Baby steps

It's been an interesting week.

I had my first client on Monday/Tuesday - the lovely Angie Warlo, a friend of Frank Thormann (my Central America party buddy). I had a blast taking her to the Point and around the winelands, and although the tours ended up costing me money, it was good practice. But I gotta get the badge man, it's just too fucking expensive without it - you have to pay everywhere!

The rest of the week was spent graduating the tourism course, spending time with the folks, buying my Quantum (wrote out a cheque for R265,000... now THAT hurt) and trying to get things going.

My first proper foray into marketing territory, yesterday, was shortlived. The dude at the Long Street travel agency cynically destroyed my initial value offering. I need to learn how to develop a thicker skin for this. Also the van registration is going to take ages - as I was warned - and I seem to have a helluva time trying to obtain all the proper insurances.

An idea on how to get the PGTOPS name out was borne out of drunken party planning last night, though. My friends Mark and Sally are always looking for ways to use our awesome place for a sweet party, and it looks like New Years might be it. Details to be discussed this week, but it might be a strong way to get some publicity going...

We'll see. In the meantime, tomorrow will be a shitty day spent in admin at police stations and governmental institutions, before facing my fears and running the backpacker gauntlet again. Wish me luck!

P

Before the beginning

How did it all start?

Having grown up and studied (under duress) in the beautiful town of Stellenbosch (South Africa's Bordeaux), and sampled my way through dozens - nay, hundreds - of vineyards since, I feel superbly qualified to now take guests on a tour of a few of my favourite things.

I've been taking guests around for a long time... there were the Irish family back in the day. They liked it so much David Flynn came back to stay with me for two months.

Over the years, there were other guests... friends I picked up traveling all over.

But it's only over the last year that EVERYONE is coming to South Africa. It might be the World Cup of 2010, the great exchange rate or just the fact that people are finally taking notice.

Whatever, I have been so busy being tour guide that I've decided to go official. I've done the course, gotten the tshirt and bought the bus.

Time to show you the time of your life...