Innehållsförteckning för October 2018 från go!

Not too long ago my mate Anthonie and I were hiking through the veld, somewhere on the edge of Verlorenvlei in the Sandveld, about halfway between Piketberg and Elands Bay as the crow flies (more about crows later). We’d escaped the city for a weekend away with friends, to one of those places we enjoy writing about in this magazine: a handful of self-catering cottages built on a hillside in the middle of nowhere with views to the horizon. On this particular day, we’d put on our hiking boots and went on a mission, each armed with a pair of binoculars. We were searching for a bird we’d only heard but not seen. Earlier that morning, as we were dunking our rusks into our coffee, a rapid “klack, klack, klack”…

High five! During the first two weeks of October, you’ll be able to see all five planets that are visible to the naked eye. As far back as ancient times, people noticed that the stars did not move relative to each other, but there were five “wanderers” (the Greek word for planets) that moved along their own paths. Today we know that this path, known as the ecliptic, is also followed by the sun and the moon. Over the last month or so, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars have all been visible at one time or another (see “Night watch” in go! #146); in October you’ll get to see them all. Mercury will appear low on the western horizon around 6 October, when it moves out…

The last (plastic) straw When you throw away a plastic straw, you’re contributing to one of the biggest challenges facing the earth: plastic pollution. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says at the current pollution rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. It’s easy to make a difference: Simply refuse a plastic straw when you’re in a shop or a restaurant and pull out your own reusable straw made by The Bamboo Project. Bamboo is light, durable and strong and can last a long time if you look after it properly. When it’s time to replace your straw, cut up the old one and throw it in your compost bin – it’s biodegradable. The Bamboo Project was launched in January 2018. They reckon they’ve…

Conservationist Richard Peirce has spent most of his life campaigning for all sorts of animals, including sharks, rhinos and most recently, lions. In his book Cuddle Me, Kill Me he exposes the scale of South Africa’s captive lion breeding and hunting industry. What is it about lions? Dangerous predators have always captured the human imagination. Lions are handsome, the king of beasts, and they’re woven into various cultures. I don’t think there’s another creature in the animal kingdom with the same allure as a lion. Your first interest was shark conservation. What made you shift your focus to other wild animals? Sharks were my major interest for many years, but they’ve never been my only interest. When I started as a shark advocate in the early…

How much? R500 per person, plus a once-off park fee of R60 (payable at Hobas). When you make a booking, you have to pay a 20 % deposit within 48 hours. The total has to be paid 30 days before the hike. 021 422 3761; ct.bookings@nwr.com.na When is the trail open? From 1 May to 15 September. Book about a year in advance if you’re in a big group and especially if you want to hike during the school holidays. Try to book during new moon, when the stars will appear brighter. Your group should consist of a minimum of three people and a maximum of 30 people; all the hikers must be 12 years and older. How fit do I need to be? No one will expect…

• Buy fresh bread at The Valley Bakery off the R600. The organic flour is from the farm mill. Have breakfast or lunch at the coffee shop and browse around the art gallery. Open weekdays from 8 am to 5 pm; Saturday until 2 pm; closed on Sunday. 036 468 1257; valleybakery@plantkar.co.za • Common Ground is a cooperative, also off the R600 closer to Winterton. Have a cup of coffee at Ady’s (owned by Ady Walters, local food guru 082 613 3139; adywalters@gmail.com), buy preserves at the Pickled Pot and get a second-hand book at Pat’s Book Nook. For lunch, pop into the Black Scabbard, which specialises in Portuguese fare. 078 623 9126 • Waffle Hut & Pizzas is just south of Common Ground, open daily from 8 am to 4.30 pm. 036…

How do I get there? It takes about a day and a half to drive to Kasane from Gauteng – tar all the way! There are also direct flights from Joburg to Kasane if you want to sneak in a quick long weekend. When should I visit? Each season offers its advantages. Winter school holidays are busiest as it’s best for game viewing. (Book far in advance.) High summer is hot, but you often get good accommodation deals as it’s quieter. What can I do? Book a minimum of three nights. Use one day to explore Chobe National Park and another to do a day trip to nearby Vic Falls. (Book an excursion with your lodge – a bus will drive you there and back.) The latest edition of our…

The tour kicks off at Kubu Island on the Makgadikgadi Pans in central Botswana and ends at Kasane/Chobe in the northern parts of the country. Along the way you’ll visit the Zambezi Region in Namibia and see the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls. DATES? 15 – 25 MARCH 2019; 14 – 24 JULY 2019 DURATION? 11 days, 10 nights COST? R15 750 per person (accommodation in tents) THE RATE INCLUDES • A tour leader and a professional photographer • All accommodation • All park fees • Three meals a day • Use of two-way radios WHAT TO BRING • A 4x4 (fuel and border fees are for your own account) • Bedding and towels • A camera • Drinks and snacks • Personal items BUT I’M AN AMATEUR… Whether you have a big D-SLR or a point-and-shoot, these tours…

The R303 is the artery that connects the small towns of the Koue Bokkeveld. From Citrusdal, it winds south through mountain ranges stacked like Lego blocks –Middelberg, Cederberg, Skurweberg – past the towns of Op-die-Berg and Prince Alfred Hamlet and over the Gydo Pass to Ceres. There are mountains everywhere you look, looming over valleys full of citrus groves and over the small towns in their midst. The N7 cuts a straight line to the west of these mountains, but it’s much more fun to take the R303 and drive up, down and around them. Turn off, wind down your windows and get some fresh air. And some perspective, because big views have that effect… I’m in the car with my wife Katherine and our 10-month-old daughter Daisy and we’re…

“I got into bird-watching during my first trip to the Kruger Park in high school with my family. We arrived in Pretoriuskop to find that a veld fire had recently devastated the area. With no mammals in sight, we decided to try and see birds instead. I’ve been hooked ever since. “I work as an IT specialist with a keen focus on the environment and birds. I’ve developed numerous apps and websites relating to birds, like the Rare Bird Alert Southern Africa app (with Trevor Hardaker) and Birds of Mauritius app (with Rockjumper Tours and African Bird Club). “I’ve been fortunate to have travelled widely in Africa. Finding different species of birds is a great way to get yourself into remote wilderness areas that you might not have gone to…

Since I moved from Swakopmund back to the city of my birth, Windhoek, life has only been good to me. I’ve had a cold, sure, and I got lost once while chasing a buy-in-bulk toilet paper deal across town. I lived near the breadline for a week and had to eat mielie pap every day. But whenever trouble pokes out its nasty little head, I give it a whack and rumble on. I haven’t yet had to make a late-night call to a lawyer I don’t have, or take a dodgy cash loan. No crisis, then. On top of all this good fortune, I’ve also met great people and made some new friends. Some of those friends are even allowed to come around, drink coffee, braai and sleep over if…

Why a cookbook? It’s not our first cookbook – that honour goes to Weekend Food , which was published in 2012. We realised that six years had somehow passed and it was high time to publish a second book, again featuring our favourite braai, potjie and side dish recipes. What was the biggest challenge? Choosing 120 recipes from an archive of 800… What sets go! Braai Time apart? I’ve seen a shift in how our readers have been cooking over the past six years. Shops have begun to stock new and exciting ingredients: Mexican and Eastern flavours are trendy at the moment, and spices like smoked paprika, chipotle peppers and sriracha sauce have encouraged people to experiment. Braai recipes remain as popular as…

JOZI FOOD TOURS Get some friends together and explore two suburbs in Johannesburg on a food tour with Gilda Swanepoel from Eenblond Tours. • On the Melville Food, Booze and Stories tour, you’ll enjoy a four-course meal at four different restaurants. Some of the restaurant owners will join you and tell you why they love their bohemian suburb. You’ll also grab a drink at Hell’s Kitchen and have a cocktail at Mootee Bar. • On the Fordsburg Street Food and History walking tour you’ll explore the streets of this Muslim community. You’ll get to taste a variety of street food, meet some residents and sit down for an interesting lunch, while learning about the history of the suburb. How much? R630 per person for the Melville tour (includes coffee, two drinks and…

LAST QUARTER 2 & 31 OCTOBER NEAP TIDE: 2 & 31 OCTOBER HIGH TIDE: 8.17 AM & 9.01 PM (2 OCTOBER); 8.12 AM & 8.55 PM (31 OCTOBER) FIRST QUARTER 16 OCTOBER NEAP TIDE: 17 OCTOBER HIGH TIDE: 9.56 AM & 10.28 PM NEW MOON 9 OCTOBER SPRING TIDE: 9 OCTOBER HIGH TIDE: 3.12 AM & 3.25 PM FULL MOON 24 OCTOBER SPRING TIDE: 25 OCTOBER HIGH TIDE: 3.24 AM & 3.36 PM These are the high tide times for Cape Town. For other places, add or subtract minutes: Saldanha: +5; Hermanus: -4; Port Elizabeth: +19; Durban: +26 Tide information reproduced with permission from the Hydrographer, SA Navy. The Hydrographer is not responsible for any transcription errors. sanho.co.za…

Butterfly’s Bistro, Hogsback The mountain village of Hogsback is magical at any time of the year: Thunderstorms feed forest waterfalls in spring and summer; in autumn, every second tree explodes into fiery reds and oranges; snow falls regularly in winter. Butterfly’s Bistro is just off the main road (R345) near the southern end of the village. Depending on what the weather gods are up to, you can sit outside in dappled shade or inside near the fireplace. Breakfast ranges from a no-nonsense egg-and-bacon roll (R40) to the Full Monty (R80) – eggs, bacon, beef chipolatas, grilled tomato, mushrooms, crispy potato wedges… There are also vegetarian and vegan options (veggie schnitzel, spinach and mushrooms, with or without feta and an egg; from R70). For lunch, you can tuck into a chicken…

Peter Slingsby’s map of the Fish River Canyon is invaluable, especially if no one in your group has done the hike before. Short cuts, landmarks and good overnight spots are indicated, and the distances on the map are more accurate than the markers in the canyon. (The markers are also shown on the map.) On the reverse side, you’ll find the first detailed geological map of this ancient landscape. Cost: R190 at slingsby-maps.myshopify.com . See the website for other distributors.…

• The Olde Duck Coffee Shop in Underberg is also home to Sani Spoors – lots of mountain-bike trails fan out from here. Open Monday from 9 am to 4 pm; Tuesday to Sunday from 8 am to 4 pm. 074 141 3135; the-olde-duck.business.site • Visit Stonehouse Café in Himeville for breakfast or a light lunch. Open daily from 8 am to 3 pm. 033 702 1154 • For a bit of history, pop into The Arms Pub at the Himeville Arms Hotel. The hotel has been in business since 1904. 033 702 1305; premierhotels.co.za…

WHY? We publish a selection of reader pictures every month. Don’t be shy, haul out those shots you’ve been hoarding on your computer and send them to us! We like just about anything: wildlife, landscapes, portraits, holiday snaps or bugs in your garden. HOW? Send your best photos to takeyourpic@gomag.co.za  Don’t send files bigger than 4 MB – if we need a bigger version, we’ll ask for it. Give the name, surname, home town and contact number of the photographer. Also include info about where and how the shot was taken, and what equipment was used. If you manipulated your photo in any way, tell us what you did. THE FINE PRINT We reserve the right to use your photos elsewhere in the magazine, on our digital platforms…

Prawns with feta and tomato Serves 6 Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 20 minutes This light seafood dish would make a great starter. It’s full of flavour and texture. You need • 400 g prawns, thawed and cleaned • 2 tablespoons olive oil • ½ onion, chopped • 1 clove of garlic, chopped • fresh chilli, chopped, to taste • 200 g chopped rosa tomatoes or 1 tin (410 g) chopped tomatoes • salt • ground black pepper • 2 discs of feta • handful of fresh parsley, chopped Here’s how 1 Remove the heads of the prawns – you can leave the shell and tail if you prefer. It’s easiest to buy pre-cleaned prawns for this recipe. 2 Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté the onion, garlic, chilli and tomatoes until the mixture starts to simmer and…

GARDEN ROUTE, BAVIAANS & ADDO NATIONAL PARK Join us for an unforgettable tour through the Knysna Forest, over the mountains into the Baviaanskloof and on to Addo Elephant National Park. WHEN? 6 – 12 February 2019 HOW LONG IS THE TOUR? 7 days, 6 nights COST R14 089 per adult. Single supplement additional 30 %. TRANS-BOTSWANA Discover true African wilderness at these iconic destinations: Makgadikgadi Pans, Okavango Delta, Tsodilo Hills, Zambezi Region, Bwabwata National Park, Mahango Game Reserve, Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park. WHEN? • 5 – 15 May 2019 • 28 June – 8 July 2019 • 6 – 16 August 2019 • 15 – 25 September 2019 HOW LONG IS THE TOUR? 11 days, 10 nights COST R25 650 per adult. Single supplement additional 30 %. WHAT DO I NEED TO…

BUSY BEES Bees work very hard and help to produce about a third of the food we eat. They do this by pollinating flowers when they fly from one plant to the next, collecting nectar. Without bees, the flowers wouldn’t grow into fruit or seeds. HOME OF THE HONEY BEE There are two kinds of bees found in South Africa: the Cape honey bee and the African honey bee. Cape honey bees, however, are busy displacing African honey bees. This is a problem because African honey bees are hardier and more effective pollinators. The bee pictured here is an African honey bee – its lower body is more yellow than that of the Cape honey bee. HELP! Bee populations are shrinking. South African bees are threatened by the destruction of…

Ride from Big Bay to Melkbos In a bid to make the Mother City more friendly to cyclists, the City of Cape Town has built a 6 km-long cycle lane between Big Bay near Bloubergstrand, and Melkbosstrand further up the coast. The lane is about 3 m wide, next to the M14 coastal road, and it’s separated from the traffic by a kerb. Cyclists can use it in both directions. The lane is an extension of the existing cycle route from Cape Town, bringing the total distance to about 40 km. Have coffee in Melkbos or carry some snacks in your jersey pockets and have a picnic in the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve (entrance fee R16 per adult; R9 per child aged 3 – 17). There are some great dirt roads…

I always carry a torch and I use it to explore campsites after dark to see what’s around. On a few occasions recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to locate a marbled tree snake. Snakes elicit extreme reactions from people – you either love them or hate them. The marbled tree snake is one of the most attractive snakes you’ll find in South Africa and completely harmless. I hope it can be an ambassador for these slithery creatures and win people over! It has relatively large eyes with vertical pupils and is part of the family known as“cat-eyed snakes”. Although a marbled tree snake can grow to 85 cm in length, the average size is only around 40 – 60 cm. They are easily overlooked, especially considering how camouflaged they are…

GOOD READ Cat Among the Pigeons by David Muirhead, Struik Nature I couldn’t help but smile when David Muirhead’s new book landed on my desk. His previous book, The Bedside Ark – A riotous assembly of unrespectable creatures (2016), was great fun to read and full of interesting facts. This new book, subtitled Animal myths, musings and matters of fact , features short essays about 38 diverse creatures: the firefly, springhare, leopard, gorilla, coelacanth and many more. As in the previous book, there are wonderful illustrations by Patricia de Villiers. Muirhead wonders why killer whales, despite their name, hardly ever actually kill humans. His answer: “They see us as kindred spirits, or at least as useful idiots.” Concerning the good-looking springbok: “These antelopes…

HOBAS Only 10 km from the trailhead. You can leave your vehicle at the park office for the duration of the hike. Rates: Camping R250 per person (from November 2018); max eight people per stand. Chalets R970 per person sharing (from November 2018); breakfast included. AI-AIS The trail ends here. You can soothe your sore muscles in one of the pools fed by the hot spring. Rates: Camping R210 per person (max eight people per stand); double room from R750 per person sharing (breakfast included); family chalet (sleeps four) R1 000 per night. Contact: 021 422 3761; ct.bookings@nwr.com.na…

• The pizza oven at Tower of Pizza churns out a steady flow of delicious, thin-crust pizzas. No cash – only debit and credit cards are accepted. Open Tuesday to Thursday from noon to 8.30 pm; Friday and Saturday until 9 pm; Sunday from 10 am to 9 pm. 036 438 6480; towerofpizza.co.za • About 3 km before you reach Bergville from the north, there’s a big sign for the popular Bingelela Restaurant – pull in for pasta, lamb curry, grilled kingklip or a rump steak. Open Monday to Saturday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On Sundays the kitchen closes at 3 pm. 036 448 1336; bingelela.co.za…

1 The Braai Tool This invention is the brainchild of Sebastian Bosman, who came up with the idea while studying at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. It’s five braai implements in one: tongs, spatula, knife, fork and bottle opener. The secret is in the patented magnetic hinge. Bring the two rosewood handles together and they connect and align automatically along a groove, becoming a pair of grippy tongs. Pull them apart and they do all the other things mentioned above. Simple, smart and well made. Nice one, Sebastian. R400 at braaitool.com 2 Lumela Afrika Enamel Long Mug When you’re camping, there’s nothing better than tea or coffee from an enamel mug. And this is one fine mug. It’s handmade by a Gauteng-based job-creation project for people from…

FIRST AND SECOND WATERFALL, JONKERSHOEK, STELLENBOSCH People who live in Stellenbosch are pretty lucky. After all, their “backyard” is Jonkershoek Nature Reserve! The residents spend their weekends riding mountain bikes on trails that criss-cross the slopes, hiking deep into the valley and swimming in pools along the Eerste River – before heading back into town for breakfast. The reserve gate is at the end of Jonkershoek Road, which snakes to a dead end past wine farms and campsites. There are several trails for mountain biking and hiking in the reserve. If you’ve got a full day to spare and you’re reasonably fit, do the Panorama (17 km) or Swartboskloof (18 km) hiking trails. For those under time pressure (that would be most of us), the shorter route to First and…