from South African Immigrant to US Citizen ...it wasn't without its challenges.
I am South African in nationality with East Indian origins and emigrated to the U.S. over two decades ago when I tragically lost my mom to a brutal crime in South Africa.
Now a proud U.S. citizen, like most immigrant stories, the move here wasn’t without its challenges.
In 2004, I acquired the vintage Harmony Motel, which is located in the City of 29 Palms in a Joshua Tree National Park community in California’s iconic southern Mojave Desert. This rural city has a history of pioneers, home settlers, and native American tribes that made 29 Palms their home.
As an immigrant, I happily embraced this pioneering spirit of the City of 29 Palms. For me, I felt, in the words of Larry from the U2 band that the “desert is a transitional place. It doesn’t have a kind of right or wrong, nor any kind of strong personality.”
Its vast open spaces and rugged desolate landscapes with abandoned cabins, and minimalist small towns, conjures up images of the hardship and struggles that the initial settlers and Indian tribes had in the Mojave Desert. It also speaks of their strength and tenacity to survive in the desert. Yet today it is for us, an awesome outdoor playground in southern California, with rock climbing, horseback riding, hiking, and a nature lovers’ dream space.
In the last two decades, I have been actively creating a space for travelers to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the Mojave Desert. The Harmony Motel is a peaceful oasis that is a gateway to the Mojave and the popular Joshua Tree National Park, as it embraces the natural aesthetics of the desert and our iconic national park. This is creatively enhanced through its natural, native, and sustainable landscaped gardens and grounds, pool space, and décor of the motel, be it a motif of rural desert living, the artwork of a local artist, or a live critter such as a roadrunner scurrying on the grounds of the Harmony.
I, a single female immigrant, have proudly been the owner and operator of Harmony Motel since 2004, and it is with great pride that 2024 marks my 20th anniversary.
As a proud advocate of sustainable tourism, I dedicated six years voluntarily as the Vice Chair of Visit 29 Palms, the city’s Tourism Business Improvement District, providing strategic oversight and bringing creativity to the city’s tourism marketing efforts. I am most proud of our work supporting the local arts community, our national park, and new partnerships with organizations such as Leave No Trace.
Over the last 20 years, it’s been my pleasure to host travelers from throughout the world. This unique motel was built in 1958 and is one of the few motels of the time that still exists today. Harmonious with its environment, this 8-unit rustic desert property has provided a tranquil, joyous atmosphere to guests visiting the Joshua Tree National Park area.
I continue to be humbled by my guests’ appreciation and gratefulness for what this small little motel offers by way of amenities, services, location, and ambiance.
This guest appreciation has created a milestone over the last four years and made the Harmony Motel an award-winning property by being the recipient of TripAdvisor’s Travels Choice Award for the last four consecutive years. Only ten percent of the world’s hotels win this prestigious award!
During the remodeling of this quaint motel, I was inspired and motivated by its location and history in the hi-desert area of Southern California. The Harmony Motel with its iconic “music notes” adds character to the identity of the motel, creating a vintage ambiance of music and romance.
To my surprise, when I purchased the motel, I learned of U2’s visit to the Harmony Motel during the making of their Joshua Tree Album. This created significance for my purchase of the motel because of the U2 history with South Africa.
I am a great fan of the band. I was introduced to the band by a good friend of mine in the eighties, at university, a friend who was a freedom activist fighting for the freedom of our beloved late President Nelson Mandela. That is how I learned of the U2 band and the numerous causes that they helped Africa with. Hence, I became a fan, and my favorite album is the Joshua Tree album.
The roadside motel gained popularity when the iconic rock band U2 visited the Harmony during a photo shoot with the sign as a backdrop.
When I acquired the motel in 2004, the sign had to be refurbished as the original sign had been taken out by the previous owner due to financial restrictions. Many U2 fans would come to the motel and would be disappointed with the sign, hence in 2011, I refurbished the historic sign, and brought back the music notes as seen in U2’s famous picture taken at the Harmony Motel.
Perhaps this little motel’s biggest beauty is its name, Harmony. With its original and creative music notes on the motel’s signage, which has captivated countless travelers over the years, as mentioned including the world-famous rock band U2, Snow Patrol, and many Hollywood famous actors, such as Kirsten Dunst and her movie Crazy Beautiful echo the harmony. And that, my friends, is the Harmony Motel—crazy beautiful, and straight from the 1950s.
In retrospect, over the last 20 years, the Harmony Motel has been a labor of love for me, and living in the Mojave Desert has been a healing experience for me following the brutal death of my mom.
So, dear friends, celebrate 20 years of ownership with a small business owner in 2024. Visit us and experience the harmony in the Mojave.
Sources
- U2 by U2 Neil Mccormick, December (2009), page 234.