Indice dei contenuti per October 2015 in Getaway

The rand’s sad wilt will force many travellers to relook their choice of destination– and that may not be a bad thing ‘Rand is 20,57 to the pound,’ read the doleful message from a friend who imports fabrics from England. My heart deflated at the thought of his tactile velvets and exquisite linens going up in price, and then my mind turned to my next concern: travel. I haven’t been to London for about 10 years. Looks like I won’t be going again any time soon, I thought. And then I wondered: does that upset me? I’m a South African with a foreign parent. I have never tried to get a foreign passport, even though it would save me plenty when travelling to the EU. However, I prefer to travel…

1. The Lunatic Express, as it was coined by American author Charles Miller in his eponymous book, dates back to the colonial era. Known as the Uganda Railway, it ran from Mombasa to Kampala and was built by the British to protect their interests in Uganda from the Germans. 2. The entire port of Kilindini in Mombasa was created to receive 200 000 rail lengths, 1,2 million sleepers, 200 000 fish plates, 400 000 fish bolts and 4,8 million steel keys, all imported to build the railway. 3. To keep your clothes wrinkle-free when travelling, hang them in the bathroom while you take a shower or above a steaming kettle. The latter also works for tweed jackets, which look great when worn while drinking tea made from the steaming kettle.…

FLY TO NAM FOR R299 Flyafrica.com is offering low fares between Joburg and Windhoek on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with one-way tickets starting at R299 pp excluding tax. flyafrica.com A NEW OPTION LOW-COST FLIGHTS IN SA Fly Blue Crane launched on 1 September and offers flights between Joburg, Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Nelspruit.flybluecrane.com NEW AIRLINE FOR ZIMBABWE Rainbow Airlines, which was supposed to launch in August but ran into permitting problems, plans to provide daily return flights from Johannesburg to Harare. To do this, however, the airline still needs to apply for a Foreign Operator’s Permit, which is not yet in the pipeline.rainbowairlines.co.zw MORE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS FROM DURBAN Turkish Airlines will be the third international airline to offer flights to King Shaka International Airport. At the moment, Emirates is the only…

For culture vultures AARDKLOP NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL, POTCHEFSTROOM 6-10 October If you’re looking for a culture fix, whether it’s comedy or classical music, choose from the rich variety of entertainment at Aardklop this year. At this Afrikaans festival you can indulge in some opera, dance like a madman to Francois van Coke or enjoy one of the many humorous and heartfelt theatre productions. DO IT From R50 pp.cloveraardklop.co.za For outdoor enthusiasts RUFFSTUFF OUTDOOR EXPO, POTCHEFSTROOM 6–10 October It’s no secret that being outdoors is good for you and contact with nature helps balance out the stresses of our city-centric lives. Running concurrently with the Aardklop National Arts Festival, this expo will host exhibitions relating to outdoor activities, including fishing, boating, cycling, 4x4 and various water sports, to name a few.…

The Carlton Centre view At 223 metres high and 50 storeys, this shopping mall is the tallest building in Africa, and once home to the Carlton Hotel. For R15 (under 12s R10) take the lift to the top for a 360-degree view of Jozi. gauteng.net TIP From here, take the new shuttle (R40) to Maboneng for a one- or two-hour tour with Curiocity Backpackers. The tour takes visitors through the history of the precinct and there’s plenty of lunch and shopping spots.curiocitybackpackers.com Market goods Behind the brick walls of The Sheds@1Fox in a historic district of industrial warehouses constructed in 1893, there’s a marketplace of eateries and bars, produce stands, artisan food, gifts, art, bars and a pulsating mix of both Joburgers and tourists.1fox.co.za Top eatery There’s a new spot…

WHY THE SEA IS GOOD FOR YOU 1 The components of seawater – including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antibacterial and antibiotic substances – are absorbed and used by your body while swimming. These help to promote a healthy immune system, says dietician Dr Ingrid van Heerden (but that doesn't mean you should drink it – if it crossed your mind). 2 Sea air and spray contain negative hydrogen ions, which improve our ability to absorb oxygen by neutralising free radicals, according to an article in The Telegraph. The negative ions also balance levels of serotonin – a chemical linked to mood and stress – which is why you feel more relaxed and energised after being by the seaside. 3 Even your skin benefits from ocean swimming. The salt (and sand)…

You have a friend coming from the United States, what hotel would you recommend? The Concierge Boutique Bungalows. I suppose I like small, intimate hotels more than large chains - more personalised environments, not those made from the machine, if you get what I’m saying. I’d rather stay in an environment that is well designed and that has the customer in mind, as opposed to one seemingly just gunning for the bottom line. What is it about this hotel? I like the style. It’s contemporary but at the same time it’s got bits of the 60s influence. I like the slasto stone on the floor and the way they’ve combined the use of natural materials is quite cool. I think that kind of design will still be relevant 20 years…

The Ruperts. Richard Branson. Analjit Singh. People who are rich enough to live anywhere on the planet choose to own a piece of Franschhoek. And who can blame them? • THERE ARE AFFORDABLE NOOKS Get off the commercial high street and traverse the back roads that run through orchards and vineyards. Drive deeper into the valley, up its vineyard-carpeted flanks, and the 360-degree vantages will leave you gaping. Hats off to the polyglot locals who call this home - not a business park, or a high rise, or a plastic tunnel in sight. Just that satisfying sense of being dwarfed by one of nature’s great cathedrals. But this is precisely the problem with Franschhoek: like a beautiful woman, most of us think she’s rather unapproachable and unaffordable. Who knew that…

I was in Gauteng recently on a food hunt and the place that kept on coming up as unequivocally ‘the best’ was Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient. And with equal conviction, the descriptions followed. The decor was ‘drapey’ and ‘boere baroque’, the food was ‘pretty’ and had a ‘painterly touch’ and the chef and her mother - said one Pretoria woman with much affection - are ‘like two little tinkerbells’. Wanting to make up my own mind, I set off for this Moorish-styled castle in the direction of the Hartebeespoort Dam, where chef Chantel Dartnall cooks and her mum, Mari, runs The Orient hotel. Driving through a palette of Highveld browns my anticipation mounted, and on entering the Francolin Conservancy, where ericas appeared like blood-red pinpricks, so did my expectations.…

SPORT-BRELLA R1100, outdoorwarehouse.co.za UPF 50+ WEIGHT 4kg FLOOR AREA Depends on how high the umbrella is, but opens to about 2,4m wide HEIGHT 140cm PEOPLE 2 ASSEMBLY TIME 30 seconds WATERPROOF Water repellent FEATURES Smartly designed, this umbrella-cum-shelter is made of thick hardy material and has tie-downs and wind vents to keep it from blowing away in moderate wind. It also has internal pockets for storage, side flaps and zipped windows. BURN WARNING Just because you’re under a shelter, doesn’t mean you’re 100 per cent safe from the sun. Sand reflects harmful rays too so it’s best to still apply ample sunscreen. KAUFMANN OUTDOOR POP-UP BEACH TENT R419, kaufmannoutdoor.co.za UPF 30+ WEIGHT 0,64kg FLOOR AREA 110cm x 140cm HEIGHT 100cm PEOPLE 2 ASSEMBLY TIME 21 seconds…

SHEM COMPION Shem Compion’s passion for natural areas and photography has led to a life of travel photo documentation throughout Southern Africa. He is known for his creative representation of common subjects and his images of newborn wildlife (page 74) capture the candid moments of our favourite furry babies. NARINA EXELBY Narina Exelby lives in a fishing village in Bali. The nearest shop selling yoghurt and gin is a two-hour drive away: a small sacrifice for the luxury of drinking coffee on a black-sand beach with a view of Java’s volcanoes. On a trip to Kuala Lumpur (page 106) recently she had her first hot bath and glass of decent wine in months - but missed her village madly. KATI AULD Kati Auld’s real job is being Getaway’schocolate biscuit manager…

The Peech, Joburg, Gauteng Rechargeable batteries are used in all the appliances and a grey-water recycling system is used to irrigate the garden, with a section that provides fresh, organic vegetables and herbs to the bistro. B&B from R2600 per room (sleeps two). thepeech.co.za The Oyster Box, Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal The hotel heats its various swimming pools with the excess heat generated by air conditioning. It also has solar panels and energy-efficient lamps and a recycling system. B&B from R4113 per room (sleeps two). oysterboxhotel.com Bulungula, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape Fully solar-powered and voted second-best eco-lodge in the world in 2014 by Lonely Planet and UK’s The Guardian newspaper, it’s also one of the first lodges in the world to be Fairtrade accredited. There’s camping, dorm, standard and luxury tented accommodation…

The Cape Winelands is one of South Africa’s most beautiful – and popular – areas. And for good reason: besides the gorgeous views, it’s home to some of the world’s best wine farms. Now one lucky reader, plus a partner, stands the chance of spending a weekend here in luxury – a bespoke wine tour, flights and exclusive accommodation included. WORTH R50 000! PRIZE INCLUDES: • A full-day private guided tour of the Cape Winelands curated for your ideal winelands experience by Explore Sideways. • Accommodation for two nights in one of two luxury Time&Away villas, either set in Franschhoek in the heart of the winelands or overlooking the ocean on Clifton’s Millionaire’s Row. Accommodation includes a continental breakfast, snacks and wine. • Flights from Durban or Johannesburg with kulula.com,…

FillApp is a locally developed app. Enter your vehicle’s tank size, fuel type and where you live to see the current fuel price and the cost to fill a tank. That’s pretty straightforward, but where it gets useful is in predicting price changes. Swipe the screen to see when the next change is due, what the price is predicted to be, and what that means for your next fill up. If you forget to check, there’s an automatic alert so you’ll never miss a fuel hike again. Free on Android and iOS. SA Fuel isn’t as slick as FillApp and although there’s a price change alert, it doesn’t provide estimates or price predictions. That said, it beats FillApp with historical data, providing a complete fuel price history going back seven…

WHAT DOES BLUE-FLAG STATUS MEAN FOR YOU? It assures you that the beaches are clean, safe and environmentally friendly. The criteria, set by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), is managed by WESSA (the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa). The 2015 Blue Flag season starts on 1 November. In 2014, 46 South African beaches were certified. These are our picks of the best. THE POPULAR ONE 1 RAMSGATE BEACH, SOUTH COAST, KWAZULU-NATAL With its gentle waves, Ramsgate is great for swimming. You may find the crowds overwhelming in summer, but it makes for a lively day out. There are bars and restaurants along the beachfront, a backdrop of forested hills and the shoreline is filled with family entertainment, such as pedal-boating in the estuary. Go here if you…

STAY HERE  the coNcierge boutique buNgalows, dubbed ‘the hidden gem’ by TripAdvisor, is well located in the bustling suburb of Morningside. Stay in one of the quirky, contemporary rooms from R600 pp sharing, including breakfast - and Wi-Fi is free. 031-309-4434, the-concierge.co.za FOR SIGHTSEEING... if you ask me, it’s the beach. Start from the one end, Blue lagoon, all the way down. i’m a fanatic of mid-century modern stuff. South Beach and Victoria Embankment have got a nice collection of Art Deco buildings. they’re quite cool to look at, from a historical point of view. www.durban.gov.za FOR EATING... there are a few spaces that are quite nice, such as Harvey’s, a fine dining innovative restaurant in Umhlanga. 031-561-4977, harveysrestaurant.co.za. Cafe 1999 in Berea serves mediterranean cuisine and is designed around…

1 SYCAMORE AVENUE Midlands, KwaZulu-Natal These whimsical tree houses are cleverly designed with wooden contraptions that open doors, and stairways that lead into cosy sleeping and living areas set high above the ground, with squirrels and birds for company. Light a fire (yes, in a wooden structure built on a tree) to fill your tree house with flickering light, before relaxing in a spa bath (good for two) or on the balcony with a glass of wine. Dinner and breakfast - included in the price of your stay - are served in the dining room, with its extensive views of Giant’s Castle. The six unique tree houses (and two cottages) all have different characters and outlooks. For couples, stay in the tree houses Pegasus or Romantic - the latter delivers…

NEW IMPORT The Botanist Gin WHERE Fans of peaty single malts will know Bruichladdich and this hails from the same distillery on the windswept Hebridean island of Islay. DEFINED By Twenty-two wild plants with intriguing Harry Potterish names (Mugwort, Creeping Thistle, Bog Myrtle) hand-picked by botanists Dr Richard and Mary Gulliver. From R459 at selected retailers. thebotanist .com LOCAL INDEPENDENT Salt River Gin WHERE Hope on Hopkins Distillery on Hopkins Street in Salt River, Cape Town, where a single-malt vodka spirit is created. The latter is redistilled to make the gin. DEFINED By Wild rosemary from the Winterhoek mountains and buchu from the Simonsberg - factor in the Newlands spring water and it’s the Western Cape in a glass. R330 from the distillery door. hopeonhopkins.co.za…

TYSON SAYS: ‘While off-roading in Botswana, this recovery bag was essential for getting us out of sticky situations. We also noticed there was quite a bit of extra room in it. So, we put together a list of key items that we could fit into the bag to turn it into a “super-recovery kit”. Extra cost: R1115, and the items can be bought from most hardware stores.’ 1 REFLECTIVE VEST From R55 It’s not always necessary in the bush, but could come in handy on the highway en route. Safety first. 2 TYRE PRESSURE GAUGE From R95 The only thing less accurate than a Cape Town weather report is the tyre pressure gauge at a fuel station. Check your own pressures for total peace of mind. 3 SPARE HEADLIGHT GLOBES…

CONJURING THE CAPRIVI It’s the late 1800s and an arid-orange Namibia is under German rule. The rest of Africa is being carved up by European powers laying lines over a map and in the colonial clamour it’s agreed that Germany will forsake its claim to Zanzibar in exchange for a narrow 500-kilometre-long finger of land. This is a strategic move as German South-West Africa had little water and German Chancellor Leo von Caprivi had a grand vision: he wished to create a passage to Tanganyika and thus to the Indian Ocean for trading. But had he looked a little closer at the map, he would have noticed that Victoria Falls stood in his way, with a 100-metre drop to thwart his ambition. Once South Africa took the reins in running…

DE HOOP IS A BIRDER’S PARADISE These are just some of the 270 birds you can spot at De Hoop Nature Reserve: Rufous-chested sparrowhawk Eurasian golden oriole Greater flamingo Shy albatross Great white pelican Verreaux’s eagle European oystercatcher Whiskered tern Hartlaub’s gull African grass owl Fiery-necked nightjar European bee-eater Amethyst sunbird Cinnamon-breasted bunting ‘The foreigner behind the wheel is the man I want to marry and De Hoop is part of the courtship plan’ It haunts me now that I can’t recall who first took me to De Hoop. I know I was just out of varsity, still long-haired, stealing surreptitious glances at a boy who didn’t love me. I wasn’t much into nature then, more focused on the music blaring through car speakers, nodding ‘yeah’ whenever Jim Morrison drawled…

I was in Mombasa, moving on to Nairobi, and a flight would have been faster but I decided to take the Lunatic Express. It’s an overnight journey on rickety tracks from the steamy palm trees of the coast up the steep escarpment to the thorn trees and cool altitudes. It was hot outside and even hotter inside the compartment. There was a fine metal mesh over the windows and a ventilator fan above the window that only moved when the train moved, and only because the hot air from outside was pushing the blades. We crossed the causeway from Mombasa Island to the mainland in the last light of day and sat at dinner looking out at the perfect blackness. There were only a few others in the dining car…

Seven of us set out on the Annapurna Circuit Trek on 21 April with Rame, our guide, and four porters who, together with Santaman Tamang the organiser, live in three adjacent villages in the Langtang region of Nepal’s Himalayas. On 25 April, the earth shook for a few minutes. Rame reassured us tremors were frequent. We continued walking and then witnessed a massive avalanche on Annapurna IV. The villages where our new friends lived had been flattened with great loss of life. We turned back. On the way Rame managed to persuade a driver to turn around and take us down. There were 16 people, including luggage and the initial load of potatoes, in the vehicle. The driver had to negotiate his way around rocks that had fallen onto the…

Once a year, humpback whales glide slowly from the icy Antarctic Ocean and along our coastline to reach their feeding and breeding grounds off Mozambique and Angola. Southern right whales make a similar journey, travelling between 500 metres to four kilometres an hour to calve along our southern shores before returning back to the cold Antarctic. According to Dr Peter Best, a whale researcher from the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, a one-way trip could take up to 10 to 20 days. This means that from June to November, we landlubbers have a chance to marvel at these gargantuan creatures. Some of the best views are found on the Western Cape coast and particularly from the whale-watching walkways snaking along the cliffs of Hermanus, with its warm…

ON ASSIGNMENT Getaway journalist Melanie van Zyl found two rhino that had been poached less than 100 metres away from the main tar road heading north in Kruger National Park. ‘It was just quite hectic that two enormous rhino were poached so close to tar in the park.’ Kruger National Park In an ongoing bid to safeguard the rhinos in SA’s most-hit park, SANParks has relocated a total of about 40 rhinos from Kruger’s hotspots. ‘While recognising that there is no single remedy to this problem, we believe that the programme for the relocation of rhino will make a major contribution towards securing populations in South Africa and in Southern Africa,’ says Reynold Thakhuli, head of communications at SANParks. iSimangaliso Wetland Park The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority recently made the…

Avid hikers need shoes ready for everything. The Wolverine Black Ledge hiking shoe has a waterproof leather upper forming a solid and durable frame with mesh foot lining to manage moisture and traction designed to deal with both humid wet conditions and dry rocky conditions. These shoes feature great traction for use on mud, wet tree roots and rocks and are compression-moulded for plush comfort. Mid-height boots and ladies fit are also available. R1200, wolverinesa.co.za Turn to page 112 to win a pair and see more hot gear for summer…

1 THE BASICS A panorama is a series of frames stitched together horizontally, vertically or even spherically. Many compact cameras and smartphones have built-in panorama software, while most DSLR users will need to use post-production software such as Photoshop. Attach your camera to a tripod on a level surface and use a focal length longer than 24mm (a wide angle will cause distortion). Remove any coloured filters from your lens and use a shutter release cable to limit camera shake. 2 FIND YOUR SCENE Look out for a single subject in the foreground such as a tree or an animal. This will give your panorama greater depth and a sense of story. Shooting from ground level will make your scene look flat and two-dimensional. Rather, try to find a high…

OUR EXPERT SAYS: ‘I would happily stay in almost any of the establishments I inspected’ HOW IT WORKS: TripAdvisor lists accommodation rated by guests, but as much as we love peer reviews, can we trust them? Pippa, who has reviewed accommodation for 17 years, inspected 42 properties – some rated on TripAdvisor, plus she rooted out new ones. These 12 made her list. Most romantic bolthole WATERFALL LODGE Part of Chamonix Cottages, ranked No. 25 of 39, Speciality Lodging It’s quite a trek to find this little gem (opposite). Following the signs to Chamonix you wind through enormous vineyards, ascending past fields of grazing zebra and antelope, past the Marco Polo Lodge (stuffed with animal trophies), rising ever higher and deeper into the cleft of the mountain until you reach…

How about an ice cream parlour from the 1950s? Opening on 9 October, the new Strand Hotel in Swakopmund, situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Namib Desert, is going retro with onsite Café Mole: a homemade ice-cream parlour with a soda fountain, burgers and candy floss. There will also be a farmhouse deli, a micro-brewery, butchery, beer garden, sushi and other restaurants and bars. From R1887 per room B&B (sleeps two). strandhotelswakopmund.com IT’S GOOD, IT’S IN GLASS new upgraded suites at kapama karula Lodge in kapama Private Game Reserve have been designed for maximum game viewing. each of the 12 suites (two for families) has glass sliding doors, an indoor and outdoor shower and a heated pool on an elevated deck looking out over the klaserie River. From R6…

Why hide the kitchen in the back? That’s Oscar Faraldo’s take on grilling steak. Co-owner of the recently opened Che Argentine Grill, he explains that the idea of this authentic South American steakhouse, or parrilla, is to let the grill be the star of the show. And here, it certainly is. An open kitchen takes up the majority of the space in this refurbished warehouse. Stacks of hay dot a low-lit space with high ceilings, giving it a ranch-meets-warehouse feel. I whetted my appetite with a full-bodied Shiraz and began the feast with empanadas de carne - traditional pastries stuffed with beef, onion, green olives, eggs and red pepper. But it was the Bondiola Rellena main that got me: pork neck stuffed with blue cheese, bacon, paprika and prunes, and…

MODERN INNOVATION POWER BANK 16000MAH R825, powerbankcharger.co.za GETS YOU TO Touws River (11h40) WEIGHT 350g INPUT 2A OUTPUT 2,1A WARRANTY One year TESTING NOTES The slick aluminium alloy shell surface is the same as that of the MacBook Pro. This is a good option for the design-conscious, but it took a while to charge up compared to the others. LENMAR MUTANT 20800MAH PORTABLE POWER PACK R1699, be-akin.co.za GETS YOU TO Anywhere in SA (over 20h) WEIGHT 493g INPUT 2A OUTPUT 2,4A WARRANTY One year TESTING NOTES This is a big daddy. It’s amazingly compact for its capacity, but too heavy to pack for a hike. Best used for camping or as a charging station POWERTRAVELLER POWERMONKEY EXPLORER 6000MAH R1300, duesouth.co.za GETS YOU TO Howick…

JUST IN CASE R969,56, vermontsales.co.za Made for compact cameras, the weather-and impact-resistant T-Reign ProCase can be used to protect a variety of goods such as glasses or a GPS. The Velcro straps can be harnessed to a backpack handle, but the kicker here is the retractable tether, that attaches directly to your valuables inside the case, an effective hindrance to pickpockets. COOL CARRIER R229, kaufmannoutdoor.co.za The Kaufmann Outdoor insulated backpack cooler bag is compact with adjustable padded straps. It’s perfect for carrying while you find a spot on the beach. It fits two two-litre bottles of Coke and has an extra storage pouch. THE GREEN LIGHT R330, naturallysolar.co.za Providing up to 12 hours of light with a single day’s charge, the Go Buddy is a tough,…

‘Come, I will show you the biggest tree in the world!’ I am doubtful about this claim. Felix has already tried to interest me in a $500 billion note, two small wooden hippos, and a tour of the Falls. At this stage, if I told Felix that I wanted a tour of the Honourable President Mugabe’s personal abode, I have a feeling he’d just beam at me and make a plan. The Falls have been cutting a swathe through the basalt of Batoka Gorge for at least a hundred thousand years, but Victoria Falls, the town, only sprung up as an afterthought to support the tourism industry that bloomed after the white man saw the water. That is to say that for the last 150 years, tourism has been the…

13 minutes... That’s how long Rob van Vuuren spent painstakingly removing acacia thorns from the feet of his four-year-old daughter. Although he believes this is all part of the quintessential experience of holidaying in the great outdoors, such perspective failed to convince his crying child. Here, the famed Twakkie – half of Corné and Twakkie from The Most Amazing Show – is found trundling with his wife and daughter in that glorious mode of transport, the caravan. Rob’s funny account of the adventure features failed tent erections and rugby ball-shaped camp managers. South Africa’s numerous reserves and national parks provided idyllic camping spots and the family lounged on the banks of the Breede River, watched sunsets in the Swartberg and wandered through forests. It was a time of simple pleasures:…