My favourite place in the world.... this stunning valley comprised of the villages I have come to call the Big Five of the Western Cape. Robertson, McGregor, Ashton, Bonnievale and Montagu.all located deep in its heart.

My husband Michael and I first came to S. Africa in late August of 2000. We did not take the traditional "tourist" route but decided upon a road less travelled, especially by American tourists. At the time I was president of the chapter of the Texas Master Gardener Association in Austin, the capital of the state of Texas. I had read about the Western Cape and its reputation as one of the great floral kingdoms of the world. How it had provided more plant species and genetic diversity for the horticultural trade than any place in the world. And as the smallest of the great floral kingdoms it contained over 10% of all the flowering plants species in the world. A veritable horticultural jewel box.

My husband, on the other hand, was on a quest of his own to find a new direction to his life.a new adventure. Growing up as a "military brat" mainly in England, where his father was stationed during his career in the U.S. Air Force, Michael attended boarding school with several young S. African boys whose families had sent them away for school. During the dreary damp evenings of the northern winter, he heard stories of homesick lads wishing they were barefoot on the warm beach sands, watching whales and the mountains as the shadows of the clouds caressed them. Although he had long lost track of these boyhood friends, their obvious love and deep connection to a place lingered in the back of his mind and soul. It was such a different experience than his, a constant life of new countries, homes, schools and friends. So in essence both of us were looking for new fertile ground in which to plant our hearts.

The Western Cape became a "soul safari", though we did not realize it at the time we planned our trip. Arriving in Cape Town on the tail of a gale, we did our own whirlwind tour. Over 6,000km were placed on the odometer of our rental car. Cape Town to Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Hemanus ,George ,Knysna, Plett to Oudtshoorn. Onto Ceres, Clanwilliam, Lamberts Bay, down to Darling, Malmesbury and everyplace in between. At each turn of the road we thought it couldn't get more visually stunning and interesting than what was right before us. But it did. The constant state of unending beauty was just spellbinding.

But amongst all this visual splendor, fantastic foods, wines and most of all welcoming people .one valley captured our hearts. Near the end of our journey as we were heading back to Stellenbosch and Cape Town to rest up for the long trip back to Texas, we came to Robertson. At the time, Voortrekker Street was not the inviting tourist destination it is now. No Bourbon Street, no Grand Cafe, no Simply Coffee and businesses along the road looked a bit shopworn. A place one would just zip by on their way to the other side of the mountain with all its glitz and glamour.

The trip had been long and my trusted driver, Michael was in urgent need of a caffeine pick me up. So by chance, a simple turn into town was to change our lives. forever. We stopped at Pecker's and sat outside on the stoep with our coffees. It was mid-afternoon, a warm early spring day. The town was busy, children had just come home from school, ditched their uniforms, put on their play clothes and everywhere bare feet were on parade. We saw a life that had sadly disappeared from much of the U.S. and many other places in the world. We saw friends warmly greeting others and a place where people genuinely knew each other with ties often going back for generations not just years.

One thing led to another and before we knew it we were looking at properties. How our little olive farm, Ligspel, nestled in the upper reaches of Klaasvoogds Oos found us is another story in and of its self.One that I would happily share at a braai fueled with a glass or two of wine.

I am not here to tell you what you already know. My only agenda is to remind you of the special magic that exists in our valley. Everything needed to make this valley a vibrant tourism region is already here. Spectacular scenery, wonderful wines, perfect climate, fresh delectable whole foods, beautiful farms and gracious guesthouses. But your most precious resource is the people of this valley and their deeply rooted and long term connection to the land. You have what is rapidly disappearing around the world..cultural terroir.

After an unplanned absence of almost 5 years due to taking care of my elderly parents until their passing's last year, I have seen how much change has come to the wine lands of S. Africa. Some of it is good, but some has raised much concern. I have seen rampant over-commercialization of the wine lands.encroaching development. The areas of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek seem to be losing their individuality and unique sense of place.almost as if they are melting into one another with very little distinguishing features. At the South African Wine Tourism Conference held in Cape Town in June, I continually heard those involved with the wine and wine tourism industry in those cities expressing their envy of the great success and popularity of the many festivals in our the area.

And sadly, many of them understood why and how we are raising the bar higher each year and clearing it. We still have a "sense of who we are, where we came from and where we want to go". We are the heart of the wine lands in all the sense that word implies. We believe that cooperation lifts all boats and trumps competition for competition's sake. We are proud of the heritage and all the people who live here. Individually the Winelands Big Five bring a unique and distinctive experience to the table and together like fingers on a hand they need to work in concert to forge a vibrant, strong tourism economy.

One of my favourite sayings comes from a very famous character in American literature, stage and screen. Auntie Mame. an over-the-top personality! At one point Mame admonishes her secretary, who is taking down Mame's dictation of her memoir. Auntie Mame says to Alice..Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving themselves to death!"

The world is hungry for places such as our valley. Life is complex, stressful and just plain difficult at times. We are blessed to live in a place that still provides a sanctuary for the heart, mind and soul to relax and recharge. This is our greatest asset and our greatest strength. Change will always come but we all must know that we have to learn to manage the change rather than allow it to manage us. That is what will keep us fresh as well as preserve all the bounty that will continue to nourish not only the hearts and souls of the guests who come to visit but ours as well.

Thank you for making my husband and I so welcomed here. We are blessed to be "truly living" in this wondrous valley.