Innehållsförteckning för April 2016 från go!

Don’t get too close… Q MARILIZE DU PREEZ from Springs writes: I saw this beetle drinking plant sap at the Brauhaus am Damm restaurant near Rustenburg. What kind of beetle is it? A Entomologist DUNCAN MACFADYEN says: This is a CMR blister beetle. “CMR” stands for Cape Mounted Rifles – the beetle’s colouring is similar to the uniform worn by members of this regiment. The “blister beetle” part of its name refers to the adult beetle’s ability to secrete cantharidin, which can cause severe blistering of human skin. The CMR beetle is the most common blister beetle in South Africa. Gecko of many tails Q NICK KLEYNHANS from Hermanus writes: I saw this day gecko on Praslin Island in the Seychelles. Why does it have three tails? A Reptile expert…

I’m convinced that these small things are as important as the big things. Without them, life would be one long, boring contour path. We store our travel memories like bottled adventures. We stick photos on the fridge door and put prized curios on display in our homes. We do this so that we can revisit a sunrise over the dome of a cathedral, or the clink of sangria glasses in a café on a cobbled street. But what about the time between all those epic adventures, when the retrospective enjoyment of a trip has subsided and the gleeful plotting of the next hasn’t yet begun? Shouldn’t we also be soaking up the glory of less extravagant holidays? Or even the time spent at home? Why not send your friend a…

WHAT TO BRING: TOUR DETAILS Date: 29 November – 7 December 2016 How long is the tour? 9 days, 8 nights Departure point: Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal End point: Ithala Game Reserve Accommodation: Formal accommodation Rates: R15 950 per person. Single supplement additional 30 %. THE RATE INCLUDES: THE TOUR IN A NUTSHELL Day 1: We meet at Ulundi and drive to HluhluweiMfolozi Game Reserve. Day 2: We drive a 4x4 route that’s not open to the general public. Day 3: We visit the game capture complex at the Centenary Centre before heading towards the coast. We’ll spend two nights in St Lucia. Dinner that evening is served inside iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Guests will then be taken for a night drive in…

It’s late one Friday in November when I turn off the N1 about 10km south of Springfontein. I cross the railway track and follow the road as it swings past a koppie where a Boer War blockhouse still stands. Soon I’m at a guest farm called Prior Grange, but I don’t drive up to the main house yet. I stop at the cricket field because that’s what I drove a thousand kilometres to see. I walk through the open gate onto the grass, where shadows from a row of poplars stretch like cool fingers. The pitch looks good; nothing like those snake pits in India where the Proteas are being taught a lesson. In the distance I can see the N1. A sheep bleats mournfully. Tomorrow there’s an important cricket…

The D500 is the baby brother of Nikon’s new flagship D-SLR, the D5. Whereas the D5 has a full-frame sensor and is aimed at serious professionals with deep pockets (it costs R139 000 – try to get that past your bank manager!), the D500 has a smaller sensor designed for use with DX-format lenses and it costs substantially less. Despite this, the two cameras have much in common, including an incredible 153-point autofocus system that will lock onto a leopard regardless of the light, and lightning fast image-processing technology. Snap, it’s the future! All future Nikon D-SLRs, including the D500, will feature SnapBridge. SnapBridge is an app installed on your phone (iOS or Android) that allows your phone and camera to communicate via Bluetooth. You can preview your shots and…

Stanford, 24km east of Hermanus in the Overberg, is a town of borehole water, vegetable gardens, swallows in rafters and church bells on Sundays. A town of stoep-sitting and kuiering, where buskers get their guitars fixed by Mr Visser who runs the local fish-and-chip shop and where rescuing tortoises is a pastime. In Stanford you can shrug off the city for a few days and forget about wearing shoes or keeping regular mealtimes or knowing what time of day it is. “My favourite thing to do here is to sit under a tree,” says Peter Esterhuizen, who has lived in Stanford for more than 30 years. And that’s what you do. You sit. And you eat. And you talk. And you nod at neighbours walking their dogs. And sooner or…

It’s nearly impossible to miss the huge, cream-coloured church at the top of Church Street in Wellington. The church tower stands guard over the town and the statue of well-known theologian Andrew Murray also keeps an eye on things from up high. Murray was the minister of this congregation from 1871 to 1906. The statue of Murray is of a seated figure, probably because, during the latter part of his tenure, he remained seated during his sermons due to a back injury. The construction of the steeple stirred up some drama in town. Some members of the congregation thought that the church deserved a steeple when it turned 50 in 1890. Albertus Malan, a wagon builder and well-known resident of Wellington, felt especially strongly about the matter. At a meeting,…

Sometimes I wish that I didn’t like cricket – it would have saved me much heartbreak in my life. Like many cricket-mad South Africans, I can’t bear to hear the names “Donald” and “Klusener” together in the same sentence. And don’t even mention that time Herschelle threw away that catch off Steve Waugh. We live in a time of professional sport, where it’s all about the money. Countless TV channels blast endless sport at us. It’s all about the ad break, the flashing logo and which player gets paid the most money. Sadly, cricket is no different. But there are still places where the spirit of cricket is alive. Places where it is played because people simply love the game. Where the only money involved is the players’ kitty, which…

The Ennedi Plateau in north-eastern Chad is a remote bastion of rock in the endless sand of the Sahara. The region’s unique geology has led to the formation of hundreds of rock arches like this one, seldom visited by tourists. To get this otherworldly shot, photographer Marsel van Oosten positioned his tent with a small torch inside and used a technique known as double or multiple exposure – one shot is exposed for the tent and a longer exposure is used for the moonlit arch and star-filled sky. The two shots are then blended using image-editing software. “We thought this would be a great spot to spend the night ” he says.…

7 & 8 APRIL FNB Mpumalanga Wine Show, Nelspruit  If you live in the Lowveld, this is your chance to taste more than 250 of South Africa’s best wines. Time to stock that cellar! Food stalls will be available. Where? Emnotweni Arena, Riverside Park extension, from 5 pm to 9 pm. Cost: R160 per person, including a tasting glass, a show guide and unlimited tastings. Tickets from Computicket or Checkers outlets. More info: mpumalanga wineshow.co.za ; 011 482 5936 16 & 17 APRIL Biltong & Pinotage Festival, Stellenbosch  Two uniquely South African products are celebrated at this festival outside Stellenbosch. Taste biltong products with various spices, together with wine (normal pinotage, rosé, blends and even a white pinotage). Children are welcome – there will be a range…

The last time I visited KZN was as a child with my family. I can’t remember much except for a trampoline in Margate and Mini Town in Durban. And the green landscape in between. It’s 15 years later and I’m travelling with Mpafa Tours. Our journey starts in HluhluweiMfolozi Game Reserve and from there we’ll drive a loop through iSimangaliso Wetland Park to Kosi Bay in the north, then inland to Ithala Game Reserve. What would I like to see? A black rhino and a sea turtle, please! HLUHLUWE-IMFOLOZI Praying for rain Like the rest of the country, KZN is in the midst of a drought. The usually green hills of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi are a rusty brown and the thorn trees are putting on a brave face. We enter the park…

The Oceans of Life photography competition honours our watery planet by showcasing the complex beauty of life beneath the surface. “Conservation messages are often negative, which is why this competition aims to inspire people to conserve the environment rather than scare them into it ” says Christina Hagen, Pamela Isdell Fellow of Penguin Conservation at Birdlife South Africa. “Many people also don’t get to see the amazing diversity of life that exists in our oceans. Photography can make this more accessible.” The winner of the competition gets to go on a once-in-a-lifetime photography journey, sponsored by Aurora Expeditions, to Spitsbergen, an island in the Svalbard archipelago in the Norwegian Arctic. So don’t leave your camera at home next time you go to the beach! These are some of the finalists…

As it turned out, we’d underestimated the public’s interest in LED technology, and the quality of 12V LED lighting rapidly evolved. It wasn’t long before the sales of fluorescent lights dropped and we began our quest to create the ultimate LED camping light. The process to develop and improve on available LED technology started in 2010, took some five years to complete, and cost more than R3.5 million. Today, our Weatherproof LED is available worldwide, is light years ahead of the competition and proudly bears the label: Designed and Made in South Africa. BRIGHTNESS Sure, we wanted to create an intensely bright light, but most campers require a particular level of light for their specific needs. So, our new LED light would have to include three brightness settings: low (15…

One instinctively thinks of Stellenbosch as the heart of the wine industry, but geographically speaking it’s Worcester. This Boland town is smack-bang in the middle of the Winelands. It’s no surprise that there are numerous wine farms and brandy distilleries surrounding Worcester and nearby Rawsonville, and down the valley towards Robertson and Montagu, but there are also other fun things to do. Like wallowing in a hot spring! Book a rondavel at ATKV Goudini Spa near Rawsonville and use the resort as your base to explore the region. Your first stop on Saturday morning should be Badsberg, right next to Goudini. Why? Because of their excellent Red Muscadel 2014! A bottle will make a nice gift for a friend back home, and a nice gift for yourself… Now point the…

Rietpoort is 11 km from Tromps-burg, just over an hour south of Bloemfontein, and it's a working merino sheep farm. The sheep are sheared once a year and if you visit at the right time, you're welcome to watch. The sheep have lambs every five months or so and children are occasionally allowed to feed then. But Rietpoort is also so much more: It's a game farm with herds of springbok, blesbok, wildebeest and gemcbok.The garden is a serene place, with a cement dam where ducks paddle. Behind the cottages is a hill with a walking trail to the top. The sunset views from up there are not to be missed. If you'd like to go horse riding, we can arrange that. There's also a tennis court for Karoo mixed…

In Okiep in the Northern Cape, Ouma Magrieta Mouton (84) and her grandson Byron Klassen (24) rehearse for their roles in Seep, a dance production by Alfred Hinkel. The production relates the tale of how Ouma refuses to tell Byron who his grandfather is, while Byron is equally reluctant to answer his grandmother’s questions about whether he has a woman in his life. Byron is one of the principal performers in the Garage dance ensemble, which creates productions that tell relevant stories about the people of Namaqualand and their cultural heritage. “I love the connection made in this moment in the golden light of Namaqualand,” says photographer Mark Wessels.…

Lions run rampant at Nossob In December I visited the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for the first time and I was enthralled by the antics of the lions at Nossob. Early one morning we watched as a few young lions ripped the ball valve out of a waterhole and played with it (pictured). On another occasion, we were trapped in the camp’s hide for two hours when a pride of about 14 lions cornered an intruding lion against the fence, right next to the hide entrance! It was nerve-wracking to listen to the scuffle from so close. Rangers finally arrived to scare the lions off. Apparently the camp fence had been damaged. The lions didn’t want to leave and the intruder stayed put – he knew that if he moved, he’d…

Biltong Go Back, near Vaalwater Run, vegetarians, run! There is no living thing in the Bushveld that doesn’t end up on the shelves of Biltong Go Back. How about cabanossi made from impala, blesbok or… giraffe? Are you ready for crocodile chilli bites? Did you know you can make biltong from a tssessebe or droëwors from a nyala? Biltong is priced from R280/kg and droëwors from R220/kg. You can also buy venison fillet, boerewors or even salami. There is a backpackers on the premises (R100 per person per night). The branch pictured is on the R33, but if you miss the turn (hard to do thanks to all the signs on the road verge), there’s another branch in Vaalwater itself. Opening times: Daily from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm. Where?…

Southern Africa is camping heaven. We have access to incredible national parks, resorts, guest farms and campsites all over the region. You can choose to camp by the ocean or next to a river. You can head for the Drakensberg or choose the expanses of the Great Karoo. A long weekend in the Bushveld has its pull, but so too a winter holiday in the Kalahari. Whichever destination you choose will be made more enjoyable if you are well prepared. You don’t want to be that family that realises after having unpacked the car boot that you’ve left the camping chairs in the garage! With these great products from Camp Master you’ll be the best prepared family in the campsite. Set up your Instant Shade 300 Gazebo first to ensure…

STEVEN MORROW Nikon D5000 Nikon 10 – 24 mm lens STEVEN WRITES: I took this photo near Arniston in the Western Cape. It’s actually a combination of three separate photographs, all shot in RAW using a tripod. I combined the photos afterwards on my computer. I used this high-dynamic-range technique (HDR) to make sure that everything in the frame was correctly exposed, from the bright sky between the clouds to the darker shadows in the rock crevices. TOAST SAYS: The RAW file format on your camera holds many benefits. You could think of it as a digital “negative” of your photo. RAW stores the most amount of data, which allows you to do more with your photo on your computer afterwards. The only drawback is that RAW files will fill…

Spanish chicken pot Serves 4Preparation time 10 minutesCooking time 40 minutes This dish is fancy enough for guests. Serve it with couscous, polenta or baked potato wedges. You need Here’s how 1 Preheat the oven to 200° C. Add the onions, tomatoes and half of the chorizo slices to a large, shallow oven dish. Add the paprika, rosemary and olive oil. 2 Carefully stuff the remaining slices of chorizo under the skin of the chicken. Put the chicken pieces on top of the tomatoes. Pour over the wine. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. 3 Bake in the oven for 40 minutes then remove the dish from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. This ensures that the chicken…

HATS & CAPS 1 Wave Kids Swim Hats These stretchy hats made from swimming-costume material are every parent’s best friend. They’re designed to get wet and to stay on in the water. They’re also built to last: My three-year-old daughter barely took hers off when we spent a week in Mauritius, and her baby sister is wearing the same hat as a hand-me-down. They come in blue or pink, and in two styles – a legionnaire-style cap and a wide-brimmed hat. R150 at sportsmanswarehouse. co.za 2 Emthunzini Hats Cindy Every parent will know how difficult it is to find a kids’ hat that fits and that stays on. Not any more: Every Emthunzini hat is clearly sized in centimetres (just wrap a piece of string around…

THE FAR NORTH CLOSEST GATE: PAFURI 1 Pafuri Rivercamp  There’s not much accommodation around the northernmost outskirts of the Kruger. In fact, there’s nothing close to the Punda Maria Gate, so make sure you don’t arrive late otherwise you’ll have to pay the fine (R500). Thankfully there is Pafuri Rivercamp, which has a sandy campsite and safari tents shaded by lovely sycamore figs, jackal-berries, nyala and fever trees along the banks of the Mutale River. Straddling the divide between wilderness conservancy and rural pastureland, you’ll hear cowbells one moment and elephants snorting the next. There’s no electricity – in the evenings your way will be lit by paraffin lamps, enhancing the Bushveld ambience. Things to do: Sip an ice-cold drink beneath the enormous indigenous trees at the lodge’s lapa or,…