My flight to South Africa

My flight to South Africa

 

                                         Seattle weather the morning I was leaving

Welcome to my new travel blog where I'm going to tell it like it is when it comes to travel. I will keep it real with tips for how I manage my life on the road since my lifestyle is spread across two continents. Right now I'm spending a couple of weeks in Johannesburg where I'm overseeing the maintenance on my house. No, it's not a vacation since I've been spending a lot of time at hardware stores buying materials for the contractors. I arrived a week ago on Emirates Airline via Dubai from Seattle where I now live fulltime. Generally I am a great believer in getting to the airport early especially in the US where TSA security lines are long. My flight last Tuesday was at 5pm so I left home in Bellevue just after 1pm since it was raining and traffic was so bad my morning appointment had canceled because he got stuck in a traffic jam for hours. Anyway, I shared an Uber which cost $30 to SeaTac airport and on the way we picked up an Ethiopian airport worker which was great because he told the driver which terminal Emirates left from. I was dropped off after 2pm and when I was checking in, I found out I was only allowed one checked bag based on my ticket. I had paid only $971 round-trip for my ticket on Expedia so that was the catch. I only had one bag to check in but coming back I will need a second bag and they will charge me $200 for each extra bag. I am an Expedia Gold member and they have stood me in good stead over the years but things like this happen.

When I am in Europe where there are fabulous airports, I love getting to the airport early so I can shop and get a nice meal at their fancy restaurants but American airports are utilitarian and my local airport, SeaTac is no different, especially now there is construction taking place. Hopefully the upgrades will be amazing because Americans travel so much for work you would think they would figure out how to build great airports. Anyway by the time I was done with security checks I only had an hour to grab a burger and the restaurant was mediocre. When you have a 14 hour flight, it's important to travel with a full stomach because airplane food isn't as substantial as it used to be even in business class and I was flying economy. When I lived in New York I swore by the breakfast bagel at McDonald's before the 11am nonstop SAA flight from JFK to Johannesburg. McDonald’s might be unhealthy but it is like pouring concrete into your stomach and it holds you down during an 18 hour flight! JFK has got some good shopping and is the closest thing to a European airport in the US. I was hoping to fly the A380 to Dubai but it was the Boeing 777 which is still a decent size plane. My only issue is that the restrooms quickly got messy but the crew did their best to keep cleaning. I stayed up the whole time and watched a record number of movies to catch up on new releases. Three weeks ago I went to the IPIC cinema in Redmond, Washington to watch the ‘Hustlers’ movie and paid $28 so you can bet I'm going to watch all my movies on planes if I can help it. I chugged a lot of coffee on that flight to keep up my binge watching of biopics then I had a 5 hour layover in the fabulous Dubai airport which keeps growing bigger. When I sat down for a meal I found myself struggling to stay awake. There's something comfortable about that airport because one time I passed out for hours there on a layover from a hectic weekend in London and luckily it was a very long layover otherwise I'd missed my connecting flight. I was concerned about that this time so I asked the server if I could lie down and to wake me up after 15 minutes. I was that tired. The flight to Joburg was pleasant enough as I watched more movies and I slept a bit before we landed at 5am.

I went to the home of the multi-talented designer, DJ and publicist Maria McCloy to buy her sneakers. I am waiting impatiently for a pair of mules from her new line! 

I am finding South Africa much more expensive than before but otherwise it's great to be home. The sunshine in Africa is everything. I list my house in Morningside, Johannesburg on AirBnB, https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/238179 and it is a real home away from home. I had some minor renovations to do in order to make the master bedroom available so it is rented as a three bedroom cluster. The great thing about keeping it on AirBnB is that I get to use it when I'm back in South Africa. The house is so popular that I am already getting inquiries for Christmas bookings from some of the regular guests so I am going to keep it as an AirBnB for now. There is so much new construction that rents have fallen and it's hard to find a tenant with so much new housing stock on the market. I drove by the gorgeous Waterfall Estate and it's full of houses now yet I remember when they first started with a sparse number of houses. It's great to catch up with everyone and I have people coming over for the weekend so it's just like old times. 

My New Book, 'A Modern African Nomad' is now available in Amazon

My New Book, 'A Modern African Nomad' is now available in Amazon
If you’ve never been to Africa, you can’t imagine the opportunities and challenges its people face on their way to success. Often, they leave their homes and roam the world to expand their horizons. From the pages of this book, you will draw life lessons that can transform your own life.

The author, Debbie Peters, is a Zimbabwean woman who has traveled the world, studied for advanced degrees in London and Los Angeles. She has also succeeded in several entrepreneurial careers. She is part of the modern African migration to the Diaspora.

A Modern African Nomad tells the story of:

• How an African successfully navigated her way to Europe and later to the US through study.

• Building a successful career and life in the US for a decade, networking in the Diaspora. 

• Surviving and thriving as a Black woman, dating and single life in New York City,

• Long distance job-hunting, being headhunted and making the transition back to Africa 

•The challenge of repatriation and re-integrating back into African society after 10 years away.

• Navigating different corporate cultures in Africa and building a professional network in Africa.

• Becoming an expatriate in Nigeria and dealing with life in a challenging environment.

• Learning to operate in different African countries and the differences between them.

• Starting over again by going back home to Zimbabwe after 16 years away, reverse culture shock.

• Maintaining relationships a global nomad with friends and family scattered all over the world.

• Staying current with the international business trends as an African professional.

• Entrepreneurial ventures in Africa under difficult economic conditions.

• Her love of travel and becoming a world citizen who is at home anywhere 

Debbie Peters has always loved education and also loves her beautiful homeland. Although she had to leave Africa twice for advanced degrees, she always came back home to Zimbabwe.

Her first adventure abroad was to earn her Master’s degree in pharmacology, at the prestigious King’s College in London, but she came straight back as soon as she finished.

In 1998, she went to the US for an MBA, but by the time she finished in 2000, she was advised not to return because the Zimbabwean economy was experiencing the highest hyperinflation in history. It was 10 years before she found a promising job in South Africa, but another six years to work her way back to Zimbabwe. Going back home is important to Africans in the Diaspora, but the challenge is how to do it. Every African country is different and in some ways Africans are less familiar other African countries than they are with countries abroad.

Debbie Peters has always enjoyed blogging. She was one of the earliest bloggers in the US in 2003, and her African Gist blog was very popular as her readers followed her adventures in Nigeria. Travelling from and within Africa is often difficult, but Debbie chronicles the challenges of African travel with interesting detail and humor.

As a serial entrepreneur, Debbie is facing the challenge of trying to start a modern African business while working from Zimbabwe where the economy is again falling into decline. Her network extends all over the globe, and her life is no longer just restricted to Zimbabwe. She is a keen social media practitioner with a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and credits social media with helping her find her two brothers.

This exciting life story is not only for Africans. As Debbie explores what is needed for a black woman to survive and thrive in diverse cultures, you will also discover ways you can surmount the challenges you face in a highly competitive global economy. Wherever you call home, you may need to expand your vision beyond traditional borders and build a life many never consider possible. You can learn important principles from Debbie’s struggles and successes. Buy the eBook on Amazon for only $14.99 now on the following link https://www.amazon.com/Modern-African-Deborah-Nyasha-Peters/dp/1978210213

I am finally a real author!

I am finally a real author!

A Modern African Nomad eBook Description

If you’ve never been to Africa, you can’t imagine the opportunities and challenges its people face on their way to success. Often, they leave their homes and roam the world to expand their horizons. From the pages of this book, you will draw life lessons that can transform your own life.

The author, Debbie Peters, is a Zimbabwean woman who has traveled the world, studied for advanced degrees in London and Los Angeles. She has also succeeded in several entrepreneurial careers. She is part of the modern African migration to the Diaspora.

A Modern African Nomad tells the story of:

• How an African successfully navigated her way to Europe and later to the US through study.

• Building a successful career and life in the US for a decade, networking in the Diaspora. 

• Surviving and thriving as a Black woman, dating and single life in New York City,

• Long distance job-hunting, being headhunted and making the transition back to Africa 

•The challenge of repatriation and re-integrating back into African society after 10 years away.

• Navigating different corporate cultures in Africa and building a professional network in Africa.

• Becoming an expatriate in Nigeria and dealing with life in a challenging environment.

• Learning to operate in different African countries and the differences between them.

• Starting over again by going back home to Zimbabwe after 16 years away, reverse culture shock.

• Maintaining relationships a global nomad with friends and family scattered all over the world.

• Staying current with the international business trends as an African professional.

• Entrepreneurial ventures in Africa under difficult economic conditions.

• Her love of travel and becoming a world citizen who is at home anywhere 

Debbie Peters has always loved education and also loves her beautiful homeland. Although she had to leave Africa twice for advanced degrees, she always came back home to Zimbabwe.

Her first adventure abroad was to earn her Master’s degree in pharmacology, at the prestigious King’s College in London, but she came straight back as soon as she finished.

In 1998, she went to the US for an MBA, but by the time she finished in 2000, she was advised not to return because the Zimbabwean economy was experiencing the highest hyperinflation in history. It was 10 years before she found a promising job in South Africa, but another six years to work her way back to Zimbabwe. Going back home is important to Africans in the Diaspora, but the challenge is how to do it. Every African country is different and in some ways Africans are less familiar other African countries than they are with countries abroad.

Debbie Peters has always enjoyed blogging. She was one of the earliest bloggers in the US in 2003, and her African Gist blog was very popular as her readers followed her adventures in Nigeria. Travelling from and within Africa is often difficult, but Debbie chronicles the challenges of African travel with interesting detail and humor.

As a serial entrepreneur, Debbie is facing the challenge of trying to start a modern African business while working from Zimbabwe where the economy is again falling into decline. Her network extends all over the globe, and her life is no longer just restricted to Zimbabwe. She is a keen social media practitioner with a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and credits social media with helping her find her two brothers.

This exciting life story is not only for Africans. As Debbie explores what is needed for a black woman to survive and thrive in diverse cultures, you will also discover ways you can surmount the challenges you face in a highly competitive global economy. Wherever you call home, you may need to expand your vision beyond traditional borders and build a life many never consider possible. You can learn important principles from Debbie’s struggles and successes.  Buy the eBook on Amazon for only $4.99 now on the following link https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072LJ31MF/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdb_x_EFvfzbXAJKQQ4

Weekend in Harare

Weekend in Harare

I'm in Harare in the run up to the Harare Food, Wine and Home Expo in three weeks. I arrived two days ago and just then I get a call from a real estate agent in Johannesburg that there's an offer from someone in the UN to rent my house in Morningside. I'm moving to West Africa soon for work so I've put my lovely cluster house up for rent. I'd planned to stay in Harare until 15 November but it looks like the tenant wants to move in on 1 November so I will have to go back to Joburg next weekend to pack. What am I gonna do with my furniture? We have another house in River Club so I will put some of it there.

I'm already trying to see all my friends in case I will be rushed before I move. Last weekend I had a BBQ at my place as the last party in that house for a while. As usual it went on for two days but that's normal. Now I'm in Harare partying up a storm which is a challenge when you are trying to maintain your weight. On Friday my friend Zanele and I went to the usual spot, Miller's Cafe at Sam Levy's Village for sundowners. Zanele Chitepo looks after her cute granddaughter so we took her to St Elmo's Restaurant for pizza, hence the threat to my figure. Yesterday, I went to check out Oktoberfest at the German Society with my friends Albert Chimedza, Yvonne Gundu and Zanele Chitepo. It was lame, full of tired expatriates and hangers on so Z and I ended up at Mekka, the new lounge about Miller's Cafe at Sam Levy's. Now that joint is hopping. We intended to pass through for a quick drink but everyone was there and even a trip to the restroom took 20 minutes because you are busy meeting and greeting people along the way. Drinks were flowing and being offered from all sides. We finally left at closing time 11pm, which is kinda early but all those place take their last call at 10.30pm. I left my companions with difficulty because everyone was trying to talk me into joining them at Lime Bar or other clubs. Today being Sunday I decided to stay home but the phone has been ringing with invitations to go out for drinks. I'm going to spend most of next week at Body Active Gym working on the Harare Food, Wine and Home Expo.

Harare's Social Life

Harare's Social Life

I spend about one week a month in Harare these days and I always end up to the same places, the restaurant strip at Sam Levy's Village where the Keg and Sable, Miller's Cafe and now O'Hagan's in. It is Harare's answer to Ocean Drive in Miami and when having lunch one afternoon during last Christmas holidays, Zanele Chitepo and I were cracking up because there was a Ferrari, a Rolls Royce and some other fancy car parked up at the front. If you have a cool ride, what better place to show it off than in front of some terraced restaurants? I must say, ever since OHagan's opened, service at Miller's has improved substantially; finally to match the cuisine. Christmas time is the best time to be in Harare because all the Diasporans are back home. The highlight of the season has got to be Robin Vela's 26 December party in Ballentayne Park which got even bigger the second year. Even though I had stopped drinking I had to drink the Moet because I haven't so much champagne since my Lagos days. Thank goodness my cousin Saki was controlling things because I got my brother, my cousins and their small army of friends in. My extended family rolls in a big crew including the Moyanas, Kadungures, Mhlangas, Maparas and miscellaneous Peterses so it is difficult to separate us all.

I came back from a 10 day stay in Harare last week. This trip I tried to avoid doing the usual thing and hitting the usual spots, which means I stretched myself to do more than the dinners I'm used to. I'm having out with my girl Shingi who's just moved back home from Joburg so she was acting as my social guide. The first place we went to was for drinks one night at Blue on 2, a bar on the corner of Second Street Extension and Churchill Avenue. My girl Amina also joined us and we had a great time catching up. However, the place had a lousy Irish band and there was some rowdy Irish dancing as the night drew to a close. Undeterred, us three Musketeers set off again the following night to check out the band at Amanzi. Amina's husband looked amazed as he watched us set off again, for the second night in a row. We has an ok dinner dinner at Amanzi and moved to the bar where the band was playing. The band was actually pretty good and it seemed like the whole of Harare was there. You are better off eating at the bar though, if you have any hope of getting a seat. We didn't stay late, as a result.

The next day, which was a Friday, I actually rested. I spent most of my days at the gym that my mother owns, Body Active, at Borrowdale racecourse. I get to use the internet there and there's a pretty good cafe there for coffee and lunch. So during the week I have my meetings and entertain there. My younger cousins and their friends work at the gym so it is pretty cool and hip. There was a lot of activity because the ZARfest concert featuring Timbaland & Co was going to take place that Saturday so the crew was there setting up. My brother's friend was involved so the guys had advance warning that Ciara was going shopping at Sam Levy's Village, etc. Both my brother and cousin offered to get me a ticket for the $200 VVIP marquee but I refused on principle that the only artists that one should be paying $200 for are the old, established ones like Celine Dion. Especially in an African country where civil servants are earning $150 per month but I guess Kenny Kunene is not catering for that demographic!

The following day, Saturday, I had a quick coffee with Nicky Moyo and his buddies at the Rainbow Towers Hotel and as luck would have it I was back there again that evening for the African Diplomat Wives' Ball, to celebrate Africa Day. Each country brought their food so I had fun trying different cuisines. I had my Egusi soup, fried chambo fish from Malawi and I also tried Angolan food, which I liked. The Real Sounds of Africa played and I even managed to dance, despite recovering from a recent medical procedure on my back. Free alcohol will make you do anything!

Afterwards we were feeling adventurous so Shingi and I made a stop at Chez Ntemba, the hottest dance club in Africa. I quickly acquired an admirer who lined the table in front of us with drinks. Around 2am we decided to headed home and as we were passing by the racecourse we saw all the cars and heard the music so we decided to look in on the ZARfest concert. We easily talked our way in (I can talk my way into any gig) and made our way right into the VVIP tent where our brothers were surprised to see us, but not too surprised, considering that this is me we are talking about. Lil Kim was finishing her set then Ciara came on and sang a couple of songs. When she finished, I was told that we'd missed Fat Joe, who had been great so I ordered a drink waiting for Timbaland, only to be told that he was not coming! Now I love me some Timbaland so I was mad disappointed. There was nothing else for it but to go home. On the Monday I caught up with a friend at the usual place, OHagan's. You cannot stay a week in Harare without doing lunch at Miller's Cafe and a drink at OHagan's!

My daytime activities were also pretty substantial. Sanjay Babbar, of the Kia and Fiat franchise, invited me to the prize-giving event for the 10km fun-run for the mayor's Christmas Cheer Fund which was held on Africa Day at Old Hararians. I couldn't run but it was great to meet up with all the movers and shakers who are part of the Fund. I also ran into some old friends and made new ones like the artist, Albert Chimedza, who invited me to his home for lunch the following Sunday. Albert and his wife are gracious hosts who had a diverse group of people at their home. There was a banker, a European Union staffer, an African American woman who was travelling through Africa, my friend Steve and me. The lunch was so much fun that I left at 5pm but I believe it finally ended at midnight. Now that's the way to entertain! I finally left Harare on the 18.45pm SAA fight to Joburg which was also a bit of a party because there was a bunch of people I knew on the flight. I travel so much that the guy in the bar downstairs at the Harare airport knows what kind of books I read! Now next stop Copenhagen and the US!

The Johannesburg Nightlife

The Johannesburg Nightlife

Most of us in South Africa sound like a bunch of old folks when we talk wistfully of the good times we had during the SoccerWorld Cup, which was less than a year ago. Joburg turned into a serious party town and my friends, family and I were all over it. My house was like a hotel, with people staying from the US and Zimbabwe; I had bodies sleeping all over the place. There wasn't a party I missed, from Fashion Week to the opening of Soul Lounge when the whole of Naija turned up in Sandton. My girl Bonang and I drank so much champagne at Signature Restaurant, the owner Desmond owes us a free bottle or two. In fact we were such regulars there and at his other pricey restaurant, Wall Street, he really ought to give us some freebies. We were all over the clubs, especially Zar which was always packed and full of international stars.

But alas, now I was home last night, a Saturday night and all I did was sit in front of the TV and watch the South African Music Awards. Luckily I've got good friends who all came round so I can never be lonely for too long. My cousin Mukai, his friend Kuda, my girl B and Marco from Ruffcuts all came over for some Nandos take-out dinner and vino. Really, Joburg is getting old. Once you've been to Moloko a few times you know everybody there, Taboo down the road is cool but lacks flavour, Sankayi is ok occasionally but overrun by ladies of the night. I live in Sandton, which is close to everything but where to go now? I moved into my cluster home in March 2009 and two months later they opened the new Morningside shopping centre nearby, which is a Godsend. There are so many restaurants and places to lounge, we can have a good time and go home around the corner without having to deal with the Johannesburg Metro Police Dept cops who are always out soliciting bribes along Rivonia Road. In fact, my friend B and I are so well-known at Morningside mall, we are like an institution there. Usually it is brunch on Sundays at Tasha's or lunch at Pomodoro where Bonang and the manager are seriously infatuated with one another. When I'm with her, I have never seen such service! Occasionally we will do Tsunami, or if it's a hot date, then Signature is the place to be. I like Cup Coffee Shop or The Bread Basket for quick business meetings. We have conducted many a romance at Morningside Shopping Centre. It's also useful for the hair salon, nail salon, pharmacy, supermarket and the video club, the latter for when my social life is at a dead end.

I'm the consummate hostess; I love to entertain. When friends and family are visiting I will throw a dinner party, a BBQ or an all out reveller at the house. My parties are legendary. Nobody can ever forget my housewarming party of June 2009 which had 4 world-class DJs and ended at 4.30am when I finally felt pity for my neighbours and told the last DJ to shut it down. Then there was the BBQ of August 2009 for a friend's birthday and my cousins visiting from the UK where the shenanigans resulted in the ending of at least one marriage. The World Cup party of June 2010 was relatively tame because I was mindful of the neighbours but there were at least 60 people in the house and the garden. My last bash was about a month and a half ago when my girl Amina was visiting from Harare. We went all out and had three DJs. My poor friends are called in to volunteer even though they are highly-markatable DJs, I never pay anyone! My lovely friend from Cape Town Gwen sent 4 crates of wine and even though the party lasted two days, we never ran out of drinks. The party started on a Friday night, started again the Saturday morning and only ended on the Sunday because I had to leave to go to Harare! Oh well, I'm a people-person and it's that African hospitality. Take a look at the photos from that gig!

My Vacations in Africa

My vacations in Africa                                                      After living in the US for 10 years, and previously having lived in France and the UK for a year respectively, nothing makes me happier than vacationing in Africa. It's nothing to take a one hour flight from Johannesburg to Maputo so some place close by where I can just relax on the beach and enjoy my food and drink. This year alone I've been to Maputo (red bathing suit in the middle) and Lagos (white bathing suit in the pictures) once. I should work for Nigerian tourism, the way I go on about Nigeria. I think Lagos has the best clubs in the world. The amount of champagne I have consumed in La Casa, Excel and Auto Lounge in obscene. I also love, love Accra! Lake Malawi also has an amazing beach. Life is good in Africa I wish I could take a weekend getaway every month. Even the landlocked countries like Zimbabwe have something to be said for them because life is so easy. I was in Victoria Falls last year and it is still Tourist Heaven. I haven't been to Lusaka for year but I remember the nightlife rocks. My friends who work in peacekeeping for the UN in the DRC tell me that Kinshasa rocks!

The problem with me is that I'm a shopaholic. If I'm let loose in New York, London, Dubai or

somewhere similar, all I do is shop and I never relax. So I don't call that a vacation when I am running around shopping, doing cultural things or seeing people. Vacationing in the West is not conducive to relaxation. I'm off to Europe and the US for a month in two weeks and I'm exhausted just applying for

a Schegen visa and thinking about it. I'm no longer motivated to try too hard when it comes to applying for visas. And I've travelled so much I feel like I've seen it all now so if a visa becomes a headache, I bypass the country in question. We used to look down on our own continent but now I appreciate it. It used to be a real sign of success to vacation in Europe or the US but now I

feel like a real vacation should include sand, sun and sea, as well as teach me a bit more about my own continent. I see a lot of nouveau rich people in South Africa brag about their holidays in Italy and else in Europe, and I can sympathise because they got their independence later than us in Zim so all this

is still new to them .With independence comes financial empowerment and things like vacations. When I was younger my family used to go to Mauritius because it was the thing to do then but I haven't been there for years. I like the all-inclusive price model that La Pirogue Hotel has though. The only problem with travelling in Africa is that hotels are expensive. I paid $450 per night

at the Protea Hotel in Lagos and the Southern Sun Maputo Hotel was $250 per night. Hotels in Zimbabwe are still reasonable because I paid $120 a night at The Kingdom in Victoria Falls last year.

http://www.southernsun.com/hotels/maputo/pages/overview.aspx
http://www.proteahotels.com/protea-hotel-ikeja.html
http://www.africansunhotels.com/Index.cfm?fuseaction=hotels.info&name=the_kingdom_at_victoria_falls
http://www.lapirogue.com/