Ange turns fifty - traveling when you cant - the best surprise party ever

The latest round of Covid restrictions put paid to the original plans for a surprise for her - difficult to go for a walk and then to dinner at a restaurant, when the restaurants are closed in the evening ... and in support of government efforts, one really wants to be outside.  (This not being the place to question those judgements as the rest of the world seem largely to be getting on with things now).  To the rescue came the "Mahjong Girls" (Ange has a regular Friday evening Mahjong event with a small group of really divine and caring people).  

Lara (Ange's lovely cousin who lives here) created the grooviest boarding passes, and at 11.00am she and Jason and Robyn and Pieter arrived at our house and presented Ange with her first boarding pass, for the first perambulatory flight, which took off from Hong Kong and flew to India.  Part of the government restrictions are people having to walk in groups of not more than four (I know I know, seems very strange) and so we headed off...

The amazing new "Party Class" which provides passengers with real walking space.
Lara (five months pregnant, very exciting) Robyn (a saint) and birthday girl Ange

Amazing India! Staying at the brilliant  beachfront Roti Shack!  

Arriving in India was as amazing as ever.  I was just astonished at the beauty and talent of Liz, creator of the Roti Shack.  She is an absolute art bomb of a beautiful human being - the signs (as well as the gift box featured at the front of this post) were all created and painted by her.  She had even made individually painted plates, and just fantastic Indian food to go on them, with the most wonderful rum mango lassies alongside.  Pete, as ever the gem, playing his part in a beautiful gilded Bandi.  After an delightful stay in India, the next surprise boarding passes came out, and the plane took off for Phuket...

Brilliant views out over Phuket.

Thailand was just unbelievable.  The divine Kim and Fiona had the appropriate picture of his excellency the King of Thailand in the reception area (with his dog of course), riveting Thai food, coconut cocktails ... even elephants; simply everything that the Thai traveler dreams of.  With the splendour taken in, the next surprise was a flight to sublime South Africa...  

The verdant bush of South Africa - a five star game lodge experience.

Steve and Karma (from Jozi and Msunduzi) made the travel weary smile.  Mieliebrood, biltong, droewors, Amarula, Tafel Lager, and Ghostpops; Steve cracked out some coils of killer boerie, and there were klein koeksusters for desert.  It was a good thing we were observing social distancing, or a flippin langarm fest might have broken out with ZA faves old and new pounding: van Jaluka tot Biggie, with a bit of Jack Parow in-between.  We loved being home.  But all good things must come to an end... or must they? Boom ... a boarding pass for Bali!

Bali was beautiful as always - Robyn and Pieter are diamond class human beings and friends.
Prezzies for Ange :-)

Fortunately Bali is really close to home, so the boys flew in for dinner, and there were beautiful 
orchids from Wendy and Ian.

A Bali beach bonfire, with a birthday cake from Pam, made for the perfect end to the trip.

I am so grateful to all of these super-generous, creative and wonderful people.  They soothed the isolation that Ange feels so keenly, not seeing her family, and for a moment, it was like the past two years had not happened - which on some level they really haven't.  

Loved talking to you today - thanks so much - miss you, love you, love to Mia and everyone else.  Until, one day, travel is real again.