Travel Diary
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South Africa's National Heritage (Braai!) Day
Friday 24 September 2010
There is another great public holiday upon us down in South Africa, today is National Heritage Day! Heritage Day is for the celebration and appreciation of the entire rainbow nation’s cultural heritage, beliefs and traditions. South Africa is extremely unique in its heritage as we are made up of an array of diverse cultures, religions, tribes and beliefs. The fact that we have eleven official languages is a proof in itself of why South Africa really is the rainbow nation!
For visitors to Cape Town, Heritage Day is quite a treat as in celebration of our history and heritage all Iziko Museums are allowing free entrance. These twelve museums include goodies such as the SA National Gallery, The Slave Lodge and the Planetarium.
The corporate world caught onto re-branding this Heritage Day about five years ago in line with one of South Africa’s favourite past times and it has now become commonly known as National Braai Day. For avid followers of this blog, you will notice that the act of braaing is something that is held quite sacred to all South Africans and so for most of us there is not much better than getting the day off work/college/school to celebrate being a South African while standing around a braai. I personally believe that the Football World Cup really did play a part in uniting our country this year and so today I think there will be more juicy meat sizzling on those grills than ever before.
A sneaky tip for anyone who is in Cape Town today - go check out Mzoli’s Meat Market in Gugulethu for a true appreciation of local culture. For full details check out: http://www.pepperexperience.com/travel-diary/gap-news/hidden-gems-of-cape-town-mzoli-s-meat-market
South Africa's New National Hero!
Friday 17 September 2010
Meet Jan Braai - a man who is so obsessed with the art of braaing that he's changed his name in homage to his favourite pastime!
Last week we demonstrated just how much the seemingly simple act of barbecuing means to the people of South Africa with a video clip satirising the stereotypical roles that guys love to play around the braai but here is a guy for whom braaing has become a matter of even more serious dedication. And he's just broken the world record for "the longest continuous open-air barbecue" at a public display of his love for the braai and outstanding stamina - 30 hours tending to the fire! With tongs in hand and sweating over the hot coals, he produced a constant supply of pleasure to the group of people who turned out at The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town to lend their support (and munch on his tasty work!).
For an inside look into Jan's wacky world of dedication to the braai visit www.braai4heritage.co.za and if you want to try out his tried and tested techniques you can join the whole of South Africa in braaing on National Heritage Day. Coming up on Friday next week that's exactly what loads and loads of South Africans will be doing, so stretch out summer, one last lighting of the coals and away you go!
Cape Town's Treemendous Treevolution
Wednesday 15 September 2010
Join Cape Town's Treevolution!
A new movement is making its way through Cape Town. It’s seeping into the online community, it’s making sounds at local neighbourhood markets and it’s even weaving its way through the peak hours of evening traffic…it’s called the TREEVOLUTION!!!
Greenpop is a brand new project that has the aim of planting 1000 trees in various under-greened areas throughout Cape Town. These include schools and crèches throughout the poorer areas of the city. The idea was realised after one of its creators, Misha, decided he wanted to do something to offset the carbon emissions of various flights that he took last year while filming a documentary for a local production company, Makhulu Productions.
Not only is this treevolution about planting trees, Greenpop are putting all their wonderful energy and enthusiasm into trying to inspire and excite young minds about thinking green as well as the importance of the world’s lovely outdoors.
They are a fun and inspiring bunch of people who have drawn from all sorts of resources in order to make the treevolution happen. So far about 300 trees have already been put into the ground by the Greenpop team and various volunteers.
Not only is this getting us all excited about the prospect of spring in Cape Town but it is also getting us into the reality that deep down inside we all know about but sometimes just don’t act on – and that is trees are good! As Greenpop have put it, “The best time to plant trees was 20 years ago, the next best time is NOW!”
For everyone around the world who likes trees, forests, shade, fresh air and feeling good about sharing great ideas, please go and have a look at http://greenpop.org/. It is a mere R50 for one tree, that’s less than £5!
Please go and donate a tree or two or few and join the Treevolution!
An extract from Jake's Overland Journey through Southern Africa
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Jake was part of a great Gap Year group that spent two months in Cape Town earlier this year. At the end of the trip, Jake jumped on an Overland Tour and headed up through many of our absolute favourite spots in Southern Africa; the Namib Desert, the Okavango Delta and Lake Malawi. Below he gives us an insight into one of his more eventful mornings on Tour! Thanks Jake, see you back in Cape Town soon!
I woke up on the beach to the sound of miniature waves flopping and pulling back on the sand near my feet. It was coming up to 6am and weak sunlight had pierced the uppermost canopy of the mango trees imprinting on the sand a jigsaw of white and orange. I lifted my head slowly so as not to disturb the troop of scavenging baboons who seemed to be almost within an arm's distance of me...
These creatures are NOT sweet little monkeys who eat bananas and sit on your shoulder wearing a fez. They are the fearless, rabid and flesh eating lords of the monkey underworld and they stop at nothing! Aaaaah! I quickly dismissed these thoughts and considered my options... a) stay still until they leave, b) somehow procure from within me the courage to get up and run, or c) slowly slither backwards into the lake and swim along the shore back to my campsite.
This was my first morning waking up in Malawi and I loved it. I was roughly 4500km into my trip from Cape Town to Nairobi with the Acacia Overland bus and our bumpy ride had led us to the shores of Lake Malawi sometime around St. Patrick’s Day. Since my departure from Cape Town (a city which I will live in one day), I had ventured through the rugged Namibian landscape, where I climbed Africa’s largest dunes as the sun crept into the night’s sky. I had spent 3 days trekking through the Okavango Delta in Botswana under black clouds, thunder and lightning. I had thrown myself screaming from a bridge in Zambia into the gorge of the Zambezi River with the mighty Victoria Falls at my back. I still had another month and three countries to go.
Adrenaline binges and beachscapes are that much more impressive having a group of like-minded people to share them with. I lived with nearly 35 people over the course of our trek and aside from a few minor squabbles we thrived like a family. Day in, day out on the same bus and each night on different beaches, bar stools and jungle floors we all experienced something that I still sorely miss; being in Africa. I really cannot wait to go back.
Cycling from John O'Groats to Land's End!
Wednesday 8 September 2010
A friend of mine, Jules Bird, has just had a mid-life crisis and embarked on a 954 mile solo cycle from John o' Groats to Land's End in 12 days. He is raising money for the Children’s Chronic Arthritis Association. The record is 44 hours but he has done no training and is also doing it the wrong way round (heading straight into the prevailing wind!) so he has opted for the leisurely 12 days! I have also stupidly been persuaded into joining him for three days this coming weekend. He has assured me this will be a chilled few days through beautiful scenery, staying in pretty B&Bs in the countryside - since booking my train I have discovered that we are spending the first night in the middle of Carlisle, which doesn't leave much to the imagination, and we are doing 300 miles with the most challenging uphill climb in the UK.......thanks so much Jules I can't wait.
Check out his travel blog.....it is actually seriously amusing, http://juliusbird.posterous.com/.
Johnny