Innehållsförteckning för June 2024 från Getaway

I used to watch a local cooking show in which contestants would travel around South Africa and compete to make the best meal using a braai at each destination. I vividly remember the host and head judge starting each round with words of culinary wisdom and what seemed to be the show's motto: 'Come rain or shine, we braai!' As travellers, we could change the ending of that slogan to 'we travel', or like a dear friend of mine would say, “we move'. I have nearly melted during a European summer, survived the humidity of a monsoon in Malaysia, got soaked by downpours in Kenya as thunder and lightning lit the skies at dusk, and been what felt like frozen to my toes when what was supposed to be an…

WHERE ON EARTH? EID AL-ADHA MARKS THE END OF THE HAJJ (PILGRIMAGE) RITES AT MINĀ, SAUDI ARABIA, NEAR MECCA. HAJJ IS ONE OF THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM AND SYMBOLISES THE UNITY OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY BOUND TOGETHER BY RELIGION. ANNUALLY, OVER TWO MILLION MUSLIMS GATHER IN MECCA TO VISIT THE KAABAH (HOUSE OF GOD), TOWARD WHICH THEY DIRECT ALL DAILY PRAYERS. MECCA IS EXPANDING DUE TO THE HIGH NUMBER OF VISITING PILGRIMS. AS A RESULT, BUILDINGS SUCH AS THE 'TOWERS OF THE CLOCK', FORMERLY KNOWN AS ABRAJ AL BAIT, A GOVERNMENT-OWNED COMPLEX OF SEVEN SKYSCRAPER HOTELS, HAVE BEEN BUILT. THE HOTELS ARE A PART OF THE KING ABDUL AZIZ ENDOWMENT PROJECT TO MODERNISE THE CITY WHEN CATERING TO PILGRIMS. Rising High With a total surface area of 32 000…

BRIEFS First Person I had a great childhood, safe and outdoorsy. Things started to go wrong when I attended high school. I wasn't happy there because I didn't consider myself academic. My mom, Gaye, had my brother, Edward, and there was a 13-year age gap. We moved house, and then my dad, Ted, moved out. The girls at school were obsessed with losing weight Aged 15, I jumped on the bandwagon, and things spiralled out of control. I developed anorexia, bulimia and depression. I started drinking at university in my early 20s, not just to have a couple, but to blackout Guilt and shame followed, and I drank more to escape those emotions. I overdosed on medication and attempted suicide on several occasions. I didn't realise how much I was…

Droppings, Dung & Scats of Southern African Wildlife BY LEE GUTTERIDGE Jacana, R230 You've got your guide to animal spoor, your bird call app and your flora manual. If you're serious about safari, and identifying the animals around you, this book is another must-have in your travel kit. It might seem, at first blush, a bit ick, but as any good bokdrol spoeg champion will tell you, knowing your drol can save your hide. One of the main ways to understand the life of the bush is through animal droppings. There are plenty of words for it, too: scat, poo, dung, spraint (from an otter), tath (if you're in Scotland and it's grazing animals you're talking about), even fewmets, which is an archaic word for the dung of a game…

IN-DEPTH Food Like most Xhosa folk from the Eastern Cape, my first encounter with gin was in a traditional context The clear spirit is a medium for connecting to your ancestors, and traditional healers tend to use it. Often - for those who care and are well-versed in all things concerning gin, at least — the types of gin used gets a bad rap because of the price tag and the medicinal taste. But Old Buck, for example, is an award-winning and revered gin proudly made in South Africa. I was never a fan; not even tonic could make me enjoy it. I'd always grouped it with the alcohol the elders drink at traditional gatherings, such as brandy and umqombothi, so it never felt appropriate for me in my younger…

Melissa Siebert KEYS TO THE KINGDOM (P94) Melissa's an American-born journalist who has called Cape Town home for nearly 30 years and has covered everything from tobacco-spitting contests in Mississippi to trekking with the Khomani San in the Kalahari, and searching for mountain gorillas and the ghost of the late Dian Fossey in Rwanda. She's working on scripts, a feature and TV pilot, and her second novel. Morocco's one of her favourite destinations; she'll return next year to satisfy her wanderlust. melissabaumannsiebert.com Buntu Ngcuka SIP AND CELEBRATE (P38) Buntu is a typical Capetonian creative who's pivoted from magazines to retail copywriting - he loves negronis and speakeasy bars. In this issue, he writes about some of the finest local spots to enjoy World Gin Day annually on the second Saturday…

BRIEFS Two Full Days 48 HOURS Our wellness retreat kicked off with a scenic drive up a hill, winding through the vineyards of Mont Rochelle in the beautiful Franschhoek Wine Valley. The surroundings were breathtaking, with mountains encircling the valley and sweeping vineyards creating a grandeur reminiscent of the south of France. Despite being just under an hour's drive from Cape Town, it felt like a world away. YOGA AT MONT ROCHELLE Our day began eagerly anticipating a yoga session on the lawns overlooking the valley. Alas, the rain had its own plans, sparing us the embarrassment of public yoga mishaps. Grateful for the excuse, we sought shelter in the on-site gym, where we were still treated to a breathtaking view. The yoga class worked its magic, leaving us feeling calm…

BRIEFS First Look Bosjes - yes there is the soaring, extraordinary chapel of which reams have already been written, and the splendid gardens that are constantly growing in size and scope, but now there is also the bigger, better, more gorgeous Die Stalle Spa to add to the attractions. It's a quick trip from Cape Town or the other Winelands towns. Through the Huguenot Tunnel and the staggering Du Toitskloof Mountains, straight along the N1 (poetically known as the Cape to Cairo Road), left on to the R43 just before Worcester, and there you are. Or you can go another scenic route via Wellington and over the Bainskloof Pass. All this eye candy will get you fully prepared for the Waaihoek Mountains that are the backdrop to Bosjes. A quick…

TRAVEL | Into Africa Thirty-seven years ago, I nearly drove off a cliff when crossing the ancient tectonic folds of the High Atlas Mountains from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert (Desert Desert, as sahārā means desert in Arabic). This time, I'm relaxed in the back seat of a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, with charismatic Berber driver Younes at the wheel and my friend Monique in the passenger seat, staring at Younes in wide-eyed amazement as he expertly handles hairpin turns. It's late February and snowing. The High Atlas is bleached white at the 2 205 m summit of the Tizi n'Tichka Pass. We stop for ubiquitous mint tea, poured into glasses from an impressive height. Then head for the Valley of the Kasbahs, a camel trek and desert camp sleepover,…

'Where to?' you mey ask your trusty steed, and may we suggest Wellington, that pretty little farming town on the other side of the N1 to Paarl. It was established by the French Huguenots in 1688, and for many years was the gateway to the interior. First called Limietvallei, then Wagenmakersvallei, it finally got its forever name in 1840 from Sir George Napier, then governor of the Cape, after the Duke of Wellington trounced Napoleon at Waterloo. History has many threads. It is a place of rolling hills and cool temperatures; slow village mornings and afternoons seeping into evenings of fine wine, food and friendship, all cocooned by the surrounding mountains. These jewels are being polished to a sparkle and offered to visitors again through the revival of the Wellington…

The Travels of Ibn Battutah BY TIM MACKINTOSH-SMITH Picador, R302 (takealot.com) In 1325, aged 21, Ibn Battutah set off from his hometown of Tangier, in Morocco, on his pilgrimage to Mecca. The total straight-line flight distance is 5 162 km, so it was quite a long trip back then, given there were no aeroplanes. But Ibn Battutah made it to Mecca, and then kept going. He returned home 28 years later, having travelled about 120 000 km visiting almost all of the Muslim countries and as far as China and Sumatra. He is recognised as the greatest medieval Muslim traveller and the author of one of the most famous travel books of all, The Rihlah (Travels). This is that book. It's a great story, full of adventure, beautifully told -…

Ah, Mauritius. The mere mention of it conjures images of tranquil beaches, sky-blue water and swaying palm trees. My trip began with the excitement of a delayed flight — a classic start to any adventure. As I sat in the airport lounge, sipping an overpriced coffee and anxiously awaiting the boarding announcement, I couldn't help but wonder if this was a sign of things to come. Little did I know, it was the calm before the storm. After what felt like an eternity — our flight was delayed by three hours - we finally touched down on Mauritian soil. Humidity greeted us as we stepped off the plane, fuelling our excitement to explore this tropical paradise. The first day of our trip started off gloomy, but we explored nonetheless. That…

PHOTOGRAPHY Portfolio 'Storytelling has the power to bring people together around a table to listen to different points of view. 'When we were in the Bahamas during Covid, we could see how challenging the lockdown was for the country. They were struggling economically and planned to open their waters to oil exploration, which would have been devastating. We wanted to help, but we didn't know how. 'While we were there, a scientist from Beneath the Waves discovered the largest seagrass meadow in the world, so large it can sequester 3% of all annual carbon emissions. Then, I started learning about carbon credits and how a country like the Bahamas could make a lot of money by protecting its seagrass. After I met with the prime minister's office to tell them…