My Kind of Holiday: Robin Binckes

Robin Binckes is a tour guide and author of the Voortrekker bodice-ripper "Canvas Under The Sky"

Where did you spend your last holiday?

Where I am right now, at Haga Haga on the Eastern Cape coast.

What was the best thing you did while there?

Fishing and braaing mussels taken off the rocks and taking our Scottie dogs for walks on deserted beaches.

Your favourite city abroad, and why?

Austin, Texas. Great music, attractive city, university-town atmosphere, ballet, theatre, a little of everything, and wonderful people.

What must a first-time visitor see there?

The music festivals featuring artists such as Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton.

What was your best holiday, ever?

A tie between chartering a yacht years ago and sailing in the Caribbean with my family, and recently visiting the historic sites of Ethiopia.

What was your worst holiday ever? What happened?

When I was in London many years ago, three of us were set to tour Europe for three months in a van. But the night before we left, we lent the van to one of the three, who crashed it .

Where did you go on holiday when you were little?

Transkei Wild Coast. My grandparents owned the hotel at Umtata Mouth.

Your favourite SA destination, and why?

The Transkei Wild Coast. I grew up there. I was married there. It is my spiritual home.

Your favourite restaurant, anywhere?

In South Africa, I have to choose two: Wombles in Parktown North and Reubens in Franschhoek.

What is the most exotic dish you have eaten on your travels?

"Fish-eye swimming" is a soup for breakfast - after a night sampling saké on an island off Japan.

One place to see before you die?

Vietnam. People rave about it. It is still unspoilt, relatively cheap and the people are fantastic.

Have you had any embarrassing moments as a traveller?

Yes. I had my briefcase stolen in Paris . I had to go to the embassy to apply for a new passport. The consul made me speak Afrikaans to establish whether or not I really was South African. Half the way through, she said: "You are South African all right. Nobody would speak Afrikaans so badly if they were pretending."

What do you avoid on holiday?

Crowds. I like the peace of out-of-the way places.

One travel destination you would call "never again"?

I still have to go there!