BeanOn Photography Archives - Page 3 of 9

Jul 14

Gwahumbe Game Lodge & Spa – a sea of tranquility

Whenever I visit Gwahumbe Game Lodge & Spa it’s as though I’m floating on a sea of tranquillity. One of my favourite little pieces of heaven just over an hour’s drive from Durban. Usually, I am either exploring the reserve by 4×4 or huffing and puffing along the 4×4 track on a mountain bike; however, this time I decide to self-indulge (actually, a friend treated me) in luxurious beauty treatments at the four-star (plus, in my opinion) spa. A decadent treat. As someone once said, resistance is futile… Before even reaching the main gate to the reserve, I stop a few times to photograph the rolling mountains with the sugar cane fields in the foreground blushing a vibrant green. The light haze from the sun enveloping the peaks make them appear too perfect for this world. Nature at it’s five-star best! At the main reception, where I announce my arrival, I help myself to a mug of Rooibos tea and take it down with me to the spa, overlooking more perfect peaks now with balls of cloud hovering above them, the sun almost disappearing for good. My favourite treatment without doubt is the hot stone massage. A […]

Jun 26

by Nicola in Architecture, Cities, People, Street Photography 0 comments tags: Architecture, Avenue des Champs Elysees, BeanOn Photography, Exploring, France, Paris, Rigoletto, Sunset

A Paris Fling

Welcome back, Europe! A Paris fling lasting two nights is simply not enough to explore the city’s inspiring grandeur, despite visiting twice previously many years ago. After each visit Paris becomes more appealing, I become more appreciative of its breath-taking architecture and heritage buildings, highlight after highlight – endless intrigue. Did you know that it’s free (yes, free!) entry in to the Notre-Dame Cathedral? A top tip when faced with a ceaseless queue of overheating bodies trying to penetrate the imposing cathedral. Look for a gap, nonchalantly fill the gap and pretend to be with the people in front of you, not looking over your shoulder, and mind your own business. Obviously this needs to happen as far in front of the queue as possible. And… la magie… Resistance becomes futile when Paris presents the opening night of Rigoletto at the Opera Bastille. What an exceptionally powerful performances by all, and such artistry and precision of symphony by the orchestra. Three acts later, I still yearned for more. I feel a humming session about to attack… In English, of course. ‘La donna mobile’ Rigoletto by Verdi Woman is fickle Like a feather in the wind, She changes […]

Jun 14

From Naughty Nimbin to Sydney, NSW, Australia

From Naughty Nimbin (to Sydney), we returned to Byron Bay for a swim in the calm sea, still not quite able to fathom why this place was again overcrowded with major traffic problems. Yes, it had beautiful beaches but so did most of Sydney’s north coast. Evans Head At Evans Head, a one-horse town compared to Byron Bay, we spent the night on an island overlooking the quaint harbour, in between where the boats docked. The stunning sunset, silhouetting the moorings, added to the tranquil feel of the place. Nambucca Heads Waking to heavy rain and wind that rocked the van, we set off early-ish the following morning and enjoyed a lunch over looking the river at Nambucca Heads, where the weather had cleared. Inspecting the 500 meters of rock gallery, we strolled along The Vee Wall to the pristine and uncrowded beaches beyond at Shelly Beach. Surprisingly, I spotted another two aboriginal people! Hat Head National Park Our next night’s rest landed us at Hat Head National Park. With only three other cars around in the park, and a few wallabies, we almost had the place to ourselves. The heavens opened again which prevented us from […]

May 12

by Nicola in Adventure, Architecture, Art, Off-Road 0 comments tags: Adventure, Architecture, Australia, BeanOn Photography, nature, New South Wales, Nimbin, Off-road, The Hemp Embassy

Naughty Nimbin, New South Wales

Happily deciding to only lunch at the chaotic Byron Bay instead of spending the night, we headed in to the mountains before experiencing the day at naughty Nimbin, New South Wales. Recalling the strict instruction, “Only use the campervan on dirt tracks leading to campsites,” from Apollo’s campervan hire assistant, we briefly reconsidered our plight. “What’s the worst that could happen?” “Exactly!” Resistance is futile! Shake, rattle and roll, lasting over an hour, over what should have been termed, or should that be warned, ‘4×4 only track’ where any vehicles are concerned. At least we made it, and even more impressive so did the sleeper van, and surprisingly even so, all the crockery arrived in one piece too. Exciting, right? Well, wait until you step foot inside a place where not another on this Earth could touch it. Welcome to Nimbin – “Australia’s weed capital” – a quaint place with psychedelic buildings. People gaudily coated in tie-dye clothing strolled around aimlessly without a care in the world. Cafés filled with all sorts of people, from businessmen to tramps. Anything goes. Outside, at the back of a café we noticed the kites flying high, how everyone was clearly […]

Hawks Nest, North Coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

North Coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Crowdy Bay, North Coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Seal Rocks, North Coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Crescent Head, North Coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Apr 10

North Coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The moment we collected the camper van, all singing all dancing home on wheels, from the other side of Sydney, the real adventure began. For ten nights we slept in the van while exploring the North Coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Not even thirty minutes after Apollo signed over their beast to us, we’d gently knocked a van’s wing mirror while trying to parallel-park the vehicle near Bondi Beach while stopping off for a bite to eat. Ouch! Hawks Nest A few hours later, after taking up most of a shopping’s car park while stocking up on groceries, we arrived at Hawks Nest, our first port of call, many minutes too late. The campsite had locked its boom gate and no one answered the emergency number on the office door. They definitely weren’t open for business. Ah look! The beach with a car park – a perfect spot to spend the night. Without any interruptions, we slept soundly. A forty-minute run along the silky soft sand had me rearing to go first thing the next morning. Seal Rocks At the stunning, pristine beaches of Seal Rocks we spent a night at Treachery Camp. […]

Mar 22

by Nicola in Architecture, Beach, Cities, Sunset 3 comments tags: Architecture, Australia, BeanOn Photography, Manly Beach, Sunset, Sydney, Sydney Opera House, The Harbour Bridge

Exploring Sydney, Australia

For years I had longed to experience a campervan trip along the north coast of Sydney, Australia and finally I did it! Two weeks in total, I spent the first two nights at the Sydney Harbour Marriott and the last night at the exceptionally beautiful Park Hyatt Sydney – a well-deserved treat after thirteen nights in a camper van. Talk about a room with a view! From there I relished exploring the spectacular city: the buzzing Circular Quay, along the waterfront to Wharf 2 and the Opera House, around the foreshore to the lush green spaces of the Royal Botanic Gardens, over to the Olympic swimming pool alongside the water’s edge, up to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, back along the waterfront to the western side where the promenade leads to the The Rocks, a pulsating hub of cafes, restaurants, bars and historic architecture. The other side of the iconic Harbour Bridge led me to Dawes Point where a wedding ceremony took place, and people posing for photographs in front of the Luna Park’s Ferris Wheel. At sunset on the second evening we caught a ferry to Manly Beach, one of Australia’s most famous surfing beaches, and […]

Lord Millner Hotel, Western Province, Great Karoo

Matjiesfontein Station, Great Karoo, Matjiesfontein

Feb 28

by Nicola in Architecture, People 0 comments tags: Architecture, BeanOn Photography, Great Karoo, Lord Milner Hotel, Matjiesfontein, nature, South Africa, Western Cape

Great Karoo, Matjiesfontein

From Cape Town we drove through some spectacular passes and dramatic landscapes making up the Great Karoo that led us to Plettenberg Bay. The highlight of the journey to our final destination had to be spending the night in Matjiesfontein at the Lord Milner Hotel, lord of the manner more like… Imagine stepping back in time over a century ago… I’ve always longed to inhabit the Earth when only wild beasts freely roamed, without us humans around to destroy everything precious. Well, Matjiesfontein is a little like how I imagine the Earth to have been after the first set of humans developed in to ‘town’ dwellers, and ceased the beasts from roaming free. Okay, that may be a slight case of imagination running riot… But, excusing the mild digression, one definitely steps back in time at least one-hundred-and-thirty years when visiting Matjiesfontein in the Great Karroo, Western Cape. Nothing has changed, bar a lick or two of paint perhaps, since 1884. What else could a klein dorpie with this much character ever possibly need? When they refer to it as klein, it truly couldn’t be tinier.

Feb 20

by Nicola in Beach, Nature 2 comments tags: African penguins, BeanOn Photography, Boulders Beach, Cape Town, Early morning, Muizenberg Beach, nature, penguins, South Africa, Western Cape

Cape Town, African Penguins at Boulders Beach

A trip to Cape Town wouldn’t feel complete without visiting the African Penguins at Boulders Beach. Let’s arrive early, we thought, and enjoy a swim with the penguins at Boulders Beach. Okay, but only after devouring the hotel’s five-star breakfast that started at 7am. Well, early out of season is a lot different to early in season. After discovering that not a space existed at the main car park we ended up parking along a residential road past the second car park. With the sun beating down in a blemish free sky, already melting the suntan lotion from my body, we discovered hundreds of bodies down on the beach. Families sprawled out on the soft, white sand, up on the impressive granite boulders that naturally protect the beach from the wind and unruly waves. What an idyllic swimming spot, albeit it slightly colder than Durbs’ Indian Ocean. A few penguins, feathers ruffled, languorously basked in the sun, on the sand, on the rocks. Others dipped in to the sea to get away from the larger two-legged creatures. Four or five juvenile birds were moulting on the beach. And a rogue couldn’t resist attacking a sandal: starving little fella. […]

Jan 30

by Nicola in People, Street Photography 0 comments tags: BeanOn Photography, Cape Flats, Cape Town, Gugulethu, Gugulethu Township Tour, South Africa, Township Tour, Western Cape

Cape Town, Gugulethu Township Tour

Once upon a time, many many years ago, I desired experiencing life in a township. Longing to spend a weekend with my maid and her family, I had an urge to walk kilometres for water, walk to the shop and carry the supplies on my head, make a fire to cook dinner and heat water, and everything else that encompassed living in a township. What would it feel like to exist without luxury? For some reason my parents prevented me from gaining such an understanding. So, the next best thing had to be the Gugulethu township tour whilst visiting Cape Town. We chose AWOL to provide us with the Gugulethu walking township tour, known for its importance during the struggle against apartheid, because they are a non-profit organisation and proceeds are put back in to the community, given to the people who make the tour possible. The knowledgeable and interesting guide, Ncebe, met us at Mzoli’s, a traditional bring and braai true-African-style establishment, and directed us to his home. Noticeably proud, he showed us around, explaining how he’d broken tradition with his renovations by building a bathroom inside the house instead of it being out back where most […]

Jan 22

by Nicola in Adventure, Hiking, Nature, Sunset 0 comments tags: Adventure, BeanOn Photography, Cape Town, Exploring, Hiking, Kirstenbosch, Kirstenbosch Gardens, Lion's Head, nature, South Africa, Sunset, Table Mountain

Cape Town, Hiking Table Mountain and Lion’s Head

After returning to Durban end of November, I spent two and a half weeks in Cape Town during the manic holidays over December and January. I couldn’t resist hiking Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. The day after New Year’s Day, we hiked up Table Mountain first thing at 6:00am. The following evening we hiked up Lion’s Head at sunset and then the next morning we whizzed up Table Mountain again. Resistance utterly futile! Table Mountain Both expeditions up Table Mountain (1,086 meters) took place from Kirstenbosch Gardens. I had my camera with me during the first, stopping along the way to capture the ever-changing vistas – one minute the mist rolled in and the next it cleared. We enjoyed a few breaks to refuel with fruit, homemade oat crunchies and fudge, Lindt chilli chocolate and nuts. The second climb I’d left my camera behind – what a difference that made! – and with only a couple of breaks, we knocked off almost forty minutes from our original time of four hours. Once through Kirstenbosch Gardens, the easy stroll led us to the steeper gorge. Surrounded by indigenous forest, lush green vegetation that kept the heat at bay, […]

A woman helping a disabled man, New Port Tel Aviv

Children enjoying lunch, Old Port Tel Aviv

Old men in speedo costumes watching the Folk dancing, Tel Aviv

Dec 28

by Nicola in Beach, Cycling, People 0 comments tags: BeanOn Photography, cycling, Folk Dancing, Israel, Namal Yafo, New Tel Aviv Port, Old Jaffa Port, Old Tel Aviv Port, Tel Aviv

Israel, cycling from Jaffa to Tel Aviv

During the Shabbat (Sabbath) on the Saturday we spent eight hours cycling from Jaffa to Tel Aviv. Along the promenade from Old Jaffa Port (also known as Namal Yafo) – which is reputed to being the port from which Jonah set off in the famous Biblical story of Jonah and the Whale – our first port of call (note the pun) we spent strolling along the wall surrounding the Tel Aviv Marina. A couple sat on rocks reading documents together; fishermen competed for the same spot; surfers attempted riding waves just beyond the port’s entrance; another photographer poised hoping a surfer would provide the action; a woman sipping a beer while staring out to sea; a family of four laughing, enjoying each other’s company. From there we joined the crowds encircling the locals folk dancing on the promenade alongside the beach. Apparently an instructor frolicked in the midst of all the swaying bodies but he or she wasn’t easy to spot. The atmosphere had my foot tapping away and my camera firing. Somehow I stopped myself from joining in. What fun! Back on our bikes, we ventured to the Old Tel Aviv Port where hundreds of people enjoyed the wide […]

Dec 24

by Nicola in Cities, People, Uncategorized 0 comments tags: BeanOn Photography, Israel, Jerusalem, Machane Yehuda Market

Israel, Jerusalem, Machane Yehuda Market

Desire experiencing people whom love life and particularly Jerusalem? Well then, a visit to Machane Yehuda Market is a must. Known as one of Jerusalem’s word-famous icons, the market epitomises the contemporary and the future of Jerusalem. Two hours spent absorbing the frenetic atmosphere, watching the traders interacting with the crowds, providing tasters of their wares. The colours and aromas of the variety of foods pleasantly assaulted the senses. Resistance was futile when it came to the buffet of halva (pronounced with that same guttural ‘g’ as in hummus) and I had to have a slice of the chilli halva that delightfully burned while releasing its rich sweetness. At one of the entrances to Machane Yehuda Market we enjoyed respite at a coffee shop while I photographed the energy. An hour or so before sunset on the Friday (the start of the Sabbath) every thing came to a halt and people scattered in all directions, to reach their final destinations before the sun sets. The Sabbath (Shabbat) Observed from just before sunset on Friday to just after dark on Saturday, the Sabbath is extremely holy. Both the religious and non-religious observe the Sabbath by adhering to the […]

Dec 12

by Nicola in Architecture, Black & White, Cities, Sunrise 0 comments tags: Architecture, BeanOn Photography, Early morning, Exploring, Israel, Jerusalem, Jerusalem’s German Colony, Middle East, Ramparts Walk, Sunrise, The Old City, Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Center

Israel, Jerusalem

At first light, 5:30am, we drove sixty-five kilometres from Jaffa to Jerusalem. With only a few maniacs on the road then, we arrived, without incident, in time for Friday’s sunrise over Jerusalem’s Old City. What a difference it made being able to explore without the masses of tourists vying for the same vista. Ramparts Walk With the Old City waking – people setting up shop, the smells of bread baking, fresh loaves of bread dangling from shop doors, and minimal tourists around – we surrounded ourselves with the religious. Strolling through the Christian quarter, along the Via Dolorosa, Way of Grief, the apparent path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion, lead us to the Ramparts Walk. With Lions’ Gate closed, we scaled the wall, over the fence and made it to the top near the Western Wall Plaza and the Jewish Quarter. Before setting off, we munched on fruit while absorbing the peace and unique views of rooftops, Mount Zion, Mount of Olives and the Dome of the Rock, its gold-plated roof so vivid. Hiking up and down stairs along the wall, overlooking the city on the other side, we arrived at Herod’s Gate, adjoining the […]

Men gazing over Jaffa’s Shuk HaPishpushim, or Flea Market

Nov 25

by Nicola in Architecture, Cities 0 comments tags: Arab children, Arab quarters, BeanOn Photography, Early morning, Israel, Jaffa, Jaffa Old Port, Jaffa's nightlife, Manta Ray Restaurant, Market House Hotel, Middle East

Israel, Jaffa

Shalom! My second visit to Israel left me desiring more. I can’t believe we missed out on Abu Hassan, apparently it’s one of the best hummus restaurants in Israel, Jaffa and because of such loss I shall return. After all, hummus (pronounced with a guttural ‘g’ instead of an ‘h’) is one of my favourite things to eat. Twelve years ago, I first visited Israel and had since lost all my photographs due to a hard drive crash. A return couldn’t have been more welcomed. This time I had my own personal tour guide, and instead of buses with hordes of tourists we’d hired a car and also bicycles, whereby experiencing more of the extraordinary. From Ben Gurion Airport, we took our lives in our hands while driving the twenty-five kilometres in to Jaffa. Just about every car tooted their horns, no gaps left unturned and everyone behind every wheel pushed in, into the absent gaps, not a single driver indicates and add a bit more hooting. Behaving like a driving instructor, my foot constantly wanted to slam down on the imaginary foot brake. Bloodcurdling, to say the least! However, the daily car journeys, many kilometres later, […]

Wood statue in front of Glenfinnan Viaduct

Nov 09

by Nicola in Architecture, Back2Blighty, Nature, The United Kingdom 0 comments tags: Adventure, Architecture, Back2Blighty, BeanOn Photography, Exploring, Glenfinnan, Glenfinnan Viaduct, Harry Potter, nature, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, The United Kingdom

Glenfinnan Viaduct Made Famous by Harry Potter

Made famous by Harry Potter, Genfinnan viaduct is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland at 380m, and crosses the River Finnan at a height of 30m. The Hogwarts Express calls at Glenfinnan in the second and third Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Chambers of Secret and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The impressive 21 semicicular spans of 15m mass concrete are built on a curve of 241m. An image speaks a thousands words and more…