects of apartheid are no longer visible, or ignore the reality that whites are still the dominantly rich class with the majority of poor people being black.
However, when you see the photographs and the blatant separation then, and go out now to certain areas in Joburg that are mixed (like a night out in Melville, or a trip down to Rosebank mall), it’s really hard to believe how different things were only 20 years ago.
When you get to the museum, to give you a feel of the segregation they give you a randomly selected ticket to state whether you are white or non-white. Then you go through the gate according to your designated race. To give you an idea of what it might’ve felt like.
It was interesting to read how they tried to separate people into racial groups, starting with black and white, then adding coloureds, asians.. and it went on!
Find these words quite intense- “Conscienceless and criminal blood- mixers” !
Fear of the unknown…
Along comes a hero… Nelson Mandela!
“Deep down in every human heart, there is mercy and generosity.”
Long walk to freedom…
In the end, we can no longer segregate.
We are after all, one human race :-)
Simunye..
After all these intense days, we needed a day of rest!
So day 5 we took it easy, and headed nearby to 7th street in Melville.
It was a beautiful bright sunny day. Chilly, but bright blue skies and amazing clouds… magical even!
7th Street is famous for its bohemian flavour and very good second hand book stores. We had some delicious pizza, wine, bought some books and then had a few ciders in a small bar. Met some interesting people. soaked in the Melville vibe.
I guess we must be giving off a good energy because everywhere we go we meet such chilled, friendly people.
and people are keen to tell us that the danger is overrated and to please tell people to come here and not be afraid!
So, thought I’d pass that back onto you
Of course, there is danger, and a lot of crime. But you just have to be street smart, be positive and trust your gut instinct. Dangers are everywhere in the world. You can’t let fear prevent you from living life.
mmmm. wine.
always smiling when there is food around
Cosy- ness. <3
We came across a real mecca store for second hand books… (the name escapes me 
) There I found some great African poetry books and a classic novel called “Cry, The beloved country” by Alan Paton.
I opened up the book to a random page and read this paragraph…
Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too glady when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much.
Hooked already.
Nkosi’s Haven is an NGO in South Africa who provide care and support for HIV/AIDS infected mothers, her children, and resulting AIDS orphans (infected or not).
We had the opportunity to visit the Nkosi’s Haven village in Alan Manor, Johannesburg. The village covers 2.5 acres of land, and it houses 31 mothers and 98 children, of which roughly half are orphaned.
As soon as we arrived the community made us feel really welcome, and the children just wanted to hug, play, sing and dance…
We sang UNITE with the children singing the chorus and played some music games. Jus Rolle gave the kids a motivational speech making them smile and encouraging them to nurture their talent and perform with confidence.
Music can have a healing power, it really does change lives.
There is proof of that at Nkosi’s Haven…
I’ve always dreamed of coming to Africa, and for the last few years South Africa has been top of the list.
So I knew I would make it here soon… but did I ever dream that it would be to record with one of the best choirs in the world?
No… that would have felt like wishful thinking… but here I am!
Today I had a rehearsal with the Soweto Gospel choir before we go to record at the studio tomorrow. We started out with one of the best vocal warm ups I’ve ever witnessed (!) .. and then got straight into listening to what they have arranged based on the recording we sent over..
Well, when I say I was overwhelmed… it’s an understatement! I knew they would deliver. But honestly, they have completed the song perfectly. They did exactly what we had imagined- and more.
After the rehearsal we were treated to some performances of their other songs. They did an amazing rendition of the classic song by South African superstar Miriam Makeba ‘Pata Pata’, and we joined them to sing and dance… that video will have to be on the DVD- a moment to remember!
The choir are out of this world..
You cannot help but absorb the beautiful energy they exude and be inspired by it.
I am sure people will also feel that when they hear them sing on the song, it’s something beyond words.
Parahawking?!
That’s right!
A unique concept created by Scott Mason in 2001 in Nepal, parahawking combines falconry and paragliding for an Avatar- esque adventure.
I cannot recommend it enough… peaceful, beautiful, exciting, tranquil… life at its finest!
I feel a bit nostalgic watching the video now .. and try to transport my mind back up to being high in the sky surrounded by the sunshine and mountains, feeling weightless….
Find out more on http://www.parahawking.com
