CJS Dash Mate Giveaway

Disclaimer: I received the product described below at a reduced cost or free of charge to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

 I spend close to half of my day in my car driving from one place to another and just like many others out there, my phone is my best friend. It is my lifeline to my family, my GPS, and my way to communicate while I am just flat out bored when driving. I quickly realized that I can not use my phone for GPS, let alone see who is calling with the phone sitting in the seat next to me or flopped sideways in my lap.

That is where CJs Dash Mate cell phone vent clip came to the rescue. The Dash Mate easily just clips on to your heater vent and voila, phone is right in front of you! It just does not get any easier than this! Oh wait, yes it can. It is readily available on Amazon in frustration free packaging and it will not cost you an arm and a leg to purchase it from your big box cell phone store.

It fits most phones 2.5 to 3.5 inches wide, which happened to include my Samsung S5. That means most smart phones. I am pretty sure it would not hold my Samsung Note, but it has a waterproof commuter case and  a belt clip. I think I would need a small monster to hold that phone anywhere.

Leave me a comment telling me how often you are in your car or if you have an upcoming road trip that you would like to use this for. One lucky reader will have a chance to win a Dash Mate of their very own.

Product Description:

 CJS Dash Mate TM. is POCKET SIZED /We offer 2 DAY SHIPPING In Stock with Prime membership From"Cjs savings" from our United States Fulfilment Centers this holder weighs only 1 ounce and is small enough to fit in your pocket so you can keep it with you when you traveling or just running around in town. Dash Mate offers Vent Versatility and This Unit has a easy to use Rotating Swivel,The Holder Can Perfectly And Easily Be Adjusted To Any Angle on your dash CJS Dash Mate 2015 with FFP "Frustration Free Packaging"-GRIPS Like No Other- Your smartphone will stay in sight at eye level and ready for GPS directions, streaming music, and hands-free calls you will love it. All devices from 2.5" up to 3.5" wide - The CJS Dash Mate has a spring loaded expandable Jaw And Is Silicon lined which securely holds your cell phones and most other gear up to 3.5 inches wide with out any danger of hurting the finish on your hand held devices like GPS or Cell phones and is also compatible with many types of battery cases. Cjs Savings Dedicated Team is DEDICATED TO 100% SATISFACTION OF OUR CUSTOMERS -If, For Whatever Reason, You Don't Like Your Dash Mate , Just Return It, And We'll Refund Every Cent (Or Replace It, If There Is A Problem)

Contest open to US residents 18 years of age or older and will end at 5pm PST on 6/2/2015

Shandali Travel Towel Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

If you are anything like me, you hate to go to the beach or the pool lugging a big bag of towels. I know that I will need a lot of them, but I don't want to carry them everywhere I go.
The Shandali travel towel is the perfect solution!

Some of the Pro's:
It is light weight! Please do not think that I am kidding. This towel is super thin and barely registers on my food scale. (Yes I really did weigh this on my food scale!)

I has a built in loop to easily hang it up to dry. For families like mine, it would be easy to hang this on a little tree branch in the sunshine to allow it to quickly dry while your kids are swimming or playing.

It is compact. No I don't mean that you will only have a one foot square piece of fabric to dry off with. I mean you can roll it up, fold it flat, or squish it in a teeny pocket. Since it is thin and light weight, it is completely flexible for easy packing. In fact, I managed to find mine tucked inside a drawer with my 5-year-olds shirts. Somehow it was put away with a stack of shirts without being noticed.

It is soft. The fabric is an ultra lightweight micro fleece and glides nicely over your skin.

There are two sizes available. S: 20"x40" inches and M: 24"x48" inches. I received the medium one and would not move to the smaller size since the towel is so compact. There is just no point for the purposes I would use it for.

I really liked the Shandali travel towels diversity and absorbancy. This is a must is my beach bag and motor home from now on. 



You can buy the Shandali Travel Towel on Amazon HERE. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Tent Camping in Kapama Game Reserve Day 1

When the trip was planned for me to visit South Africa, the only thing I could think of was a safari. Why else could you possibly want to do while you are there. My itinerary was roughly 20 pages of information and small photos describing what I would be doing for the two weeks. Needless to say it was not light reading, so I did not read any of the itinerary for Kapama until the night before we headed out. Here is part of the information that my travel agent provided to me in the itinerary:
"Ten luxurious newly built canvas tents are set on wooden decks built on stilts over a steep sided riverbank."

This first thing that came to my mind is that I was going to be eaten by a lion in South Africa while sleeping in a tent. I grew up near San Fransisco and move to a teeny cow town in Oregon when I was 21. As I have aged, I have learned that camping should include a coffee pot, a mattress, a heater, and preferably should not be in a location with animals that eat raw flesh.

When we landed at the small Hoedspruit airport, we were immediately greeted by an employee from Kapama and transferred to Buffalo Camp. I felt like I was climbing in the car to be served on a platter to wild animals. The ride to Buffalo camp was quick and easy as the entrance to Kapama is directly across the street from the airport.

About 2 minutes into my "death drive" the driver stopped the car and pointed out a giraffe standing a few feet away. Okay, now I am feeling that my death drive may be worth it. I had just found an animal that has longer and skinnier legs than I do and he was just hanging out on the side of the dirt road.

Once we arrive at Buffalo Camp, we are quickly greeted and given a quick rundown of how Buffalo Camp operates. We were then escorted to our tent. You know, the one that I thought I would be eaten alive in a few hours before my arrival. As we are escorted to our tent and shown the amenities of the tent, all of my fears disappeared. The best way to describe the tent at Kapama Buffalo Camp would be to tell you that if the Ritz Carlton had tents, this is what they would look like. There was all of the standard items you would find in a hotel room and more! My tent has a down comforter and a Nespresso machine! Everyone should camp this way!

As far as my fear of being eaten, the campground (if that is what you want to call it) has fencing below the tents to prevent animals from entering the campground and there are cattle grates at the entrance to prevent them from entering also. No need for me to worry about becoming a meal or a toothpick during my stay.

After we settled in to our room, it was time to head out for our first game drive. Since my expectations of the tent were off, I tried to throw all of my other expectations out the window. We get to the safari vehicle and meet our ranger and tracker (Joe and Foster). We climb into the vehicle with one other couple staying at Buffalo Camp and off we went.

The first stop on the game drive, a quick pit stop by a water hole to see a lion resting in the afternoon sun. She was tucked in the brush and really did not want to be bothered, so we moved on to bigger and better things.

The next stop on our game drive, elephants. We drive down several dirt roads while our ranger and tracker follow the tracks to locate the elephants. We finally come to a stop, shut off the engine, and listen. We could hear the cracking of trees, but still no visible sighting of an elephant. Then out of the trees steps an elephant, followed by another, and another, and another.... Holy (insert expletive here)! I am sitting in a vehicle with elephants about 10 feet away! Who would ever think that you could get so close.

We sat in the vehicle ( and moved if necessary) while a group of elephants ate trees and baby elephants played. Who could ask for a better way to spend your first day looking for the big five? Two down, three more to go!

The next stop on our game drive was for a quick sundowner in the bush. A small table it set up, a white tablecloth is placed on the table, and drinks are served. On this particular night, I had a beer with the jackals in the bush. How cool is that? I need to do this every night!

Once we are done with our sundowner, we move on. It is now dark and the spotter is using a light to try to locate animals. We drive until another vehicle locates a lion and we head over to look. Two lions, a male and female, lying in the bush relaxing in the dark. The perfect way to end the first game drive.


 My mother and I use a small amount of time to take about our excitement and what we might see on our next drive and then head to dinner. When you sit down for dinner, you sit at a table with the other guests that are in your vehicle and the ranger. That means that when you eat, you get to know the other guests in your vehicle and also the ranger that is driving you around to see the animals. These are the same people I will be spending the next 3 days with. This is a great way to get to know everyone.

After dinner, it is bedtime. With a 0530 wake up time and the cold weather, I waste no time to run back to my tent to bury myself under the down comforter and to crank the heater up!

Cape Town: Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

Today was a self guided tour to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. If you are a gardener or enjoy seeing lush and beautiful gardens, this is the place to go.

The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden starts off with a succulent garden that would make the plants in my home extremely jealous. There were plants in the space that were over 100 years old and would make any gardener green with envy.

Once you walked through the succulent garden, you entered the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and the view was the most amazing and green view I have ever seen. The immaculate landscaping was a gardeners delight. I imagine that this was the ideal place to hold a family picnic or a beautiful wedding in the warmer months of the year.

When we paid to get into the garden, we splurged the extra money to have a guided tour via a golf cart and tour guide. The golf cart takes you though the main entrance and through the majority of the garden while a guide explains the importance and history of the plants within the garden. The guided tours was a must to ensure that we covered as much of the garden as possible.

If you like protea flowers or spectacular gardens, this is the place to go for a day during a Cape Town visit. I cannot imagine that it would be easy to beat the garden views that Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden provides.

Cape Town: Table Mountain Tour

The tour for today is the Cape Town Table Mountain tour.

Table mountain is one of the new seven wonders of nature and the scenic wonder from the Cape Town area. When we headed out for the day, there was a nice cloud at the top of the mountain that is referred to as the "tablecloth."

We had to get all the way up there!!

After a quick drive to the mountain, we climbed on to the cable car and started our journey to the top. Small warning for anyone that gets motion sickness, the floors of the cable cars going to the top of the mountain rotate 360 degrees as you travel up or down. This means that you cannot hang on to the handles inside once you are moving.

Once we were at the top of the mountain we had  spectacular view of Capetown. We could see Robin Island, Green Point Stadium, and the V and A Waterfront off in the distance. The direct view on top of the mountain is the rocky cliffs and protea flowers. If you are lucky when you are at the top you will have great views of Cape Town and sneak a quick glimpse of a dassie.

If you are not interested in scenic views, this is not the place for you. There is not much to do other than sit down and take in the view or sit down for a quick bite to eat.

Our Table Mountain tour did not end with Table Mountain. Our tour guide took us to a local park where we caught a hang glider taking off and also caught our first glimpse of a guineafowl. A quick informational tour on diamond cutting and polishing was also included.  I could have done without both of these stops, but they provided a little insight to the culture and industry of Cape Town.

We stopped at a local garden and fed the squirrels peanuts while we took a casual stroll. Once were were done walking through the local garden, we returned to the car to take a casual drive through some of the colorful communities that can be found in Cape Town.

The day ended too early for me. I was enjoying learning about the history of Cape Town and seeing the culture and diversity in action. Of course the highlight was the view from Table Mountain, but the rest of the tour provided a view of Cape Town and its residents that was insightful and enjoyable.

Cape Town: Cape Peninsula Tour

As many of you know, I recently took a vacation to South Africa with my mother to celebrate my recent graduation. Our first stop was Cape Town. Our first tour, was the Cape tour.

On the Cape tour we traveled along the southern cape of South Africa in a small minivan with one other couple. Yes that was it, no bus tours in the off-peak season. Woop woop! During the tour, we visited the Cape of Good Hope, boulder, and made several other quick stops to view marinas and local dairies for a quick cup of liquid caffeine.

To start off the day, we were picked up at our hotel by the V and A Marina in Capetown. When we stepped outside, there was torrential rain that was immediately making the streets flood. The only thought that was running through my head.."This is going to be a long day." I was very wrong. It was an eventful day full of surprises.

The tour took up along the Western portion of the cape and then back up the Eastern side before returning to our hotel. The views along the way were magnificent and not at all what I was expecting from South Africa. The grass was green, the hills were full of rocks and green trees and flowers. For the start of winter, everything was very pretty and lush.

First big stop was the Cape of Good Hope. The most South Western location of South Africa. There are wild ostrich and baboons by the sides of the roads and parking lots. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, the wild baboons, were a welcome sight. The beach at the Cape of Good Hope is rocky and majestic. This was a great place to step out and enjoy the South African coast line. It was a little windy and cold outside, but well worth the visit to take in the scenic view of the cape.

Once at Cape Point, With the help of a funicular, we went to the top of the lookout and had a spectacular view of the blue ocean crashing against the beach full of rocks. Only to descend back down on the funicular to have a wonderful lunch at the bottom.

The last stop was a small area in town called Boulder. Boulder is known for a small section of beach that houses African penguins. Yup, I said penguins. There is a small park at the edge of the town along a beach that has been fitted with wooden walkways for visitors to see the penguins nesting on the beach.  While we were there, there was over 100 penguins running around and nesting in the sand with their young chicks. This is the place to go if you want to get up close to a penguin. Do not expect to touch or interact with the penguins, but know that they will walk right past you, or even under you on the walkways. This is the place to go if you love the little guys in tuxedos and want a great photo opportunity.

When the day was over, I was ready to head back. I felt that the tour covered more territory than expected and I went back to my hotel very gratified with my first days excursion.

Atlantic Compass Rolling Tote Giveaway

Need a new travel bag? You can enter below for your chance to win an Atlantic Compass Rolling Tote in Cranberry like the one pictured below.

The giveaway will run from 9/22/2012 through 10/08/2012. A winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter. Open to US residents age 18 or older only. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Atlantic Compass Rolling Tote Review

For those of you that do not know me personally, I am always on the go. Work, school, young children, and all of my family (with the exception of my children), live out of state. That means I am always running back and forth to visit someone, somewhere.

Because of my years of traveling, I have become an expert packer. I can pack for a five day trip in a standard carry on suit case and I can pack for 3 days in a small travel bag. What I have found in the past with my luggage is that they blend in with every other suitcase out there and my zippers break.

Pictured with the handle hidden in zipper pocket

I had an opportunity to try the Atlantic Compass Rolling Tote in cranberry. Finally a bag that will not look just like every other bag out there! Atlantic Compass Rolling Tote is the perfect size for a weekend run to see my mom or a quick overnight in the big city. It is light weight empty, which means that you will not be carrying extra weight when it is full.

View inside the Atlantic Compass Tote

The bag itself is simple. One large pocket and one small pocket and the styling is what you see the fight attendants using. The handle is collapsed and tucked behind a zipper out of the way until you need it. The zippers are what they call self repairing zippers. That means that they will open and close when you need them to. There are also two small wheels on the bottom of the bag for when you would rather pull it than carry it. I know I don't want to carry my bag if I don't have to.I originally was a little disappointed to see that there was not a small pocket inside the bag. I quickly realized that it really is not needed with the exterior pocket. Ultimately, less pockets means fewer areas for me too lose something.

Pictured with the handle extended

Overall, I am very pleased with this bag. I like that the bag is available in a color that will not look like every other travel bag at the airport. I really like to be able to lift my bags above my head to store them on an airplane so the fact that it is light weight is a tremendous benefit for me. The wheels on the Atlantic Compass Rolling Tote roll very smooth and do not bind at all. This will be a great bag that will last me through many years of future travel.


Disclaimer: I received the product described above free of charge. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way. My opinions may vary from your own.