by Rochelle Van Der Merwe, 1 March 2006

I came home tired and worn out from work. The coffee machine had been broken and I had been surrounded by caffeine-deprived zombies all day. To top it all, I did the groceries during my precious lunch hour, only to realise that I'd forgotten to buy the one thing I needed most.

The drive home felt like a day in the life of a TV dinner. In fact, I did feel like a little container, overstuffed with bad energy. There was no space in me for peace and calm.

Meet my Therapist, Africa

My husband took one look at me and knew: she needs some African therapy.

He ordered me to jump into my swimsuit and into his car. We headed for the long white stretch of beach in nearby Strand. As we got out of the car, the children inside us surfaced. We grabbed our bodyboards and ran full speed into the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean.

After catching a few waves (and being crushed by a few), we emerged from the water new people, alive and vibrating with raw African energy, the kind that kindles a spark in your body and mind. We added some sugar to the moment by taking a long stroll as the sun set behind the Helderberg Mountains.

Magic Comes Standard

I no longer felt like a microwave container, but more like something fresh and organic. I felt part of Africa again. It's a feeling where your body and mind become weightless and expand into countless particles of colour, joy and excitement. It's a feeling of utter bliss.

This is not a description of a once-off moment where I happen to have lost myself in delight. This is the standard effect Africa has on people when they indulge in its natural beauty. People don't call it "magic" or "out of this world" for nothing.

No matter how bad your day, week, or life was, Africa has a way of soothing you, making it all better, and renewing your body and mind so that you become relaxed and happy. Sound a little too good to be true?

The Bermuda Triangle of Boredom

I was sceptical about coming to Cape Town because the thought of living in a city didn't really appeal to me. But with Table Mountain as my backyard, laid-back Capetonians as my neighbours, and the Atlantic Ocean on my front porch, I soon realised that Cape Town was different.

I'd stumbled on a city that manages to be all things to all people. It's a metropolis for the cosmopolitan, a sanctuary for the nature-lover, and a home base for the traveller about to launch into Africa. Cape Town is a Bermuda Triangle to the ships of boredom. There's no shortage of things in and around the city that invigorate the body and free the mind.

Retail Therapy

One of the things I enjoy most is how much fun it is to go shopping in Cape Town. In the vibrant city centre authentic little restaurants, shops and galleries seem to pop up like mushrooms.

Take a walk down bustling Long Street and come back laden with beads, books, and a full Ndebele ceremonial dress. At the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, you'll find familiar international brands alongside craft markets full of ingenious and irresistible hand-made goodies.

Where to stay for shopping in the city centre - The Cape Heritage Hotel

Where to stay at the V&A Waterfront - The Commodore Hotel

Food and Wine for the Soul

If this isn't enough to relax your mind and put a hop in your step, a picnic in the countryside might do the trick. Go strawberry-picking at one of the strawberry farms near Stellenbosch, then visit some of the world-famous wine farms nearby.

At Spier not only can you go wine tasting, you can also see cheetahs and visit a collection of imperious birds of prey. You can also watch sunset shows at the outdoor amphitheatre or have dinner with a difference in a tree-house at the traditional African restaurant, Moyo.

Just a few kilometres away from Stellenbosch is the lovely valley of Franschhoek, where gourmet food, fine wine and dazzling scenery is always on the menu.

Where to stay for strawberries and sunset shows in Stellenbosch - Village at Spier

Where to stay for fine food and wine in Franschhoek - Franschhoek Country House

African Meditations

The power of meditation is in the way it stills your mind, freeing it of all conscious thoughts. Some of my best African experiences were when my body and mind were stilled by the splendour of nature.

Once I zigzagged up the Sani Pass, crossing the South African border into Lesotho, and found myself staring at the Drakensberg Mountain Range from The Highest Pub in Africa. My stresses evaporated among the valleys and gorges that stretched out in front of me.

Breathing in pure air, the possibilities seemed as endless as the views. I felt untouchable and simultaneously humbled by the magnificence of Africa. The Victoria Falls had this effect, too. I just stood there, stunned, watching gallons of water thunder down in front of a very small me.

I felt the same way when a gigantic elephant walked past my hut in the Umfolozi Game Reserve. Time seemed like an illusion as this great animal moved by in slow motion.

Where to stay to see the Drakensberg Mountains - Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse

Where to stay for close encounters with elephants - Stanleys Camp

Taking the Waters

Water is the perfect medium through which to experience complete freedom of body and mind. The warm sea of the Indian Ocean hugs your body, while the icy Atlantic Ocean of the Cape gives you a good wake-up shake.

Diving or snorkelling among the living rainbows of coral reefs in KwaZulu Natal, Mozambique and Zanzibar, gets my adrenaline pumping, and sends me into a state of wonder and awe.

Submerged in seawater, the world and its noise are locked out, as you explore the aquatic wonders of Africa's oceans. The sensation of water entirely enfolding your body is like being held lovingly in the welcoming womb of Africa.

Where to stay for wonderful diving and snorkelling - Ponta Mamoli Resort.

The Healing Power of Dolphins

Swimming with dolphins is something I would recommend to everyone. It's one of the most magical and exhilarating experiences I've ever had. (They're especially drawn to pregnant women, which might explain why they didn't come up and shower me with kisses).

There's something delicate and intimate about swimming with a dolphin mother and her baby. You are given a glimpse of something that only a privileged few get to see in a lifetime. Try your luck in Zanzibar or Mozambique, where dolphin trips are offered daily to the young at heart.

Where to stay if you want to swim with dolphins - Benguerra Lodge

Facing your Fears

Some people need to get their adrenaline pumping in order to experience complete relaxation of the body and mind. If that's you, meet the dolphin's less friendly neighbour - the shark. Shark cage diving will get you within millimetres of these menacing but misunderstood creatures.

It'll be just you and the shark eyeing one another. It's like being at the eye of the storm, in the calm centre of something extremely dangerous.

Africa's great rivers have their challenges too, and river rafting on the Zambezi, Breede or Orange Rivers is sure to give your body something to think about. White water rafting on the Zambezi has been classified by the British Canoe Union as a grade 5 experience.

In layman's terms this means that you need to be completely out of your mind to do it - which is exactly what participants say happened to them.

Where to stay to go shark cage diving - Ocean Eleven Guest House

Where to stay to go white water rafting on the Zambezi River - Zambezi Sun

The Ultimate High

For some this takes throwing themselves off a bridge, only to bounce back up again like rubber balls. Bungee jumping is the Vitamin B injection of adrenaline sports - an enormously intense, nerve-racking experience, but with euphoric after-effects.

If the white-water rafting at Victoria Falls didn't accomplish the desired effect, just jump off the Victoria Falls bridge. Plummeting 111m towards the churning rapids should help you find your centre quite quickly.

But the Bloukrans Bridge near Plettenberg Bay tops the Victoria Falls bridge. At 216m, the Bloukrans is the highest commercial bungee in the world.

Where to stay to bungee off Bloukrans Bridge - Hog Hollow Country Lodge

The magic of Africa is that it lends itself to such diversity of experience and openness of spirit. Once you've seen and been in Africa, the emancipation of your body and mind will stay with you for a while.

Article © Copyright 2006 Go2Africa.

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