Planning your first date A wise man once said, “Don’t reinvent wheel.” So listen up my aspiring Casanova, and you too will be rolling in no time. First of all- if you were planning dinner and a movie tear up that worn out idea and get over that tired old fallback. Take a moment to look outside. We live in paradise people! You are constantly surrounded by awe inspiring vistas, sandy beaches, and a majestic blue sky.

With that in mind, whenever I think of a perfect date, I imagine a Saturday afternoon in Pismo Beach. All you gentlemen should plan on staring day at Pismo Beach florist, and purchase a single rose. It shows that you aren’t afraid to give, but you also aren’t out to buy their love. Pick up your date and head over to Steaming Bean, and order up a pair of mocha lattes. Mention that Daniel K. O’Leary from VirtualSLO sent you, and take a seat at my regular table. After chatting over your frothy beverages, talk a stroll down to shore, and sit and listen to surf crash. The rest is up to you. Total Cost- $12.

Keeping it lively “I’m bored” are three words you should eliminate from your vocabulary when it comes to SLO life. There is a reason millions of tourists descend upon or community every year, and you need to understand why.

You can eat at a new restaurant every week, and not repeat for over a decade. You can go to a new beach every weekend for an entire year. Whether you want to bike, listen to classical music, or make your own wine, options on central coast are as limitless as your imagination. I’m fairly unoriginal, so I cheat and look at events calendar on VirtualSLO to keep abreast of what is happening during next week. Go see a show at PAC, take a wine tour, or go bird watching. In my personal experience, I’ve been on more dates than I can remember, and I’ve yet to repeat.

So good luck meeting right person, and in case someone introduces themselves as Daniel K. O’Leary next time you are downtown, run. You probably wouldn’t want to date me anyways. If you would like some personal advice, send me an e-mail and I’ll see what I can do.

Daniel K. O’Leary is the publisher of www.dankoleary.com

For dinner Andrew had taken Zulu line. An interesting stew with a type of dumpling bread baked in same pot. Butternut and maize meal and some wild spinach added a touch of colour. What I have never seen before was wild asparagus sautéed in lemon and butter with a hint of sesame oil. I start to drool even thinking about that now.

The next morning was a guided horse trail through Drakensberg foothills. I am not a horse enthusiast normally but with such relaxed horses I would not have missed it for anything. It was just before lunch we headed of to Montusi

Montusi a bit like a hotel with a personal country cottage feeling about it. The lodge is perfectly positioned to catch surrounding view, fields of galloping horses and lakes to fish in. The food here too is excellent perhaps not as unexpectly different as Antbear but our lamb with chargrilled lemon and mint was perfect.

Our last day in these mountains was spent walking Tugela Gorge Walk below Amphitheatre in Royal Natal National Park. It took us to base of Tugela Falls, where Tugela River plunges 948m (3,109 ft.) from plateau, its combined drop making it second highest falls in world, and afforded us marvelous views of Amphitheatre.

Our trip back to Durban guided us through Midlands Meander a place I find to be over rated unless you make effort to pick out gems that it does offer. We stopped at Marakesh Israeli Goats Cheese for a glass of wine and some cheese tasting. A perfect light snack after that lovely drive to get here. Our next stop took us passed Karkloof Falls to Karkloof Canopy tour.a unique eco-experience that takes people on a 3-hr adventure through magnificent Karkloof indigenous forest. The canopy tour involves traversing from one platform to another along a steel cable suspended up to 30m above forest floor.

It was five thirty when we arrived back at my flat in Durban. We were all tired but satisfied with our week in Drakensberg Mountains. I know that this region offers much more and far greater extremes but for us it was a perfect balance of natural beauty, good living and just a little excitement.

More Information about Drakensberg

• www.drakensberg-tourism.com
• www.drakensberg.net
• www.drakensberg-accommodation.com
• www.south-africa-tours.com/drakensberg.html
• www.south-africa-tourism.com

Links to Drakensberg Accommodation

• Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse R1250 per person includes 3 meals
• Antbear Guesthouse R350 per person includes dinner and breakfast
• Montusi R750 per person includes dinner and breakfast.

Links to Drakensberg Activities

• Kamberg Nature Reserve (R15 park entry per person + R25 Rock art presentation + R15 tour guide to game pass shelter)
• Giants Castle Nature Reserve (R20 park entry)
• Drakensberg Boys Choir concert (R75)
• Royal Natal National Park (R25 park entry per person)
• Karkloof Falls (no charge)
• Karkloof Canopy Tour (R395 per person)