Hi Salt Family,

What is it that really drives us in this experience we call life?

Is it our work? Is it our play? Do we work to play, or play to work?

The Salt Ballie here. The name I'm probably most famous for is Captain Holiday.

Why? Because whatever I do for a living has to derive from play and having fun.

Apart from Salt, I do have a few side hustles too. My passion for the Wild Coast has led me to incredible opportunities with people who inspire me to love what I do, and love this life even more. One of those is freelance guiding on the Pondo Trail with Wild Child Africa, which has taught me so much about myself and the incredible power of being outside.

Sharing the outdoors with people from all walks of life reminds me how much we've lost touch with something incredibly simple:

BEING OUTSIDE.

A little fear. A little discomfort. A little unpredictability. And a whole lot of laughter.

That's where the magic happens.

We reconnect with ourselves.

We spend so much of our lives making things easier and more comfortable that we forget how alive we feel when we step beyond what's familiar.

The latest adventure

Last week, my friend Weismann Nel, owner of Moolmanshoek, invited me to co-guide and co-host a 12 day, 400km horse adventure from Port Edward to Kei Mouth.

We welcomed guests from Sweden, the UK and South Africa.

Together we rode through open beaches, rocky coves, jungle forests, wide rivers, cliff edges and grassy headlands.

We galloped, explored, cut our way through overgrown sections, swam rivers with our horses and stayed everywhere from local lodges and tented camps to old colonial hotels and nature reserves.

And somehow, we were blessed with 12 days of perfect weather and sea conditions. In all my years on this coast, I've never seen anything like it.

Our overseas guests were blown away by the local hospitality, the endless skies, and the sunrises and sunsets. Many said they felt a sense of belonging, like they were being held by Mother Africa herself.

And it made me stop and think...

This is where you and I call home.

How flipping lucky are we?

There were plenty of memorable moments too.

We swam across the Umzimvubu River, famous for its rather large bull sharks. When guests asked about them, we simply said there weren't any because the crocodiles eat them.

Before anyone could ask another question, we were already swimming.

One day rolled into the next.

We looked after our horses every morning, treating them and preparing them for another big day ahead.

Four of these horses had never seen the ocean before. We introduced them to the waves, and all they did was trust us and give even more.

When we finally rode into Seagulls Hotel to complete the journey, there wasn't a dry eye in sight.

We hugged our horses, our ground crew and each other.

400km without turning an ignition.

Just the sun and wind on your face, and the simple joy of waking up exactly where you fell asleep.

Bring on the next one.

I'd like to invite you, the wider Salt family, to adopt an Only Yes attitude to opportunities that test you.

Trust me, you'll feel so alive.

Only Yes.

Wojtek