holidaying in the transkei

I'm gonna begin with saying "HAPPY NEW YOU" to everyone... I quite like that phrase resonating in my mind! It's the time of year when we are given the opportunity to start afresh, which is always exciting.

I was lucky enough to kick off 2013 with a family holiday to a place called Tshani, which is in the Transkei (Eastern Cape). My grandfather has had this little hidden gem for as long as my mother has been alive. I was last in Tshani in 1995 so my memories of Tshani were rather fragmented. What I did remember though, was that this area of the world was very rural - and, I got to find out, 17 years later, that not much has changed. Electricity is still considered a luxury, and most homes are in the form of huts. Fortunately our cottage had running water and electricity, although many a time we would be cut off from our electricity for a couple of days. We were quick to learn that that's just how they roll there in the Transkei! But (secretly) I liked it that way. 

Here are a handful of photos from my holiday. 

Listening to: In My City - Ellie Goulding