Information for lecturers of the I-CAMP 2014 in Stellenbosch, South Africa! Please address queries concerning issues specific to Stellenbosch to: [email protected] (Kristian Müller-Nedebock) or physoffi[email protected] (Mrs Colleen April) mentioning I-CAMP in the subject.! Dear I-CAMP Lecturers, Thank you so much again for accepting the invitation to lecture at I-CAMP in Stellenbosch. We shall be honoured in welcoming you here. Below I include some general information about arrangements about which some of you have already asked, or that we expect some of you might want to know and other information that is quite obvious. Please feel free to send us your questions or requests at any time. Regards Kristian Accommodation! We are aware that some of you have booked at local Bed & Breakfast establishments, most of which are adjacent to the main Campus of Stellenbosch University. We are including a map of central Stellenbosch, and lodgings such as Bonne Esperance, Caledon Villa, Fynbos, are located on or near Van Riebeeck Street (middle right of map). Students will be staying at University dormitory accommodation at the corner of Victoria and Bosman Streets, Stellenbosch, 7600 (see, building 104 on included map). Mrs April can advise on local hotels and bed-and-breakfast establishments if necessary. [Another accommodation option: We recently have been able to temporarily hold (until 19 May only) a two-bedroom University self-catering flat at attractive rates. In principle this would mean sharing with someone - but do let us know if you would be interested.] Lecture Venue! The school itself will take place within easy walking distance of most accommodation. It will be held in the Merensky Building for Physics (“Merensky-gebou vir Fisika”, building 66 on the included map). The lecture hall (Lecture Hall Delta) is reached by entering the building at the main entrance and turning left, then walking down to the end of the passage. Visa letters! Many citizens of European countries and from North America can travel to conferences in South Africa and be granted a visa on entry to South Africa. Please determine whether you require a visa or not from your local South African consulate. Should you require a visa letter please write to us as a matter or urgency. Airport transportation! We shall organise transportation between Cape Town International Airport and you accommodation in Stellenbosch. If you wish, send your flight details and the hotel to which you need to be taken to Mrs Colleen April physoffi[email protected] before or on 28 May 2014, if you have not done so already. Given the fact that public transportation between Stellenbosch and Cape Town International Airport is non-existent, we recommend that you make use of this offer if it fits your travel plans. We shall confirm the arrangements to all attendees before the school. Please let Mrs April know if you have not received such a confirmation by 6 June 2014. Many other transportation options are usually expensive. Depending on circumstances, i.e. the number of persons travelling together, the cost of a single trip between the airport and Stellenbosch is around 35-40 Euro, and can be paid to the driver. Arriving at Cape Town International Airport and travelling to Stellenbosch luckily does not take very long. Of course you can also make your own transport arrangements. Car hire from all the usual companies is available at the Airport and in Stellenbosch. We have used the Stellenbosch-based Bettina Shuttle (http://www.bettinashuttle.co.za) and Magic Transfers (http://www.magicbus.co.za) for airport transportation and found them to be reliable. Nearby facilities ! Opposite the Physics Building is the University Centre (called “Neelsie”, building 5 on the map) which has a variety of shops and food outlets, mobile telephony outlets, a post office, banking facilities and a laundry service. The town centre (Plein, Kerk and Andringa Streets on the map) is comfortably reached on foot with varied and inexpensive options for food, etc. Banking! Major credit cards are accepted in most shops and restaurants. There is a very large number of ATMs throughout the town and in the student centre opposite the Physics Department. Foreign exchange is available in the main branches of banks within walking distance of the campus. (It is easy, though, to draw South African currency at ATMs with many bank cards, such as Maestro/Visa Electron.) Rough conversion rates (daily rates on xe.com) 10.50 Rands = 1 US$ 14.50 Rands = 1 Euro Expenses! Average meal prices: student centre R50, cafés and bistros R100, haute cuisine: no upper limit (there is quite a lot of all of these, and really nice “haute” around). The School itself will not provide meals. Getting around and public transport! Public transportation is not as well developed or safe as in Europe. (This is also why we recommend that you make use of the airport travel we are organising.) In Stellenbosch it is easy to get around on foot. The included map includes the so-called “Green Route” (dashed green line on map) which is patrolled by Campus Security in the evenings. Please ask local participants at the school where to go and where not to go. As everywhere, one has to be street-wise. Tourist attractions (such as Cape Point, Table Mountain) are best visited by booking through a tour operator or if you hire a car. Do not travel alone. Electronic communications! The country code for South African telephone numbers is 27. Internet access will be provided for I-CAMP attendees in certain regions of the Physics Building. If your University is a member of Eduroam you can log onto the local WiFi using your home institution’s Eduroam credentials. SIM cards for LTE and 3G mobile phone and data networks are available throughout the town. Medical questions! There have been some questions on immunisations and malaria prophylaxis. Most parts of South Africa are malaria free, including Cape Town. Malaria prophylaxis might only be needed if you wish to visit the regions in the far North and East of the country. Yellow fever vaccinations are not necessary when travelling to South Africa from Europe or the USA. However, if you are travelling to South Africa from or to many other African countries this might be required by South African authorities. In any case it makes sense to enquire at your nearest South African consulate. In and around Stellenbosch! Stellenbosch has a large number of art galleries and other cultural events. The town in part of a very old wine-growing region. Excursions to wine farms with related tastings are a popular visitor activity and an ideal way to view the surroundings. African wildlife? ! There are beautiful walks and also strenuous hikes in the mountains around Stellenbosch. Safari type excursions are large distances away. For those who wish to see the “big five” you would need to rent a car or take a tour that many local operators offer and expect to travel very far. Weather! June is winter in South Africa, but this is generally mild. There might be snow on the mountains, but temperatures in town are not that cold: typical minimum 5ºC to typical maximum 15ºC. There will almost certainly also be very pleasant sunny and warm days. But do bring rain-proof clothing and warm clothes. Buildings are usually not centrally heated. Other contact information! Local organiser: !!!Kristian Müller-Nedebock ([email protected])! Administrators:!!!Mrs Colleen April (physoffi[email protected])! !!!!!Mrs Heleen Randall ([email protected])! Department of Physics! Stellenbosch University! Merriman Ave! Stellenbosch ! 7600! Office hours telephone: !!+27-21-8083391! Campus Security:!!!+27-21-8082333! Kristian M-N’s mobile: +27-82-3310318