Kwababa Travel Portal

Kwababa generally focuses on top quality establishments offering accommodation to our clients and subscribers visiting the Kwazulu Natal region. Recently however, I learned first hand from a Cape Town family member, the difficulties in finding adequate and safe accomodation experienced by those who are trying to recover from addiction. I probably would remain oblivious to these facts had it not been for my recent discussion. A close family relative of mine is in recovery after suffering from alcohol and drug addiction for many years. After leaving the sanctity of the treatment centre where he had been staying for 3 months, he now found himself somewhat cautious of re-entering society. Finding safe and comfortable accommodation was a priority for him. After some searching he eventually managed to locate an establishment ideal for  sober living Cape Town that was perfect for him.

The recovery from an addiction and the treatment does not stop, aftercare options should be a continual process. Recovery takes place from the initial 4-6 week treatment programme and goes beyond this to last a lifetime.  The steps taken after going to treatment are extremely important as this will be the difference in staying clean and sober or relapsing.
The main idea of the aftercare programme is to help prevent a relapse from happening. The actual aftercare treatment can vary and depends on the individual. Everybody who suffers from an addiction needs the extra support in every day circumstances; an aftercare programme can provide this.
The aftercare benefits include:
•    The aftercare programme is there to provide support, guidance and counselling. Helping in recovery to prevent any relapses that might occur.
•    Provides a support system of individuals who are going through the same problems. Each of these individuals can hold each other accountable and can share their experiences with each other.
•     Going to aftercare can give a sense of belonging in a community.
•    Those that have been through recovery longer can offer advice and support to those who are in the earlier stages of recovery.
•    Many of the aftercare recovery institutions are available all day to those in need. There is also a new way of connection and support using online methods.
Creating the correct aftercare plan needs to be tailored to each person, taking into account where they live, their community and each individuals personal needs. The right plan in place will ensure a successful recovery.
The basic steps that each aftercare programme has:
•    A person must be involved in on-going therapy sessions.
•    Learn to identify what triggers the need to return to taking drugs or alcohol. The person can then learn how to cope with these issues more successfully.
•    Following an aftercare programme can also help the person to cope with stress and handle any cravings that may occur.
•    Sometimes there is a relapse, but creating a plan for such occurrences can reduce the risk of a more serious and total relapse.

Aftercare plans can include:
•    Weekly group meetings with a therapist. Offering a safe place to share experiences and also to hear others struggling with similar problems. These therapy sessions can help people with addictions realize that they are not alone.
•    Individual therapy treatment is also important to focus on specific needs and problems
•    Assisted living: Some people who have finished their initial treatment programme might not have a home or job to return to. Some may even feel unprepared to return to the outside world. There are some places available where the person recovering can stay, a home-like environment where there is supervision provided. There are usually therapists or doctors available immediately and support is there at a moment’s notice. Affordable accommodation, providing workshops, important life skills and help in gaining employment are important for a successful transition back into society. Having spent 3 months already in drug rehabilitation centres in Cape Town, my relative was already participating in an aftercare programme.
•    It is also important to have a sponsor and to regularly have meetings together.
•    Outpatient treatment: This is a centre that provides assistance to those who work or attend school. This option is more for those whose condition has been assessed and are considered stable enough.
•    There are also meetings and groups for loved ones and family members. The meetings can offer a safe place to get together and share experiences and to also offer the necessary support.
Addiction recovery is a lifelong commitment and aftercare programmes are very important. The programme offers a way for each individual to achieve sobriety and maintain a clean and healthy lifestyle. The road to recovery is long and requires a lot of hard work, but each day of success is a step closer to a more happy and healthy life.

So you just finished your matric year and you want to take a gap year since you still undecided on which career route to take? Maybe touring around South Africa can give you an idea on which profession can best suit your personality.
Below are a few tourists destinations that we have been blessed to marvel at in South Africa.
•    Table Mountain, Cape Town: Table Mountain is a well-known tourist attraction in the Mother City. It has a beautiful view and some visitors or residents opt for hiking and camping in this beautiful mountain.
•    Cradle of Humankind, Sterkfontein: The home of fossil fuels. At Cradle of Humankind, you get to see the first ever discovered fossil fuel called Mrs. Ples. If history is your cup of tea, visiting this historic home will give you better insight on fossil fuels caves that are in Sterkfontein.
•    Soweto, Johannesburg: It would probably sooth your soil if you walked on the same soil that Chris Hani, James Sofasonke Mpanza and Hector Pieterson once walked on. These are a few of the many pioneers that have resided in this South Western Township. Soweto carries a lot of history in terms of the apartheid era. It is now a place to visit and marvel at some of the places that shaped today’s history, education and freedom.
•    Gold Reef City, Johannesburg: The one place that makes you feel like a kid again. The best part is that everybody is a kid at Gold Reef City so it is okay to be happy like a 7 year old. Located in the busy city of gold, Gold Reef City is definitely a place to visit. It is an amusement park with every game you can think of. Filled with lots of happy faces, music performances and restaurants, you are assured the time of your life when you visit Gold Reef City.
•    Sun City, North West: Sun City is another marvel to visit. Filled with tons of things to do such as hiking, water sports and golf, boredom is a thing of the past in Sun City. It is a family tourist attraction that allows every member of the family to have a great time. Valley of the Waves is a beach like pool that has real waves.  So if the beach is at far reach, Sun City has got you covered.
•    God’s Window, Mpumalanga: Mpumalanga often called the Paradise Country; God’s Window shows an extraordinary view of cascades and rock constructions. At a low entrance fee, you get to marvel at the nature that God has created. What a beautiful sight to look at!
•    Nelson Mandela Museum, Eastern Cape: Built right at the center of the Father of the Nation’s birth place, this museum has a lot to offer. Visiting the Nelson Mandela Museum gives tourists a better idea of the type of man Madiba was. Here, you get to be taught of the path the Father of Nation had to cross, jump and swim in, in order to become the phenomenal man we had the pleasure of knowing.

South Africa has a lot of tourist attractions to visit; a book is not enough to include them all. In each and every place, there is a sense of history that dwells in the extraordinaire of that specific place.

A variety of cultures and unity of races, South Africa is beaming with beautiful places to visit, traditions to learn and lovely sights to fall in love with. Each and every province has a unique destination to see, with that said, are you up for the challenge?

As a traveller, backpacker or tourist, arriving in South Africa for the first time can be quite daunting. To start with, he country has such a diverse history and eclectic assortment of cultures and then there are just so many exciting places to travel to and experience. The country is vast and expansive so be sure to set aside a decent amount of travel time if you really want to explore all it has to offer.

We often receive emails from our subscribers and readers either recommending certain places and establishments or warning others against the. It’s fantastic to get the feedback from you a, it’s always appreciated. We have had several of our subscribers write in to let us know about Skywings Paragliding in Cape Town. I have chosen to mention Arno from the Netherlands account of his experiences. Arno had been travelling South Africa for a little over a month, starting off in Kwazulu Natal making his way down the coast through the Transkei, stopping off at several places on the Garden Route on his way to Cape Town. Arno mentioned all kinds of places he enjoyed including bungy jumping at the Blaauwkrantz bridge and horse riding at Hogs Hollow outside Plettenberg Bay. But for Arno, the most exciting thing he has done so far was paragliding Cape Town. He got the idea whilst enjoying the sun and sea on Camps Bay beach and noticing several paragliders circling high up above in the sky. The thought of the  freedom of floating high up in the blue sky against the backdrop of Signal Hill and Lion’s Head was enough for him to find out more about how to go about paragliding in Cape Town. Arno was staying at one of the larger backpackers in the city centre and on asking the staff at the travel center he was handed a brochure for Skywings Paragliding.

Skywings Paragliding is owned by Kay Duran who has over twenty years of experience in aerial based sports and activities. For the extremely reasonable price of just R1150 (One thousand one hundred and fifty South African rand – approximately ninety US Dollars), they offer a tandem paragliding experience that you will not forget in a hurry. Kay has several experienced tandem pilots that he employs to assist with his business. Although the conditions in Cape Town can be difficult sometimes due to the unpredictable winds and weather, Skywings will go out of their way to accommodate you with the best possible options and value for your money. Having read through the brochure and read up all the information on the website, Arno went ahead and made his booking.

“I couldn’t wait to try paragliding over Cape Town. I had watched several YouTube videos and been up to the top of Signal Hill the day before to watch other people launching. I barely slept at all the night before. I woke up early in the morning, praying that the weather conditions would be favourable. I was in luck, the conditions were perfect ! I headed up to the launching site at the designated time to meet up with the guys from Skywings. I have to admit, I was quite nervous. It’s quite different once you are up there in all the gear getting ready to leap off of a mountain top! My tandem pilot set my mind at ease quickly though as his experience and professionalism was conveyed quickly to me in our pre-flight conversation. What can I say ? There is nothing quite like paragliding over Cape Town. I have tried several exciting challenges including bungy jumping and white water rafting whilst in South Africa, but paragliding over Cape Town was absolutely exhilarating. I cannot explain the feeling of floating so high up in sky over the city and the views of the beaches and city below. The experience with Skywings tops the things I have done since being in South Africa by far and would like to recommend the experience to anybody else who is considering it. If you want a professional and safe paragliding experience in Cape Town, go with Skywings.” – Arno Vermaak

As I mentioned earlier, this is not the only recommendation we have had from our readers about Skywings, but it’s the most recent and we felt it’s time we mentioned this Cape Town outfit due to the sheer enthusiasm with which our readers have been mailing us about them.

Battlefields:

Walk in the footsteps of famous military strategists – Shaka, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and General Louis Botha – they were all here before you. The wind sighs and whispers the secrets and sorrows of great battles, made visible by lone forts and small graveyards on these undulating landscapes ringed with rocky outcrops.

The legacy of our Zulu Kingdom’s critical, blood-soaked conflicts today lives peacefully – reconciled in this fascinating region’s myriad Battlefield sites, historic towns, national monuments and museums – and in Head Quarters of the British regiments who make a ‘pilgrimage’ to these fields of bravery and supreme sacrifice.

Why leave all of this to the imagination? Knowledgeable guides will accompany you on tours of the Battlefields, talking you through each battle, debating the strategies used, the numbers who perished and the medals and rewards won by the brave.

If these legends inspire your adventurous spirit, there are more pleasurable ways of appeasing it than in battle. White water rafting down the rapids of the mighty Tugela, sailing on the Chelmsford Dam, and hunting in the designated hunting reserves – this region offers you all of these pursuits.

Expert shoppers will always find a way to practice their skill at tracking down a good bargain, and this area provides the opportunity at any of the large number of factory outlets selling everything from blown glass to pork sausages and baby products.

Drakensberg:

The Northern and Central Drakensberg area has some of the most beautiful scenery one could ever imagine. The area falls into four valleys, beginning with the Champagne Valley in the Central Berg, through the Cathedral Peak and Didima Valley, then the Royal Natal National Park and Amphitheatre Valley, and finally the Middledale Pass Valley in the Northern Berg. Each of the four valleys has its own kind of beauty and character, and all have spectacular mountain views.

From the massive basalt cliffs of its northern reaches to the soaring sandstone buttresses in the south, the Berg – as it’s popularly known – offers a myriad delights to anyone of any age who needs to ‘get away from it all’. Peace and quiet is the catchphrase amid this unsurpassed grandeur, where the World’s second-highest waterfall tumbles down a series of breathtaking cascades.

From scenic golf courses, sparkling trout fishing dams and quiet picnic spots, to hiking trails, wildlife and extreme adventure routes at adrenalin-pumping altitudes, the Drakensberg has something for everyone to escape the city and get back to nature in truly majestic surroundings.

Dolphin Coast:

The Dolphin Coast, an expanse of magnificent beaches and a panorama of waving sugar cane, stretches across the malaria-free North Coast of KwaZulu Natal from Zimbali in the South to the mighty Tugela in the North. The Dolphin Coast consists of the following towns: Zimbali, Ballito, Thompson’s Bay, Shaka’s Rock, Salt Rock, Sheffield Beach, Umhlali, Tinley Manor, Shakaskraal, Blythedale Beach, Zinkwazi and Kwadaduza/Stanger.

Ballito, the heart of the Dolphin Coast, lies nestled between rippling fields of KwaZulu Natal’s famous Green Gold, sugar cane, and is flanked to the east by golden beaches and the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Ballito is the Pearl of the Dolphin Coast. The town’s origins date back to 1953, when a group of entrepreneurs began investigating land to develop a township in the Compensation beach area.

Proclaimed a township in 1954, Ballito, whose name was gleaned from a magazine advertisement meaning Little Ball, became a town board in 1966. The town, which reached borough status in 1986, is well known for its superb, safe beaches.

The Dolphin Coast, as it is so aptly named, is the playground of the bottlenose dolphins, which frolic in the waters close to shore and are visible all year round. The dolphins favour this stretch of coastline because of its relatively clear and shallow waters, allowing the dolphins to swim close to shore in order to feed. Whales can also be spotted on their annual migration to Mozambique for the summer.

For the small price of a licence, which can be purchased at the Natal Sharks Board, you can pick your own mussels off the rocks, collect oysters or bring in fresh crayfish from the Indian Ocean. Ballito’s friendly, village atmosphere is a welcome haven from the fast pace of big city life, yet it offers all modern amenities and services to residents and holiday-makers alike.