We scheduled a two-week retreat from the hustle and bustle of traveling with a stay at Mount Amanzi, a resort on the outer suburbs of Pretoria/Johannesburg. Our lodging has been a rustic African thatched-roof duplex with a view to the fishing pond.

A big thank you to my parents for gifting us the opportunity to stay there!

We saw swinging monkeys, chirping birds, and giant fish jumping out of the lake.

Coming from busy Jo’burg and megapolis São Paulo, this area felt like a great way to unwind and reconnect with nature.

We maintained a daily routine of walking, resting, and swimming during the day. As the sun started to go down, the troop of monkeys patrolled the grounds in search of snacks and garbage. It was like a live National Geographic show from the comforts of our porch. We loved watching them play – video on YouTube.

Hundreds of monkeys would climb out of trees and run around the property. Did you know they sound like pigs and run like cats? We would hear their snorts, and occasional squealing as they wrestled in the grass. The baby monkeys reminded me of kittens. They would zoom by and going so fast the back legs shift a little to the outside and they’re running sideways!

After the monkeys cleared out, the skies usually opened up for an evening shower. Summer showers in the afternoon/evening are apparently common for the greater Jo’berg region. At least this kept the bug population down and the air clean and fresh.

We also used this time like a writing retreat. We caught up on our backlog, publishing more than a handful of blog posts. Plus, I started writing my first paid travel articles!!

Activities

The first week we mostly just enjoyed the three pools, two tennis courts, and pickleball courts (often occupied by monkeys).

For the last few days, we decided to rent a car and explore the Hartbeespoort area. Though Uber was available around the area, we wanted to do a bit more exploring, and in that case, an independent means of transportation was more cost effective.

Hartbeespoort Dam

Since 1923, this area of the Crocodile River has been dammed to create irrigation canals for the farms downstream, as well as a large lake behind the dam. The lake is only 1.5 hours from Jo’berg, making the town great for a recreation spot.

The dam is also a single-lane road! We had driven across it a few times to get in and out of “town”. Since the traffic sits for a few minutes at each red light, there are vendors at each side of the dam plying their goods. It is a frantic few minutes, then the light turns green and the views start.

One day we parked on the side of the dam and walked across so we could get a better view.

Jasmyn Farm Products (Jasmyn Plaasprodukte)

This is a specialty grocery store with a nicely-landscaped lake area to walk around, centered around a large windmill. Underneath the windmill is a Dutch wafflehouse, and before piling groceries into our cart, we split one savory and one sweet waffle. It was such a great brunch!

Harties Boat Company

One of the highlights of our time here was enjoying this two-hour sunset cruise on the lake. It was around $30/person, and included a filling dinner of finger foods, pork ribs, and kabobs. Drinks were not included but were reasonably priced (as they typically are in South Africa). The views were incredible and we were able to approach the dam from the lake side, seeing it from yet another perspective.

Little Paris

After seeing “Little Paris” on Google Maps, I decided that we should go check it out. I still have not been to Paris so it seemed like a nice substitute for now.

It was a quaint retail complex on a tree-lined lake, with French music, a cafe, and of course a small model of the Eiffel Tower. (There was also a pizzeria and a nice knick-knack shop.)

We enjoyed a bottle of wine and French desserts and enjoyed the faux-Parisian vibes.

Thai Wellness Spa

Our international experience continued around Harties as we visited a Thai home-based establishment place for massages and Thai food. The proprietor has trained her staff in Thai massage and we enjoyed a treatment we had not experienced since Bangkok.

Afterwards we dined in her restaurant, which is an outbuilding in her backyard. She has the high-heat gas flame needed for proper stir-fries, and she was happy to make the off-menu pad kee mow for us, along with some other Thai dishes.

We chatted about our experiences in Thailand and South Africa, and our time ended with a tour of her garden, where she grows all of the specialty ingredients for her food: both Thai basil (horapha) and holy basil (gaprao), galangal, fingerroot, makrut lime leaves, and so many other ingredients. Considering holy basil is hardly used in the United States (even for dishes called pad gaprao), this was the freshest and most-authentic Thai food we have had in some time!

Challenges

A visit to South Africa is not without its challenges. We tried unsuccessfully to learn the load shedding schedule but most days we were caught off-guard when the power would go out off-schedule. The resort has a back up generator but only runs at certain hours of the day. At times we would have to abandon a meal whilst in the middle of cooking or simply go to bed early.

The other surprising challenge was with wildlife. Just about each day we discovered something new in our unit, like this scary millipede or a cute bat.Yes, I think he’s cute! But we did not get a good photo of it so take our word for it. At least we kept our windows and doors closed and the monkeys outdoors!