#beyondlockdown

[jacquesmarais]

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We live in a truly wonderful and incredibly diverse country 💙 On our @beyondexped #BeyondLockdown Expedition, driven by @isuzusa, we traveled to every province throughout SA, and it was such an amazing privilege to experience so many amazing cultures, each in their own right 👍🏻 . . Amazing stories shared; hundreds of handshakes and hugs; miles of mind-blowing landscapes; and beautiful friendships shaped ... all while experiencing this breathtaking #adventure playground we get to call our #SouthAfrica! . . HAPPY #HERITAGEDAY to all of you brilliant people! And once again, Thank You #IsuzuSA for making this journey possible, and to the @dunloptyres rubber for safely taking us there! . . #WITHYOUFORTHELONGRUN #Isuzu #DunlopTyresSA #TakeTheRoad #frontrunnerza #BornToRoam #SpotAfrica #GetLostStayFound #BeyondExpeditions #playlocal #staylocal #travel (at South Africa Cape Town) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFgqY0YJ9x-/?igshid=p9fro9ti2n82

[jacquesmarais]

When you're in the #Swartland Region, you may just find yourself starting your day well before dawn, and with a #boerewors braai, nogal. And if you're with the guys from @aabadenhorst, chances are good the boerie will be served up with a knertsie of #rooiwyn on the side ... This is how we rolled yesterday as we tripped this surprising heartland on another #staylocal leg of the @isuzusa #BeyondLockdown journey in support of #SAtourism 😊👍🏻 . . Our continued exploration of the @swartlandwineandolives took us from Paardenberg to glorious @kloovenburg.estate for delectable wines and exceptional olives, before we lost ourselves in the mountains above @fynbosestate to explore one of only two true granite mountains in the Cape. Diverse wines, culinary delights and insane adventure await tomorrow as we meander into the @piketbergtourism area to meet more of the laidback & lekker people of the #SwartlandTourism Region 🍃 🌾 . . And Happy-Happy to honorary #Oom @zaneschmahl on his birthday. He's pretty feisty still for 48 🙌🏻🙌🏻 . . #swartlandtourism #swartlandwines #travel #staylocal #playlocal #swartlandsecrets #visitsawinelands #oZoneAfrica #AndBreathe (at Fynbos Estate) https://www.instagram.com/p/CE8a_j1pM5K/?igshid=o4dn4x0lb708

[jacquesmarais]

Just when you thought our @isuzusa #BeyondLockdown Expedition was done and dusted, there's this ... Hello, #SwartlandTourism! 🙌🏻 👌🏻 I've met up with @zaneschmahl (and @densen.magaisa & @paolapalmira for a sneaky #roadtrip onto the @swartlandwineandolives to explore diverse wineries, top-class cuisine & hidden #adventures, all just on an hour from #CapeTown. We'll be posting loads more on the laidback & lekker people of #Swartland Region as we explore their stunning back roads over the next few days. These photos capture a fraction of the utter gloriousness of #Day1 at @pulpit_rock_winery & @aabadenhorst Family Wines. I've not mentioned the pit-fired #agave tequila, the unique #floral biome or quirky characters, but right now, there's #grenache and #pizza waiting, and apparently we're having a sunrise breakfast boerie braai (with wine) 🙌🏻 #swartlandwines #wine #olives #travel #staylocal #playlocal #swartlandsecrets #visitsawinelands #oZoneAfrica #AndBreathe (at A.A Badenhorst Family Wines Kalmoesfontein) https://www.instagram.com/p/CE4z7uIpbi0/?igshid=opcezhlu11cu

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Missing @ovhcoffeebay and the #WildCoast, our final destination on the @isuzusa #BeyondLockdown Expedition a couple of weeks back. What a brilliant day of #ocean play at #HoleInTheWall with @petervankets, @mzoxolo & #kayakcoffeebay 🌊🌊 . . This breathtaking outdoor playground in the @easterncapetourism Region was our 9th province and final 'official' stop on a 9000km @beyondexped road trip to support #SAtourism and what a kiff place it is. We based ourselves at #OceanViewHotel right on the beach, surfed the point, ran the cliffs, jumped The Hole, climbed #TheQueen & brewed @baleiawines #coffee on the wild side ... . . We'll be sharing many more stories on this 9000km journey in our kickass #IsuzuSA vehicles & top #GrandTrek tyres from @dunloptyres 🙏 . . #ISUZU #WITHYOUFORTHELONGRUN #DUNLOPTYRESSA #TAKETHEROAD #FRONTRUNNERZA #BORNTOROAM #SPOTAFRICA #GOPROZA #WOHZA #GETLOSTSTAYFOUND #POLARSA #BALEIAWINES #COFFEEBAY #TRANSKEI #OZONEAFRICA #ANDBREATHE (at Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEv24omJN7h/?igshid=1b7bxqrbad7h8

[jacquesmarais]

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Our @beyondexped #BeyondLockdown Expedition with @isuzusa may be over, but there are hundreds of stories still to tell :-) . . From Tannie Katrina Matthys and her delicious #roosterkoek, outstanding @piekenierskloofwine #grenache & the unmatched hospitality shown by @monikadejager & her #VisitNWC Team, the @namaquawestcoast make for a memorable adventure! Here's a quick throwback to what went down on the Weskus :-) . . Expedition: #BeyondLockdown Timeline: Day 1 Distance: (429km) Region: #NamaquaWestCoast Destination: #PiekenierskloofWines #strandfontein #Doringbaai #discoverctwc . . . The hunt for #headspace on our 4th road trip saw us going feral along the insanely rugged #namaquawestcoast shores. Ocean-side sea cliffs soar above the tempestuous Atlantic Ocean & the Viswater #trail traverses one of the most dramatic sections of coast in all of the #RSA. . . This is feel-good country, for sure, and you can sense the benefits to your mind, body and soul as you breathe in the sea air, and reconnect with the real world. Time in the #greatoutdoors is the best natural medicine to counter stress, anxiety and all the pressures forced upon us by our hectic lives, and one way to slow it all down is a visit to the Weskus. . . Best of all, if you visit to #playlocal and #staylocal, you end up supporting #tourism at grass-roots level, and will change the lives of people dependent on your contribution to local economy. Thank you for welcoming us to your #heartland, @fryers_cove_vineyards 🙏 . . Much gratitude to #Isuzu for driving our #BeyondExpeditions project, and #DunlopTyresSA for their support. . . IHFProducts - Polar in SA Outdoor Warehouse Weber Braai SA Core Merino Pure Endurance Solutions - Pty Ltd Vagabond Kayaks Front Runner South Africa SPOT Africa . . #IsuzuSa #WithYouForTheLongRun #DunlopTyresSA #TakeTheRoad #frontrunnerza #BornToRoam #SpotAfrica #GetLostStayFound #oZoneAfrica #AndBreathe (at Piekenierskloof Wines) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEbwPEUJ_Dp/?igshid=psqrm4r28rkf

[jacquesmarais]

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"I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, and one's feet moving forward"... . - Nelson Mandela . . . Expedition: #BeyondLockdown Timeline: Day 19 Distance: 7 523km Province: #EasternCape Region: #WildCoast Destination: @ovhcoffeebay . . . I set off on our Isuzu South Africa #BeyondLockdown Expedition with many a misgiving about #RSA roiling around in the pit of my stomach. Post- lockdown blues, cut-throat crime, corruption, no political will, economic junk status, load shedding ... let's just say it's not all moonshine and roses, especially for the #Tourism Industry. . . It is now 3x weeks later, and none of that has really changed. We're still up shit creek as a nation, but I have hope, because of the people we've met along the way. West Coast fishermen like Oubaas from #Papendorp, who keep on keeping on; the irrepressible Vinkie, staunchly claiming the amber #Kalahari dunes as a proud Boesman woman; guide David Letsoalo, who can imitate every bird in the Kurisa Moya forests; or Mzo Xolo , who we met in #CoffeeBay... . . The breathtaking #WildCoast in the @easterncapetourism was our 9th province and final 'official' stop on our 9000km Beyond Expeditions road trip to support #SAtourism and what a kiff place it is. We based ourselves at the laidback #OceanViewHotel right on the beach, surfed the point, ran the cliffs, kayaked #HoleInTheWall, climbed #TheQueen, and brewed sunrise #coffee on the wild side ... . . We'll be sharing stories as we start the hard graft on content we generated. The 9000km #BeyondLockdown trip was driven by our superb #IsuzuSA vehicles, and great rubber supplied by Dunlop Tyres SA. Massive thanks to @petervankets, @zaneschmahl & @peterkirkmedia for the hard graft 🙏 . . #ISUZU #WITHYOUFORTHELONGRUN #DUNLOPTYRESSA #TAKETHEROAD #FRONTRUNNERZA #BORNTOROAM #WEBERBRAAISA #SPOTAFRICA #POLARSA #BALEIAWINES #WILDCOAST #COFFEEBAY #OZONEAFRICA #ANDBREATHE (at Ocean View Hotel, Coffee Bay) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEMO_hmpJO-/?igshid=1hrhv29qpl12r

[jacquesmarais]

The corona virus has been very tough for us at #Utshwayelo Lodge. For five months, we have cried many tears in our hearts, but now that we see you here to help community tourism, it gives us the energy we need to survive the hard times and rebuild our future". . . - Enoch Tembe . . . Expedition: #BeyondLockdown Timeline: Day 16 Distance: 5 997km Province: KZN Region: #Thongaland Destination: iSimangaliso Wetland Park . . We've slowed down time ever so slightly - as one does in Thongaland - by bumping our stay by an extra night to fit in the many eco- adventures on offer in this north-easternmost corner of SA. Our camp languishes beneath the spreading branches of a coastal milkwood, with a hammock high up in the canopy where you could leisurely sip on a cold #DosM 🍻 . . Our host is Enoch Tembe & his stories of suffering during the pandemic in KZN & Mozambique have touched us deeply. Yet again, the joy & optimism with which people respond to our Isuzu South Africa #BeyondLockdown Expedition all across South Africa has made the long roads so worthwhile. . . Fast-forward to Day 2, which kicked off with a world-class culture/cuisine/adventure on #kosibay estuary with @Rick and Elise Stadler-Padding: we kayaked amidst fish traps, with fish eagles, kingfishers and flamingos galore, keeping a sharp eye out for a young hippo bull which has been playing hide and seek in the tributary feeding the lake. This was followed by a top #palmwine tasting session, and trumped by a sustainably sourced meal of fresh fish, peanut sauce and mealie bread. Plus, I got to drift-snorkel the Aquarium again! Absolutely top day in nature, with Vusi easily rating as my best activity guide of the year so far 🙌🏻👌🏻🙏 . . #ISUZU #WITHYOUFORTHELONGRUN #DUNLOPTYRESSA #TAKETHEROAD #FRONTRUNNERZA #SPOTAFRICA #POLARSA #BALEIAWINES #BEYONDEXPEDITIONS #KZN #OZONEAFRICA #ANDBREATHE (at Utshwayelo Lodge and Camp in Kosi bay!) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEDk5Z-J6eW/?igshid=1y2luux4w1bej

[jacquesmarais]

The views were immensely wide. Everything that you saw made for greatness and freedom, and unequalled nobility" . - Karen Blixen . . Expedition: #BeyondLockdown Timeline: Day 13 Distance: 5 372km Province: Mpumalanga Region: Hoedspruit Destination: #mariepskop . . Today, we stood atop Mariepskop, named for the Pedi Chief, Maripi, and as in Karen Blixen's 'Out of Africa', we felt the energy of this remarkable continent seep deep into our bones. And once again, we could only marvel at the rich diversity of our intoxicating country. . . This raw and uncharted collection of gritty peaks, eroded ridges and looming sandstone walls slab up from the #Lowveldt plains, and is technically part of the northern #Drakensberg. This - and the hide-away village of #Phiring - was our 7th provincial stopover on this year's #BeyondLockdown #Expedition with Isuzu South Africa and it is a section of South Africa that I recall vaguely from family road trips to #KrugerNP many a decade ago. . . Mariepskop itself is terra incognito for all of us, though. A rutted track winds from Lowveldt plains via first scraggly plantations and then dense, primary #afromontane forest, before you boom onto the unexpectedly vast #fynbos summit. The protea, restios and heather seem completely out of place, and you could as well be lost in the Groot Winterhoek wilderness. We were joined by ecologists from Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region and Conservation South Africa . . There are many stories to tell, with our visit to #Phiring community tourism project a real highlight. The hike into a wild Kloof with the enthusiastic young From the Region for the Region eco-monitors rate as unforgettable. but we will share all of this in due course. Right now, we are back in the #isuzuMUX cruising the tarmac curves to the east in anticipation of ocean time at iSimangaliso Wetland Park in #KZN 🌴🍃🌊 . . This 9000km #BeyondLockdown journey was made possible by @isuzusa with support from @dunloptyres 🙏 . . #ISUZU #WITHYOUFORTHELONGRUN #DUNLOPTYRES #FRONTRUNNERZA #SPOTAFRICA #POLARSA #BALEIAWINES #coremerino #BEYONDEXPEDITIONS #KZN #OZONEAFRICA #ANDBREATHE (at Kokkariba Guest House) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD9lW4gpnuU/?igshid=1tpps2bewm0tk