Back in Strand

Quite a contrast from the Swedish winter but both have their charm...

A visit to Edsbyn

Went to see the BIG derby between Edsbyn and Bollnäs and after the game that ended in a loss we entered enemy territory as we visited Jon's parents place where we got to meet Jon and his family.

Christmas celebrations, Bollnäs

If only my brother Jonas could have been with us also in person and not only in spirit...

Pre-Christmas at Maria's

Heidi and mom dressing Christmas tree

Tanzanian friend visiting Cape Town

My good friend Moses from Tanzania is visiting Cape Town for a conference. After listening to his talk on Quantum Computers we went for some good Indian food. 

With Debbie and her 4-legged friends, Nairobi

Upon arrival I went to a hotel where Debbie was having a workshop, the hotel was bordering to Nairobi national park and after some time a Rhino showed up. Now at her stable where we have been doing a bit of riding. 

Game Development, Eldoret

Having a meeting with the programming students where experts from our previous gaming team was invited to share knowledge and experiences.

Solar eclipse, Eldoret, Kenya

Thought I would miss the action as there was some dark clouds hiding the sun but just in time for the total eclipse it started to open up enough to be able to clearly see the eclipse. Unfortunately I completely failed to picture it but at least with my sun glasses on, the eclipse could clearly be seen :)

Eldoret, Kenya

In Eldoret for work at University of Eldoret. Today planning for a slow Sunday by the pool with a good book and some swimming exercise :)

Migori/Komotobo, Kenya

On my way to Eldoret I made a visit to the places where I spent big parts of my childhood. Today's highlight was to play volleyball with the kids at the deaf school where The sporting activity became a mean of communication. It was also very nice to visit the orphanage and meet the child that I am sponsoring there. Surprisingly many people that still remembers me after all these years.

Colonia, Uruguay

Yesterday we took a boat over to Colonia in Uruguay for a few hours. Was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the big city. Apart from a new stamp in the passport and a cosy afternoon in a new country the trip also had some financial benefits...

Caminito, Buenos Aires

A super cosy area in Buenos Aires, a bit touristic maybe but lots of street tango and colourful shops.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires is a lovely city with a lot of soul and nice architecture and we have enjoyed our first 24 hours here even if we wish it could be a bit warmer as we have been freezing a bit today - brrrr

Iguazu Falls, Brazil

Made a short visit to the falls upon our arrival in Foz do Iguaçu. Even more spectacular than expected and excited we have two more days to explore the falls from both Brazilian and Argentinian side.

Temple of meat - São Paulo

Templo da Carne and Hotel Unique Sky Bar. The meat was excellent and the Palm Heart (palmito) was surprisingly good.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Paella, rooftop restaurants with spectacular views of the never ending skyscrapers, city walks (downtown and in the expensive fashion districts). At the city market we got to taste some of the local specialties. Feels we have seen a lot already in the short time we been here. Tonight we will try some nice Brazilian beef :)

São Paulo, Brazil

Had a great time so far on our honeymoon. During our first 24 hours we have spent time with Angels and Rennan who are guiding us around and making sure we get the most out of our visit. We stay at their nice apartment in Vila Olympia. So far we have experienced some night life in the vibrant Vila Madalena area, visited some fresh fruit markets and visited the huge park Ibirapuera. The park was full of activities (bicycle polo, line walking, skating, tennis, volleyball and of course football), apart from that it hade a lot of funny looking and spectacular spices of trees. Weather has been warm with some small showers. Food here has been great but most things seem rather expensive. Now Angels is busy preparing some Paella for us :)

A visit from the north

Thomas a friend from Finland that I first met in Tanzania came out to Strand to visit me. After some exercise (beach walk and mountain climbing) we rewarded ourselves with a meat feast at Mzoli's place.

5 star dining in Stellenbosch

Had a lovely 3 course dinner at Majeka House in Stellenbosch. Oysters for starter, springbok as main and cheesecake for desert paired with nice wines and some complementary treats in between.

Van der Kemp's kloof canyon, PE

Craig took me for a walkabout in the areas where he grew up as a kid.

Visit to University of Fort Hare, Alice

Had good discussions with the head of Computer Science Department and with ANC youth league members.

Wild Coast, Kwazulu Natal

Wild waters, Wild beach, Wild people - WILD COAST

Kayaking in Strand

Lovely winter day with peaceful waters to exercise and meditate on. Plenty of company out there from the seals (shark food)

Table Mountain - A visit with a mission

Performed a small ritual with Maria on top of table mountain in memory of Jonas today.

Hermanus with Heidi, Debbie and Maria

Not really whale season but managed to at least see one whale splashing a bit far out in the water. We also stopped at Betty's Bay where we saw plenty of penguins. Older sister Deborah had a knee surgery a couple of days back and therefore the wheelchair.

Highlights video from wedding

Erkki & Päivi's 30th anniversary

Miss you brother!

Albertina, Skärså

Maria treated me with a late birthday dinner at a super cosy fishing village where they have a very nice fish restaurant. Not that far from Bollnäs but had never been there before.

#Loved #Missed

link to video prepared by Maria for Jonas funeral

1988-11-19 - 2013-05-25

I will miss my brother Jonas for the rest of my days. I am thankful for all the joy and memories he blessed my life with. Over the past few years he became one of my closest and very best friends and he has now left a big emptiness inside. This picture was taken at Caledon hot springs one and half month ago when he came to South Africa for my wedding. How is it possible that life can change so fast? This morning I had to say the most difficult good bye in my life time - I miss you so much my dear brother!

Looking in the mirror 6th April-1st May 2013

April 2013 is for sure the most exciting month in my life time. The wedding was of course the highlight but all that came along with the wedding made it such a memorable month. We had a good number of family members coming in from Sweden and together with the efforts of my South African family I am sure they felt welcome and did not regret the long travels. At times it was exhausting as I wanted to spend time with all our family, visitors and guests. In our case the wedding was so much more than just the promises we gave one and other, it was a unique opportunity to bring our families and friends together. Both my South African and Swedish family took the opportunity to make a holiday of the wedding where we had all of them staying at the same venue for 5 days. Now the last guest/visitor has left and what remained with me and my wife Heidi is all the precious memories from the time of our lives.

Kruger National Park

Stayed two nights at Satara Camp and had some good luck with seeing loads of animals where we had close encounters with Elephants, Buffalos, Hyenas, Lions and Rhinos. Well hidden in the grass we also saw wild dogs and a leopard. Expecting to get better photos later from Tobias who hopefully took more professional photos. Some of our night encounters with for instance the male lions and the rhinos I did not manage to capture. In evenings we were enjoying camp fire and some good meat from the braai.

Mpumalanga - Blyde river canyon

Back to one of my favorite spots on earth

Cape Town - Table Mountain

Another eventful day! Drove into Cape Town and visited the Vinyl shop featuring in 'Searching for Sugar Man' followed with a climb to the top of Table Mountain. Tobias made sure we kept a slow pace and got plenty of time to enjoy the views ;) Now waiting for a proper Spanish Paella to be cooked by our Spanish visitor Angels.

Strandloper, Langebaan

Last two weeks have been filled of activities but no time to blog, as things are starting to slow down a bit I thought I could start with yesterdays visit to our favorite seafood restaurant in Langebaan on the West Coast. On the way back we also took a drive through the national park where we saw flamingos and Eland antelopes. 

I found my true companion!

Pre-Wedding Spitbraai, Sedgefield

On top of Table Mountain

We managed to find a window of opportunity to get up on Table Mountain. Cold winds bur clear sky and nice views. I think my parents, Dorthy and Gunnar enjoyed despite the freezing winds.

Johnny Clegg at Kirstenbosch Gardens with family

Easter in PE

Apart from spending time with Heidi's family, Port Elizabeth was a bit boring this time as the rains kept pouring. Only a little sun on last day.

Stellenbosch University

Visiting the University to attend a presentation on technology enhanced learning.

Visit in Sweden

Was nice to come home even if it felt very short. Highlights was the bachelor party my friends had organized in Stockholm and Aron's 2 years birthday with lots of relatives and many of them are coming down to visit us in South Africa in a months time. I also paid Stockholm University and Spider a nice visit where we had good discussions and I got to share some of my work with them. Hopefully that can open some doors for future...

SA information evening, Bollnäs

Have some family visiting me in South Africa next month and I was asked to inform a bit and together plot some plans for their visit.

Rodriguez "Sugarman" in Cape Town

I was lucky to get a ticket to the sold out show with Sixto Rodriguez who is extremely popular here in South Africa. After the movie "Searching for Sugarman" he has also gained fame elsewhere. If you have yet not seen the brilliant documentary about him you should see it!

Planning for the big day

At Pine Lake Marina where we have been busy meeting with lots of people in order to try to make our BIG day an ever lasting memory.

Kayaking in Gordon's Bay

Perfect afternoon for kayaking so could not resist to take a tour :)