Internet Marketing

I have been looking at internet marketing sites for many years now. I have tried several websites by myself, as well as PTC's, and online marketing sites. Some are just con's, none are overnight money-makers. I did manage to make money for a few months on a Pay To Click site, but it closed down after I got a few thousand Rand out.

I tried one site for a couple of months that had long-term potential, but one had to put money in, to eventually get some out. A few years later now, and this site is still around, still doing well, and has improved somewhat. It is now a bit easier to get somewhere after a few months, as long as you WORK on it daily.

Without making you wait any longer, I have several links below, to what is arguably the best internet marketing site. Some of the daily work is playing "games", to help get you further up the corporate ladder. It is fully international, and I have been able to work out that there are more than 20 000 people making money on this site. That is quite something. Many other sites make ridiculous claims, but this one is a bit different. If you are prepared to put in an hour or two a day for a few months, you can get there. Of course, if you put money in, it goes quicker (like most things).




So now you can see it is called SFI. Some more links to different parts of SFI below.










Go on, give it a try. You have nothing to lose.

Chapter Ten - Mist, Heat, Durban - Valentino Rests

STOP - or suffer the consequences!

Waking to an overcast Gonubie Beach morning, Daddy Harley Dude made coffee for Mommy Lila and started packing before they went down for a full breakfast in the hotel dining room. Packing the Harley in front of the reception, a man who turned out to be the hotel owner stopped to chat. He remembered Mommy and Daddy from when they visited here three years ago while travelling to Knysna on their honeymoon. So nice to have that connection and memory. After a friendly chat he warned that the road to Umtata looks like having rain.

Twenty km's along the road proved him right. It started with light drizzle and a bit of mist, then got steadily worse, with the mist alternatively lifting, then getting heavy and thick, slowing us down to a slow third gear crawl, then slowly clearing as we got to the Kei River garage. The Harley rain gear from the Durban dealership kept all dry, but one needs riding savvy to safely navigate this weather and the traffic through mountain passes safely. Even fully loaded we never even had any close calls on the reputedly dangerous road through what was the Transkei. By the time we got to Umtata for a wake-up coffee, the sky was clear and it was getting rather warm. Rain gear off!

The ride from Umtata to Kokstad was getting hot, really hot. After all the riding for the last 10 days and 300 km's so far today, the heat resulted in us stopping for a leg stretch and water drink mid town. Even this part of our country is beautiful. A ten minute rest saw us able to get on and do the rest of the road to Kokstad, where we had lunch.

Now the last 270 km's were going slowly, but gave a chance for some reflection on the roads travelled, people met, and towns and sites seen in the last 10 days. The roads were now more familiar, having been used for many HOG breakfast runs over the last eight years. While our Blue chrome steed never missed a beat on the 4 020 km's travelled on this trip, it was showing the road dirt and a bit of an oil leak when it stopped back home in Durban. Mommy and Daddy unpacked and tiredly made their way upstairs for a restful relaxing bath.

This trip was one that doesn't leave you, but gets filed in the memory banks, and re-visited many times as one encounters what was familiar and draws comparisons with the experiences and feelings of the last few days.

Would this have been similar if done in a car? Not even close!!! The trip to Cape Town on our Harley made this a life experience that gives you a rush when recalling it. It's a feeling that reflects the slogan on the "T" short that says "If I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand". Fellow riders know what this is about. Till the next trip!!

Chapter Nine - From Knysna to East London with Valentino

Feeding cheese to the wagtail.

Valentino was fascinated with the little wagtail that walked around wanting cheese, and Mommy Lila duly obliged while we had breakfast in Knysna. With morning coffee under the belt (as well as a muffin and toast), we set off for a nice ride towards Plettenberg Bay on Monday morning.

Keurboomstrand

It being a week-day, the road works gangs were back on the job, and made their presence known before we even got to Plettenberg Bay. We arrive at road signs with the slow down message, and the speed limit gets progressively squeezed down to the 60 km/h limit before seeing the line of stopped cars. Love sitting on the Harley and slowly idling past all the cars while they watch us go to the front of the queue. The Harley sound reaches them first, then they turn round to see the burbling chrome and blue tourer pass by. We wait a couple of minutes with the road closed for traffic coming the other way, then seeing the message come through on the radio to the worker who opens the road for us, we start and loudly roar away, with an open road and no traffic until we reach the other end of the road works. When we got to Plettenberg Bay, we did a slight deviation to see The Dunes resort and a construction site from Whale Watching Spot at Keurboomstrand. We saw an amazing home there that looks like something out of Star Trek.

The Harley Dude

"I'll smack you" - in front of Storms River bridge.

We made good progress, stopping for a top up (and petrol) at the Storms River Bridge garage. The viewing site of the bridge provided a good photo opportunity. Then some snacks at the Mugg n Bean before heading down the road again.

Valentino orders Fish n Chips

The wind farm near Jeffrey's Bay (actually at Kouga) was eagerly anticipated, because it created such a surprise impression when we first saw it. We stopped again to take pictures of this wonderful show of "green power". Pity there aren't more of them.

Harley on P E Beachfront

Next stop Port Elizabeth beach front - Summerstrand. where we found a great restaurant overlooking the beach (and the Harley) for lunch. Once again, many stops had made us take many hours to do only 280 km's, so the accelerator was opened a bit more enabling us to get to East London in their afternoon rush hour. The traffic was quite bad and we saw a SAPS van just miss a jaywalking pedestrian. We also had a driver shout at us "Hey, where is your baby's helmet?"

I'm not tired - what about a beach walk.

After negotiating the heavy traffic to Gonubie Beach, we ended up at the Blue Waters Hotel, where after some haggling we ended up with the best room in the Hotel, upstairs nearest the beach. We needed a good rest before our last day's ride home. 580 km's today, 700km's tomorrow.

Chapter Eight - Cape Town to Knysna via Route 62

Valentino Checking the Traffic

Harley Chrome Not Too Shiny 

I was back to my position as tail spotter on Sunday morning as we left Bloubergstrand and headed for the N1, fully loaded again. The Chrome and Blue thundering Harley was idling its way through the traffic until we got to the freeway. We got a couple of smiles and comments as we stopped at the robots, even seeing a couple of fellow riders going to their breakfast run departure points. It was good in Cape Town, but good being on the road again too. Daddy rode at an average pace with the traffic all the way to Paarl, keeping a keen eye on the signs for directions to Worcester, then Robertson and Montague.

The first time we stopped was for a dreaded toll road booth, just after a confusing sign that said the road split, with both ways going to Robertson, just the toll road way was shorter. Daddy told Mommy he had never been on this road before. The road was getting quite near another mountain, and then the reason for the split became apparent. Our toll road was approaching a TUNNEL. We stopped for a picture or two (there was a good view back down into the valley with Paarl in the distance, and looking up the mountain, the other, longer road winding it's way up) then set off into the tunnel. It was the longest tunnel I've ever been in, well lit, and amplifying the Harley Screaming Eagle thump-thump in a very pleasing way.

Muffin with Jam n Cheese and Koeksister

Coming out into the sunlight, we rode through some of the nicest landscapes we have seen, the road winding its way through valleys, past beautiful rock formations and once through the mountains passing through valleys with wine farms. Many of the farms had signs inviting all to wine-tasting in their roadside shops. Worcester was a quant little town, a little short on signage, but small enough that you couldn't go too wrong. On a Sunday morning, traffic was scarce. We rode through and found the road to Robertson and Route 62.

There were many more farms here with many road-side farm stalls, and when we were near Robertson, Mommy Lila said she was falling asleep and needed some coffee. The ride was going very smoothly, with little traffic to deal with, and having fallen asleep, Mommy Lila woke with a start when Daddy started waving his left hand at a sign in the middle of a farm field. It had nothing but a huge "?" on it. The locals had a sense of humour. Further along we found a farm that had put up ten signs, each with one of the Ten Commandments on it. We like the Western Cape. The road-side shop we stopped at was just amazing. It had a little shop on one side with home-made jams, and bread as well as the usual cold-drinks and some local nick-nacks. The other side was a restaurant/ coffee shop, with a "trots Afrikaans" sign above the door. We had farm muffins and koeksister with our coffee, and the owner himself came around for a chat while we were enjoying the coffee break.

We got on the road again, quickly passing through Robertson and arriving in Montague. We had to stop at the bakery in the main street to pose in front of the Route 62 sign. The bakery owner came out and talked to us, inviting us in. He was pleased to hear that the Route 62 Rally would be in town the next week-end. We rode through town and Daddy took Mommy to the Avalon Springs Hotel with the springs where the rally would be held (he had been there 8 years before).

The ride was getting really hot now (Mommy had taken off a t-shirt and some tights already), and by the time we got to Barrydale, we really enjoyed the cold drinks with the lunch at the Country Pumpkin restaurant. This is the middle of the Karoo, where good Bobotie and Tomatie Bredie (tomato stew with lamb) come from. Needless to say, ESKOM's rolling power cuts arrived with our rolling thunder Harley, but the restaurant had gas stoves. This little village is a regular tourist stop for buses and the recipe's have suffered a little since Daddy's last visit.

We took a ride through an awesome mountain pass before getting back onto the N2 near Heidelburg, before riding through familiar territory to Knysna. Our friends Lyn and Monty hadn't got back from Cape Town yet, but very kindly let us stay at their home for a night on our way back.

The morning ride was so interesting and picturesque, that we took five hours to do only 250 km's. The rest of the ride (220 km's) took just over 2 hours, with Daddy pushing the Harley's beat a bit higher, but still just cruising. The evening was well appreciated for it's relaxing, lazy, peaceful environment in our friends home from home.

Tomorrow would be the last stretch home.

Chapter Seven - Valentino Harleybear's Last Day in Cape Town

Saturday morning was another sunny one, but with an astonishing site on the Bloubergstrand Beach. Daddy was used to seeing people taking their dogs for walk on the beach, but this was different. He called Mommy Lila over to have a look. The picture shows it all, a lot of Huskies pulling a sled, ala Greenland style. It had Daddy wondering what he had put in his coffee cup this morning. What an amazing place.

Our friends from Knysna, Lyn and Monty, had come to Cape Town for the week-end and we met them at Killarney Race track to watch some classic car and motor cycle racing. There was some interesting machinery on show and the pits were open to the public for all to wander in while all the tune-ups and preparations were going on. The racing was interesting, with Jackie Scheckter, younger generation of the famous Scheckter racers, winning a heat in a very fast Ferrari saloon car, beating Lola's, Ford GT40's, Porsches and various other recognisable cars. The loudest (but slower) heat had Sarel van der Merwe in a 60's Ford Galaxie competing against the likes of a Fairlane, Chevy Impala and several smaller cars.

Valentino in relaxed mode - Big Bay

One hapless contender unfortunately broke down right in front of the spectators stand. Embarrassing. But an interesting day. We left mid day, returning to the flat to begin preparing for the return trip by packing what we could.

We decided to have a sun-downer at one of the Big Bay restaurants, where the views were just as good as from the flat. The friendly atmosphere and everyone's lack of issues with those around them are a pleasure to experience. The tenseness felt when walking around in Durban is totally absent here, as well as the pleasant driving conditions, busy but considerate. Cars stop at pedestrian crossings.....and I never saw anyone go through a red robot. Hooting is seldom heard. Things are just so much more civilised.

Cape Town made a big impression on all of us. The night was on us all too soon, and we discussed our few days here while packing and preparing to leave on Sunday morning. Let it not be felt that this is a perfect city, there was a bus drivers strike one day while we were here, but only partial, some buses ran. ESKOM had it's load shedding effects here as well as in the rest of the country. We are repeatedly told that the winters can be really miserable, wet and cold. Flat and house prices in the better areas are just ridiculous. Overall though, there are many positives, Quality of life principles seem to be higher here than in Durban, as well as work opportunities. There are affordable homes in the suburbs, facilities seem to work better than elsewhere in the country. Superb shopping centres and the top of the list, TWO Harley Dealerships! and a bike shop that sells Victory bikes and has a workshop that works on Harleys near the Bloubergstrand beach.

Tomorrow is the start of the ride back, via Paarl and Route 62.

Chapter Six - Valentino Visits The Harley Dealership

Deloittes offices are at the top of the centre building

On Friday we all woke up and looked at the now usual, but still overwhelming view from the balcony. Daddy decided to have a look for the Deloittes offices in town, and after a lazy breakfast, took us on the now familiar road towards Table Mountain, turning to the waterfront and then into town.

We found Deloittes, right next to the Harley Dealership! A needed visit, where Daddy got some top-up oil for our 92 cubic inch V twin thundering motor. He also found a Valentines Day present for Mommy, and Mommy realised that the prices in this dealership were definately a bit cheaper than back home.

 The Harley staff and people are as friendly as any others we have been into, and we found other travelers with long-trip stories, as well as advice on which roads to try, and a query on whether we were going to the Route 62 Rally in Montagu next week.

Interestingly, there was an old rock built church past the Deloittes building, so Daddy quipped that Deloittes found itself between a Rock and Rolling Harley dealership and a Hard Rock Church.

Our next stop was up the freeway to Century City, where one of the biggest shopping centres in South Africa was situated. Century City has it's own theme park, and Canal Walk shopping Centre. Absolutely huge. We wandered around until Mommy found a shop that sold bikini's for less than R500.00 - thank goodness for Mr. Price. Like the rest of Cape Town, there are many restaurants and coffee shops, and once again, all seem to be doing business. This centre is really worth seeing. It has granite patterned passages, huge stained glass patterned windows and foyers where one has seats upstairs to look down on passers-by. Beautifully hand-made wooden benches for tired shoppers and granite finished rest rooms that smell good.

Back at our beach-side flat, Mommy decided to use the new bikini and visited the beach across the road to tan in the warm summer sun, while Daddy used the lap-top to catch up on emails and view property for sale in the area. When Mommy came back, they made some sandwiches and thought a relaxing evening would be a good idea. They were about to see an amazing sight.

Standing on the balcony and looking out at the beach we saw hundreds of kite surfers all along the beach as far as one could see. The multi-coloured kites were spectacular. An unforgettable sight. This picture on the left doesn't do the spectacle justice. (Try clicking on it to enlarge it). Daddy spoke to the local people about it, and they were blase', This happens every Friday afternoon in the summer, apparently, and the surfers then converge on the cafe's and restaurants nearby when the sun goes down. This laid back approach to life pervades everything; or so it felt to us.

Our visit to Cape Town had one more day before we tackled the return trip to Durban on the Harley; and what a Saturday it was going to be. See you tomorrow.                                                                                                                                                

Chapter Five - Big Bay, Table Mountain and Camps Bay

Table Mountain - Official World Wonder of Nature

Thursday morning dawned bright and sunny. and after gawking at the view from our balcony while drinking our morning coffee we decided what to do with our day. The attractions of Cape Town were already making a deep impression on us, and we decided to have a more careful look at the coastal regions, firstly a bit North at Big Bay and Melkbosstrand.

Big Bay grandstand.

Camps Bay Beachfront - red sign says LIVE ON

We got on the Harley and rode slowly up the coast to Big Bay, where we stopped at the beach where we saw a grandstand on the edge of the sand. We gathered that this is one of the beaches where World Championship Kite Surfing contests are held. There is a parking area for visitors to the beach surrounded by small modern blocks of flats, restaurants and a small shopping centre. We availed ourselves of the opportunity to have a bacon and eggs breakfast with a beautiful view, before proceeding along the road to Melkbosstrand. Part of the roadside is not yet built up, giving one a view of the renowned "fynbos" growing there. After passing a new Golf Course development one arrives at the village of Melkbosstrand, which is reminiscent of Hermanus, which we saw a couple of days ago. From the beachfront a view of the Koeberg Power station can be seen. Deciding that South was a more attractive option, we did an about turn, and backtracked to Bloubergstrand, then going on to the City, getting used to the traffic and the roads now. Riding through Sea Point one can't help but notice the modernisation of old buildings that are now apparently worth millions of Dollars (Rands are slowly becoming a less acceptable way of measuring worth in property terms). The road to Camps Bay is noticably not a new one (it winds through an area that has been built up for hundreds of years), but the slow ride is not a problem, as one has so much to look at.

Robben Island in the distance

Arriving at Camps Bay, one once again notices beaches on the one side of the road, and restaurants or coffee shops on the other. We immediately took a liking to Camps Bay, as it sported special motorcycle parking areas on the main road. The restaurants were not as busy as they usually are, due to Eishkom inflicting it's inefficiencies on the public while we walked around. Further South is Hout Bay and we rode along the coastal road for about 5 km's until we came to a road block, stopping traffic for 20 minutes at a time in each direction to allow road works to be done. Deciding our time would be better used travelling around, we ended up back at the V & A Waterfront for lunch. The "Bunny Chow" I ordered, was a mistake. The Cape Town chefs prepared a bland curry that no Durbanite would believe has any comparison to our spicy speciality.

Sunset on Bloubergstarnd

We returned to our "home-from-home" to reflect on our days exploring after visiting Uncle Andre' at work. There is certainly a lot to see and do in this vibrant City, and it was apparent that our five days here would not be enough to see even a third of it all.

Reflecting on our time in the City so far, we were quickly coming to the conclusion that this was a place where we felt comfortable; where we didn't walk around with one eye on "grab and run" candidates; where the drivers in the traffic don't give one the impression of being "aggressive". They stop for pedestrians, they allow motorbikes to pass between the lanes on the white lines, they stop at red lights. Not what we are used to in Durban.

We were being seduced by the peace of this City, the views, the people, the facilities, and the sunsets.

More tomorrow