Wise Guy Justin Bonello On Finding Paradise
Justin Bonello On Finding Paradise
Have inspiration, will travel...
South African guyfood expert has the best advice if you’re planning a summer break
Justin Bonello doesn’t have time to talk. At all. He is wholly focused on Ultimate Braaimaster – not his moniker, but rather the title of his masterchef-esque new show about, well, braaiing – and now is not a good time.
Shooting and editing a TV show can make working days stretch to 18 hours and beyond, and that’s not counting the travelling to the out-of-the-way locations. This is a man in serious need of a holiday. But when your work is your passion and it takes you to what would ordinarily be a holiday destination, how do you get away from it all?
“Honestly, I have a massive problem with that. Over the last couple of years it’s gone from shooting one show a year to two shows a year to six to eight shows a year,” he explains. “I suppose that when I’m in the city my relax time is playing with my one-year-old son and working in my garden.”
There should be a personality disorder associated with people like Bonello, who see domestic labour as relaxation. But with further Facebook stalking, we discover a man with a near perfect work/rest balance.
This was a boy who used to spend every free moment down at the family holiday house on the banks of the Breede River, attached to his ouma's apron. A boy who'd camp on the water's edge and live off the land. You probably read books about boys like this in high school English class.
Justin Bonello makes us very jealous. And when he describes his annual vacation spot – "My secret spot on the Wild Coast... There’s something about driving over that last hill, just before I hit the coast when I drive into the open bay with the cottages spread out beneath it that kicks my goose. There’s no cellphone reception, only generators for power (if you want it). The ocean and sitting with a fishing rod in my hand, thinking of nothing else other than trying to outsmart a fish..." – we kind of want to punch him.
Our envious rage comes from hours of commuting and soul-crushing CBD traffic. The Wild Coast is pretty sweet place to go to when you’re and office slave, not when you’re showing off exotic Africa to an international market. But his idyllic day-job comes at a price. While Bonello is exploring his beloved country for the benefit of couch-bound tourists and fulfilling his life’s work, his well-packaged travels leave little room for personal exploration when he is off the clock.
“I feel really privileged to spend about six months of the year travelling around southern Africa, filming our series, but my biggest regret is that often I don’t have enough time to enjoy the places. So it’s always work, work, work in that space, without the joy of putting up our feet and taking it all in.”
Still, he believes it beats the hell out of city life. “The way we live our lives in cities nowadays means that we’re constantly surrounded by noise pollution... It’s a complete overload,” he tells us. “The benefits of going off the grid? You’ve got none of those issues to deal with.”
Early results of the 2012 British Wellbeing Index reveal that happiness and life satisfaction is found in the remote Scottish Isles. To quote Prime Minister David Cameron: “Wellbeing can’t be measured by money or traded in markets. It’s about the beauty of our surroundings, the quality of our culture and, above all, the strength of our relationships.”
Explorers like Justin Bonello are at the coalface of the travel industry within Southern Africa, tasked with finding the next big thing to do when you’ve done all the touristy things. We look to his shows to fuel our desire for the great outdoors that exist within a day’s drive from our front door. But there don’t seem to be many diamonds left in the mine.
Getting away for a weekend in South Africa isn’t the adventure, or even the Aventura, it used to be. For one, there are tarred roads and horrifically opulent Five-star lodges in every conceivable sleepy hollow. Is there still an unspoiled frontier for the weekend warrior to escape the trappings of modern life – and maybe treat his Hilux to something more challenging than the pavements around Coca Cola Park?
“Hundreds and thousands of them,” says Bonello. “I just did a trip up to Upington, went through Pofadder (yes, really) down to the Namibian border. I’ve just discovered a whole different part of the country that I have to go back to. Most of my road trips that I do nowadays, I try to take the road less travelled. This is when you open yourself up to the true joys of travel.”
Again, travelling is fun, but even better when done with people you love. A conference or launch will take you to a great location, and you’ll take your lady back there months later, and it won’t feel the same. Bonello has a great counter to that. “I let myself relive the experience through her. I’ve seen and done it all most of the time, so her experience is a way for me to enjoy it all over again.”
The key to a successful holiday is keeping things exciting. “When you pre-plan a route, you often close yourself off to the unexpected surprises that are just around the corner. It’s much better for me to just get in my car and drive.”
Besides for getting off your couch and getting out there, it seem the other important thing to do when you want to relax is switch off your phone. If you have your loved ones by your side for a few carefree days, who’s tweet or call is important enough to interrupt that?
Relax, just do it
Justin Bonello has a trick for every holiday obstacle
When you have an important project waiting at work...
“Generally into my second or third week away, I start to think about work again, and begin teasing it back into my holiday in small doses. This way, I don’t have a big chunk to deal with when I get back.”
If you really can’t get away from the city...
“It’s funny, the braai culture in South Africa is hard-wired into us… when a group of people get together around the African TV (fire), it always turns into a holiday.”
When you don’t know what to cook…
“On the coast the menu will include mussels, oysters and any fish unlucky enough to take my bait. I’ve learned to travel with a small box of stuff and find local ingredients.”
Last updated: Mon, 2012-10-22 09:24
I'm a big fan of Justin Bonello, and I wish I had the time to pursue my passions, instead of just having to worry about how to survive, and keep a leading place in the rat race. If I ever had the nerve to just quit everything and find my own paradise, I would fly to New Zealand and become a bee keeper.
Thank you for providing this great article.My life is similar to Justin's.I have hobbies like gardening,cleaning and cycling.I've recently donate a car and I bought a bycicle instead as it is cheaper.
I admire Justin Bonello a lot and I had the chance to meet him once at the journalism school.He is a great man and he likes traveling a lot.Last year I spent my vacation in Australia and he gave me quality australians travel advice.
I like this men both for his TV shows but also because he is an adventurer like me.I am working a lot and I am not going very often on vacation.But when it comes to going on vacation I don't like to choose exotic destinations and fancy hotels.I like to go fishing or climbing mountains.
The place where you spent your holiday is important. I think that if you want to experience something purely local and if you want to see amazing places you should go to Thailand.
It is not something weird that Justin prefer to play with his kids or to do gardening instead of traveling.Gardening can sometimes be very relaxing especially if it is one of your hobbies.I like gardening and I've recently bought a Power Equipment Plus as it is very useful.
One of my friends told me that paradise is where we want to choose to be and everyone has his own paradise.He traveled a lot around the world but after he returned from a DMC Tel Aviv vacation he told me that he found his paradise there.
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OMG I envy this so much! I really need to change my life, I can not go to the office anymore. I think what I will do is will find some travelling partners and will get away for a year or so just travelling around the world. I believe this will help me to understand what I am really made of.
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Justin Bonello doesn’t have time to talk. At all. He is wholly focused on Ultimate Braaimaster – not his moniker, but rather the title of his masterchef-esque new show about, well, braaiing – and now is not a good time.
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I was astonished when I first became aware that normal, occasional drinkers are mortified by the idea of drinking alone at home. In general, non–problem drinkers view alcohol as a minor component of a larger social activity. For them, a glass of champagne at a wedding is a celebration. For the alcoholic, it’s free booze that could be improved only by the instant subtraction of every guest in the room. href="http://www.economy-car-leasing.co.uk">Cheap Leasing Cars
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I cannot agree with the sign by the bench in this picture, but it may have some reasons to be there. To us at least, I mean me and my entire family, when we go sightseeing, we don`t waste any occasion to feed birds or animals. My kids enjoy this so much.
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A conference or launch will take you to a great location, and you’ll take your lady back there months later, and it won’t feel the same.www.rutilatedquartz.org
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How lucky justin! he could enjoy the holiday while working, hope someday he also can contribute to http://yestravel.atwebpages.com/
Dear Justin Bonello, have you try a trip to Vegas? I bet when you will see Vegas, you will return there every summer.
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My dears, someone attempted a holiday trip to Death Valley? I understand that the landscape is beautiful for the camera.
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