Tag Archives: accommodation

WhaleTales Blog returns from its sabbatical

I wrote the last post on my Blog almost a year ago.

A number of factors led to my writing silence. The dominant one was the time and energy it took to buy a house and sell my apartment in EbbTide, both in Camps Bay, the market conditions being difficult in 2022 going into this year. I had almost daily viewers in my apartment, requiring cleaning, and standing outside during the viewing, all in all an overall disruption to my writing flow.

I had lived in EbbTide for almost five years, a Hell Hotel in which the other three apartments were permanently let on an AirBnB basis by its owners Rhode Snyman, Sacha Jack, and Magali Seguilon. Owners of and clients renting the apartments had no respect for my need to sleep during reasonable evening hours, partying in the early hours of the morning, driving in and out of the garage with squealing tyres, and using the noisy lift at all hours of the day, the lift shaft being next to the bedrooms in the building. Every noise disturbance in the building was communicated to the other Trustees, but fell on deaf ears, often received with abusive replies from them.

An incident in the building led me to finally seeing the light, coupled with new neighbouring apartment owner Tristan du Plessis moving in with two labradors barking continuously, especially when he went out at night and left them at home alone. I realised that nothing would ever improve in the building, something I was hopeful I could achieve but the continuous barking of the dogs was the final straw. The final conclusion was that I could not endure living in a Sectional Title apartment, being a minority Trustee outvoted on a three to one basis continuously, and that I needed to buy a freehold house in which I have full control. The reduction in rates and taxes as well as no longer having to pay an exorbitant levy meaning a saving of R14000 per month was a no brainer.

Through luck and perseverance I found my dream house one street parallel to that of the apartment, with two bedrooms, a sizeable garden with 15 olive trees, an abundant lemon tree, a passion fruit creeper, gooseberries, many lavender bushes, and flourishing origanum and thyme. My two cats and dog were in lockdown until a fence and electric fence could be completed, so that the cats could be kept safely inside the property and anybody else outside!

It has taken almost three months to unpack, to find my bearings in the house, to repair many maintenance deficiencies in the house, and to tackle the garden, one or two minor maintenance issues still needing to be completed.

I am planning to broaden my Blog scope in including writing about my work in keeping Camps Bay litter free, and including more tourist related content, having been a very busy Tourist Guide during summer.

Thank you for your patience and support over the 13 years of my Blog.

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog, Cell +27 0825511323. www.chrisvonulmenstein.com Facebook, Twitter, @chrissy_ulmenstein

My Cape Town Guide/Mein Kapstadt Guide (Facebook, Instagram)

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 167 of Level 1, 16 March 2022

 

Wednesday 16 March 2022, Day 167 of Level 1 šŸ˜·

Corona Lockdown Gratitude šŸ™

#grateful for a catch up day, postponing todayā€™s client meetings to tomorrow; for posting for my clients; for a call from Jeanine at The Grand, apologizing for the service issues šŸ™; for a lovely message from my Safari Tour clients; for a good sunset walk in a strong wind, blowing away the cobwebs; for enjoying the silence around me today; for Zest receiving a good review in the Good Bad and Nasty FaceBook Group; for seeing kind Henry again; for two Discovery Gameboard plays and cashing in on a Woolworths shopping voucher; and and for being happy, healthy and free. šŸ™šŸ’™ Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 166 of Level 1, 15 March 2022

 

Tuesday 15 March 2022, Day 166 of Level 1 šŸ˜·

Corona Lockdown Gratitude šŸ™

#grateful for getting home safely, after 12 hours on the road from Plett to Cape Town; for a last breakfast at The Grand, granola with fruit and yoghurt, and scrambled egg and Avo; for filling up the car and testing tyres and oil at Shell Plett; for the morning drive until Swellendam going smoothly with little traffic, and roadworks only just before the town; for a much better lunch at Grace & Merci in Swellendam today compared to the one at Old Gaol five days ago, closed as we drove past today, I suspecting that ā€˜In die Sopā€™ may be doing an image and menu overhaul for the restaurant; for our Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 62 of Level 1, 1 December 2021

 

Wednesday 1 December 2021, Day 62 of Level 1 šŸ˜·

Corona Gratitude šŸ™

#grateful for a well-organized busy day, meeting all my deadlines; for preparing for my meeting this afternoon, for two Discovery Gameboard plays; for a meeting with Ward Councillor Nicola Jowell – Ward 54 and City of Cape Townā€™s Ricardo Thompson to discuss litter cleaning on the high days and holidays coming soon, and on weekend days during summer; for an earlier Status meeting than usual at newkings boutique hotel, so that we could get to Blowfish Restaurant for a Fedhasa end-of-year event, with City of Cape Town Alderman James Vos addressing us, being in charge of Tourism; and for being happy, healthy, and free. šŸ™šŸ’™

My Blogpost today is about the 12 SA restaurants which have made the 2022 global La Liste 1000 Top Restaurant List, and for Restaurant Klein JAN receiving a special accolade.

Alderman James Vos thanked the hotels which helped to accommodate close to 300 passengers who were stranded at the airport last Friday, when the Travel Bans were implemented at short notice by foreign countries. It showed how well the accommodation industry is networked, and how quickly it is able to react to a crisis, when the world was turned upside down in such a short time.

He said that SA should be rewarded and not punished for having identified the new variant. The Cityā€™s Marketing focus will return to the Domestic Market, new marketing campaigns to be launched on Monday 6 December. He confirmed that the first United Airlines flight from the USA is still scheduled to arrive tomorrow. The first cruise liner arrived in Cape Town yesterday. All its passengers have flown back. Out of 37 scheduled cruise liner arrivals in Cape Town, 5 have been cancelled to date. Die Burger reported today that the loss to our local tourism industry is estimated at R225 million per day.

He said our industry performs best under pressure. We must continue to market and showcase Cape Town. He announced that direct flights between Cape Town and Portugal are planned for next year.

I was disgusted that ā€˜comedianā€™ Keenan Cerff was invited to ā€˜entertainā€™ us at the Fedhasa function. I was not impressed with his crassness and jokes in bad taste, joking about the Travel Ban, about people with strokes, and more. He then decided to pick on me, calling me ā€˜Auntieā€™. I wanted to get up and klap him. I did give him a mouthful afterwards. šŸ˜”šŸ˜”šŸ˜”

SA Corona Status: 2,976,613 cases 89871 deathsĀ  25,782,259 vaccinations

FitBit 7000 steps 5 km šŸ‘£

LovemylifeandloveGaryslife šŸ’™ā¤ļø

The Corona Virus Lockdown (Level 5), announced by our President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier to commence on 27 March 2020 and to continue until 16 April, subsequently extended to 30 April, lowered to Level 4 from 1 May, lowered to Level 3 from 1 June, lowered to Level 2 from 18 August, lowered to Level 1 from 21 September, and moved back to Adjusted Level 3 from 29 December, Ā extended to 15 February on 11 January 2021, extended but relaxed on 1 February, and relaxed back to Level 1 on 1 March 2021, moved back to Adjusted Level 2 on 31 May, moved back to level 3 on 16 June, and moved back to Adjusted Level 4 on 28 June, extended by two weeks on 11 July, Ā returned to Level 3 on 26 July, returned to Level 2 on 13 September, and returned to Level 1 on 1 October is an unprecedented event in my lifetime. I am posting my daily Facebook post to journal this Corona Lockdown Journey, perhaps to serve as material for a future Book.

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whaletalesblog.com www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein, My Cape Town Guide/Mein Kapstadt GuideĀ Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein @MyCapeTownGuide