TRAVEL WITH CHRIS BROWN

SOUTH AFRICA – ROAD TRIP

Chris and Miguel have taken on the fierce animals of , but this week they’re heading to the city to see what is on offer. Together, with our lucky competition winner Shennae, they embark on a road trip around Cape Town. The city proves to be quite a challenge when bad weather forces popular attractions to stop running but Chris saves the day by taking them to what the locals refer to as the ‘Church of Meat’. Mizoli’s is a butcher shop/BBQ/dance party in one of the city’s oldest townships. It’s a feast for all of the senses and just the start of the food-- fuelled road trip to the , where our team takes in the spectacular scenery and meet some very cute locals.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa is one of the most diverse and enchanting countries in the world, blessed with spectacular scenery and natural landscapes - soaring mountain peaks, dense and ancient forests, miles of unspoiled coastline, rolling flower fields and crystal-clear rivers. Its wildlife encounters stretch from diving with Great White Sharks to going on a safari to see the Big Five, to seeing the penguins waddling on the Cape.

Then there’s the deserted Kalahari, iconic and , Kruger National Park’s wildlife-stalked savannah, running through the east of the country and into Lesotho, the Drakensberg. KwaZulu-Natal’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park alone has five distinct ecosystems, attracting both zebras and dolphins.

Positioned at the southern end of the African continent, the country also offers the world’s finest, award-winning safari lodges, five star resorts and spa-safaris. South Africa is a source of world-class wine and cuisine, from traditional comfort food to Michelin-star dining; a hearty Shebeen buffet or a gourmet banquet beneath a star-strewn African sky.

South African people are some of the most upbeat, welcoming and humorous folk you’ll encounter anywhere, from farmers in the rural north who tell you to drive safely on those dirt roads, to kids who wish you molo (‘good morning’ in Xhosa)

Cape Town, also known as the Mother City, is the most affordable destination across the globe for Australian travellers, as announced earlier this year in TripAdvisor’s TripIndex Room Service 2013.

SAA flies daily direct from Sydney and Perth to Johannesburg. The flight duration is approximately 11 hours (from Perth) to 14 hours (from Sydney).

For bookings please contact South African Airways:

• Phone: 1300 435 972 • Website: www.flysaa.com.au

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-africa

CAPE TOWN

“Good-looking, fun-loving, sporty and sociable.” If Cape Town was in the dating game that's how her profile would read. And - for once - it's all true. The Mother City of South Africa occupies one of the world's most stunning locations, with an iconic mountain slap-bang in her centre.

Long before the Dutch took a fancy to the in the 17th century, the land was home to the Khoisan people who valued the spiritual power of the mountains and their life-providing water. While the European immigrants, and the slaves they brought here, have all shaped the physical environment of South Africa's third-largest city, Table Mountain - now protected within a national park that covers some 75% of the peninsula - remains at Cape Town's heart. This ever present backdrop is the city's adventure playground, as well as a source of legend and continuing spiritual nourishment. Under the Khoisan name of Hoerikwaggo - meaning 'Mountain in the Sea' - the national park is promoting a new series of trails that will allow visitors, for the first time, to sleep on the mountain top while hiking a world-class trail from Cape Point to the .

The capital of province and the parliamentary capital of the republic, Cape Town works in a way that so few cities on the African continent do. Historic buildings have been saved, businesses are booming, inner-city crime is coming under control and you'll seldom be stuck for a parking space. Factor back in those stunning mountains, magnificent surf beaches and outstanding vineyards and you'll soon discover - like many before you - that it's easy to lose track of time while exploring all the wonders of this unique Southern African city. – The Lonely Planet

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-africa/cape-town#ixzz2XMri7cBI

MZOLI’S PLACE

Mzoli’s Place, situated just outside Cape Town in the township of , is known for its vibrant parties, diverse patronage and, its signature meat.

Kwa-Mzoli, as locals call it, is the ideal place to introduce oneself to township culture, the friendly people, big personalities, street fashion and the partying that never stops.

Incorrectly referred to as a shebeen because alcohol is also consumed there, Mzoli’s Place started as a butchery with a shisa nyama (a local term used to describe an informal barbecue at a butchery), but has expanded to include live entertainment, music and a bar. If you are on the lookout for the latest and hottest South African acts, then Mzoli’s Place is your destination. Well-known DJs and bands regularly play there and it is the after-party venue for many of the cultural happenings in Cape Town.

The highlight of Mzoli’s Place, however, is the meat, which is braaied (barbecued) on the premises with its signature secret mix of herbs and spices. Patrons need to bring their own beverages, crockery and cutlery. Mzoli’s provides the meat and the excellent party atmosphere and you bring the rest.

http://www.capetown.travel/attractions/entry/mzolis_place

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Visit Mzoli’s Meat on

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mzolis-Meat-Gugulethu-Cape-Tow n/280620193730

Address: NY 115, Shop 3 Gugulethu Cape Town 7751

Bookings for large groups are essential. Contact Mzoli’s Place on +27 (0)21 638 1355.

Sundays are usually the best days to go, as the music is live and the locals happy. Get there early as the queues usually wind around the block and parking is limited – or book a shuttle from your accommodation

GUMBOOT DANCING

Gumboot Dancing begun in the dank and dark gold mine tunnels of South Africa more than a century ago, gumboot dancing has come full circle. Initially a codified tap used by black miners deprived of conversation, gumboot dancing today is one of the most characteristically of South African dance expressions.

The violently oppressed and historic mine worker’s strike of 1946 that led to the formation of the African Mine Workers’ Union, a precursor to South Africa’s powerful labour movement, was first mooted through the secret, codified tapping of miners wearing gumboots.

In South Africa, gumboot dancing has a seductive magnetism synonymous with the country’s mining culture, but few people know of the hidden meaning and history of this infectious dance tradition. Started in the gold mines in the last decades of the 19th century, gumboot dancing in South Africa stems from a code that mine workers devised because of the repressive ban on talking enforced by mine bosses. Kitted out with Wellington boots to fight skin diseases from fetid water flooding the mine tunnels, the 'muzzled' miners found that they could communicate with one another through coded slaps on their boots and bare chests.

Today, South African gumboot dancing is one of the most singular unique dance expressions from. Gumboot dancing troupes are a fairly common sight, with places such as the V & A waterfront playing host to a number of different groups. Most festivals have at least one group performing, and gumboot dancing buskers have become regulars at tourist hotspots.

http://www.southafrica.net/trade/en/articles/entry/article-southafrica.net-gumboot- dancing#.UguYCjlpvJw

OLD BISCUIT MILL MARKET

Saturday’s Neighbourgoods market at The Old Biscuit Mill: The Neighbourgoods Market that started it all is packed every Saturday. By mid-morning the covered market on the grounds of the Old Biscuit Mill is swarming with people flocking to more than 120 vendors for local and organic produce, artisanal cheese and bread, craft beers and gourmet foods, including more than 20 different kinds of pesto. After grocery shopping, many sit down at one of the long communal tables and relax with a snack or a glass of wine or beer.

The converted biscuit factory is home to a fantastic collection of arts, craft, fashion and design shops. Apart from the pottery stores Clementina Ceramics and Imiso Ceramics, particular favourites include Love Africa, for colourful locally designed jewellery and fashion; a branch of the craft store Heartworks; ArtLab, the rustic emporium Karoo Moon Country Store; Julestones for hand-crafted resin products; and the fantastic Mü & Me, the design studio and shop cute graphic art for cards, wrapping paper, stationery and kids T-shirts.

http://www.theoldbiscuitmill.co.za/

Biltong

The word "biltong" is from the Dutch "bil" (rump) and "tong" (strip or tongue).

Biltong as we know this delicacy today, is a rich inheritance from pioneering South African forefathers who sun dried meat during their trek across the African Subcontinent. The basic spicing is a dramatic blend of vinegar, salt, sugar, coriander and other spices. These were in abundance in the then Cape Colony, as the French Huguenots produced wine and vinegar from their grape crops and the colony was the halfway stop for seafarers plying the spice routes of the East.

The Dutch settlers who arrived in South Africa in the 17th century brought recipes for dried meat from Europe. The need for preservation in the new colony was pressing. Building up herds of livestock took a long time. There was native game about but it could take hunters days to track and kill a large animal such as an eland and they were then faced with the problem of preserving a large mass of meat in a short time in a hot climate during a period of history before iceboxes had been invented. Desiccation solved the problem. Biltong as we understand it today evolved from the dried meat carried by the wagon-travelling Voortrekkers, who needed stocks of durable food as they migrated from the Cape Colony (Cape Town) north-eastward (away from British rule) into the interior of Southern Africa during the Great Trek. The raw meat was preserved from decay and insects within a day or two, and within a fortnight, would be black and rock-hard after it had fully cured.

http://www.4biltong.com/historyofbiltong.asp

PENGUINS AT

Boulders Penguin Colony is home to a growing colony of the vulnerable . Wooden walkways allow visitors to view the penguins in their natural habitat and there is also a new information centre.

There are few places in the world where you can get this close to a breeding colony of penguins, swim close to them in the sea and enjoy their private sandy beach.

Boulders Beach is situated near Simon’s Town in between and Cape Point. It’s about 2km from the Simon’s Town train station, which is the last stop on the scenic Southern Line railway route.

The Boulders colony was set up in 1983 and is one of very few mainland penguin colonies.

These fast-swimming, deep-diving, braying birds have thrived in their protected home. Their nesting season is from February to August – they nest in simple burrows in the sand or under plants – and the birds moult in November and December.

The park is also home to other birds and small mammals, and you may see whales, seals, sharks and dolphins in the bay.

A good way to see the 3 000 African penguins (Sphenisus demersus) is from the wooden boardwalk at Foxy Beach, accessible via the information centre on Kleintuin Road.

These flightless birds roam freely around the area, so you can get close to them, but please don’t disturb them. They can bite – a warning sign is when they move their heads from side to side.

http://www.capetown.travel/attractions/entry/Boulders_penguin_colony

CHAPMAN’S PEAK DRIVE

“Best to do this as a passenger or you’ll be so distracted you'll plunge off the road.”—Gemma Pitcher, coordinating author, Lonely Planet Africa. Cut into the mountain wall and hugging near vertical cliffs between and Noordhoek, this extraordinary stretch of coastal road provides one of the most thrilling drives in South Africa.

Chapman’s Peak Drive winds it way between Noordhoek and Hout Bay on the Atlantic Coast on the south-western tip of South Africa. Chapman’s Peak Drive is one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world. The 9km route, with its 114 curves, skirts the rocky coastline of Chapman’s Peak (593m), which is the southerly extension of and is a great hike if you’re feeling energetic.

Chapman’s Peak Drive is affectionately known as “Chappies” and is a must for anyone who is passionate about the majestic Cape Town scenery, with sheer drops to the sea below and towering mountains rising above you. The twists and curves in the road seem endless and it is a photographers dream. It is a paradise for motorists, sightseers, picnickers, runners, hikers and bikers (both the motorised and the manual varieties).The drive offers stunning 180° views.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com.au/travel/city-guides/cape-town-must-dos/

http://www.chapmanspeakdrive.co.za/

CAPE POINT

• At the tip of the Cape Peninsula 60 km south-

west of Cape Town, lies Cape Point, a nature reserve within the Table Mountain National Park; a declared Natural World Heritage Site. • Encompassing 7, 750 hectares of rich and varied flora and fauna; abounding with buck, baboons and Cape Mountain Zebra as well as over 250 species of birds, Cape Point is a nature enthusiast paradise. • Named the ‘Cape of Storms’ by Bartolomeu Dias in 1488; the ‘Point’ was treated with respect by sailors for centuries. By day, it was a navigational landmark and by night, and in fog, it was a menace beset by violent storms and dangerous rocks that over the centuries littered shipwrecks around the coastline. • In 1859 the first lighthouse was completed; it still stands at 249 metres above sea-level on the highest section of the peak and is now used as the centralised monitoring point for all the lighthouses on the coast of South Africa.

http://www.capepoint.co.za/about.htm

WEBLINKS

http://www.flysaa.com/au/en/home.action http://www.capetown.travel/attractions/entry/mzolis_place http://www.theoldbiscuitmill.co.za/