Beauty is all in the eyes and spirit of the beholder. South Africa has been a cynosure of touristy eyes, a welcoming, breathtaking destination that offers everything from urban sophistication to unspoiled wilderness. While the innumerable websites and internet portals offer their delectably edible spread, the individual perceptions sometimes present atypical though curious possibility.

In 2004, my travel plans to Malaysia were thwarted by divine intervention and diverted as if by stroke of luck to South Africa. South Africa! Meryl Streep almost spoke to me in my dreams from “Out of Africa” and pronto here I was…first impressions somewhat stumped and staggered me seeing the wide unsoiled roads of Johannesburg, almost infinite expanse of greenery and rolling hills, Mediterranean style low-rise town houses and a riot of colors in the jacarandas crowding the lanes or leafy canopies lining the streets and the curious cheerful faces.

This certainly is far removed from the emaciated faces and the stark environs associated with Africa, a treat for the tired eyes that is so used to a ocean of humanity and a riverbed of houses almost sharing common walls so much so, that everything from culinary smell to prospective boyfriends is a common subject with neighbours.

Now that I call South Africa my adopted home, my romance with the country is insatiable. Johannesburg never fails to surprise a curious passerby, be it in its European flavor, its vast reservoir of restaurants satisfying even the most discerning gourmand, curious medley of shopping extravaganza, legal and uninterrupted gambling, African flee markets and exotic spread of wares, the much sought after wine, beer and whiskey festivals where the connoisseurs are treated to a near heavenly intoxicating treat to last a lifetime and of course repertoire of world cinema at temples of art aptly named Cinema Nouveau to delight the senses of permanent fixtures such as myself.

Feast your eyes and tactile senses at the Lion’s Park (you can actually enjoy secluded company with a playful lion cub, should courage not be a disputed topic), the innumerable wild life reserves, the Cradle of Humankind, while the azure skies, verdant locales, smell of open air Braai( South African equivalent of BBQ), the cheerful pubs doting the street corners, vibrant and animated nightlife will leave you with a relishing sigh.

While most visitors go starry eyed with the mention of Sun City and the sumptuous stately opulence of the hotel that once staged the world beauty pageant and immortalised our home bred Aishwarya Rai, I would suggest a weekend at Mpumalanga, a name that literally means “the place where the sun rises” in the local dialect, only a few hours away from Johannesburg.

The largest game reserve in South Africa, Kruger National Park, rated as an ultimate safari experience is a nature lover’s dictionary of delight with its baobabs, fever trees, marola and mopane trees underneath which lurk the Big Five, Africa’s home for lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, the legends of the wilderness.

Sitting on an open top 4X4, the game rangers offer customised experiences to tourists with their exhaustive knowledge of the wilds and you may just learn that zebras are found in a “dazzle”, rhinos form a “crash”, giraffe a “journey” and quite ironically you will find a “parliament of baboons” assembled in the veld.

Offering a view of paradise in Gods window and the maze of caverns and limestone formations in Sudwala Caves, The Owen Hall is a natural amphitheatre where live performances can surpass human imagination.

Think of a land where whales frolic in the turquoise waters, adrenalin junkies launch themselves from the some of the world’s highest commercial bungee points, and two mighty oceans embrace each other tumultuously at Cape Agulhus, where wrecked ships have a tale to tell, where fashion struts the catwalks and the majestic Table mountain casts its protective spell over a rainbow nation that bore the world’s greatest liberation icon.

This is where some of the world’s finest wines are brewed in the innumerable vineyards dotting the luxurious landscape. Life cannot be more abundantly blissful than when you are soaking in the sights and sounds of Cape Town and Western Cape, satiating your senses and rediscovering the etymology of the word bliss in the multicultural favours and hues of the gorgeous Cape.

Here is a curious land where pepper sprays and unscrupulous crime live unflustered with the sweltering beauty and this menacing contrast makes the appeal unparalleled.