Inside - Holiday special

Holiday special Where to go How to get there What to do there 03 November 2023

School is Out for Teachers: What Educators get up to during the Holidays Teachers have a lot of responsibilities during the school year, so when they get a break from business as usual, they long for the opposite of what their normal workday provides.

Public service officials at schools are required to take at least 22 of the 27 working days annual leave during the period for which a school closes for the holidays.

The remaining 5 days may be taken when the institution is in operation, with the annual leave entitlement should be regarded as the minimum.

In place of the noise, chaos, and warp-speed multitasking, they want quiet and order; and zero responsibilities. Here are some things that teachers do during holidays: Sleep: A teacher’s holiday bedhead is epic, thanks to all the extra shut-eye they log over the break. No waking to an alarm, no rushing through the morning routine, no allowing the clock to dictate their day. Winter break is for sleeping in late and indulging in afternoon naps.

Lower their standards: The beauty of time away from school is time away from beauty. They wear sweatpants, use dry shampoo occasionally, and never brush their hair until school is back in session. Who needs contact lenses for a Netflix binge when they’ve

still got their Coke-bottle glasses from high school? Who needs to shower or get dressed at all before noon on the third day of break? It’s scientific fact that shortening your to-do list alleviates stress. If that means one less shower, hey, who am I to argue with science?

Avoid people: When school is in session, teachers are surrounded by people. They talk to people, help people, and encourage people all day every day. They do what they do because they love people. But when given the opportunity for some alone time, they grab a hold of it and don’t let go. Peace and quiet are rare and valuable and should be seized whenever possible.

Turn off their brains: Teachers run around a lot during the school year. In place of the noise, chaos, and warp-speed multitasking, they want quiet and order—and zero responsibilities. They try to relax and catch their breath from the first part of the school year.

Teaching is a rewarding but all-consuming profession. Teachers love their students, and we love making a difference in their lives. But when holiday break comes around, most teachers just want to step away from the classroom. Our students might have a tough time picturing us binging our favorite shows in our sweatpants, but for us, holiday break is just that: a break.

Flying in South Africa Is it expensive? Is it there? Does it take me to where I want to go?

There is a lot of hype about domestic flights. Let us try to unpack this. I have it from here (Domestic Flights South Africa | Cheapest Flight Specials & Tickets (domesticflights-southafrica.co.za)0 First of all: airlines!

There are not that many (anymore).

The most important ones are SAA, Lift, FlySafair, SA Express, Airlink, Mango, Kulula and British Airways. I think these are all still around, but even that is a good bet.

Where do they fly to? Destinations? Here is the ‘trick’. It is about money! Surprise of course.

If an airline can offer a very cheap rate, the money must be coming from somewhere. That can only from a lot of people wanting to fly to that destination.

Logic then demands that the ‘best’ routes are between major cities where the amount of passengers is high.

With this in mind ww can look at where the Lift, FlySafair, Mango, Kulula are going.

Should we bet? Cape Town, JoBurg, Durban. Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and East London are like not quite Premier League.

Lift is only charging R100-00 for flights between Cape Town, Durban and JoBurg. It does entail they have to fill up all the flights. FlySafair charges some R300-00 for the same route. … and then the surprise: East London and Port Elizabeth are covered, but there the price is suddenly from R500-00 and up to R900-00 and more.

More surprises: a flight from JoBurg to Polokwane is some R1,500-00 (or even more!). a flight from Cape Town to Kimberley is some R1,40000 (or much more).

What does it say? By all means fly to the main destinations if this is where you want to go. The more exotic destinations are covered, but that might not be for holiday people. It could be business travel. And then the company pays .

Are there ‘specials’ available in all of this?

Oh yes, plenty. And that is where it is a good idea to do a bit of research before booking. It is possible to find a good offer.

Good offer may mean time to fly (not like cheap and 3 o’clock in the morning!) but something ‘human’. Frequent flyer points are also something to look at.

Good Flight

Sun city – still there Sun City is just so much more. It not just the gaming and the golf course. (all from their website) Sun City – of course – has got all the hotels and the resort and the holiday club. It is just so relaxing to get away from it all.

The big thing for many is just the feeling of arriving, parking the car and forget about the outside world for a few days.

It is all there – no need to go anywhere.

Is there something new then? Hard to say, but let us look at the more impressive things: There is one I really want to try next time: “Escape rooms are a fun, hour-long adventure game where you and your friends must solve clues in order to escape a ‘locked’ room. As the clock ticks, you’ll be confronted with a series of tasks, puzzles and riddles that must be solved before you can progress and eventually escape.”

Hunted You are all members of the Sun City trainee anti-poaching unit and have found the hideout of an international poaching gang that you have been searching for this last year.”

The Kidnapping The kidnapping begins with you and your fellow captives waking up handcuffed and blindfolded in a strange room. With nothing but collective brainpower, hidden clues and 60 minutes on your side, you have to free yourselves before the kidnapper returns.

Airplane Mystery While on a flight, your plane is hijacked and you lose consciousness as the cabin depressurizes. Later you wake up and realize you’re trapped, handcuffed to your friends, in the hijackers’ headquarters.

Operation Mindfall This will let you indulge that James Bond fantasy as you and your team of covert operatives use your wits and a range of spy gadgets to BREAKOUT and unlock clues hidden around Sun City Resort.

You will be set up with an iPad and action pack. After the safety briefing, you will be given your assignment and the clock begins.

The Magic Portal A magic portal has opened and mystical creatures have broken through. Can you close the portal and save the world from chaos? You have 90 minutes to roam Sun City Resort, find the crystals, close the portal, BREAKOUT and save the world from destruction. Humanity is depending on you.

What more can one do?

Plenty! The things for families are updated. How about: Forest of Lights Discover a magical forest dotted with twinkling lights, hidden pathways and unexpected twists and turns.

Jump Park at Sun Vacation Club The Sun Vacation Club Jump Park is an outdoor family trampoline activity at Sun City.

Sun Movies at Sun City When was the last time you went to see a film at the movies? Sun Movies at Sun City brings the hottest Hollywood blockbusters to the big screen.

Kamp Kwena If you’re looking for a holiday venue that caters for kids, then look no further than Sun City.

Ideal for family vacations, our child-friendly holiday resort is home to Kamp Kwena – a kid’s paradise that offers a wide variety of activities, educational programmes and supervised childcare.

There ‘classics’ are still there: mini-golf, quad bikes, 10-pin bowling and more, the train… and now also a VR experience.

Let me guess: the all-time favourite is still Valley of the Waves. It is classic for New-Year’s of course, but it is really all year round.

It has been upgraded. It is much more than just the ‘waves’. It is really a full water world in its own right. Look at these options: There are two body slides – the Tarantula and the Scorpion, and two tube rides – the Viper and the Mamba.

The lazy river is just such a ‘lazy’ thing. Sliding along and just being ‘lazy. The swaying bridge is just a little bit of adrenalin.

A new one is: The Maze of the Lost City Get ready to venture into the largest permanent maze in the Southern Hemisphere, The Maze of the Lost City, where an enchanting world of wonder and mystery awaits. Crafted with artificial stone and wood, this extraordinary maze creates the illusion of an ancient archaeological discovery, providing an unparalleled experience for all who dare to explore.

Try it – again!

Mpumalanga – Kruger Park No doubt that Mpumalanga is an international tourist destination. It has got it all.

Kruger Park is up there. It is massive and offers everything in wild life adventure.

Wiki says: “Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of 19,623 km2 (7,576 sq mi) in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends 360 km (220 mi) from north to south and 65 km (40 mi) from east to west.”

Let us look at just a few things – this is really wild!

Wilderness Trails A small percentage of South Africa is classified as real wilderness areas.

In the Kruger National Park 49% of the surface area of about 2 million hectares are zoned as wilderness and it is in these areas that the KNP conduct wilderness trails.

peace and a big bonus: no other people!

Staying in a rustic, primitive camp and experiencing the African bush on foot is much closer to an ultimate wilderness type of recreation. That is what we offer the more adventurous tourist – wildness, remoteness, tranquillity,

Being on foot makes you feel part of the environment. It tunes you in to all facets of nature because you can see, smell, hear, touch, feel and even taste wild things. Driving is a visual experience – walking is a sensual experience.

Backpacking Trails The trail stretches over 4 days and three nights. This trail allows its participants to spend three nights in this wilderness area. The trail allows the trail leader to decide when and where to camp and how far and which route to follow.

The activity will be conducted by two experienced Trails Rangers and the maximum number of participants will be kept to eight people per trail with a minimum of 4 people.

Guests are expected to provide their own camping equipment and food for the duration of the trail. There are no overnight huts on this trail. All participants have to bring tents and sleep in them every night while they are walking the trail.

Participants will be responsible for cooking their own food. No rubbish bins or toilets are provided at any of the overnight stops and the trail operates on a strictly “take it in, take it out” basis and strictly adheres to a “no trace camping” ethic. Please only use biodegradable products - soaps and detergents - on the trail.

Cape town – very urban For the ones who prefer an urban setting! The wild stuff is great, but not for all.

The Two Oceans Aquarium is a winner. This is easily a full-day thing to do. It is so much more than just ‘sushi’. Here is from their website: This amazing aquarium is located on the water’s edge on the W&A Waterfront where the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean meet. Water from the sea is pumped into the aquarium exhibits.

The aquarium has large glass windows and see-through tunnels where you can feel as if you are inside the tanks with the fish. There are seven sections each dedicated to a particular aspect of marine life. There is the Predator Exhibit where ragged-tooth sharks and other scary creatures can be seen through an 11 meter wide and 4 meter high acrylic panel.

The Ocean Basket Kelp Forest Exhibit is an underwater forest of kelp plants with fish, sea urchins and lobsters swimming between the “trees.”

The forest has sea bamboo, split fan kelp and bladder kelp.

In the Penguin Exhibit there are African penguins, rockhopper penguins and African black oystercatchers. Visitors can sit in a bird hide above the rockhopper rookery to watch the penguin environment.

There is also an Indian Ocean Gallery, an Atlantic Ocean Gallery, Microscope Exhibits and a Smart Living Challenge Zone where visitors can think about their impact on the environment, energy, biodiversity and waste.

The aquarium offers a number of special experiences like educational puppet shows, arts and crafts activities with a marine theme and the AfriSam Children’s Play Center for young kids.

There are feeding times for visitors to watch, shark talks, a café, penguin encounters, a touch pool and a chance to dive with sharks. In addition there are 90 minute catamaran rides in Table Bay guided by the aquarium staff.

Diving with sharks? Yes – it says so; The Two Oceans Aquarium Dive School offers three different, unique, all-weather scuba diving.

Choose from: • Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Exhibit: Dive with ragged-tooth sharks, no cage required.

• I&J Ocean Exhibit: Dive with stingrays and more in our temperate open ocean exhibit.

• Kelp Forest Exhibit: Dive among the fronds of giant sea bamboo, discovering ocean wonders in this pristine environment.

Enjoy something unique

Look out for the next supplement: 15 December 2023 SHOPPING FOR FESTIVE