It is my first time flying in more than a year. The pandemic has instilled fear of being in enclosed spaces. ORTIA (OR Tambo International Airport) is buzzing I am catching the 9h45 flight to George. I had already checked in online, so I did not have to stand in the queue to check-in, I had no luggage to check-in, so I went straight to the airport gates. I am on time and I have about an hour to kill before we board. I went to the Bidvest Lounge, but it was closed, off to Vida Caffe to get my caffeine fix but it was packed, so I ended up at Wimpy big mistake, my latte did not have that “Good morning, wake up kick”.

The airport was not so bad at all, I thought it would be scary besides the masks and hand sanitizing it felt like life was slowly getting back to normal. The flight to George is 1h30 you must always keep your mask on when on a plane, the new airport regulation says no food is served on the flight and you are not allowed to bring your own food so eating is prohibited on flights. When we disembark, we had to wait for our turn, the air hostess allows two rows on either side of the plane to pick up their luggage and disembark while the rest of the people remain seated. If this the new normal then I like it, I generally do not like the bumping into each other that used to happen in the past.

In-flight, I opted to use my N95 mask for protection. I felt like I was suffocating the whole time, I had to gasp for air at times! On arrival at George airport then I changed to a cloth mask which is a bit kinder to breathe in and out. Our sponsored shuttle Ford Tourneo with the ladies was right on time, thanks to Ford South Africa, so we were starting the weekend well, It took us an hour of driving from George airport to Knysna Thesen Island. We arrived at The Turbine Hotel & Spa at 13h00.

The Turbine Hotel & Spa is a 5-star boutique hotel located on Thesen Island in Knysna. The Turbine Hotel & Spa has 26 hotel rooms and suites. Thesen Island is part of the main attractions in Knysna with boutiques and cafés overlooking the lagoon. Thesen Island is a picturesque man-made Island that consists of 19 Islands connected by 21 bridges. The houses are built in a colonial style in pastel colours. The Turbine Hotel & Spa used to be a power station and was built in 1939/1940. The Turbine Hotel & Spa is unique it has this sophisticated industrial look. I never thought that I would ever use sophisticated and industrial in the same sentence. The original wood boiler and four electricity generators and other equipment were restored to blend in with the hotel décor. The Hotel is tastefully decorated with a yellow and green colour scheme in the common areas. Each room is distinctively decorated and unique. My room is beautiful it has a shower and a bathtub, the bathtub has this white wooden window type opening that you can slide open or close for privacy. The room is big with a side table and a balcony that has a beautiful lagoon view.

Any time you have a chance to dine outside indulge yourself, life is too short to dine without a view, we had lunch outside by the pool area while admiring the beauty of the lagoon at Island Cafe. After lunch, we were treated with a spa pampering session at the Turbine Spa. My treatment of choice was back and neck massage, Joy the massage therapist, did a great job in releasing tension on my shoulders and neck. After my massage, I was relaxed, refreshed, and rejuvenated, and ready for the afternoon activity which was a sunset cruise.

The hotel had arranged an afternoon sunset cruise to the Knysna Heads through the Turbine Water Club. The Knysna heads are two massive cliffs on either side of the lagoon mouth. It was a beautiful warm afternoon, we had finger food and we had some bubbly. The best part about the cruise was watching the sunset. Knysna has mind-blowing sunsets, more so when watched from a cruising boat, it was a perfect afternoon. Knysna has incredible bird and marine life we also spotted some seals when we were on the cruise. We noticed a couple of locals with their dogs on boats, and someone paddle boarding with a dog, I have never seen anything like this before it was so cool to watch.

It was a beautiful end to the day, as we headed to dinner at the Gastro Pub. Which had this cool vibe. Live music by GRMC duo, was playing in the background, but you could still enjoy your conversations, what’s dinner with seven ladies without talking. That jazzy blues type music that fills a place with joy and makes you relax. I could not really decide what I wanted for dinner and our waitress suggested butter chicken. I can never say no, to butter chicken it is one of my favourite comfort foods. It turned out to be the best choice. After dinner, I went straight to bed. It was good to be in bed early and the bed was so comfy I fell asleep instantly.

The next morning after breakfast we went hiking, we did a 5km hike in the Knysna Forest. It was a cool morning and we walked through a canopy of trees. The route was not difficult but there were exposed roots, so you had to navigate your way carefully so that you do not trip and fall. There are a couple of steep areas but with a bit of huffing and puffing, you can survive, I really enjoyed the morning walk it was refreshing. As we headed back to the hotel, one of the ladies suggested we go kayaking, I love spur-of-the-moment people, they give me energy. We changed for kayaking and in no time, we were ready to kayak through the Thesen Island tributaries. I was sharing the kayak with Liesl we both were not sure how this kayaking journey would turn out, but we seized the moment. It is a bit tricky to kayak with someone, you must find a rhythm with your partner, and this is the one thing I was worried about not being in sync as well as tipping the kayak. Everything worked out well we were the champions, we were in sync, which was great, at some point, we had to stop paddling and wait for the others because we were far ahead. Kayaking is a full workout; my arms and shoulders got a good workout. This activity is also offered by the Turbine Water Club.

Our day was scheduled in advance except for the kayaking, we went to the hotel showered, and got ready for lunch. Lunch was at ile de pain which is cosy café and bakery on Thesen Island. I had a California burger which is a bun-less burger it was delicious I had to save space for dessert a lemon tart. The food was enjoyable, the company made it even better.

Time was just flying, I guess it is true when they say time fly’s when you are having fun. It was time for us to go ziplining. So, there is ordinary ziplining and then there is ziplining with a twist, where you have sea views, what a combo. Welcome to Knysna ziplining, a brand new zipline. I have ziplined before, so I was not scared of ziplining, but I was anxious because this was a different kind of ziplining it was on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the view was just out of this world and that made a difference. There is a funny thing about being anxious you do not really want to be the first one nor the last one to zipline, but you just wanted to be somewhere in the middle of the queue. There was a bit of a breeze, which I guess helped with the heat because it was a hot day. Our guides Lucas and Steve did a great job telling us what to do and what signals we should look out for when we are at the end of the line. The ziplining experience with Knysna Ziplines was exhilarating.

After ziplining we had a bit of a rest in the hotel before dinner, dinner was beautifully set up at The Island Cafe. I do appreciate good food. Good food can make or break your experience in a place. Head Chef Greg Coleman came out and had a chat with us about the specials for the night. Dinner was a three-course meal. I opted for main course and dessert.

I had a succulent lamb shoulder with spinach, glazed carrot with yoghurt and mint. I enjoyed this rich and creamy meal with a burst of flavours in my mouth. I am so predictable with dessert I had sticky toffee pudding with a tangy apricot ice cream. For me, dessert is the best part of every meal.