THAI MASSAGE with KAI THAI

The best way to have a holiday and experience relaxation at its maximum is to have a massage, right?!
So whether you are already on holiday and need more spoiling, or are just incredibly stressed and need a very effective release, we say the best is to go for a massage....
BUT, which massages are best? Which really give you what you want? 
That's our focus this month in TRAVEL & RELAXATION, Massages, and the best types.

Its like God asked the therapists to hold heaven in their hands, that's what we want you to experience.

Our first choice...THAI MASSAGE!!!

Meet....

 & 

One of our favourite massage forms is Thai Massage, and, KAI THAI, with their amazing settings and beautiful Spa's, brings you the best of Thai Land and the ultimate stress relief. 

 Most of the therapists, if not all, are dinkum from Thai Land, hardly speak English, except for, 'too hard?', or 'you want softer?', but it matters not, as they are going to give you all  the heaven you need. These ladies have been given the gift of touch, and know what the best pressure is for your tired, hardened, knotted  muscles. You will immediately feel a sense of calm as you walk in the front door of any of the spas and are welcomed to the massage rooms. And no matter how hard a massage gets, somehow you will still find yourself drifting into the abyss that is Thai La-La-Land. You may not want to leave. The atmosphere and the natural peace the ladies surround themselves in is hypnotic, addictive and totally infectious. 

Why Thai Massage, as opposed to other massages? Firstly, let us just warn you, its a very invasive form of massage, and may feel a little uneasy at first if you are not ware, but its who they are and how they roll, Thai Massage, is very up close and personal. They use their entire bodies and not just their hands, so prepare for that part. Once you've accepted this, you relax and let them play and manipulate your body in ways you wish you could do yourself, and don't be fooled, these little ladies are moer strong, as they will ruk & druk you like no wrestler can, but the difference is that you will love it, and let them rag doll you into a deep peaceful sleep. 

During a Thai Massage, the therapist uses her body to move the client into a variety of positions, and includes muscular compression, joint mobilization and acupressure. The 'ruk & druk' positions are very yoga-like and take relaxation to a whole new level. This also helps improve overall circulation. But not only are your joints being mobilized and your muscles receiving the best massage they've ever had, but also the best stretch you've ever had too. This then allows for a greater range of motion, which with the increased flexibility reduces muscle stress and strain and helps prevent trip and fall incidents. 

But even though there is a serious workout and push-and-pull session, its also incredibly relaxing. The massage aspect, after acupressure allows for deep muscular release, reduced blood pressure, and enhances the circulatory system by increasing the circulation to the whole body and with it more oxygen to the brain.

This deepened form of induced relaxation, promotes a deeper nights sleep as well, which allows the body to heal itself physically, and leaves you feeling more refreshed upon waking. 

And even though you will feel so relaxed afterwards, you will feel unbelievably rejuvenated the next day and have more energy than you've had in ages. Our advice, book a massage and go home and have a nap afterwards, and then have a light dinner, watch a light hearted movie and go back to sleep. You will feel like you have had a holiday, guaranteed!!!

For more information contact KAI THAI CENTURION or KAI THAI PRETORIA

 

 

 

 

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QUAD BIKING with INDUNA ADVENTURES

Whoohoooo, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!

TRAVEL & RELAXATION, ok, so you might think we've got things wrong here, as this may not come across as relaxing, at all, but its the fun factor, the thrill factor, THAT, that part that excites us, creates endorphin rushes and all that stuff, which ultimately makes us happy,which relaxes us! See, we are still on that part, the relax part, and we make you travel to parts of the country you should be seeing more often...ahem, done, dusted, sorted!!!

Meet, QUAD BIKING with....

Quad Biking & Quad Bikes, or, to be more precise, ALL TERRAIN VEHICLES, are fun things, toys,  really big ones. They are noisy, like a motor bike, and whatever you do with them, you will more than likely get messy, but more likely than that, you wont want to get off, ever, like in ever ever.

They are so easy to ride, especially if an automatic, and they really can cover most terrain thrown at them, you don't have to balance them like a bike, which requires clever 'leaning' techniques, but then fun part is riding it like a biker, acting all cool, but safer, but still just as cool... its also the best way to view the world.

Located outside HAZYVIEW on the PANORAMA ROUTE, just 20 minutes from the KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, INDUNA ADVENTURES is one of the biggest QUAD BIKING TRAIL operatorsin the country with more than 40 quad bikes in their fleet. They take pride in their unique trails, professional guides and Quality Suzuki Quads. The trails follow hand cut quad tracks through indigenous forests and blue gum plantations, through to spectacular waterfall view points. 

They have 1-hour, 2-hour and our best, a 4-hour trail. (DO THAT ONE!)

They also have a whole host of other really cool activities, such White Water Tubing, River Rafting, Paintballing, Zip-lining...REALLY a playground of adventure and fun!!!

To find out more, go to Induna Adventures Quad-Bike Trails

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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KIRSTENBOSCH BOTANICAL GARDENS

When was the last time you took a little trip to your nearest Botanical Garden? Did you know that we have 9 of them? We didn't, and man we sure are glad that this blog has brought us to visit some of the most incredible spaces in the World, right here, in Sunny S.A. 

This month in TRAVEL & RELAXATION, we kinda combined TRAVEL & RELAX,  and remind you of, or take you to, places that really are only a day outing, close enough to the city you are in, or travel to, and show you some FUN DAYS OUT, where you get to engage with the natural wonders we have, and some of the man-made wonders we have generated, and sometimes a combination of both.

Meet...

Firstly, lets remind you of the Gardens we have to view, other than KIRSTENBOSCH, we also have Hantam, Walter Sisulu, Harold Porter, Free State, Pretoria, Karoo Desert, Kwa-Zulu Natal & Lowveld, you can find out more about each @ www.sanbi.org/gardens.

But we want to 'remind' you of whats on offer at Kirstenbosch, we say 'remind', as WE SHOULD ALL KNOW THIS, but we didn't, so you are forgiven if you don't know too. 

ITS AMAZING, firstly, and probably the most important part, THE GARDEN, its truly breathtaking. It's acclaimed as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world, in the Top 7 of Botanical Gardens, and the most beautiful garden in Africa. 

There are very few gardens that can even come close to the sheer grandeur of this garden, as its set against the eastern slopes of Cape Towns Table Mountain...TOTAL WIN RIGHT???!!!

The garden was established in 1913 to promote, conserve and display the extraordinarily rich & diverse flora of Southern Africa, and was the first Botanical Garden in the world to be devoted to a country's indigenous flora. 

Besides the garden itself, it has a custom built glasshouse to grow and display plants from the arid regions that cannot survive outdoors here, and there are over 7000 species in cultivation at Kistenbosch, including rare threatened species. 

This garden is a 36 hectare garden, and is part of a 528 hectare estate that contains protected mountainside supporting natural forest and fynbos along with a variety of animals and birds. The estate borders the Table Mountain National Park, and the Kirstenbosch lies in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom.....in short, ITS DAMN BEAUTIFUL!!!!

They have just installed the most incredible TREE CANOPY WALKWAY,  a 130m steel and timber bridge that winds and dips its way through and over the trees of the Arboretum. Inspired by a snake skeleton, and informally called the Boomslang, or tree-snake, the walkway takes visitors from the forest floor into and through the trees and bursts out above the the canopy, giving spectacular panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains, Garden and the Cape Flats. (Its 12m above ground, so its sure to be exiting too.) 

We also have another favourite feature of the garden, besides the Picnic Spots, or the Hotel, or the Art in  the Garden, the Venue spots, or even the Restaurants, MOYO & THE KIRSTENBOSCH TEA ROOM, being ultra cool, no, OUR FAVOURITE part of the Garden is the fact that it has its own CONCERT VENUE, with the backdrop pf the Garden and the Mountains behind, COULD YOU GET ANY BETTER???!!!!

For the rest of the year they have Carols, Just Jinger, amongst others, and THE BEST NEW YEARS EVE CONCERT you can ever go to, TRUST!!! But next year in January already they have a line up that includes, PRIME CIRCLE, THE PARLOTONES, JIMMY NEVIS, and a very long list of A-GRADE artists from our own shores. 

Time your visit to go early, check out the Gardens, maybe stay overnight at the hotel, its stunning too, and then go see a concert, IT WILL BE THE BEST DAY EVER!!!!

Aaaah, again there is too much to talk about in one setting, so let them say it best, find them @ KIRSTENBOSCH GARDENS.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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GOD's WINDOW & Graskop Hotel

If all we accomplish with this blog is reminding you what we have, within our own borders, or showing what you've been missing out on, (and still wondering why you've missed any of these place), then we have accomplished a lot, we've done you a service, and ourselves. What a pleasure to do this job.

This month in TRAVEL & RELAXATION we wanted to find our best BREATHING SPACES, places where the sheer beauty and magnitude of the environment that surrounds you creates within in you and inner peace that is insurmountable in comparison to any bad vibes you may experience, or any negativity you may carry, even if only for a moment.

Please do yourself the favour and meet...Gods Window...

Nothing we, or anyone else for that matter, can prepare you for the spectacular views from Gods' Windows, one of the most scenic vantage points in South Africa, situated along the Panorama route in the Mpumalanga province.

It is most definitely the highlight of the route, and the route includes many more splendorous sights and natural wonders from cascading waterfalls to impressive mountain gorges. Along with God's Window, other well know spots on the route include Bourke's Luck Potholes, the Three Rondavels, the Mac-Mac Falls & the Blyde River Canyon. Annnnd its within 40 min of many other beautiful breathing places, everything, even with a drive is simply majestic.

God's Window is one of the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserves most spectacular viewpoints, with astonishing views over South Africa's Lowveld, (so named because it is much lower than the high escarpment along which the Panorama Route Runs). At Gods Window, the majestic cliffs plunge down 700m, and, on a clear day, you'll be able to see ovet the famous Kruger National Park towards the Lebombo Mountains on the South Africa's border with Mozambique.

KNown as the largest green canyon in the world, the Blyde River Canyon is a 33km-long gorge that stretches from Bourkes Luck Potholes to the Three Rondavels near Blydepoort Dam. Aside from its spectacular scenery, the canyon is one of the best birding spots in the country and its a very popular adventure destination.

The towns of Lydenberg and White River are gateways to the Panorama Route, and other quaint hamlets in the area include Sabie, Graskop, Orighstand, Hoedspruit and Hazyview...we suggest that if you go there take your time and try get to experience as many of these 'hamlets' as possible, at the very least, just so you know.

The most famous town in the region is the beautiful Pilgrims Rest, now something of a living museum and tribute to the gold panning days of the late 1800's.  When you visit, you'll step straight back into the pages of the past. South of Pilgrims, you can visit Mount Sheba Nature Reserve, which is incredible for its more than 100 species of indigenous tress, including yellowood, white stinkwood, cape chestnut, & mountain cedar...
...but again, we just want you to take in the views, take it all in, embrace Gods' Window.

Look at this, beauty everywhere...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And we found a total gem of a boutique hotel, beautifully situated in Graskop, close enough to everything, called the Graskop Hotel, an Art Gallery you can sleep in. Yip they have a fine collection of artworks, and each room is dedicated to a specific artist, something unique.

You'll find them @ www.graskophotel.co.za

 

 

  

 

 
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