The Pepper diary
The random musings of a friendly little travel company looking to provide incredible experience and maybe change the world along the way. Subscribe to our random ramblings and general travel insights by clicking here:
Lots and lots going on in the world!
Thursday 24 March 2011
It was a busy time for Africa last year. Particulary South Africa which pulled off an incredible football world cup. Everything from the stadiums to the people to the games themselves was spot on and the overall atmosphere was amazing! It created such positivity in the country and has definitely given South Africa exposure to many people who didn't know much about it beforehand. It got me thinking that with a lot of hype in the media about safety concerns etc. it's ironic that South Africa is one of the safest places you can be in the world righ now!
With the general worldwide economic climate, the natural disasters happening on seemingly larger and larger scales and the political situation in much of the world at the moment, I get a sense that people are more anxious and scared than ever before. The solution to this for me is travel! To get out into the world and realise that everything you see in the news isn't all true and that the world is a beatiful and varied pace is to take a stand against that fear that seems to be everywhere these days. Southern Africa has its problems like any other region in the world but if you are worried about natural disasters or civil wars its a good place to be right now!
Happy travels!
Cape Town one of "World's most beautiful cities"!
Tuesday 21 December 2010
The busy summer period in Cape Town is now in full swing and people are flocking to the fairest Cape of them all for sun, sea and festive fun. What better time then than this to remind ourselves just why it's such a popular destination?
The outdoors has never been so appealing, so while we continue to suffer at the unrelenting hands of the Big Freeze in good old blighty, here are some visual reminders of what awaits you, once the de-icers have done their collective jobs and we can head for the skies and the furthest tip of the African continent....enjoy!
Stadiums & Arenas!!
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Ok so it’s been an extremely exciting week in Cape Town for anyone who is a fan of shouting a lot, large crowds and just generally getting fantastically excited about a live event!
The first one to hit Cape Town was the Football World Cup revival clash at Cape Town Stadium between the Mighty Bafana Bafana and the USA. Unfortunately the result wasn’t exactly ideal and to be quite honest would have felt better about if we had our very own Robert Green to blame the final score on! Alas, it was just a general poor performance on our behalf and the sneaky Americans managed to squeeze one in, in the dying minutes.
Score aside though, it must be said that the Word Cup has done wonders for the sport in South Africa! The support was just insane! The game was sold out completely and with the fan walk back in action, supporters really made the most of the game cheering their way all the way from the train station to the stadium! It really was quite amazing to be part of a crowd that a year ago wouldn’t have even known that the game was happening! Everyone was kitted out and dressed up in Bafana gear and cheered their heart out for our guys. For the Bafana’s players going from half empty, smaller stadiums to a completely sold out world class stadium all the credit must go to the World Cup for bringing football to the people in South Africa! Even with the loss it really was another incredibly proud day to be a South African!
Then the weekend arrived and along with it came Jared Leto and his crew! I have to say Thirty Seconds To Mars live was incredible! Jared couldn’t tell us enough how much he loved South Africa and all the people here, it might have got a bit too much if I wasn’t completely in love with South Africa and its people myself! A few songs including ‘A Beautiful Lie’ and ‘Kings and Queens’ were actually born and written in Cape Town while Jared Leto was renting a nice little pad in Camps Bay. He described his time spent in South Africa as “deeply personal.” Due to this he really does have a lot of love and respect for this country and he did everything to prove it!
From starting the show with an African drum session to ending with about 50 people from the crowd on stage with him, it really was an amazing performance that completely sucked you in from beginning to end! Half way through the show he disappeared into the wings and five minutes later popped up at the back of the arena to give us a few heart wrenching acoustic songs. I must also mention that Jared’s brother and drummer for the band was incredibly amazing and blew me away with his solos! All in all just another great night out and performance in South Africa, may they and many other great bands be back time and time again!
Lots of lovely pics and maybe even a sneaky vid to follow soon...!!!
You can't beat his world record, but you can join him...
Wednesday 17 November 2010
Well, it's been a busy old few weeks here at Pepper HQ, hence the slight dearth of amusing and informative posts on our travel diary. I apologise profusely but don't guarantee it won't happen again. What I will guarantee though is that everyone booked onto Pepper Trips out in South Africa over the coming summer months (that's right summer - it's 27°C out in Cape Town and probably will stay that way for the next 4 or 5 months!) will have unforgettable experiences - unforgettable in a good way by the way.
Some of you on these trips will be lucky enough to drive over Bloukrans Bridge near Plettenberg Bay. And some of those of you who drive over the bridge will also be brave/persuaded/clinically insane enough to jump off it with nothing more than a bungy rope strapped around your ankles!
Call it crazy, call it awesome, call it what you will, this guy called it a 96th birthday present! Hailing from George, a town just down the road from Bloukrans, Mohr Keet became the oldest bungy jumper in the world earlier this year when he jumped off the 216 metre bridge. If he can do it, you can too!!!
Enjoy the video and see you at Bloukrans!
Click here for details of some of the Pepper Experiences which include the Bloukrans Bridge bungy.
Goldfish play live in London! Plus their latest music video - watch it here!
Thursday 28 October 2010
Goldfish is Pepper's favourite South African export. Two djs, loads of instruments, super massive sound systems and bag loads of talent and stage presence, Dominic Peters and David Poole are two Cape Town musicians living the dream.
With a residency at Pacha in Ibiza, two top selling studio albums and above all some belting tunes, these guys are not to be missed. And they're playing in London tomorrow night! That's Friday 29 October 2010 at The Coronet, get your tickets here, but first, check out their latest music video - it's wacky!