Innehållsförteckning för April 2015 från go!

In 2006, nearly 10 years ago, I had no idea what I wanted to be, but I knew what I wanted to do. I was 24 years old and I wanted to write and take photographs and see as much of Africa as I could. As luck would have it, Media24 launched an English-language travel magazine and I was hired as a junior journalist. Tell people at dinner parties that you travel for a living and watch the jealousy flicker in their eyes. It’s true: I had the best job in the world. Scrolling through my photo archive tells the tale of one amazing destination after the next: Marion Island, Zanzibar, the Okavango, Mozambique, Namibia, Egypt – even India for a conference. I had a permanent tan and my camera…

During the Anglo-Boer War, more than 8 000 British blockhouses were built in South Africa, from Wellington in the south to Mafikeng in the north. They say an Englishman’s home is his castle, and these “castles” indeed gave shelter to thousands of young British soldiers on foreign soil at the turn of the previous century. The 6 000 km blockhouse network was a major feat of military engineering. Perhaps not as intricate as the 1 500 km Maginot Line or the 1 000 km Siegfried Line that came later in Europe, but over a much greater distance and erected in a much shorter time. If imagined in a straight line from the Cape, the blockhouse network would have stretched nearly all the way to the Egyptian border! That would have…

During the Anglo-Boer War, rail transport was the fastest and most reliable means of travel. In our case, it was the Hyundai iX35 with its all-new 1.7-litre turbo-diesel engine. Even with a smaller displacement, the new engine pulls like a train, delivering a healthy 85 kW of power and 260 Nm of torque. The ix35 is quiet, spacious and comfortable – pack carefully and a family of four will easily be able to go on a road trip without having to tow a trailer or carry a roof box. With its elevated ride height, you can take on back roads and gravel routes. And the slick, six-speed manual gearbox is a dream on the open road. Thanks to an advanced suspension system and rigid chassis, the Hyundai ix35 swept through…

1850 Miners hang oil-wick lamps (left) from brackets on specially designed cloth caps. The open flame and the methane pockets common in mines can make for an explosive combo… 1910 The smaller, brighter, cleaner-burning carbide lamp, which was also worn on a cap, is invented. It’s nicer to use, but just as dangerous. 1915 The 5-lumen MSA Edison Flameless Electric Miners’Cap Lamp is invented. It’s much safer, but miners still have to wear large battery packs on their belts. 1973 French caver Fernand Petzl invents the first mountaineering headlamp using the straps from his wife’s bra for his prototype. 2000 The first LED outdoor headlamp is invented: the Petzl Tikka. It runs off three AAAs and produces 8.75 lumens.…

Hmm – eggs and wine, tricky… It’s not impossible, but it’s difficult to find a combination that doesn’t make the wine taste metallic or the food taste a little too ripe. Instead of wine, why not pair some of these delicious egg dishes with a great craft beer? The craft beer revolution is taking South Africa by storm – nowadays you can spend just as long agonising over which IPA (India pale ale) or weiss to choose as you might have done over a sauvignon blanc, chenin or chardonnay. Considering that eggs are normally deemed a breakfast staple, a beer known as the “breakfast beer” should be a good start. A witbier like the Darling Breweries Bone Crusher is always a bit cloudy because it is served unfiltered. Often spiced…

1734: The area that is now the Bontebok National Park was home to a female Khoi chief called Lang Elsie. 1745: The district of Swellendam was founded – the third European settlement in South Africa after Cape Town and Stellenbosch. Two years later, it was named in honour of erstwhile governor of the Dutch Cape Colony and his wife: Hendrik Swellengrebel and Helena ten Damme. Drostdy House was built. 1795: Swellendam declared itself a republic, independent from the Dutch East India Company’s rule. Then the British invaded the Cape and Swellendammers accepted British rule. 1814: The Cape officially became a colony of the British Empire. 1855: Mayville House was built in Cape Victorian style. 1911: The Dutch Reformed church was built. 2011: Swellendam was re-declared a mock republic to honour…

Jon had barely walked through the door when Bun Booyens, the founding editor of Weg, asked him to pack his bags for a trip to Mozambique. I’ll admit I was a bit jealous. But Jon has something that not many journalists have – he writes well and he can take beautiful photos. I’ll miss him. – Esma Marnewick, assistant editor, Weg Jon never seems to run out of energy – no matter how much work you throw at him – which is all the more remarkable considering he’s got a toddler and a baby at home. I’ll miss his calm, can-do attitude and his magic way with words. – Marijcke Dodds, copy editor go! Jon, I will miss the cover debates, and your ability to catch a dust spot on…

1,4 million The number of visitors to the park in 2014. 19485 The approximate size of the park in square kilometres – roughly the size of Wales. 1898 The year that Paul Kruger proclaimed the Sabie Game Reserve – it only became the Kruger National Park in 1926 following the merging of the Sabie and Shingwedzi game reserves. The first motorists entered the park a year later, for a fee of £1. 2300  The approximate distance in kilometres of the Kruger’s road network. Around 850 km of roads are tarred. 550  The approximate number of bird species recorded in the park – two thirds of all the birds recorded in South Africa. 130 The number of known rock art sites in the park. 65  The percentage of the world’s rhino…

When you drive into Gobabis and the first thing you see is a statue of a Brahman bull, you know you’re in cattle country. The town is about 200km east of Windhoek next to the Trans-Kalahari highway and it’s known as Little Texas – for that very reason. What brings me to Gobabis in the sweltering heat of September? The three-day annual Gobabis Agricultural Show, that’s what. The first show was held in 1963: a one-day event with 30 cows and bulls on show. At this event there are 190 head of cattle housed in the stables – breeds like Brahman, Simmentaler, Simbra, Limousin, Dexter… There’s even a giant Romagnola bull called Madiba that weighs more than a tonne. For the agricultural community in this part of Namibia – an…

As the British army marched towards Pretoria in 1900, its most important and fastest supply routes – the railway lines from the Cape Colony – became more vulnerable to attack. The further the lines stretched, the easier it became for the Boers to sabotage them. General Christiaan de Wet and his men specialised in systematically blowing up the tracks, so British commander-in-chief Lord Roberts decided to start building forts next to the lines. Initially the blockhouses were flimsy structures, but when railway sabotage reached a peak at the end of 1900, the new commander-in-chief Lord Alfred Kitchener gave the go-ahead for 441 masonry blockhouses to be built at strategic points. The fact that so many of these survived is testament to the art of the stonemasons from that time.…

READER STORY KENNETT SINCLAIR Home town: Cape Town Occupation: Investment manager Fortunately the water washed away the blood that was dripping from my left hand. Unfortunately, I was suspended inside a waterfall, 30m above a black and ominous-looking rock pool with more rock in it than pool. I gripped the rope with my right hand, focusing on simply staying alive, but my subconscious dreaded what lay ahead. I was meant to be in London for work, but when my trip to Mud Island was postponed, I jumped at the opportunity to go kloofing with the Jester (Jacques de Villiers) my adventure partner since the dawn of my time, and his recently acquired daredevil posse: Supersmeda (Christo Smeda), Fearless Fanie (Fanie Potgieter), Racing Rudi (Rudi du Toit), Cosy Claude (Claude Bosman)…

ALLEN WALKER Allen hosts underwater photography tours and workshops. Visit bluepixelphoto.com Allen Walker’s studio is below the surface of the water. Unlike most other studios, it’s alive: constantly moving, pulsing and changing. While this brings with it a unique set of challenges, it’s also what fuels this KZNbased photographer. “I fell in love with underwater photography because of how difficult it is, how raw it is,” says Allen. “I think it’s the truest form of wildlife photography. You’re limited by your equipment and fully exposed to nature. There’s no hide or any other barrier between you and your subject. It’s like walking in the Kruger Park with lions, elephants and buffalo at arm’s length… As dangerous as the ocean’s inhabitants might be, Allen is passionate about their conservation. “We need…

Monk’s Cowl, Drakensberg The curvy drive south-west along the R600 into the Drakensberg ends at the Monk’s Cowl rest camp at the seat of South Africa’s highest mountain range. Kids ride their bikes and play cricket while the resident monkeys keep a lookout for any unattended food. The grassy stands are well shaded and the views of Monk’s Cowl (3 229 m) and Cathkin Peak (3 148 m) are epic. Things to do: Hike to a nearby waterfall or go all the way to the lip of the escarpment if that’s your thing. There are eight day hikes on offer, ranging in difficulty from a light stroll with Grandpa to Everest exhausting. The shop sells wraps, cold drinks and even colder beers once you’ve taken off your boots. Facilities &…

Doc and his dog Famous rugby coach Danie Craven’s dog Bliksem often accompanied him to practices, where the pair was a familiar sight on the touchline. A statue of Doc and his faithful companion continues to oversee games at the Danie Craven stadium at Coetzenburg in Stellenbosch. GPS: S33.93818 E18.87251 Thar she blows! A realistic whale suns itself outside the museum in Hermanus. There are a number of these replicas in the whale-watching towns of the Overberg – humpbacks and southern right whales – created for a film and donated once the shooting was done. GPS: S34.42051 E19.24316 Baaa! OK, so Australia has a 15 m-high Big Merino sculpture. Our monument to the wool-bearer outside the Overberg Agri in Bredasdorp is a little more modest. But it’s the thought that…

Marloth Nature Reserve If you’re wary of hiking alone, contact Willemina de Wet ( wilharst@gmail.com ) and ask her about guided hikes. Reserve opening time: 7 am to 4 pm. Entrance fee: R40 per adult; R20 per child; free with a Wild card. GPS: S34.00662 E20.43979  (entrance gate) Contact: 028 514 1410; capenature.co.za Two Feathers Horse Trails Owner Stephanie Coetsee will meet you at Swellendam Backpackers at 5 Lichtenstein Street. Cost: R300 per person for a 90-minute ride; R500 for two hours, advanced riders only. Contact: 082 494 8279…

New chalets in Agulhas National Park Seven new chalets have been built in the park (to add to the existing eight). The rest camp can now accommodate a total of 51 guests at a time. More info: sanparks.org Sehlabathebe gears up for more visitors There’s a new 40-sleeper lodge in Sehlabathebe National Park in Lesotho with B&B and self-catering options. The existing lodge in the park – nicknamed Jonathan’s Lodge after the ex-prime minister and trout-fishing enthusiast Leabua Jonathan, who used it as a hideaway – is currently being renovated and should be operational by Easter. More info: 00 26 66 347 2851 (Marotholi Khali); zambezikanyembasafaris.com Take a stroll… on a Segway! You’ve done the hiking and biking, now what? How about an off-road Segway adventure…

QuizTrail – Knysna & Mossel Bay We featured the QuizTrail smartphone app in go! #103 and we’ve been hard at work adding new trails. Next time you’re cruising the Garden Route, stop in Mossel Bay or Knysna where you can test your general knowledge and stretch your legs. Both trails take you through the old parts of town and you’re guaranteed to learn something new. More info: quiztrail.com Mawuwater aquasac If you’re tired of drinking from a bottle, get one of these eco-friendly water bladders made from neoprene or locally produced canvas, with a removable inner. It keeps your water cool and you look cool, too. If you’re properly hipster, you can even design your own. Price: R235 for a standard neoprene carrier, plus R70 for the bladder…

To celebrate National Milk Tart Day, we joined forces with Ladismith Butter and handed out 1 130 milk tarts during February. The last batch was pulled from the oven at Francor Bakery in Parow as this issue was sent to the printers. We spent time with the residents of the Berghof old age home, travelling back to a time when milk and eggs were a scarce commodity. We visited the patients of the Maitland Cottage Home and we took milk tarts to the Durbanville Children’s Home, the SA Children’s Home, Nazareth House, the Red Cross Children’s Hospital and The Haven Shelter. We rediscovered our common humanity over a slice of milk tart – and not just in Cape Town. All across the country and even overseas, people joined in the…

Pascal Bisang Pascal is from Switzerland and has been coming to southern Africa for 25 years. He was travelling through Swaziland by bus. A highlight of the landscape for him was the Lebombo mountain range on the border between Swaziland and Mozambique. Steven Hofmann Steven rode a 125 cc motorbike from Germany down the west coast of Africa, to Swaziland. It took him 16 months. He’s on his way back now, up the east coast. Steven says that comparatively, Swaziland’s roads have been “great – really easy to ride”. Sue Hillman Sue has done volunteer projects all over the world, most recently in Madagascar, Tanzania, Ghana and Swaziland. She says that volunteering is a “different, more immersive way of experiencing a country”. Visit alloutafrica.com  to find out how…

They’ll be there. If the Griquas are playing a home game in Kimberley at GWK Park (previously Hoffe Park), they’ll be there – in their usual seats in the Presidential Suite. Tos will wear a jacket and tie and Babe will be dressed fashionably. Tos will follow the game mostly in silence and Babe will interject from time to time, querying a decision made by the ref. If you know Griqua rugby, you’ll know these two. Tos – born Johan, although his wife occasionally calls him by his second name, Diederiks – played his first game for the Griquas on his 21st birthday back in 1961. “I was actually the reserve,” Tos says when I meet him and Babe at their home the day after a Griqua match. “The usual…

A typical blockhouse is a three-storey square masonry building with loopholes, two steel balustrades and a corrugated-iron roof, keeping watch over a railway bridge. Examples of these “standard pattern” constructions, designed by Major General Elliot Wood – chief engineer of the Royal Engineers in South Africa – still stand next to the Cape Town-Warrenton railway, and between East London and Aliwal North, as well as in towns like Harrismith and Burgersdorp. There were deviations to this design, mostly because of available building material and the purpose of the blockhouse. Examples include the octagonal Riversford blockhouse south of Bloemfontein, the hexagonal version in Aliwal North, and the unique stone structures classified by researchers as Magaliesberg, Daspoort and Vereeniging patterns. Most blockhouses were not permanent structures, loosely built from corrugated iron and…

Max lumens Weight(with batteries) Max burn time BASIC HEADLAMPS 1 Leisure Quip LED headlamp This was the cheapest headlamp we could find and it produced a light that wasn’t much better than a candle in the wind. It’s pretty much a disposable lamp, which can have its uses: at a music festival, in your first aid kit, or for a school camp. It comes with two watch batteries that will give you five hours of light. Once they’re kaput it’s probably cheaper to replace the headlamp. R39 at big retailers like Makro, Game and Pick n Pay 011 822 4150 2 Trailboss 3 LED headlamp This was the best headlamp we could find for under R100. It’s bright enough for braaiing, finding your way to the loo or reading a…

Doctors traditionally believed that eggs were bad for you because of their high cholesterol content. Suddenly everyone started eating egg-white omelettes because most of the cholesterol is in the yolk. (Luckily we now know that eating eggs in moderation is fine.) In our household, however, my mom had to implement an egg quota because of my dad’s penchant for them. If he’d been given free rein he would have eaten a dozen on his own. Eggs were not for breakfast only. My mom used to serve them for supper. My dad liked a soft, runny yolk with a sprinkling of black pepper, or soft-boiled and served in an egg cup with toast. He was quite particular about it. He would carefully cut off the top of the egg and dig…

I feel like I’ve time-travelled back a century or two. Walking down the oak-lined streets of Swellendam early on a mid-summer morning is like paging through a romantic 18th-century novel. Old buildings are decorated with vines, gables, dark green window shutters and broekielace balconies. As the third-oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town and Stellenbosch, Swellendam offers a snapshot of nearly 300 years of history. Old Cape Dutch homesteads are thatched time capsules that date from as far back as 1747, when the town was established as an administration centre for farmers in the area. Today, the buildings still standing are national monuments that serve as museums, guesthouses and restaurants. Although much has changed in the centuries since, Swellendammers still have sheep in their gardens and geese honking at…

IN TOWN 1 Bukkenburg Pottery Studio The studio might be in the heart of Swellendam’s tourism centre, but the two-bedroom self-catering garden cottage surrounded by sunflowers still has that countryside feel. Rate: R700 per room (sleeps two). Where? 8 Hermanus Steyn Street Contact: 028 514 1644 (David/ Felicity); pottery.co.za 2 Flametree Guesthouse Owners Pierre and Isabel Fourie go out of their way to make you feel at home in their own newly renovated house. After a couple of hours you’ll be tossing a tennis ball for Lady the pooch. Ask Isabel where to eat in Swellendam. She’ll happily recommend where to go and what to order. Rate: From R350 per person sharing (B&B). Where? 12 Somerset Street Contact: 028 514 1812 (Pierre/ Isabel); pierre2fourie@gmail.com 3 Swellendam…