“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), It’s always our self we find in the sea.” — E. E. Cummings
After months of renovations, getting the house in order as a bed and breakfast facility, and setting up an Airbnb profile, the first guests arrived early December 2018. The weeks before Christmas with guests booking mostly over weekends, prepared us for the rush of bookings from end of December right through January 2019 with hardly any days open in between.
The guests, mainly international kite-surfers from all over the world booked from 1-night stays to up to 2-weeks, escaping the Northern Hemisphere’s harsh winters to spend summer on the West Coast doing what they love most; spending hours on the water kite-surfing when the wind is in their favour. And of course with Langebaan being known as the wind-town, it’s the best place to be for just that.
At the breakfast long-table, guests conversations revolved mainly around best surfing spots, kite gear and off course the wind. I listened curiously at their conversations while serving breakfast.
One morning, we decided to go to Shark Bay and photograph our surfing guests. The bay was filled with surfers, from beginners with their trainers to more advanced riding the wind at break-neck speed.
These guys surely love the water and the wind, I guess they must feel a certain kind of freedom, like one guest said: “It is my happy place” and another said “Out on the water and the wind, there is no time for my mind to overthink and stress about work and life challenges, I need to focus on the kite, the wind and other surfers.”
Summer is still in full swing, but with less South African holiday makers, our foreign visitors can enjoy the beaches which are now less crowded.
The January 2019 New Moon promised to be a great start to the New Year and so far the summer vibes has been amazingly good!
I would like to think of Always Summer B&B as a place where “like-spirited” people meet; from water sport enthusiasts; those enjoying the sea, sun and the sand; and others taking long meditative walks along the lagoon beach with it’s calm turquoise water.
Always Summer Guesthouse 