Raramuri mother and child Traversing the spectacular canyons on Mexico’s Copper Canyon on the last passenger ride, Ishay Govender-Ypma meets the reclusive Rarámuri, while learning about the country’s diverse landscape. For Mail & Guardian 26 Feb 2016 The vestibule convulses over the loops at Témoris, shaking us this way and that, but we [...]
A tough city for artists, Ishay Govender-Ypma explores the heart of the Durban’s Art Scene and creative spirit. For AFK Travel Undercover City Durban Taxi Mural Durban’s potential tends to bubble beneath the surface, not quite as bold and direct as Johannesburg or Cape Town. Durban is a laid-back city on many counts, [...]
Réunion Island Food, where culinary and cultural exploration meet Culinary and cultural exploration are deeply fused, Ishay Govender-Ypma (@IshayGovender) discovers on a visit to the volcanic French island, Réunion. For The National UAE, 4 Feb 2016. Author (2nd left) with a family of local farmers - they titled this: "The Malabar returns home" - [...]
Tackling the Drakensberg Amphitheatre with a disabling fear of heights and sedentary city-lifestyle are some of the challenges that newbie-hiker Ishay Govender-Ypma faces head-on in the Drakensberg.
A foraging walk with Loubie Rusch of Making KOS teaches the importance of learning about local plants and how to grow them to sustain us - Kalk Bay, Cape Town. For The Times, 19 January 2016. At The Studio in Main Road, Kalk Bay, an unexpected art installation is spread across a beautiful weathered wooden [...]
The Sweet Joy & Pain of Going Home for the Holidays Going back home for the holidays may bring you back to your childhood days. Reflections on the things that don’t change, and the things that do. For Bright Rock Change Exchange, 20 Jan 2016 with my parents Crocodile tears. I think it was [...]
Summer in South Africa means platters of crayfish and local oysters, and glasses of local Chenin Blanc enjoyed by the water’s edge. *Olive Magazine asked me for my top ten defining Cape Town bites....not an easy ask. Out in Dec 2015 issue* Prime Position Luke Dale-Robert’s The Pot Luck Club, headed up by rising star Wesley [...]
A Love Letter to Durban, city of my birth - South Africa Durban, my hometown - the love I have for the city that made me who I am today. Durban ("Durbs") will forever live in my heart. For AFK Travel, 15 Dec 2015. From the chilly west coast of South Africa, I find myself looking [...]
For ancient history and culture enthusiasts, adventurous eaters and bargain hunters, Istanbul is the ideal destination for a vibrant vacation. Immerse yourself in old traditions juxtaposed with new trends. Ishay Govender-Ypma explores. For Sure Travel Journey Magazine. For one night only On my most recent visit to Istanbul, I stayed for just one night. What [...]
We had the opportunity to learn some cooking tips from a Zapotec woman, a Mexican indigenous group who settled in the area of Oxaca, Mexico. We were shown the true meaning of slow living, loving and eating. For Fine Dining Lovers, 20 Nov 2015. At Teotitlán de Valle, 25 kilometres outside the colonial town of [...]
Show Me the Way to the Next Corner Store - Cape Town, South Africa The small, independently run Cape Town Corner Stores are a dying breed, and those that still exist, do so valiantly and against the odds. Ishay Govender-Ypma shares the stories of seven local old stores, institutions to their loyal customers. For High Life, [...]
Want to know where to stay, what to eat, where to shop and what to see? Here's insider's guide to Cape Town. For Singapore Priority Magazine. STAY: Ellerman House Serene Ellerman House, one of Cape Town’s swankiest addresses, is sparkling after a property-wide refurbishment. The décor reflects aquatic blues and greens, an enviable and relevant art [...]
Chennai market A return to the Motherland - Chennai, India. For TASTE Magazine. It dawns on me at the Georgetown market in Chennai, that the locals find me perplexing. Amid ox-drawn carts piled with fresh vegetables, the vendors sit cross-legged in front of their tidily arranged wares, offering me a smile and a [...]
Eco-Forward and Going Green - Berlin, Germany Gritty, hip, cosmopolitan – Berlin is known by many names. Eco-forward and environmentally conscious are also some of them, as Ishay Govender-Ypma discovered. Berlin is going green: Etihad In-flight Magazine, Nov 2015. Berlin is known to be cosmopolitan, energetic, gritty and hard-hitting in attitude. It’s also far greener than you may [...]
An Alentejo Road Trip Guide - Drive Yourself Traversing the breathtaking landscape of fields, rivers, mountains and pre-historic ruins, Ishay Govender-Ypma explores Portugal’s wild Alentejo in Portugal, a region as yet unmarred by tourism. For Journey magazine by Sure Travel - an Alentejo Road Trip Guide. Lessons from the Land Looking down from the buttress [...]
Food Journey Through Cyprus - The Endless Feast In search of the defining dish across Cyprus, Ishay Govender-Ypma discovers sun-kissed produce, generous locals and more variety than one can imagine. *For Food & Home Entertaining SA October 2015* An old woman is sitting hunched outside a small shop in the morning sunshine, knitting. “Kalimera,” I [...]
A new Way for Blacks to Travel in Africa - Group Tours are In Parties with locals on a luxe rooftop in Accra, a fashion show in Nairobi and a rap concert in Marrakesh, learning a traditional recipe from your friend’s grandmother in Dakar. Ishay Govender-Ypma looks at a new breed of group tours, a [...]
Head in the clouds - Panorama Route In need of a break and a change of scenery, Ishay Govender-Ypma and her husband packed the car and headed for the Panorama Route on a simple quest: explore, unwind and recharge. For Getaway Magazine, May 2015. It’s the gateway to Kruger, but the tumbling geography that plunges through [...]
Going Back There - Reflections on Home for Visi Magazine celebrating my husband's birthday with my parents in their home Ishay Govender reflects on her childhood home, the changes that make visiting difficult and the constant pull to return. (Visi Magazine asked me to contribute a column on "home". A version of this [...]
Returning to your childhood home - my journey Ishay Govender-Ypma reflects on her returning to your childhood home, the changes that make visiting difficult and the constant pull to return. For Visi Magazine. Each year I return to our family home that rests at the bottom of steep road. The suburb has faded somewhat into [...]
