The Intrepid Explorer - 3rd Quarter 2016

www.intrepidexplorer.co.za • 3rd Quarter Edition 2016 R29.90 Incl. VAT

WIN

OVER LAND AND SEA

Two incredible getaways worth a total

Mike Horn’s epic circumnavigation attempt

R41 000

GOING UNDERGROUND Inside Oman’s subterranean caverns

WILD SHOTS

ALSO FEATURING

AJ Calitz, Tim Leatherman and Chris “Len Cooper” Beasley

7 of the world’s top nature photos

BON VOYAGE 20 countries in 500 days

mars or bust

Adriana Marais aims for a one-way ticket to the Red Planet

This magazine is

The official Cape Union Mart magazine

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› NOW THIS IS THE LIFE – Hanging out on Thanda Private Island › WONDERFUL LAND OF OZ – Island-hopping Down Under › BACK IN THE SADDLE – Grant Lottering does the Im’Possible › BLACKS DO CARAVAN – Fikile Hlatshwayo shows us how it’s done › LIFE THROUGH THE LENS – Underwater magic by Fiona Ayerst

CONTENTS 10-11 06 FOREWORD

Andre Labuschaigne, Cape Union Mart CEO

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EDITOR’S NOTE

There’s adventure in all of us

COMPETITIONs Up for grabs is a safari adventure at Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve, worth R14 000, and an amazing getaway to Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, worth R27 000!

MARS OR BUST Adriana Marais has her eyes set on a one-way trip to the Red Planet

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24 ADVENTURES IN OZ Sky, sand, water—Graham Howe goes island-hopping Down Under

26 OVER LAND AND SEA Legendary explorer Mike Horn is getting himself—and his boat— ready for his Pole2Pole 360º circumnavigation of the Earth

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BON VOYAGE!

Sarah Duff completed a transformational global adventure through 20 countries in 500 days

36 GOING UNDERGROUND Matthew Holt drops into the 7th Hole, a 50-million-year-old labyrinth of subterranean caverns in Oman

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PUSH TO THE LIMIT

AJ Calitz attempts the fastest known time on the daunting Fish River Canyon trail

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ISLAND IN THE SUN

Thanda means ‘love’ in Zulu, and Robbie Stammers finds out exactly how apt that title is for this heavenly private resort off the coast of Tanzania

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3 RD Q UART ER EDIT IO N 2016

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THE RIDE OF HIS LIFE After narrowly escaping death in 2013, Grant Lottering is back in the saddle doing the Im’Possible

56 EDUCATE, INSPIRE, CONSERVE

THE TOOL OF HIS TRADE

Once again, some of the world’s top nature photographers will gather for Wild Shots, Africa’s premier annual wildlife photography conference

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Robbie Stammers chats with the inventor of the Leatherman during his recent trip to South Africa

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66 BLACKS DO CARAVAN Fikile Hlatshwayo and her family travelled to more than 25 caravan parks, covering over 10 000km through all nine provinces

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ON THE WILD SIDE

News from the outdoors

88 CHECKed OUT Our editor shares a favourite travel destination that should not be missed

90 HIT THE ROAD, JACK The Big 5—catch a sighting of the latest motor vehicles

94 CAPE UNION MART STORE LISTINGS SPRING INTO ACTION! It’s time to hit the trails in all four corners of our beautiful country. Nick Dall has your gear and garb covered

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LIFE THROUGH THE LENS In this edition, we showcase some of Fiona Ayerst’s magical underwater photography

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THE LAST LAUGH

Graham Howe goes gator spotting in the bayous on the Gulf of Mexico

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THE LAST WORD

We go behind the scenes with TV star and director, Chris “Len Cooper” Beasley

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FO R E WO RD

Dear Cape Union Mart

explorers

W

hat a year it has been—and a very good one at that!

It’s hard to believe we are entering the final quarter of the calendar year. Spring has sprung, summer is upon us, and at last we can get into the outdoors again! This is also a time for making plans for year-end travels and adventures. We appreciate the special relationship we have with The Intrepid Explorer, a master at telling beautiful stories about our country and its explorers. This edition is no different, and we hope you draw some inspiration for your own undertakings this summer.

In the meantime, we are working hard on preparing for the festive season and ensuring our stores are stocked to the brim with gifts and gadgets for the whole family. Get all the shopping out of the way so that you have more time for adventuring. We’ll make it easy for you!

This time last year, I expressed my excitement about opening our new men’s footwear and accessories chain, Tread+Miller, and the general growth of our business. Tread+Miller is now 19 stores strong in just one year; we have been overwhelmed by the positive response from customers. Furthermore, we have since expanded our total footprint from 180 stores across all our chains in 2015 to 214 stores at the end of 2016! As a proudly South African family-owned business with a vision to improve the lives of our customers and our staff, we are thrilled about the number of jobs we have been able to create while growing our company. We are also grateful to our loyal customers who help us achieve our vision—thank you to you all.

Please get in touch with us, in-store or online. We’re open to your feedback and ideas—however great or small. We’d love to hear from you and learn from you.

I wish you energy and drive as you prepare for whatever life offers you to explore!

Yours in adventure,

Andre Labuschaigne Chief Executive Officer Cape Union Mart

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E D ITO R ’ S N O TE

THERE’S

ADVENTURE IN ALL OF US

T

he etymology of the word “adventure” is quite interesting: In the 11th century—based on the Latin adventurus and the Old French aventure—it referred to the fate of individuals; that which would befall them.

In an age when individual fates were allegedly subject to the whims of gods or the beautiful mechanism of the cosmos, existence appeared to have no surprises in store, no extraordinary encounters; there were no challenges to take up or feats to accomplish for anyone aware of the supreme powers ruling capriciously over the world. Adventures were only achieved by the exceptional few on exceptional occasions, after extreme self-discipline and rigorous preparation—with limited chance of success and at great risk.

In today’s modern world, the word “adventure” has changed meaning completely. Adventures signify living life to the fullest and challenging oneself; it’s for those willing to take risks or to try out new methods, ideas or experiences. My son wants to travel up Africa by motorbike next year following his matriculation, and my accountant recently skydived out of a perfectly good plane for her 30th birthday.

I’ve learnt that what once might have been a subculture is quickly becoming mainstream. Adventure tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global tourism industry, drawing young and old to activities that were once reserved for hard-core outdoorsmen and rabid competitors. Today, everyone from pre-teens to grandparents are more frequently opting for activities like rock climbing, kitesurfing and kayaking in their free time, driving demand for businesses to provide them with those types of services. A growing number of people are also eager to test their physical limits in a variety of ways, prompting organisations

to host cycling races, triathlons and adventure races to feed the need for an organised adrenaline rush.

In the words of American author Tony Robbins, “What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.”

No adventure, no intentional projection beyond the immediate limits of space and time, is possible without the willpower to confront what appears difficult, unfeasible, impossible. It’s a drive that reveals a sense of urgency more than arrogance. The impossible is no longer impossible—in fact, it’s relished by many and is always ultimately possible.

We are proud to feature these types of Intrepid Explorers in the pages of our magazine, and this edition is no different. From Adriana Marais planning her trip to Mars, and Mike Horn once again traversing the globe, to everyday people like Sarah Duff travelling around the world and Fikile Hlatshwayo covering 25 000km by caravan with her family. They have all embraced the spirit of adventure.

So go do the same. Get out there and find your adventure!

Robbie Stammers Publishing Editor

PS: Don’t forget to like us on Facebook to get access to loads of fresh content, and download the full digital version of this edition with many extras FOR FREE via Google Play and Apple’s App Store.

Congratulations to the winners of our last edition’s competitions!

Betsy Wall from Kempton Park wins the two-night stay for two at Bushmanskloof in the Cederberg, worth R22 620!

Linda van der Lingen from Linden wins a copy each of Alone: The Search for Brett Archibald by Brett Archibald and Trail Blazer by Ryan Sandes!

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Explorer The Intrepid

C O N T RIBUTORS

Live the life of Adventure

Publishing Editor ROBBIE STAMMERS robbie@intrepidexplorer.co.za Art Director STACEY STORBECK NEL stacey@insightspublishing.co.za Chief Sub-Editor TANIA GRIFFIN tania@insightspublishing.co.za Head of Advertising Sales KEITH HILL keith@intrepidexplorer.co.za Advertising Manager KYLE VILLET kyle@intrepidexplorer.co.za Advertising Sales Executive PETER SAVAGE-REID Office Manager SUSAN BALL susan@insightspublishing.co.za Financial Manager SARAH BULUMA sarah@intrepidexplorer.co.za Social Media Platforms TACITA MCEVOY from SocialMediaNow tacita@socialmedianow.com Editorial Contributors Miriam Mannak, Pieter Oosthuizen, Graham Howe, Sarah Duff, Matthew Holt, AJ Calitz, Eugene Yiga, Fikile Hlatshwayo, Nick Dall, Chris Beasley Photography Cover: Richard Hughes Adriana Marais, AJ Calitz, Adobe Stock, Graham Howe, Cape Union Mart, Richard Hughes, Fikile Hlatshwayo, Matthew Holt, Fiona McIntosh, Tim Leatherman, Sarah Duff Cape Union Mart www.capeunionmart.co.za Marketing Manager: Odile Hufkie Printer RSA Litho Distribution Cape Union Mart stores On The Dot Distribution Media Support Services

› Pieter Oosthuizen is a freelance journalist who metamorphosed from newspaper man into magazine travel writer. The first time he saw adventurer Mike Horn on TV in the early ‘90s, his life changed. He eventually began going solo, albeit on a much smaller scale, into remote wilderness areas and came to treasure the solitude and being outside his comfort zone.

Navigating by the light of a full moon is a particular passion.

› Matthew Holt is a self-confessed list-ticker.

He’s climbed the seven continental summits, skied the last degree to both Poles and, so far, climbed more than 30 of the world’s 50 most prominent peaks. He’s also chanced his luck at bog snorkelling, cheese rolling, wife carrying and bull running. A freelance writer based in Cape Town, Matthew is the author of two books: The Miles High Club and Life’s Rich Tapestry.

› Fikile Hlatshwayo gave up her high heels for camping takkies, and life has never been so fantastic! She is extremely adventurous and a keen explorer who pushes beyond boundaries. She strongly believes that nature heals and travelling does broaden one’s mind. “Through travelling, social cohesion in South Africa will happen naturally; there’s no need to force it.”

› Miriam Mannak is a journalist and photographer​ based in Cape Town. She ​ covers a range of​topics including travel and tourism in southern Africa and related issues such as the environment and sustainable social development.

› Sarah Duff is a freelance travel writer and photographer from Cape Town, whose assignments have included tracking mountain gorillas in Rwanda, trekking across glaciers in Patagonia, surfing the waves of Costa Rica, driving across Malawi in a MINI, diving in Iceland, learning how to meditate in Japan, 4x4ing through the world’s largest salt flat in Bolivia, hot-air ballooning over the Namib Desert, and road tripping across the US. She’s just finished a 500-day trip around (some of ) the world, and is planning her next long journey.

PUBLISHED BY

› Nick Dall is a freelance writer who has lived and fished all over the world— postings include Italy, Argentina, Bolivia and Vietnam, but he’s back in Cape Town rediscovering the trout streams and dams of his youth. Nick’s young daughter and his mortgage also suggest he’s finally settled down.

Managing Director: Robbie Stammers Physical address: 174A Main Road, Claremont, 7700, Cape Town Postal address: PO Box 23692, Claremont, 7735 Telephone: +27 (0) 21 683 0005 Websites: www.intrepidexplorer.co.za www.insightspublishing.co.za No article or any part of any article may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the publisher. The information provided and opinions expressed in this publication are provided in good faith, but do not necessarily represent the opinions of Cape Union Mart (PTY) Ltd, Insights Publishing or the editor. Neither this magazine, the publisher or Cape Union Mart can be held legally liable in any way for damages of any kind whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from any facts or information provided or omitted in these pages, or from any statements made or withheld by this publication.

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› Andre “AJ” Calitz is a trail runner who has made his mark on the South African scene, setting course records at almost every race. He came to trail running in 2011 with a strong pedigree and has been a multiple All-Africa Triathlon Champion, South African Duathlon and Triathlon Champion and South African Cycling Champion. He also holds silver medals for Two Oceans and Comrades finishes. As of 2013, AJ became a full-time athlete. › After studying financial accounting and classical piano, Eugene Yiga made the rational switch to a career in branding, communications and market research. But writing was always his calling, which is why he quit his cosy job, freelanced until he was broke, and now works as a lifestyle and entertainment journalist for the online and print publications that respond to his emails.

› Graham Howe is one of South Africa’s most experienced lifestyle journalists; he has contributed hundreds of food, wine and travel features to South African and British publications for more than 25 years.

When not exploring the Cape Winelands, this adventurous globetrotter reports on exotic destinations around the world as a travel correspondent, and for the weekly travel show on SAfm.

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win big C OMPE T IT I O N

with The Intrepid Explorer and wilderness safaris

One lucky reader can win a threenight safari getaway for 2 to Davison’s Camp in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, worth R27 000!

W

ilderness Safaris is Africa’s leading authentic and sustainable ecotourism company operating in eight countries. It is inspired by the wild and untamed nature of Zimbabwe and Zambia, and its luxury eco-camps are located in some of the most spectacular wilderness and wildlife areas of these two countries.

Zimbabwe has an incredible wealth of landscapes, wildlife and a rich cultural heritage going back millennia. Zambia is a vast country, largely unexplored but truly rewarding as a wilderness destination.

The goal of Wilderness Safaris is to share these wild areas with guests, while also helping to ensure the future protection of Africa’s spectacular biodiversity and sharing the benefits with local communities.

Davison’s Camp, located on a private concession in Hwange National Park, showcases some of the best game viewing in the Hwange area of Zimbabwe,

in a diverse mix of habitats that support large numbers of desert-adapted and woodland species. The result is large numbers of herbivores and predators all-year round.

Set under a shady grove of ancient false mopane trees, Davison’s Camp overlooks grassy plains, and the waterhole in front of camp is a magnet for wildlife.

A visit to Victoria Falls is truly a bucket-list experience. The safari-style sanctuary of Toka Leya Camp, situated in Zambia’s Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, overlooks the mighty Zambezi River and some of its islands.

With luxurious outdoor baths, a wellness centre complete with yoga/ meditation deck, and your private veranda overlooking the river, there is ample space to relax. You can also enjoy some of the adventures on offer in the area, from white rhino tracking to bungee jumping.

Accommodation at Davison’s Camp or Toka Leya Camp is available from R3 000 per person per night sharing, including all meals, local drinks and lodge activities. Special rates are available for African residents only.

Email safari@wilderness.co.za to book, or visit www.wilderness-residents.co.za for details on our membership programme.

To enter, email the answer to the question below, along with your name and contact details, to susan@insightspublishing.co.za by 5 November 2016. The winner will be notified by telephone or email.

Question: In which national park is Davison’s Camp situated?

Terms & conditions • The prize is not transferable and cannot be converted to cash.

• The prize includes accommodation on a fully inclusive basis (subject to availability), and air transfers from Victoria Falls to Hwange National Park.

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The Intrepid Explorer issue 15

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win big

with The Intrepid Explorer and mount Camdeboo

One lucky reader will win a two-night Great Karoo safari adventure for 2, worth

R14 000!

M

ount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve offers a personalised safari in a region steeped in history and culture. Set in the midst of the picturesque Sneeuberg Mountains in the malaria-free Eastern Cape, the reserve provides lodgings for only 28 guests on 14 000 hectares— ensuring sensitive and sustainable utilisation of natural resources as a foundation for ecotourism and wildlife conservation.

The Sneeuberg valley is more verdant than the surrounding semi-arid countryside. Once up on the steep slopes of the reserve, sweeping views abound of typical Karoo mountain formations and plains beyond, while being in grasslands teeming with game. The reserve is home

to white rhino, Cape buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, mountain zebra, a host of antelope, an abundance of birds and unique flora.

Accommodation is in three beautifully restored, gracious gabled manors—one of which is a sole-use villa—each with spacious gardens and swimming pools; or for those looking for something under canvas, there are two private en-suite safari tents.

The reserve offers a host of activities, from game drives and guided bush walks, to cheetah tracking, stargazing and Anglo-Boer War talks at a historic site.

Offering warm and attentive service, To stand a chance of winning this amazing getaway, send the answer to the question below, along with your name and contact details, to susan@insightspublishing.co.za by 5 November 2016.

Question: In the palm of which mountain range is Mount Camdeboo situated?

Terms & conditions • Winners will be notified by telephone or email.

• The prize is not transferable and cannot be converted to cash.

• Accommodation is subject to availability.

The prize is valued at R14 000 and includes: • Accommodation as specified; • Three meals daily;

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Mount Camdeboo is the ideal safari destination for the discerning traveller, and welcomes children of all ages.

Visit www.mountcamdeboo.com for more information.

• Soft drinks, house wines, local spirits, beers, teas & coffees, mineral water, and refreshments on game drives; • Daily game activities; • Cheetah tracking (during a game drive, at the discretion of the ranger); • Project Walk along the valley to learn about the Sable Breeding Project; • Stargazing; • Guided bush walk; • Visit to the historic Anglo-Boer War site.

Exclusions: • Transport to and from the reserve; • Conservation levy; • Telephone calls; • Curio shop purchases; • Wellness Centre treatments; • Imported spirits, fine wines, Champagne and sparkling wine; • Gratuities and items of a personal nature.

The Intrepid Explorer issue 15

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AD R IA N A M A RA I S

Mars bust

OR

Adriana Marais has her eyes set on a one-way trip to the Red Planet, writes Miriam Mannak

From paddling the Amazon, exploring the Arctic and climbing Mount Everest, to hiking the Grand Canyon and visiting Easter Island—when it comes to adventure bucket lists, the sky is the limit. Or is it? The Intrepid Explorer spoke with a would-be space pioneer from Durbs.

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©Richard Hughes

AD RIAN A M ARAI S

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The Intrepid Explorer issue 15

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AD R IA N A M A RA I S

F

our years ago, Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp announced his intentions to fly the first humans to Mars by 2026, with the idea of forming a human settlement there. For that to happen, he said, volunteers were needed: people from all corners of the world who’d be prepared to leave everything on Earth behind for a one-way trip to the Red Planet.

“We are very excited about launching the selection programme. Round One is where we open the doors to Mars for everyone on Earth,” a media statement read, noting that between 24 and 40 candidates would be trained to become astronauts. “This is an international mission,” the statement continued. “It is very important for the project that anyone anywhere can ask themselves: ‘Do I want this? Am I ready for this?’ If the answer is ‘yes’, then we want to hear from you.”

And that’s exactly what Adriana Marais from Durban said when she heard about the project for the very first time. “When I read about it in January 2013, my heart started racing and my mouth went dry,” the 35-year-old quantum biology researcher recalls. “I immediately made peace with having to leave Earth for the opportunity to contribute to the establishment of a new world on a different planet.”

Three years have passed since Marais and 200 000 other hopefuls emailed their application letters. She made it beyond the third round along with 99 other wannabe space pioneers. Of these, 24 will remain.

The adventure and the unknown are two of the biggest drawcards, says Marais.

“I can’t think of anything better than suiting up and heading out on my very own Mars walk or Rover road trip. It really will be the pinnacle of four billion years of human evolution,” she says. “Almost every aspect of living on Mars will involve discovering something new, and for a long time most things will be a first: from the first sunrise, first sunset, and first birthday

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to the first tears, first sighting of the Olympus Mons [the largest shield volcano on Mars and the largest known in the solar system, nearly three times as high as Mount Everest], and the very first messages from home. There will be Internet on Mars.”

Besides being a huge adventure, Marais sees the Mars One project as a celebration of life in general and humanity specifically.

“I am a theoretical physicist with a PhD in quantum biology, and a problem solver who spends her days asking fundamental questions about the world around her. The chance of experiencing how it is to live in a totally new world would be a dream come

get sick or injured.”

Farming will be a crucial training component. Dutch scientists have successfully grown radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes in soil that matches that on Mars, and have been found safe to eat. “Apart from grains and vegetables, our menu is likely to comprise insects,” Marais says, adding that she is not fazed by that idea.

“Bugs are a good supply of fats and amino acids. I’m sure I would quickly adapt to an insect-based ‘breakfast of champions’ on Mars. When I lived in Japan, I got to like eating things like bacteria-fermented soybeans and small, brown bony fish for

I can’t think of anything better than suiting up and heading out on my very own Mars walk or Rover road trip. It really will be the pinnacle of four billion years of human evolution

true,” she says. “I think I must be an extremophile, thriving in physically and mentally challenging situations—and in this sense, moving to Mars would be an ideal opportunity.”

Should she be selected, the next decade will revolve around training, training and more training. “The final 24 candidates will be divided into six groups of four, and they will train together in the same teams for 10 years before take-off,” Marais says. “This is to make sure we can work together well once we go, and that we have all the skills we need to keep ourselves alive on Mars, including engineering, fixing our own equipment, and helping each other should one of us

breakfast. I will be okay.”

As expected, the Mars One project has been subjected to criticism. Firstly, the distance between the Red Planet and Earth—which ranges between 54.6 million to 401 million kilometres—requires a voyage of over seven months based on current technology. Critics say that humans are likely not to survive that. The fact that there is no oxygen, and that Mars’s thin atmosphere—which is 96% carbon dioxide—offers little to no protection against sun radiation, are further obstacles, experts say, plus the fact that temperatures on Mars range between -50°C in the planet’s mid-latitudes and -153°C at its poles.

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AD RIAN A M ARAI S

WATCH THIS SPACE The 67th International Astronautical Congress will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico in September 2016. SpaceX founder, CEO and lead designer Elon Musk (originally from South Africa) will deliver a special keynote address titled: “Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species.” He will discuss the long-term technical challenges that need to be solved to support the creation of a permanent, self-sustaining human presence on Mars. His presentation will focus on potential architectures for colonising the Red Planet, on which industry, government and the scientific community can collaborate in the years ahead. Adriana Marais will also be there to present her paper on research from the Centre for Quantum Technology Research Group at the University of KZN: “What is life? How molecular astrobiology and space exploration are bringing us closer to an answer.” One of the greatest open problems in science today is understanding the origins of life. Improvements in observational techniques have resulted in the detection of more and more complex molecules in our galaxy, including a range of molecules likely to be precursors of life. This suggests the formation of the building blocks of life may not be as rare an occurrence as once imagined.

“Quantum mechanics is helping us understand how these molecules form: a piece of the puzzle toward understanding the more difficult question of how life emerged from these building blocks,” Marais explains.

The project’s financial feasibility has triggered doubt too. Experts say the proposed price tag of $6 billion (R81.1 billion) for the first four people sent to Mars, plus another $4 billion (R54.0 billion) for subsequent supply missions, is too low.

The International Space Station, which has kept humans alive at an altitude of just 560km, has cost $150 billion (R2.0 trillion), for instance. A 2014 study by MIT furthermore suggests that if astronauts

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were to make it to Mars alive, they’d suffocate within two-and-a-half months since there is no technology that can produce oxygen from scratch and regulate it for long periods of time.

Being a researcher herself, Marais understands the scepticism. “Even in the case of an optimal production of oxygen, water and heat, and assuming that the first group of astronauts land safely on Mars, serious concerns remain,” she says.

“These include the radiation effects on the human body during the journey … and being on Mars itself. Reduced gravitational and magnetic fields, the availability of medical supplies and sufficient nutrition are risks too.”

Should everything go according to plan, though, what would she miss most?

“I’ll miss the people I love and who have meant so much to me on Earth; I will miss all the animals I have shared my habitat

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AD R IA N A M A RA I S PROPOSED TIMELINE UNTIL TAKE-OFF ›2 017: Mars One will choose 24 people who will be sent to Mars.

Training will commence that same year. ›2 020: A demo mission will put a stationary lander on Mars, and place a satellite into orbit that is capable of transmitting messages between Earth and the Red Planet. ›2 022: A rover will be sent to Mars to scout for the best spot for a human settlement. ›2 024: A second rover, two living units, two life-support units and a supply unit will be flown to Mars (landing expected in 2025). ›2 025: After arriving on Mars, the rover will collect these supplies and get the outpost set up and ready for humans. ›2 026: The first four settlers will leave Earth, and will arrive seven months later in 2027. A new group will arrive on Mars every two years.

with, the plants; being able to breathe naturally and smell the air,” Marais says without any hesitation.

“I will miss the feeling of the wind, sea

and sun on my skin, and the ground underneath my bare feet. I’ll also miss a good steak and bottle of wine which, I understand, may be hard to get on Mars.”

A FEW LAST QUESTIONS

› WHICH ITEMS WILL YOU TAKE ALONG? There will be strict weight limitations. This means I will leave all material possessions behind. All I will take is electronically stored information in pixels, audio files and words.

This includes my books, music, photos, movies, writing, emails, letters and my digital memories of Earth.

› WHAT DOES THIS POSSIBLE TRIP TO MARS MEAN TO YOU? Mars, to me, is the obvious destination for the next Great Trek of humanity. Humans are explorers by nature. For the first time, we have the possibility to live on another planet. I feel like this is something I am meant to do rather than want to do. › HOW WILL YOU SPEND YOUR DAYS? The settlers’ priority will be to develop the infrastructure to make travel between Earth and Mars possible, and to set up a settlement. Not being able to return is the price of being a pioneer, one that I am totally prepared to pay.

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The Intrepid Explorer issue 15

› WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF FINDING LIFE ON MARS? The question of whether life exists or did exist on other planets besides Earth is one of the many fascinating questions the researchers living on Mars will have to try to answer. We’ve been watching and taking close-up photos of Mars for more than 50 years and we haven’t seen any life yet. The

On Mars, Adriana would miss Earthly pursuits such as visiting schools (like Epsworth School for girls and St Charles College for boys in Pietermaritzburg), mountain climbing and sharing her story at TEDxCapeTown

possibility of contributing to the discovery of evidence of life on Mars would get me out of bed each morning. › WHAT CAN MARS MEAN FOR HUMANITY ON EARTH? Over 95% of species ever to have existed on Earth have become extinct. By creating a home for terrestrial life on another planet, we are creating an insurance policy against disasters that may be self-inflicted or the result of large asteroid impacts. › IF YOU ARE NOT SELECTED, WHAT WOULD YOU DO INSTEAD? I will be happy, continue to do research, and promote science and space exploration, whatever planet I end up on.

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Pack in the

ADVENTURE

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MIKE HOR N

Legendary explorer Mike Horn is getting himself—and his boat— ready for his Pole2Pole 360º circumnavigation of the Earth, writes Pieter Oosthuizen

land sea OVER

AND

How to get in and out of—or, more precisely, knowing where to get on and off—the White Continent in an alarmingly small window of time is the question, says the vastly experienced adventurer as he ponders the immensity of what he refers to as a “new type of exploration” for him.

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b

eing challenged by jumbled pressure ridges, sastrugi, soft snow and blizzards, and kite-skiing with a 200kg sledge may be right up his alley, but for now everything is being overshadowed by something so big, its implications are mind-boggling.

All things considered, one may call it “the preservation of Pangaea and life as Mike Horn knows it”. The sailboat’s 100-foot (30-metre), purpose-built aluminium hull with towering twin masts and inner qualities has been around the world many times, but since leaving Monaco and after a brief stay at Walvis Bay, she’s spent the South African winter at her advanced Antarctic berth, tucked away deep inside the labyrinth of dry and wet docks, seawater channels and swinging bridges that share the bustling façade of the Mother City’s waterfront.

Listening to Horn, it’s obvious the departure from Cape Town on or around 10 November will be the easy part.

“Crossing Antarctica is not just about traversing the continent, but how you get where you want to be. We need to wait for the ice to break up to get close, and therefore we can only start later than

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normal with the trek—which leaves me with a smaller time window to get to the other side before the boat gets frozen in.

“Criteria for the most practical route comprise many factors that will be crucial for the boat’s survival, and consequently my own. We’ll be studying satellite images of the ice fields more regularly, while also checking with ice-breaker crews.

“I’ve learnt a lot from my last expedition there eight years ago. It’s the little things that can stop you, and nothing is straightforward when it comes to route selection. Traversing a polar cap is a new kind of exploration for me, because now I also need to figure out how and where I am going to get off the land on the New Zealand side. Because of the ice, the Pangaea may not get within 200km of me. This is a big issue, and it puts a big question mark over everything,” he adds.

As if that weren’t enough, there is, of course, the matter of self-preservation.

Once on land, looking after himself will become a new priority. “Your thinking processes must be up to the challenges,” says Horn. “And you can only know those processes from past experiences. For example, if you tire yourself too much, you won’t be able to recover in time.”

In this regard, he’s come a long, long way since his first polar attempt, when he aimed for the North Pole just after the turn

of the century at a time when everyone else thought it was a ‘no-go’ season.

Horn’s thinking process was such that he concluded, after evacuation due to frostbite: “My perseverance was indeed a product of my ignorance.”

While circumnavigating the Arctic Circle on his 27-month, 20 000km unmotorised journey from 2002 to 2004 against the prevailing winds, this thinking process had pushed him a couple of times to the brink of dying from exhaustion. “To die just a little,” reads one of the chapter headings fittingly in Conquering the Impossible: his incredible tale of the tiny, quivering but life-giving flame that is the human spirit.

Today, the hard-earned but perilous prominence that Horn’s reputation has thrust upon him is—to the uninformed— the product of a fatal attraction to nature’s wrath. In the same book, he states: PREVIOUS PAGE: Mike Horn is—in his own words—“not superhuman, just an ordinary guy doing extraordinary things” THIS PAGE: Horn hasn’t been doing this for years, so crossing Antarctica will be a great challenge OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: Pangaea was built to allow Mike to explore the world in the same way people did centuries ago OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM: During one of his visits to Namibia’s remote northwest, he took international journalists on a wilderness adventure

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M IKE H ORN

I’ve learnt a lot from my last expedition [to Antarctica] eight years ago. It’s the little things that can stop you, and nothing is straightforward when it comes to route selection. “because I deeply love nature when it is at the peak of its violence and magnificence.

When nature in all its grandeur forced me—in all my tiny insignificance—to endure the worst conditions imaginable, it was also accepting my presence into its fold, and that was a great honour.”

Experience has taught him to listen to nature and his body. Still, he seems very relaxed about his physical readiness. “It’s not a good idea to arrive there 100%, because you

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don’t want to peak so soon. I’d rather start out with some extra pounds to burn off.”

Horn says the whole effort demands three specific physical conditions: “You start off by getting acclimatised, while training on the go. Then you become strong and very fit, before peaking as you pass the Pole.”

He’s hoping his kite will do its bit, “because you cannot beat the clock by man-hauling your heavy sledge across the

huge expanses. Using the wind is not a modern thing, but nowadays we use nature more to our advantage, because kites can fly at 100m and catch the only wind there is. But, just like dogs, the kite comes with a lot of extra work—not only because speed can kill but also because of the wind-chill factor.

“You need to be very aware of your speed, like, how fast is fast and when is fast too fast? The cold can nail you, and there’s the matter of your sledge taking you out. And I know what it feels like.”

Horn is referring to a 2002 incident that still haunts this rock-solid guy. It happened while he was crossing Greenland in nearly zero visibility, when a sudden squall hit him and his 120kg sledge. He didn’t want to lose his kite, but being hurtled along

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TOP: Pressure ridges in the polar regions are always a very serious obstacle for sledge hauling BELOW: Horn says kite-skiing with a 200kg sledge in tow takes a lot of guts and super-quick thinking

over bad terrain left him with no other choice. Problem was, it was too late. He got stuck in a hollow and the sledge smashed into his head. Dazed, he got tied up in the tangled lines and, with snow and blood covering his face, was dragged along by the kite. It became a life-and-death race— in the end, he saved himself by sawing through about 15 Kevlar-reinforced kite lines with the sledge’s metal runners.

Another type of challenge offers just the opposite: one of annoying frustration. When a polar explorer faces his morainic nemesis, his crazed struggles to advance may soon resemble that of a desperate maniac. So, when I share with Horn the very appropriate Afrikaans pronunciation of the word for a sledge puller’s worst enemy, it takes him a while to stop laughing—he knows all about the screaming muscles that accompany a seemingly futile attempt at progression.

A puinhoop of ice (it sounds like “a heap of pain”), he says, is probably the toughest thing in the world of polar exploration, “because it takes so much human power and determination to get through moraines and other pressure ridges. It will almost always cost you some very valuable time, and it may cost you your life. You can hack your way out of the Amazon, but pulling a sledge through and over that stuff must be the most unforgiving exercise.”

Horn recalls with a smile what Børge Ousland—his Norwegian friend and

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sometimes mentor with whom he trekked to the North Pole during the Arctic winter of 2006 (a record), and whom he believes is the world’s greatest polar explorer—always says: “The Arctic is for men and the Antarctic for women, because so much brutal manpower is required up north.”

On his Pole2Pole expedition, Horn hopes to cross the Arctic two years from now, which will put him in a league of his own: his circumnavigation and transversal thereof, and the winter trek.

Crossing Antarctica will also be a dream come true. Ousland traversed Antarctica unassisted in 1996/97, while Horn trekked to the South Pole more than a dozen years later after suffering a terrible setback from the word go. “It was bad. We left the boat at Hercules Inlet and trekked across an ice shelf when Fred Roux [his climbing partner on 8 000m Himalayan peaks] fell into a crevasse and broke his back. He had also jammed his crampons into a leg, but the cold helped to stem a lot of the blood. Our boat’s crew came out to help, but some of them fell into the water. In the end, we barely made it back to the boat. We shipped Fred to the nearest hospital and I started out again, already very late in the trekking season.

“Before all this, I had actually been contemplating a full traverse, but once you reach the South Pole, they evacuate everybody and that’s that—the part I don’t like at all,” he adds.

Coming and going with his own boat has its advantages, like saving on costs and the freedom of deciding the when and where.

“But the red tape is terrible. I get the feeling they don’t really like explorers to visit anymore, only scientists. But it was the explorers who allowed science to develop on Antarctica.”

Horn believes 80% of success hinges on mental power. This is one of the reasons he has put aside three months in his Pole2Pole schedule to do excursions into Namibia’s wilderness areas, albeit occasionally with other people. “I wanted to start out slowly, just to reconnect with nature, and for the freedom of space to be by myself. The Skeleton Coast and Hartmann Valley were perfect to do some solo stuff, because polar crossings are completely different from climbing mountains. Apart from doing some 8 000m mountains, I have not been on ice since my South Pole expedition.”

He spent his 50th birthday alone in the remote Namibian northwest. “I have now for some years been somewhere outside on my birthdays. It’s good, because a birthday tells you that time is running out.” He says his life has been a step-by-step thing. “I’ve been busy putting building blocks in place so that I can do more. I like variety, that’s why I’m doing Pole2Pole 360. With every expedition, a new one is born, because it is better to think about your next one while you’re not sitting in your warm, cosy kitchen. When you sit in a cold tent, your thinking process is based on reality.”

His time in Namibia has allowed him the opportunity to indulge in something that has added a new dimension to his wanderlust: driving by 4x4. “It’s changed my whole life,” he says. “It allows me to see more of the land and to share this with others.” He took a group of 10 international journalists, among others, in a convoy of MercedesBenz G-Class vehicles into the Kaokoland to experience an off-road adventure.

At the time of writing, Horn was in the Caprivi for more solo stuff and hard thinking, because the next leg of his Pole2Pole journey is a pinnacle event in his extraordinary career. “When I’m back from what will hopefully be a successful traverse of Antarctica, I might be able to say that I’ve done what I’ve wanted to do over there.

Maybe I’ll go back one day and stay for winter. But that’s something one can do when one’s 80 years old…”

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Oz

ADVENTURES IN Sky, sand, water— Graham Howe goes island-hopping Down Under

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It’s three times the fun on the Great Barrier Reef: viewing this natural wonder of the world from up in a hot-air balloon, 4x4ing along a 75-mile beach highway, and swimming with dolphins, manta rays and turtles.

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ur hot air balloon gently takes off at dawn. One final fiery whoosh of propane and the massive balloon is filled with enough air to lift a flying basket carrying 24 passengers.

Silence fills the balloon after the thrill of lift-off. We’re enthralled by the majestic sensation of open-air flight and the spectacular landscape of an ancient volcanic caldera. Standing in my flying basket, I lean over the side to watch the third balloon in our convoy taking off.

Making final fine adjustments to the pulleys and ropes, Blake Flynn, our rugged Australian pilot, quips: “It’s a perfect day for a balloon ride. You might have noticed we took off from a cow paddock, not an airstrip. We’re now at the mercy of the winds—beyond the point of no return.

I wonder where we’ll land today…”

The lyrics of that ‘60s 5th Dimension pop song, “Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon? We could float among the stars together, you and I / For we can fly, we can fly up, up and away”, go around in my head. I was 10 years old when it won four Grammys in 1967, and ever since I’ve wanted to fly in my own balloon.

The sun rises through a row of bluegums below like a fireball. To the south lies Wollumbin Mount Warning— called the “cloud catcher” by the aboriginal inhabitants—the first place in Australia to see the sunrise every day. Named by Captain James Cook as a landmark for sailors to navigate Danger Point off Tweed Heads, Mt Warning was the magma chamber of a massive volcano formed 20 million years ago: one that once covered 4 000 square kilometres.

Blake, our bearded pilot, points out dramatic landmarks like Mt Tamborine rising from the Scenic Rim, and the Border Ranges and Lamington national parks that are remnants of the mythical rainforests of Gondwanaland. Our flight path carries us over a caldera ringed by mountains, over plains filled with cattle stations and settler homesteads. The fabled gold coast of Queensland and Surfers Paradise lie just over the horizon. “It’s like being in a flying picnic basket powered by a propane

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barbecue,” jokes the pilot. “We’re travelling at 30 knots. There’s no steering wheel.

We’re gone with the wind!”

A romantic mist fills the creeks and hollows below, like a blanket of cotton wool thrown over the land. We spot eastern grey kangaroos grazing in a field, and roos hopping along a gravel road at high speed, scared by our shadow floating by overhead.

The original inhabitants have left a magical mark on the landscape—lending delightful names to country towns such as Wonglepong, Dum Dum and Mudgeeraba.

Everything looks so lovely from up here, “the world’s a nicer place in my beautiful balloon”, at peace on this serene Sunday morning spinning in the clouds. I recalled flying over the Pilanesberg on my last

(the balloons) weigh 450kg and, when fully filled, are 10 storeys high. What a way to fly.

Ninety minutes pass by in a flash, and we slowly descend back to earth. I spot the chase vehicles in a paddock down below as we skim inches above the soil. “Brace yourself, Sheila. When we land, don’t climb out at once. Otherwise we’ll take off again!

And watch out for landmines [he means cow pats]!” All too soon we’re scrambling out of the basket and helping to roll up the giant balloon.

Back on terra firma, we go for a treetop walk on single-file suspension bridges above the rainforest canopy at Lamington National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site that celebrated its centenary in 2015.

These ancient subtropical rainforests are renowned for their lush palms, strangling

hot-air balloon safari, spotting from the air the lion and rhino sleeping. I’m a long way from home today, Down Under with marsupials.

Before putting my life in their hands, I had checked out the impeccable safety record of Hot Air Balloon, the main Australian company that operates a fleet of 15 balloons over Cairns and the Gold Coast in Queensland. The balloons in the 450 series (named after the 450 000 cubic feet of air that fills the balloon) are the biggest and most modern in the southern hemisphere. Made from silicon-coated nylon, the fire-resistant “envelopes”

figs, giant ferns and waterfalls—plus the rare Albert’s lyrebird, lorikeets as well as bowerbirds that lure mates to nests by collecting bright blue pens, blue plastic and blue file strips. Talk about interior decor!

Jane O’Reilly, the third-generation descendent of graziers who settled this area in 1911, points out the rich flora and fauna on a guided tour of her family’s renowned eco resort. We even spot turtles in the creek at O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards. And on the way back to Surfers Paradise, I learn how to crack a whip and throw a boomerang on an old farm called Spring Gully. Many happy returns!

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ACROSS THE GREAT SANDY STRAIT We’re driving up the 75-mile (120km) beach highway on Fraser Island, the biggest sand island in the world. It’s a gazetted national highway, with 60km/h speed-limit signs posted along the beach.

We pull over our four-wheel drive to let a light aircraft land on a stretch of hard compacted sand—marked off with bright red plastic cones—bringing in new arrivals from the mainland. The sand highway doubles as a runway, one of two commercial sand runways in Australia, and as a bus route for the Fraser Explorer.

It’s the sole road in the world where you can drive only at low tide.

On the southern edge of the Great Barrier Reef, we drive on a giant sand bar

PREVIOUS SPREAD, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A hot-air balloon ride in Queensland; Lady Elliot Island on the southern edge of the Great Barrier Reef; Sunrise through the bluegums; The airstrip on the great beach highway of Fraser Island THIS PAGE: Graham floating through the air at 30 knots; (middle) Coming down to earth with a bump in a paddock OPPOSITE PAGE: Cooling off in a creek on Fraser

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on the world’s largest sand island built up through 800 000 years of tidal action— making it the oldest and largest dunebuilding sequence on the planet. There’s no soil or clay on this narrow island, which stretches for 123km by 15km off the coast of Hervey Bay in Queensland. A national park, the great sandy biosphere is a listed Unesco World Heritage Site. Scientists believe the total sand mass on Fraser Island on the surface and down to 500m is greater than in all of the Sahara.

Gary “Gaz” Pierce, our guide, is a legend on Fraser Island. The man they call a “loveable larrikin” first came here on holiday when he was 16, and brought his bride back on honeymoon. He knows the maze of sandy old logger tracks crisscrossing the island like the back of his hand.

(meaning ‘paradise’). It was renamed Fraser Island by early settlers after the captain of a wrecked ship was marooned there in 1836.

Then loggers came along in the 1860s, felling the ancient satinay trees and driving the surviving islanders away over the next 40 years. We come across a lonely marker in the heart of the forest, commemorating the death in 1998 of Shirley Rose Blackman, the last of the original native islanders.

An expert on the unique geology, flora and fauna of the island, he talks passionately about all the insects and reptiles. “Only two out of 22 snakes on the island are non-venomous,” he boasts. “You’ve got to watch out for the death adder and the coastal taipan!” He tells us to keep an eye out for the rusty antechinus: a nocturnal marsupial mouse that, when it reaches maturity at the age of one year, mates non-stop until it dies 14 hours later after all its fur (and presumably all the other bits too) falls off. What a way to go!

The Butchulla, the aboriginal inhabitants, lived here for 5 000 years, calling it K’gari

We go for an exhilarating swim in one of the hundred freshwater perched lakes found on the island. Boorangoora (Lake McKenzie)—meaning ‘waters of wisdom’— was once reserved for men only: a site where the tribal elders came to talk and resolve conflict among the sand blows (dunes). Today, visitors like me come to swim in the legendary gin-clear waters where you can see 15m to the pure silica sands on the lake bed, with magical properties believed to make you 10 years younger—a veritable fountain of youth.

The sand shines up any burnished copper, silver or gold jewellery.

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Feeling refreshed but sadly no younger or wiser, I set off to find some of the island’s legendary dingoes—the purest, most isolated island breed in Australia. Lake Wabby, the deepest of the lakes, is closed to visitors because of the presence of aggressive male dingoes during the mating season. Signs warn tourists to be “dingo-safe” and avoid close encounters with these wild animals. It’s an offence

Everything looks so lovely from up here, “the world’s a nicer place in my beautiful balloon”, at peace on this serene Sunday morning spinning in the clouds.

to feed or disturb dingoes, a protected species in Queensland. You’re warned not to provoke the dingoes by running on the beach or waving your hands about.

Dingoes rule on Fraser.

Back in the Land Cruiser, I’m dreaming about dingoes. Driving around a bend, I spot a young female ambling along the sandy track. “Dingo at 12 o’clock!” I shout triumphantly. The pure breed is all there: her ginger coat, white socks extending above the paws, from a dark hair brush along the spine to a white tip on the tail.

On the hunt, she vanishes as silently back into the undergrowth of the forest.

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LEFT TO RIGHT: Graham finds a giant strangling fig in an ancient rainforest on Fraser; A wild dingo, one of the purest breeds on the island; A reef walk among the living coral on Lady Elliot

Mating dingoes, fornicating mice and venomous snakes aren’t the only dangers on Fraser Island. The landscape may look benign, but there’s more trouble lurking in the ancient tropical rainforest. On a hike along Wanggoolba Creek, a large signpost reads: “When walking in forests with kauri pines, beware of falling cones. Serious injury or death may result if you are hit.”

Looking up at the canopy for any incoming missile, I trip over a king fern, a relic from the Jurassic period 300 million years ago.

On this island of superlatives, the frond of the largest fern in the world grows up to 5m—and pine cones weigh up to 3kg!

We end up on the beach, gazing at the evocative old wreck of the SS Maheno, a landmark on Fraser Island. The rusty Scottish steamer, stranded here in 1935 by a cyclone, was used as a hospital ship at Gallipoli before making the fastest transatlantic crossing to Australia.

It’s time to head back across the Great Sandy Strait to the mainland. We do the short crossing on Quick Cat II run by Hervey Bay Whale Watch—but it’s too early in the season to hear the whale song of 6 000 whales that make the migration from Antarctica up ‘the humpback highway’ every July to November.

UNDER THE SEA While staying in the marina at Hervey Bay, gateway to the Fraser Coast, I hire a jet ski from Aquavue Cafe Watersports and head offshore to Moon Point. These souped-up Yamaha 1 100cc super skis are the ideal way to explore the Great Sandy Strait and to spot dugongs, turtles and dolphins that swim in these waters. Anchoring my ski on Pelican Banks, a sandbar off Fraser Island, I take a dip in the sea with a curious school of bottlenose dolphins that squeal with delight to entertain company way out in the ocean blue.

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It’s time to go swimming. We fly into Lady Elliot Island, a remote coral cay and renowned dive site located on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. Our Twin Otter plane comes into land on the 680m long grass runway, the shortest commercial airstrip in Australia. Visitors come from all over the world to swim with the 60 resident manta rays—more than anywhere else on the planet—and dive one of the best sites on the reef. Each manta has been identified by the unique dark markings on its belly, and individually named by researchers on the island.

You can walk straight out onto the reef via green channels to beginner, intermediate and advanced snorkel trails, or hitch a ride on a glass-bottomed boat.

Green turtles and manta rays skim the surface, while blacktip reef sharks swim in the depths below. Visibility is crystal-clear as we dive into the warm water, snorkelling over exquisite coral gardens, spotting the entire cast of Finding Nemo: a psychedelic kaleidoscope of angel, butterfly, cardinal, parrot, surgeon and trumpet fish.

Megan Jacobs, a marine biologist, is our guide on the tiny 0.4km2 island. On a reef walk, she explains how wave action broke up the coral and formed this sand spit in the sea 3 000 years ago, evolving into a coral cay vegetated by birds and waves bringing seeds to the island. Denuded by guano mining in the 1860s, it was rehabilitated by conservationists a century later in the 1960s, becoming a showpiece for modern ecotourism. Set in a ‘no-take’ (no fishing) green zone, Lady Elliot Island is a sanctuary for 1 200 species of marine life, as well as migratory and resident birds.

Walking through the green channels of the reef, Megan points out the sea cucumbers, joking: “They’ve got no heart or brain—a bit like my ex-boyfriend!” Next, she locates the den of an octopus, carefully

constructed out of broken shells and coral.

“Now, an octopus has three hearts,” she says wistfully. I start singing that old Beatles song, “I’d like to be under the sea, in an octopus’ garden in the shade…” We meet the myriad residents of the living reef: the spotted leopard sea cucumber, the green sea hare that squirts ink in defence, and an A–Z of brightly coloured algae and anemones, starfish and sea urchins.

“Ouch!” I yell as something nibbles at my ankle. “It’s just a farmer damselfish,” says Megan with a laugh. “That little fish is guarding its turf—a little algae patch it nurtures as a food source. Remember: If it’s a cone, leave it alone,” she warns as I spot the innocuous cone shell that can sting like a harpoon with deadly neurotoxins—like the stonefish with venomous spines lying invisible, buried in the sand. I’m glad I’m wearing reef shoes with thick soles.

We spend a glorious day snorkelling the reef. I hope I’m not leaving the island harbouring any of the translucent pearlfish that live in the rectum of the sea cucumber and starfish, feeding off their host in a bizarre parasitic relationship.

Lady Elliot Island is one of those idyllic places you discover on your travels, to which you may return one day—perhaps during the turtle-hatching season from February to April. If I ever need a haven, I know where to go; returning like the boobies, shearwaters and terns that migrate along ancient flying paths to nest in this sanctuary every summer. Like The Beatles’s octopus in its den, “We would be warm below the storm, in our little hideaway beneath the sea…”

Graham Howe was a guest of Tourism Australia (www.australia.com), Tourism Queensland (www.queensland.com) and Fraser Coast (www.visitfrasercoast.com and www.ladyelliot.com.au).

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SA R AH D U F F

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Sarah Duff completed a transformational global adventure through 20 countries in 500 days

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S ARAH D UFF

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Two years ago, I found out that the average person lives 27 375 days, which prompted me—at the ripe old age of 29—to calculate how many days I had left. Seeing the number 16 790 made me realise just how precious each one of those 24-hour segments is, and it seemed the only rational thing to do was to fill 500 of those with travel.

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easily convinced my boyfriend, Joe, a software developer who can work from any place that has Wi-Fi, to pack everything up and come with me on what turned out to be a year-and-a-half-long trip around (some of ) the world.

Our plan was to work along the way to fund our travels; I’m a freelance travel writer and photographer—a rather well-suited job for a long-term voyage.

We decided to start on the other side of the world; as Cape Town plunged into winter, we landed in New York to a hot, steamy summer and immersed ourselves in one of the most energetic cities on the planet. After a few weeks in the frenetic Big Apple, we rented a car and embarked on the Great American Road Trip I’d always

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dreamt of doing: a cross-country journey of 7 000km and 16 states, all the way to San Francisco, taking in country music in Nashville, the jazz bars of New Orleans, the wide-open desert spaces of Texas and Utah, the mind-boggling Grand Canyon, the beautiful Californian coastline and to the counterculture festival of Burning Man. The feeling of sheer space in the US is hard to compare with anywhere else I’ve been—until we flew down to Argentina, our next spot.

After a month of Spanish and tango classes in the culture-filled capital of Buenos Aires, we started exploring this massive country, getting sprayed by Iguazu Falls, doing high-altitude wine tasting in the northwestern desert, and falling in love with Patagonia. One of the

wildest places on the planet, which stretches across the southern end of Argentina and Chile, Patagonia is vast beyond belief, and is made up of an astonishing mixture of landscapes: glaciers pouring out of the snowy Andes, lakes studded with icebergs, and enormous windswept plains. We trekked across a groaning glacier, hiked to turquoise lakes, rode horses and went iceberg hunting on a lake, all the while feeling like we were in a National Geographic feature.

This was to be a journey of many contrasts, as from snowy Patagonia we moved northward to the driest place on the planet, Chile’s Atacama Desert: a magical place of steaming geysers, smoking conical volcanoes, rippled sand dunes, rugged mountains, and turquoise

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S ARAH D UFF

The feeling of sheer space in the US is hard to compare with anywhere else I’ve been — until we flew down to Argentina

lagoons so salty you float with no effort.

We hiked, mountain biked, 4x4ed and horse-rode our way though this surreal landscape, which looked more like the surface of Mars like anywhere else on our planet.

From the Atacama, we did a highaltitude border crossing into Bolivia, and embarked on a 4x4 trip through the Altiplano desert, reaching our end point of the biggest salt flat in the world: the otherworldly Salar de Uyuni. From there

OPPOSITE: US Route 163 in Utah is famously where Forrest Gump decided to stop running in the eponymous movie THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Suspended between trees and sky on an aerial walkway in Costa Rica’s magical Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve; The tiny Caribbean island of Caye Caulker in Belize offered some of the best diving and scuba diving of the trip; Hiking in Iceland in spring meant trekking through deep snow, soaking in outdoor natural hot baths, and seeing the Northern Lights at night

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we travelled north to the Amazon rainforest to go birdwatching, piranha fishing, and tubing down a muddy river that our guide assured contained no anacondas.

It was a sudden shock to arrive in Machu Picchu, in Bolivia’s northwestern neighbour of Peru. After weeks of seeing hardly any other travellers in sparsely populated wild places, we felt overwhelmed by the package-tour crowds swarming the ruins. Machu Picchu was, nevertheless, an astounding sight to see, spread out on green terraces surrounded by dramatic peaks.

In an ever northward trajectory, we flew to the Galápagos Islands, 900km off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, where the wildlife has no fear of humans.

Here we snorkelled with curious sea lions and communed with snorting iguanas and blue-footed boobies that were completely nonchalant about a bunch of tourists standing a few feet away from them. Back on the mainland, in a spectacular cloud forest north of the capital of Quito, we became verified twitchers, spending our

days among the misty trees spotting toucans, tanagers and jewel-like hummingbirds in a state of deep natural reverence.

In northern Colombia we got our hiking gear on again for a strenuous four-day trek through the mosquito-infested jungle of the Sierra Nevada to the ruins of Ciudad Perdida, an ancient city that had been forgotten for centuries.

Nursing legs covered in bites, we flew on a tiny plane to the miniscule island of Isla de Providencia in the Caribbean for some beach downtime. With the world’s

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SA R AH D U F F

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: Sea lions are just one species with no fear of humans on the Eden-like Galápagos Islands; Jaw-droppingly beautiful Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto is one of Japan’s most famous temples; Scuba diving with turtles in Isla Cozumel in Mexico was an underwater highlight; Training in t’ai chi in a small village in southern China was a window of meditative calm

third-largest coral reef lying just offshore, Providencia seemed a good place to learn to dive—and so on the first day of the new year we got our PADI certification, diving with blacktip reef sharks and a sunken Jesus statue.

Moving into Central America, we decamped to Costa Rica for three months, first to live in a laidback village on the Pacific Coast where we spent practically every day in the warm waves, learning to surf. We could have stayed in Nosara forever, but the road beckoned. We hunted for sloths and went zip lining in Costa Rica’s biodiverse cloud forests, and scaled a volcano before heading north to Guatemala to get lost among the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal and then travelling through southern Mexico by bus, diving in cenotes (natural sinkholes), exploring ancient cities, downing artisanal mezcal (agave spirits) and eating our own body weight in guacamole.

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It turned out that the cheapest way to get from Mexico to Europe was via Iceland, and so this wild island made an unexpected appearance on our adventure.

We hired a car and drove right around the island, stopping off to scuba dive in a fissure between the continental plates, hike in the snow to bubbling sulphuric pools, trek across the glacier that stands in for the world north of The Wall in Game of Thrones, and catch a spectacular display of the Northern Lights late one night.

From Iceland we slowed down the pace in Berlin and the Italian countryside, getting a taste for local life—beer, bicycling and all-night partying in the German capital, and Chianti wine, gelato and siestas in Tuscany—before flying across the world again for the last leg of our trip, in East Asia.

We spent a few weeks training in t’ai chi in a small village surrounded by rice paddies in the south of the country, before

going hiking in the spectacular Tiger Leaping Gorge, marvelling at the 8 000 soldier sculptures that make up the two-millennia-old Terracotta Army in Xi’an, filling up on dumplings in Beijing, and riding up the flashing skyscrapers of Shanghai.

Japan, our 20th and last country, turned out to be our favourite of them all.

We loved the sense of ancient traditions being aligned with futuristic technology, and appreciated talking to robots in a science museum in Tokyo as much as contemplating centuries-old rock gardens in the temples of Kyoto. Right at the end of our trip around the country, we stayed in a small Buddhist temple for a week, meditating each morning with the resident priest.

What that time in the temple, and in Japan, taught me was to be more present in each moment—a small wisdom that has stayed with me almost every day since, but was just one of the many things I learnt on the long journey. Over 500 days, I learnt to get over my fear of tiny aeroplanes, how to surf and scuba dive, how to pack really light, how not to sweat the small stuff, how to embrace uncertainty, and how to make home wherever I am. I realised more than ever what a tiny place in this huge, beautiful world I occupy, which makes me appreciate every day of the 16 290 I have left.

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STEP INTO

OUR WORLD

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conserving a vanishing way of life

MAT T HE W H O LT

Matthew Holt drops into the 7th Hole, a 50-million-year-old labyrinth of subterranean caverns in Oman

GOING

UNDERGROUND 36

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M AT T H EW H OLT

I crawled out of my tent, unable to sleep. It was a dark, cold night; the sky a tapestry of blinking stars. Some 20 metres away, swallowing the moonlight, was a black void, the width of a car and length of a lorry. In a few hours’ time, I’d be descending that deep sinkhole into the Earth’s core—hoping what goes down, comes back up.

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MAT T HE W H O LT

f

iona and I had come to Oman, planning to tick off its iconic adventures.

Drawing up such said list wasn’t simple, with little information available on this shy kingdom at the foot of the Arabian Peninsula. Nonetheless, in a flurry of activity we hiked the Fisherman’s Trail; descended Snake Canyon; climbed the via ferrata in Oman’s own ‘Grand Canyon’, Wadi Ghul; stomped up Jebel Shams, the country’s highest peak; and almost purchased a goat in the Nizwa souk, when I waved at Fiona during the auction. All that remained was some scuba diving off the Daymaniyat Islands before I could laze on the beach with a clear conscience.

“The 7th Hole should be on everybody’s bucket list,” pronounced Justin Halls, a Pom living in Oman, whom we met abseiling waterfalls in Snake Canyon.

Obviously he would say that, given he works as a guide for the Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre that organises trips.

However, a bit of research piqued our interest and we decided to go. After all, Oman is famed for its spectacular underground caverns, with the 7th Hole considered top-drawer. First explored in the 1980s, this labyrinth of deep subterranean chambers is reckoned to be 50 million years old.

We spent the morning in a Muscat climbing gym, familiarising ourselves with the equipment needed to get into and out of the hole. Since we’d be abseiling 120m on a single rope, a climber’s standard figure of eight wouldn’t do: it would travel too quickly and get too hot, possibly singeing the rope—or, worse still, disintegrating. Therefore, we’d be using a much chunkier abseiling device called a double-stop descender, plus (on a separate

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back-up rope) an ASAP® mobile fall-arrest device to catch us if the other line failed.

Then, to get out of the cave, up vertical and overhanging walls, we would haul ourselves up a rope with a jumar, leg loop, chest harness and Croll.

Once Justin had explained how all these devices work, we were strung up from the ceiling on ropes, where we hung like prey in a spider’s web, struggling, grunting, but barely moving. Until then, I’d considered myself fairly au fait with abseiling and jumaring, but these new techniques required some concentration and co-ordination. It reminded me of playing the drinking game Cardinal Puff after a few too many beers…

Fortunately, we were spared prolonged humiliation by the need to depart. Stowing our gear aboard our Land Cruiser, we followed Justin south out of Muscat. On our left was the shimmering, turquoise Gulf of Oman; on our right the jagged, grey Al Hajar Mountains rising to 3 000m. After an hour, we left the highway and turned right onto a twisting dirt road that climbed at 45 degrees alongside an alarming

precipice. Immersed in a cloud of dust behind Justin’s Land Rover, we could only guess where the road was.

Once we reached the Selma Plateau, at 1 400m, the road levelled out and we passed through scruffy settlements

PREVIOUS SPREAD, LEFT TO RIGHT: Abseiling into the 7th Hole; Descending into the second chamber; Roger pondering the flood line THIS PAGE: The road up to the Selma Plateau OPPOSITE: Hiking up Jebel Shams

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M AT T H EW H OLT

populated by threadbare camels, shaggy goats and small children who chased after us, trying to sell bunches of wild thyme.

A stationary jeep on the horizon signalled our destination and we carefully followed Justin across the plateau, past sinkholes large enough to swallow cars.

Our other team members were already setting up camp just a hapless stumble away from a gaping abyss, which was the entrance to the 7th Hole. Steve and Katherine Jones, and Roger Saxton were leading British cavers who—given they willingly spend their free time in dark, narrow underground passages—seemed surprisingly normal.

After gingerly inspecting the neighbourhood, we pitched our tent and went off to collect firewood. “Watch out for vipers,” warned Justin, cheerily. “They look just like sticks.”

We spent the evening round the campfire, drinking wine and listening to tales of potholing around the world— which invariably involved being lost in dark mazes, stuck in tight fissures or almost drowned in flooded sumps. Turning in for

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With its towering, waterpolished limestone walls, cool musty air, vast echoing vaults and narrow shafts of light from the small windows above, it was like being inside a Gothic cathedral. the night and unzipping my tent, I watched Justin tether his leg with a rope to his Land Rover. “I sleepwalk,” he explained, “and don’t want to wander into the hole during the night.”

At 7 a.m. the tardy sun hit the plateau, summoning us out. Justin was already rigging the ropes, using his Land Rover as an extra anchor. “It’ll come in handy if

we need to pull someone out,” he said, disquietingly.

Roger had been nominated first to descend and was irritatingly nonchalant as he posed for photos, waving both hands, while suspended horizontally over the 120m drop. We watched him ease down the rope until he disappeared into darkness.

Fifteen minutes later, the radio crackled to

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MAT T HE W H O LT

ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Matthew resolutely refusing to look down; Justin’s Land Rover made a useful backup belay anchor; The Joneses reluctantly jumaring out INSET: Matthew signs the 7th Hole visitors’ book

announce he was down and the rope free.

“Enjoy the view,” quipped Justin with a smile as I waddled backward over the lip, resolutely refusing to look down.

After a few metres, the lip cut back, my feet left the wall and I was spinning in space. To divert my mind from the yawning void, I focused on keeping the rope running smoothly through the descender, so the ASAP didn’t lock. As the light faded out, I chanced a glance down, thinking I might be nearly there. It was like peering into an inkwell—and when I switched on my headlamp, it made no impression.

Some time later, my toes touched down and I unclipped from the rope.

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Once we were all down, we explored the chamber. With its towering, water-polished limestone walls, cool musty air, vast echoing vaults and narrow shafts of light from the small windows above, it was like being inside a Gothic cathedral. There was even a visitors’ book to sign, and I was almost inclined to light candles and leave a donation.

In the corner, a sinkhole dropped 160m into a deeper cave system, which the others eyed longingly but fortunately wasn’t on our itinerary. Instead, we clambered up a scree slope, through an arch and into a narrowing passage. As we stooped our way along, Justin pointed out a small cubbyhole where, on a previous trip, he and a companion had taken refuge when the cave suddenly flooded. “We spent five hours here spooning to keep warm,” he said with a hint of nostalgia.

The English trio all laughed and started recounting their stories of being caught in flash floods and spooning on ledges.

Meanwhile, I crossed my fingers that it was a dry day above and hastened my step.

As it was, in order to go up, we first had to descend further, abseiling 25m into

a small, circular lower chamber filled with polished boulders from prior floods. The exit from here was via a vertical 70m cliff, facilitated by a rope that Justin had lowered down the previous evening. Clipping on, I tried recalling the drills we’d practised in the gym: Sit back in the harness, push up the jumar, stand up in the leg loop, thrust my chest forward, push up the croll, repeat.

It was a sweaty, spasmodic action—like Quasimodo dancing to hip hop.

Inching up the rope, I eventually emerged in dazzling, warm sunshine near an old woman tending goats. “Don’t take photos of her—she’ll throw stones at you,” warned Justin, for once displaying some alacrity. “I’ve seen her hit people from 30m.” A short scramble took us up onto the plateau, not far from our tents.

The next morning, looking up from Muscat, the Al Hajar Mountains had gone, enveloped in swirling black clouds.

Soon there was the rumble of thunder, swiftly followed by torrential rain. If we’d been down the 7th Hole now, we’d be swimming and spooning. I made a mental note not to visit the underworld again until I have to.

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push to the limit

AJ Calitz attempts the fastest known time on the daunting Fish River Canyon trail

A cold and rainy morning in Cape Town bid farewell to three Intrepid Explorers en route to the Fish River Canyon Ultra.

Their mission: Run the second largest canyon in the world.

M

y two accomplices were the sweepers for the 65km race, thus their focus was on having fun and enjoying their time in the canyon to the max—very different to my objective! But their enthusiasm was contagious and I soon found myself enjoying the company of my two young fellow adventurers.

Our first day was a whirlwind of driving, petrol stops and selfies—and finished magnificently with a braai under a canopy of trees and stars at the Amanzi campsite on the Namibian side of the Orange River banks. I tried my brand-new K-Way Kilimanjaro tent for the first time and it was a revelation, especially since temperatures were very close to zero. I settled in for a good, early night’s rest in my K-Way ThermaShift down sleeping bag—a must for camping in winter.

The next day, the smell of freshly brewed coffee (tea, in my case) from a Bialetti on an MSR Stove woke us with the early birds. After a quick pack-up, we left

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Amanzi to fetch two more South Africans and a local chap called Atanasius (it took the whole weekend for us to get his name right!). A slightly overloaded Isuzu bakkie carried us from the banks of the Orange River to the barren plains surrounding the canyon at Hobas.

Still munching away on my brown

couscous salad brought from home, we made our way on the very rocky road to the campsite on the edge (and I really do mean “on the edge”) of the canyon.

Greeted by the now familiar and friendly faces of Tinus Hansen and his team as well as the legend of the canyon, Oom Roelf, it felt like I’d come home.

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AJ C AL I TZ

Cries of elation and piles of photographs later, we settled our canvas abodes. A word to future participants: There are no showers at the Hobas race village. A quick equipment check and registration were followed by a race briefing, with Hansen explaining the ins and outs of what we were to take part in. Luckily, this year had

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seen good preseason rain and loads of hikers, thus the trails would be defined but also very soft underfoot. The briefing was followed by a typical Namibian feast: steaks, wors, chicken, bread, salads—and for those not taking it too seriously, some Windhoek Light. After dinner I went over the minute details of my run with Oom

Roelf, trying to find ways and paths to shave seconds off my previous best times.

Lights out by 21h00 and a pleasant, warm northerly breeze kept the cold at bay. An eye-watering 04h00 wake-up call over the PA system with some German trance music in the background made sure no one overslept. Breakfast was packaged

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AJ C AL IT Z

To break the record, I’d need to average 06:05min per kilometre for the duration of the event: over large boulders, through water, across more rocky riverbeds than I could count, loose rock scrambles and wide-open hiking trails

in a brown-paper bag: some bananas, oranges, a couple of sandwiches, a hard-boiled egg and three Jungle Oats bars.

The 100km race got under way at 05h00 from the campsite and followed the rim of the canyon in the direction of the hikers’ descent. The 65km trail drops straight down from the campsite and

incredible achievement by South Africa’s greatest ever trail runner (a video titled “The Beauty of The Irrational” on YouTube and Vimeo documents this attempt). Having had my sights set on Sandes’s record, but failing twice by mere minutes, had bothered me more than I care to admit.

So, in 2016, my coach Christoff Smit (from Christoff Smit Physiotherapists in

enters the canyon immediately.

This year I decided not to take part in the actual race, but rather to put all my focus and energy into the FKT (fastest known time) which, since 2014, has been eluding me and had become somewhat of a monkey on my back. The 06:57 record held by Ryan Sandes, set in 2012, is an

Stellenbosch) and I did ‘the whole scientific thing’ and matched our training programme to the conditions I’d encounter in the canyon: a lot of fast running on loose sand, boulder hopping and very long hours on the trails.

Armed with my K-Way racing kit, New Balance MT690s, Outdoor Research Gaiters,

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a Salomon 5L Skin Pack and a couple of Racefood bars, I started my attempt just after 07h00 as the first light of dawn touched the horizon. Almost immediately I realised it was not quite light enough—but it was too late by then.

Fifty metres from the start, I’d already twisted my right ankle—usually a sign of bad things to come. But it wasn’t too serious, so I just put it out of my mind and went about doing a slalom down the slopes of the canyon.

To break the record, I’d need to average 06:05min per kilometre for the duration of the event: over large boulders, through water, across more rocky riverbeds than I could count, loose rock scrambles and wide-open hiking trails. I reached the bottom of the descent in 14 minutes— about 3 minutes faster than previous years—and gained confidence.

The weather prediction was balmy for the canyon, and conditions at the start were perfect for fast running. The first hour flew by, and I recognised certain landmarks and areas where I’d made some route errors before. At the end of hour 1, I was at 05:52/ km pace; I could scarcely believe it, as last year I’d been at 07:12/km for the first hour.

I settled into a rhythm and remembered the words of Oom Roelf: to stay on the right until I got to the boulder field, then cut across early and stay left. The advice paid off, as my average pace was dropping to 05:50/km. I’d packed very light and expected to have to refill my water bottles every hour—but at the end of hour 3, I was still on my first fill.

To be honest, I can’t remember a thing between the third and fourth hour, other than the wild horses I’d seen. (One actually charged at me, but then backed off—must be my red hair!)

Approaching 42km, I saw on my

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AJ C AL I TZ

Suunto GPS watch that a sneak (shortcut) was approaching to the right; I took it and realised I was still well under record pace as I passed some of the 65km runners and hikers, all shouting words of encouragement at my back. In the past, I’d gone wrong at the second sneak at 50km, as the path splits three ways—lo and behold, I went wrong again this time and lost about five minutes. Determined to make up for this, I steamed across the flat plains to the causeway, which marks an aid point for the race; but as I wasn’t allowed to receive assistance, I sat down for two minutes and had a quick bite to eat and a drink from my pack, and set off for the final 18km to Ai-Ais. This last stretch was gruelling, as the sand was very soft underfoot and there were numerous ‘little’ climbs to contend with. I knew, however, that there’d be a river crossing soon. Temperatures were in the high 20s and climbing. Having learnt from previous years, I ziplocked all my electronics, did a dive into the water of which Chad Le Clos would’ve been proud, and put my triathlon skills to work; a slight twitch in my left calf was a sign that fatigue and cramp were starting to settle in.

Where normally I’d attack a climb, I had to nurse my body up the hills and try to make up for lost time on the treacherous descents. By then, with the quick stop, soft sand and river crossing, my average pace had slowed dangerously and my record attempt was hanging in the balance. I put it out of my mind and focused on staying positive, said a few prayers, gritted my teeth and carried on.

Mercifully, the final five or six kilometres were much easier than I remembered from previous years, and I realised the record was in my grasp. The final bend of the canyon, affectionately known as Big Bend, winds to the left and shows the first signs of civilisation—a lining of trees. With 1km to go, I dropped down onto the ‘beach’ at Ai-Ais, which has some seriously soft sand—to add insult to serious fatigue— but by that stage I was beyond caring.

My average pace was 05:59 and I knew I had it in the bag.

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I ascended the stairs and finished in a time of 06:39:52.

Thinking back on the race, it was a bit of a blur, but certain aspects stand out: My heart goes out to the hiker who passed away a day before we ran, on the steps into Ai-Ais; he finished the gruelling hike, raised his arms in the air as a victory salute—the last thing he would ever do.

The size, beauty, magnificence and difficulty of the canyon: I’ve heard that once you’ve done the canyon, you get canyon fever and just want to go back.

Well, take me to a doctor because I’ve reached fever pitch!

The Namibian people—friendly, helpful, accommodating; no request was too much effort, no job was half done.

What a group of individuals! We can learn so much from them.

Atanasius, the local lad who beat an international Salomon athlete for his fourth consecutive 65km win—a superstar athlete and all-round legend.

The road trip with mates and new friends made who share a passion for the mountains and living outdoors.

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T HA N D A I S L A N D

Thanda means ‘love’ in Zulu, and Robbie Stammers finds out exactly how apt that title is for this heavenly private resort off the coast of Tanzania

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T H AN D A IS L A ND

W One of the few truly private tropical islands in the world, Thanda is the magnificent beach residence of the Swedish entrepreneur and philanthropist couple, Christin and Dan Olofsson. Situated within southern Tanzania’s Shungi Mbili Island Marine Reserve, it offers absolute exclusivity for families and friends to enjoy on a sole-use basis.

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hen the invitation to visit Thanda Island arrived in my email inbox, it was met with a bittersweet response. On the one hand, it seemed like absolute paradise and was most certainly a top place on my bucket list. But, while I was starting to feel quite Bransonesque (yes, there is such a word), I wasn’t looking forward to showing the invite to my wife, who couldn’t join me—which would be a serious bone of contention.

Thanda is the sister property of the Olofssons’s highly acclaimed and multiaward-winning private game reserve, Thanda Safari, in northern Zululand (a member of The Leading Hotels of the World group). Sadly, my visit would be a rather whirlwind affair, arriving on Friday and departing again on Sunday; however, when I mentioned this to friends and family, I received not one sympathetic response…

We flew out early in the morning to Dar es Salaam and from there took a short but spectacular charter flight to Mafia Island, followed by a 30-minute boat trip to Thanda. Encircled by a coral reef, the island stands in the middle of a migratory route used by whale sharks (which can be seen in these waters from October to March) and enjoys occasional visits from dugongs. Of the five species of marine turtles that swim in Tanzania,

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T HA N D A I S L A N D

two (green and hawksbill) nest on the island itself.

The first sight of Thanda absolutely takes one’s breath away.

It offers guests an environmentally sensitive, fun and restorative Indian Ocean experience in total seclusion. Comprising an expansive five-bedroom villa— featuring an impressive glass rim-flow swimming pool and a huge indoor aquarium to rival its outdoor counterpart—this is where casual beach-house living meets outdoor ocean adventure. The villa has five suites that accommodate 10 adults, plus the option of nine children sharing. On request, it can accommodate an additional 16 guests in banda-style beach bungalows.

Reflecting their own style, the villa has been designed and decorated by the Olofssons personally. A palette of white has been combined with soft, natural hues and fabrics throughout—complemented by the owners’ handpicked pieces of furniture and artwork (plus a Steinway

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piano and loads of incredible guitars and banjos). Leading straight off from the pristine white-sand beach, the fan-cooled and air-conditioned suites each feature indoor and outdoor showers. Countless palm trees, indigenous vegetation and bushes have also been planted to enhance the existing beauty of Thanda’s flora.

We arrived just before sunset and settled in with a plunge in the warm sea, followed by copious quantities of gin &

PREVIOUS SPREAD, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Olofssons envisioned the island as a private paradise where they could escape with their three children and eight grandchildren; The room decor is a mix of American and Scandinavian influence, with a few African flourishes like bird’s-nest lamps in the living room and colourful fabric on the chairs in the library; An aerial view of Thanda THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The villa’s most striking feature is a glass rim-flow swimming pool that rises up from the deck to form a luminous cube; Thanda Island staff with the lucky media crew visiting; The tantalising view of the island as we came in by boat; G&T time on arrival THIS PAGE, INSET: Editor Robbie Stammers and Alan Samons in the charter plane to Mafia Island from Dar es Salaam

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T H AN D A IS L A ND

Thanda Island offers beautiful, warm, tropical weather. The rainy seasons comprise the ‘long’ rains in late April to May, and the ‘short’ rains in November.

Rain showers are mostly short, followed by sunshine—bringing wonderful renewal and freshness to the environment.

The island lies across the tradewinds, and experiences the northeast (Kaskazi) and southeast (Kusi) wind seasons: the Kaskazi usually starts at the end of November and lasts into February; the Kusi is from early July through to mid-September.

Thanda is in a low-risk malaria area, and the main currency is US dollars.

Travel visa and information is available on www.immigration.go.tz.

tonics and an incredible array of wines and whisky from the private cellar on the island.

Encouraging guests to slow down and soak up the relaxed tempo of island life, one can enjoy long lunches under the veranda, have fun making pizza in the outdoor oven, and laugh late into the starry night around the outdoor cocktail bar. By day, you may choose to laze on the expansive deck that frames the house and the pool, or prefer between your toes the squeaky white sand of your own piece of beach. A major highlight for me was snorkelling in the sea, then coming out of the water to be met with Champagne and oysters shucked right off the rocks and handed to us while still in the sea.

Pure heaven!

Eight hectares in size, 1.1 kilometres in circumference and 350 metres wide, Thanda Island is completely self-sufficient, off the grid and solar-powered. We were shown around the setup and were blown away by the attention to detail and expense it must’ve taken to set up these systems. (Doomsday Preppers would definitely want to choose this island paradise if the world went awry; it’s quite impressive.)

For water-sport lovers, the choice is abundant. Sailing boats, stand-up paddleboards, kitesurfing boards plus single- and double kayaks are all on hand for the active. The more adventurous can catch sight of the whale sharks

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Encouraging guests to slow down and soak up the relaxed tempo of island life, one can enjoy long lunches under the veranda, have fun making pizza in the outdoor oven, and laugh late into the starry night around the outdoor cocktail bar. while scuba diving with qualified instructors. Furthermore, a powerboat zone outside the Marine Park to the south of the island allows for waterskiing, jet-skiing, wakeboarding and tubing. Big game fishing on a 28-foot reef runner cat off Mafia Island is another available activity.

Our incredible hosts told us one could catch the GT (giant trevally) right off the beach, and we enjoyed casting off into the ocean with drinks in hand, watching the sun go down on Saturday. A few bites were had, but we amateurs couldn’t manage to pull anything in. Not that it mattered: The food on the island is world-class and surprisingly so, considering its remote location; we were delighted with amazing four-course meals, many with fresh fish straight from the waters surrounding us.

Depending on the season, guests can watch turtles nesting and their eggs hatching. Five species of marine turtles occur in Tanzania’s waters; green and hawksbill turtles—which are categorised as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources—have recently returned to nest on Thanda. Guests will also be able to learn about the local Swahili sea-faring culture on nearby Mafia Island, and picnic on a neighbouring atoll. What a shame we didn’t have more time.

Furthermore, Thanda Island seeks to mirror the conservation and community upliftment successes that Thanda Safari has achieved in South Africa by partnering with the Tanzanian Marine Parks and Reserves Unit as well as that country’s leading non-governmental organisation, Sea Sense, on a range of marine conservation and education programmes in the region. These include research

and conservation projects on the sea turtles, dugongs, dolphins, whale sharks, coral reefs and marine reserves. In addition, the team is participating in a range of social upliftment programmes on Mafia Island, which has approximately 60 000 people living in its communities. This will be in the form of a commitment to the education of young people in sustainable resource utilisation, fish harvesting, marine conservation, and the development of healthy sporting activities such as football.

All too soon, we had to head back on Sunday morning for the long trek back to Cape Town. We begged and pleaded with our media host, Pete, to miss the boat so we could stay a few more days—but alas, it was not to be. Three days were better than none, though, and I can assure you that somehow, by hook or by crook, I’ll be back. Not without my wife this time.

I choose life…

Exclusive use of Thanda Island is offered at US$10 000 per night, with a minimum stay of three to seven nights, depending on the season. This is an all-inclusive rate that includes the services of the dedicated staff, boat transfers from Mafia Island, spa treatments and all the activities offered on the island, along with all meals and drinks including Thanda’s handpicked selection of wines and Champagnes.

Diving and exclusive wines and Champagnes are extra.

For more information, visit www.thandaisland.com.

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GR A N T LO T T E RI N G

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GRAN T LO T T ERI NG

The

After narrowly escaping death in 2013, Grant Lottering is back in the saddle doing the Im’Possible, writes Eugene Yiga

RIDE of his life “ July 2014—from death to the top of the Alps in one year—was my biggest challenge ever on a bike.

Never in my life have I had to dig so deep and endure as much...” Lottering had successfully completed the race that had almost claimed his life only a year earlier. The impossible had been made possible.

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E

ver since Lottering saw South African professionals such as the late Ertjies Bezuidenhout and Alan van Heerden race in his hometown of Randburg, he’s been in love with cycling. “As an 11-year-old, my friend and I would wear black shorts and yellow T-shirts and chase each other in our neighbourhood, pretending we were racing,” recalls the 48-yearold Johannesburg native. “But as South Africans [living under apartheid], we were banned on the international stage, which made it difficult.”

Although he started cycling professionally in 1989, Lottering only competed in Europe for a year before he returned to South Africa to study marketing management and pursue a ‘normal’ career instead. But even though he was satisfied already to have received his national colours three times over, his love for cycling wouldn’t fade. It’s why he found himself in Italy on 21 July 2013, gearing up to do what he loves most. “It was raining when I woke up, and it concerned me,” he recalls of the day he competed in La Leggendaria Charly Gaul in Trento, the international cycling event to the summit of Monte Bondone. “I stood next to the amateur world champion and knew I was in serious company. I was nervous [but] I was confident I could win my category.”

But while descending the first mountain, Lottering entered a wet corner at over 66km/h and crashed straight into a rock embankment. Because he hadn’t hit his head, he was conscious through the accident—until he could no longer breathe and knew he was dying. “I came round in ICU some 30 hours later,” he recalls.

“I had tubes in my throat, an epidural in my spine, and couldn’t move. I thought I was paralysed and became traumatised before they sedated me again.”

The prognosis wasn’t good. Lottering required half a dozen surgeries as well as countless biokinetics sessions. But he pushed through, grateful he wasn’t paralysed and determined to make the most of his second chance at life. “I had a clear vision of going back and doing what I had been told wouldn’t be possible,” he says. “I knew if I went back within one year, it would be an amazing story.

I became so determined that nothing was going to stop me.”

True to his word, a year later he was back where it had all begun—about to embark on his first Im’Possible Tour. The Italian doctors who saved his life welcomed him and the tourism board hosted him like a VIP. A day before the race, he went to the crash site and the memories came flooding back. “I cried, but then focused on where I had come from and that I was back,” Lottering says. “I spent time praying, and visualised myself racing past the corner the next day. It would be my biggest victory. I left feeling confident and with total closure of what had happened there a year ago.”

Indeed, racing past the corner where he’d crashed was the biggest victory of his life. It was an emotional moment, but also gave him an incredible sense of overcoming. And reaching the

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PREVIOUS SPREAD: Two kilometres from the summit of Col de la Croix de Fer THIS PAGE, TOP: Descending Col du Glandon at 85km/h THIS PAGE, ABOVE: Cycling during the night at Col du Grand Colombier— died a thousand times over!

THIS PAGE, BOTTOM: Approaching the first climb at Col d’Allos before sunset OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: Day 2 on Col de Joux Plane OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT: A quick 15-minute stop at the halfway mark of Col de la Madeleine; Heat exhaustion was a real concern, particularly on Col de la Colombière

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GRAN T LO T T ERI NG

summit of the Col du Galibier at 2 640 metres, still seeing thousands of cyclists behind him, made him realise that he’d reached the summit of the biggest challenge of his life. Because he’d believed, had faith and refused to give up, he’d made the impossible possible against all odds.

“I felt a sense of extreme gratitude to be alive and to have been given this opportunity of doing something considered impossible,” he says. “At the start, I was scared of what could go wrong, but a hundred percent confident that it was my destiny to be there and that it would work out as it should. And it did. Somehow I just knew it would, and I gave myself no opportunity to think about failure or doubt. That helped me overcome the fear of going down those mountains again.”

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Last year, in his second Im’Possible Tour, Lottering cycled 420km non-stop through the Alps in 19 hours and 38 minutes, climbing 10 000m over 10 mountains through the night. And even though his seventh shoulder surgery was still due (completed last October), he finished the route thinking he could’ve gone further.

That’s why he decided to do double on 3 August 2016, with the aim of completing it within 48 hours to make him the first person ever to do so.

“I’ve realised how important it is that our thinking is in line with our goals, plans and vision,” he says. “We must have a clear vision of what we want to accomplish in life. When we have that, we can see beyond where we are. Our subconscious mind is more powerful than our cognitive, conscious mind—and we need to use this to

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Only one kilometre to go!

drive our behaviour and attitude. I used this to get through recovery and back on the bike sooner than anyone thought possible.”

Lottering cycled from Cannes to Les Saisies ski resort with the help of his friends and support teams in France. He did so as an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, with the sole purpose of raising funds for underprivileged children. Several weeks before the challenge, he’d already ‘sold’ every mountain to corporate donors and raised over R1 million, with all the proceeds going to charities the foundation supports.

“I worked for a major South African bank for 16 years, and left the corporate world to pursue the direction my second life has taken me,” he says. “So I’m now in a position to focus on my career as an international speaker, and building the Im’Possible brand.” Still, there’s a lot on his plate.

As a full-time professional speaker, Lottering has made several trips to Europe following requests to share his inspirational and thoughtprovoking story. And because he relates the journey so authentically, he’s able to connect with audiences of all ages, teaching them that “the mind is infinitely more powerful than we think”, and that “the brain listens to the mind, not the other way round, and the body in turn responds to the brain”.

“Our potential is unlimited, but we have limits because we impose them on ourselves,” he adds. “We have to apply our minds and tap into this incredible resource we have to achieve more than we ever thought possible, to see our invisible become visible, and to inspire and encourage. But, just as important, we need to

surround ourselves with the right people. I could never have done what I did if it weren’t for the team of doctors I had, or my support teams in the Alps who believed one hundred percent in the plan.”

Lottering, who grew up wanting to become an architect, currently manages a residential property portfolio to feed his passion. He’s also working on putting together a corporate cycling

I love the beauty we get to enjoy while riding, the freedom of expression on a bike, being one with a high-tech piece of equipment, and being a hundred percent reliant on your own physical strength.

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event and a possible television show. But, up until now, the biggest focus has been on completing the 1 000km Im’Possible Tour III, which he considers a privilege to be able to do.

“I love the beauty we get to enjoy while riding, the freedom of expression on a bike, being one with a high-tech piece of equipment, and being a hundred percent reliant on your own physical strength,” he says. “The reward of standing on top of a mountain, enjoying the scenery after having endured and suffered to get there, is symbolic of life.”

For further details about the Im’Possible Tours, see Grantlottering.com.

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WELLMAN.CO.ZA

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Made in Britain UK’s No1 men’s supplement brand. *

Available from Dis-Chem & independent pharmacies.

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WIL D SHO TS

EDUCATE,

INSPIRE, CONSERVE Once again, some of the world’s top nature photographers will gather for Wild Shots, Africa’s premier annual wildlife photography conference

W

ildlife photography is hugely popular in South Africa, and Wild Shots provides the first centralised event of its kind—bringing together amateurs and professionals alike to learn from, and be inspired by, the best in the business.

The conference, now in its fifth year, aims to explore how wildlife photography promotes a greater public appreciation of biodiversity and nature conservation in Africa. Wild Shots plays host to world-class nature photographers and industry practitioners who present their work and inspire the audience through seminars, workshops and discussions. It is a day of inspiration, storytelling and stunning imagery, where the power of photography to educate, inspire and conserve is deliberated.

Wild Shots is open to everyone, including professional and amateur photographers as well as nature enthusiasts. This year the conference will take place on 22 October in Johannesburg (Vega School, Randburg) and 29 October in Cape Town (V&A Waterfront).

For more information, see www.wildshotsevent.com or email info@wildshotsevent.com.

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Joris van Alphen A Roman seabream is pulled in by handline over a rocky reef in False Bay. Because Roman are born female and only change sex after seven to nine years, intensive fishing skews their sex ratio and hurts a population’s ability to bounce back. Hook-and-line fishing and spearfishing have caused the collapse of many of False Bay’s fish stocks, despite being selective fishing methods.

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L IFE T HR O U G H T H E LE N S

Etienne Oosthuizen Over a four-month period, Oosthuizen shared some magical moments with aardvarks. He was obsessed with understanding every detail of the creatures’ behaviour. This one allowed him into its daily life to a level that the photographer has never before experienced with any other animal.

Cristina Mittermeier A woman wearing a headdress comprising feathers of the Astrapia birds of paradise, Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea

L IFE T H RO UGHJonathan T H EandL EAngie NSScott

Topi and wildebeest gather in their thousands at a river crossing site in the Maasai Mara, Kenya.

This is the last great land migration on Earth: 1.3 million wildebeest, 200 000 zebra and 400 000 gazelle, constantly on the move as they search for food and water.

Albert Froneman The African skimmer is an iconic species that only occurs regularly on the Zambezi, Chobe and Okavango rivers in southern Africa. In this region, the population is endangered due most probably to the rapid loss of habitat and human disturbance.

WIL D SHO TS

Nelis Wolmerans A member of the Susa mountain gorilla family in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, on the lower slopes of the Karisimbi volcano. “I am insanely grateful for the dedicated people on the ground who spend their time and risk their lives to ensure the future of this critically endangered species.”

Scott Ramsay A bull elephant crossing the White uMfolozi River in the wilderness area of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.

The lone animal is also symbolic of the immense loss of wilderness and wildlife that once teemed across Africa. The continent’s national parks and nature reserves are all that remain in a sea of development, transformation and people.

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Water doesn’t come from a tap.

Water goes on a long and complicated journey to get to you.

Visit journeyofwater.co.Za to learn more about where your water comes from.

Photo Š Hougaard Malan

WWF_Journey of Water_210x275.indd 1

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T IM L E AT H E RM A N

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T IM L EAT H ERM A N

the tool of his trade

Robbie Stammers chats with the inventor of the Leatherman range during his recent trip to South Africa

In 2010, TIME Magazine regarded the Leatherman as one of the 100 greatest and most influential gadgets since 1923.

But it took Tim Leatherman more than eight years to convince customers of the ingenuity and usefulness of his sevenounce invention.

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ong before holstered cellphones appeared on handymen’s belts, another gadget won their hearts and hips: the Leatherman Pocket Survival Tool. Within three months of its first listing in a mail-order catalogue, the multifunctional gizmo became an essential for thousands of hikers, hunters and knife enthusiasts. Since then, Leatherman tools have blasted into space with NASA astronauts, severed umbilical cords on newborns, and extracted shrapnel from American troops in Iraq.

As founder and designer Tim Leatherman tells it, the idea behind his company grew out of a routine car breakdown. He and his wife spent most of 1975 touring Europe and Asia in a used Fiat.

Its hoses leaked and the wiring failed constantly, and Leatherman’s generic pocketknife lacked the means to fix them. Inspiration struck: Why not add pliers to a pocketknife? By the time the couple returned to the US, Tim had sketched out a design.

A few weeks later, he was using his brother-in-law’s machining tools to construct the first prototype.

Today, the 350-strong staff of Leatherman Tool Group sell about 2.5 million units a year of 36 models in 80 countries, from Germany to Mongolia. Tim Leatherman was recently in South Africa, addressing Leatherman fans across Cape Union Mart stores in some of the provinces, and telling us how he’d persisted for more than eight years to convince customers that his sevenounce invention was much more than a glorified Boy Scout knife. The Intrepid Explorer was there to ask him a few questions.

The Intrepid Explorer: How did it all begin?

Leatherman: My wife and I decided to travel abroad in 1975. We were young; it was one of those budget trips, and we bought an old Fiat in Amsterdam for $300. I was carrying a Boy Scout–type knife and used it for everything, from slicing bread to making

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adjustments to the car. But I kept wishing I had a pair of pliers!

During the trip—it lasted almost nine months—I had a piece of paper in my pocket on which I listed ideas for new products, things I might work on back in the US. It was in a hotel room in Tehran that I started sketching a pocketknife that contained pliers.

Once we got back to Portland, I asked my wife if I could build it—just one for me. I told her it would only take a month, and she got a job to support us. I set up shop in the garage and picked up a file and a hacksaw. (I have a degree in mechanical engineering, but knew nothing about machining.) My brother-in-law was a machinist, and what he didn’t teach me about metalworking, I had to figure out myself. My month turned into three years.

I learnt I’m not a very good inventor; I don’t have much foresight.

I was hoping for an easy way out, that someone would pay me a million dollars for the patent rights. I thought my most likely prospects would be knife companies, so I brought my prototype to Gerber, a knife business in Portland, Oregon. They looked it over and said, “This isn’t a knife, it’s a tool. We’re not in the tool business.”

I still thought it was a knife, so I went to the major knife companies, but they all said no. I eventually got the message, and decided that if it’s not a knife, it’s a tool. I visited several tool companies, and they all said: “This isn’t a tool, it’s a gadget. Gadgets don’t sell.”

This went on for about four years. Nothing happened, and I was ready to give up. Steve Berliner, a friend from college, saved me. A business major who was working in his father’s metalworking firm, he had tracked me the whole time. We became partners: 75% for me, 25% for Steve. He suggested we should manufacture the tool ourselves, but first find a customer to order a substantial number.

His first thought was AT&T, which could use the tool for its fleet of repairmen. AT&T said no. Then we tried the Army, thinking it could ship our tool to every soldier. We sent proposals to 23 government

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contacts and quickly received two “no’s” and one “we acknowledge receiving it and will get back to you in due course”. We still haven’t heard back from the other 20.

Finally, we tried mail-order catalogues. We were so naive!

We figured that if we made and sold 4 000 tools in our first year, we would break even and recover the cost of our investment.

We would start production when a customer ordered 2 000.

So we created a mailing list, wrote a cover letter, and sent it to 250 catalogues. We drove up to Seattle to meet with one in person, Early Winters. [The company changed its name to Sahalie in 2004.] The buyers looked at the prototype and asked us for a price. I came up with $40. “That means we’d have to sell it for $80,” they said. “Sorry, don’t think so.” But instead of closing the door completely, they asked us what we could do to make it less expensive, and helped us brainstorm ideas. Steve and I went

to work on a new prototype, taking out the clamping feature and a few other items. When we returned to Early Winters, we quoted the price of our tool at $24. They liked it, but wouldn’t commit to ordering 2 000.

We drove back to Portland and sent another letter out to the catalogues. One responded: Cabela’s, the Nebraska hunting and fishing outfitter. It sent us a $12 000 purchase order for 500 tools.

Steve and I shifted into production mode. One of the nice things about the mail-order business is the long lead time from when

THIS PAGE, TOP: Today, Leatherman sells $100 million in tools a year, still manufacturing them in Portland THIS PAGE, RIGHT: The 1969 Fiat 600 that broke down on a trip to Europe, giving Tim the inspiration to build his Leatherman multi-tool OPPOSITE PAGE: Although Tim is now retired, he still visits the Leatherman factory at least every month, and plays an active role in the direction the company takes

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T IM L EAT H ERM A N

Since my name is on every tool we make, I still feel a responsibility for the quality of each one we sell. clients commit to the product to when it appears in the catalogue.

It was May of 1983, and our first order was for late December— plenty of time, we thought. Steve’s dad let us use 1 000 square feet of his metal shop, his equipment and some of his employees.

Some time after May, Early Winters called. It wanted 250 tools.

At that point—eight years after my first sketch—we started wondering about exactly who our customer was. If you envision a spectrum of knives and tools, Swiss Army knives sit on one side, and hand tools such as files and pliers sit on the other. Ours fit in the middle, and we named it the Pocket Survival Tool to appeal to the 20 000 survivalists about whom newspapers were writing back then. We also targeted knife enthusiasts with ads in knife-trade publications, offering to sell directly to them. A few other orders trickled in, and in late December we got another call from Early Winters asking if its order was ready. We said we would be late; production wasn’t quite as easy as we’d thought. “We need them badly,” the buyers said, “because they’ve all been sold. And put us down for another 500.” Three days later, they ordered 750 more, and suddenly there was this market of customers calling us, folks who mentioned seeing us in catalogues. We sold about 30 000 tools in 1984 and 69 000 the next year. By 1993, we were selling more than one million units a year. I realised I had got lucky; initially, I failed to understand who my customer was. It was the catalogues that brought them to me.

company names, I told him we didn’t need to name it after me.

But he insisted, and I think he was pretty wise in doing so. Since my name is on every tool we make, I still feel a responsibility for the quality of each one we sell.

It took you years and years of knocking on doors and being turned away before you finally took the plunge and went into business for yourself. How did you manage to keep your faith?

You bet I sometimes got discouraged, but I think two of my best qualities are optimism and perseverance. During the eight long years I spent in my garage, I sometimes went to bed discouraged, but somehow I woke up the next morning with renewed optimism and the diligence to go after my goal.

My father still walks around every day with his ever faithful Leatherman on his belt strap. Do you smile when you pass someone wearing one?

Yes, I still get great pleasure when I see a Leatherman tool on someone’s belt. Just last night I met an emergency-room physician with a Leatherman Raptor clipped to his scrubs—a gift from his son. I just smiled when the doctor told me he couldn’t believe how much better the Raptor worked than the flimsy shears the hospital issued. (By the way, tell your father hello from me, and tell him thanks for his loyalty to Leatherman!)

Are you still very hands-on in the company?

Earlier this year I stepped down from my post as president, giving up one of my four positions. I’m still chairperson, majority shareholder and landlord. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of letting go, but it is important for me to come in every few weeks to meet with the CEO. Back when Steve and I were brainstorming

With distribution across 70 countries, you apparently like to travel to see Leatherman users across the world. What have been your favourite places?

Have you done a lot of travelling in South Africa?

I have travelled to many of the over 70 countries in which Leatherman tools are distributed, but I have been four times to South Africa, so it’s one of my favourites. In 2007, I spent about nine weeks in southern Africa, including more than four weeks going all over South Africa. This year I spent three weeks in South Africa, including Johannesburg and surrounding areas, East London/Port Elizabeth and surrounding areas, and Cape Town and surrounding areas. It’s a beautiful country.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and were only allowed one thing to take with you, would it be your Leatherman? And would you consider adding a flint to future Leathermans to make fire, perhaps?

Hmmm, let’s see… I’m going to be stranded on a deserted island.

I can only have one thing. I’m 68 years old. Without my glasses, everything is blurry, and without them I’d be dead in a week—or less. So, I’d want my glasses, in my opinion the greatest invention in history; the invention that has done the most to improve the quality of life for the most people ever. Oh, and I wouldn’t mind having my Leatherman—and if it’s our new Leatherman Signal, I’ll have one with a flint fire-starter.

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blacks do caravan

Fikile Hlatshwayo and her family travelled to more than 25 caravan parks, covered over 10 000km and traversed all nine provinces. She shares the experience as related in her new book

My husband Mathieu and our two beautiful children, Lesedi and Leo, aged eight and five, came up with the idea of caravanning around South Africa for three months. Initially, I was very sceptical, thinking one of us must be losing it.

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n 2014, I was at a point where I had lots of money but little happiness. I had become exhausted physically, emotionally and mentally. So it wasn’t a surprise when I was diagnosed with excessive ‘burnout’, a condition that has become prevalent in our country. I had worked so hard throughout my life to accumulate as much money as I could at the expense of my family, my health and my social life. I had become a victim of the constant demands of my work to a point that I had to leave my job. I became the opposite of Superwoman and was lost in my own world of severe depression.

Enough was enough, and I needed to escape by leaving home to seek fulfilment and healing elsewhere.

Blacks DO Caravan has a strange ring to it, because one doesn’t often meet up with black South Africans in caravan parks. I come from a culture where camping is purely for white people. Even if black people were to camp, they would not enjoy it because it is reminiscent of how many of us used to live; in fact, a lot of black people still live like that today: cooking on a fire, using communal toilets, with access to little or no technology.

I thought there was no way I would agree to this camping expedition. I am, after all, a sophisticated and highly successful

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black woman, comfortable in my high heels and pant suits—I love my comfort! But I had no choice: Either I stayed miserable and severely depressed in my secure home, or I joined my family to enjoy the beauty of our country in the most affordable way. I gave in, but it did take a lot of convincing!

What really interested me was that this trip unfolded so naturally. I needed comfort, so my only condition was that I would not sleep in a tent. We decided to buy a caravan that came with a fridge, microwave, comfortable beds and, of course, a little outside kitchenette. As first-time buyers, all we wanted was a caravan that was reliable, affordable and able to accommodate a family of four.

Luckily we met Glenda Fourie, a friendly and extremely knowledgeable sales person. She listened to all our needs and sold us a good used caravan.

Once we had our caravan, I became so excited that I took over as the lead planner of the trip. We learnt a few important things, like the need for a special licence to tow a caravan over a certain weight. We also had to consider security—although once on the road, we learnt about the closeness of the camping community and how people look out for one another.

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FIKIL E H L AT S H WAYO

Either I stayed miserable and severely depressed in my secure home, or I joined my family to enjoy the beauty of our country in the most affordable way The journey began on 15 September 2014 and we kept postponing our return date because we didn’t want it to end.

We visited more than 25 caravan parks, covered over 10 000 kilometres, and traversed all nine provinces. Subsequent to this trip, we had several other trips partly sponsored. At the end of these trips, we had covered over 60 camping/caravan parks and in excess of 25 000km. We also travelled to Swaziland to see if they face similar challenges as South Africa. Not all the camping/ caravan parks we visited are featured in my book.

I have travelled a lot within South Africa and beyond, for both leisure and work purposes. But these three months were something different: out of this world, incredible; I can’t sufficiently express the value of taking three months out of our so-called ‘normal lives’ and making this dream trip. This trip was simply priceless and rewarding on so many levels. Having first-hand experience in the African wild, I can stand tall and proudly say we have a beautiful country. South Africa is very rich in natural

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scenery: beaches, vineyards, countryside and mountain ranges.

It is also endowed with diverse cultures in each province, so much so that you feel like you are in a different country as you drive from one province to the other—and yet, there is a distinct sense of connectivity of being in one country. The only sad story is that this wealth of nature is only enjoyed by a few South Africans and international tourists.

The reality is, we black South Africans strongly believe that because many of us come from rural areas, there is no need for us to pay money and go see elephants or lions. In any case, we can go to the zoo and see them. However, we do not realise the benefits of being in the wild, the benefits of outdoor life, the impact nature has on our children and us as a family. On the other hand, many white South Africans have mastered the art of travelling and appreciating our country. Through my interactions with fellow campers, I have come to understand why they camp and how it all started.

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As I sat with my family around the fire …

I felt emancipation, I felt enrichment, and I felt I was living life to the fullest.

Life in the wild is nothing like life in the suburbs. We have a huge house, but it feels like a prison with high walls, an electric fence, top-of-the-range alarm system, cameras and a 24-hour security guard walking up and down the street. However, in a caravan park, there is no sense of fear, no walls, no alarms and no security cameras (but, yes, there is a fence to keep the hippos out!). There is a sense of belonging, connectivity with your inner self and, of course, the liberation nature has to offer. As I sat with my family around the fire, roasting vegetables, smelling the aroma of lamb chops, spicy chicken wings and boerewors on the fire and enjoying chilled drinks under the full moon with the sounds of jackals in the distance, I felt emancipation, I felt enrichment, and I felt I was living life to the fullest.

The vast exposure and knowledge acquired by my children over these three months has been immeasurable. It is amazing how much children can absorb. Lesedi and Leo had the time of their lives. They learnt so much about the country and its unique provinces, and now have a real appreciation for nature. They met and played with a lot of people from all walks of life, including tourists from other countries. They tasted different foods and learnt basic greetings in languages spoken in each province. I thought my kids would miss the interaction with other children, especially being out of school for three months. Interestingly, several Afrikaner families home-school their children while camping, therefore my kids had many friends; one could just hear their laughter as they played throughout the days. The wonders and impact this journey has had on us as a family cannot easily be described. In these three months, we grew so much as a family and bonded so deeply; our love for one another is very special.

Being confined in a small space for more than a day can bring you very close, so imagine being in a caravan for more than 90 days!

We simply became one: one beautiful family with lots of

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adventures, warmth and love.

This trip also confirmed the reality that South Africa is still a divided nation. The idea that camping is for white people is so entrenched, and my question is: who maintains these standards?

Over 20 years into democracy, boundaries still divide us, and it is up to individuals to break down these stereotypes and barriers.

We cannot rely solely on the government to change everything and expect that we will all arrive in an all-inclusive ‘rainbow nation’ with equal wealth for every citizen. It is not going to happen until every citizen plays a role in contributing to the change we need, the change we want, and the change we deserve as South Africans. My contribution started with this journey, and I want to ensure its impact.

This book tells the story of a young South African family’s caravan journey. There are lots of memories that were created, adventures and wonderful experiences that we had, and I want to share them with other South Africans. My ultimate goal is to make this book an inspiration to all South Africans to take time out of their busy

PREVIOUS SPREAD, LEFT TO RIGHT: Enjoying the warmth of Gannaga Pass that meanders through the Roggeveld Mountains in Tankwa Karoo National Park; A delightful way to enjoy time with the little ones is canoeing in Stonechat Private Resort in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga THIS PAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Horse riding up the Drakensberg in the Royal Natal National Park; Camping on a farm surrounded by majestic mountains and valleys in Maclear, Eastern Cape OPPOSITE, LEFT TO RIGHT: The Twin Falls comprise two huge rock pools flowing into the river in Augrabies Falls National Park, Northern Cape; Toasting the sunset in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park, Eastern Cape

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FIKIL E H L AT S H WAYO

schedules and spend precious time with their families to discover the beauty of our country. I want to break those boundaries created by the past regime and contribute to the unity that is needed for all South Africans to move forward and experience this country equally, whether caravanning or doing any other form of holidaying.

Remember, change starts with you and me!

Going back to the most important question, why don’t blacks caravan? There are over 1 000 camping and caravan parks in South

Africa—surely there is a huge market or interest for this thing called camping? But where are the black campers? This book will slowly reveal the answers as you go through each chapter.

I will drive you through my journey—but please be patient, because I can only drive less than 60 kilometres per hour with a fully loaded caravan.

Remember, you are not in a hurry when holidaying, so please take your time while reading my story!

Blacks DO Caravan is published by Jacana Media and is available at retail bookstores for R225.

60 SECONDS WITH FIKILE

memories forever. They have learnt so much about South Africa, its rich wildlife and diverse cultures, and met so many people › YOU VISITED MORE THAN 60 from all walks of life. How often do you visit CARAVAN PARKS AROUND THE a waterhole with over 200 elephants? Rare COUNTRY. WHICH WERE SOME OF moments! My kids have done it all: ample THE MOST MEMORABLE PLACES? Every single place we stayed in was unique game drives, horse riding in the Drakensberg, canopy tours, boat cruises, and beautiful. It’s really difficult to point out one or two places. All I can say is that South mountain biking, hiking up many trails with Africans are spoilt with an amazing country. breathtaking views, swimming in rivers, rock pools and waterfalls, canoeing, rock Let’s stop complaining about crime, racism, corruption etc. and travel our country to see climbing, the list goes on… People would and appreciate the positives it offers. We are wonder how we could afford all these activities. Well, we saved on accommodation well- endowed with the best of nature, as and used the money for activities or well as rich cultural and natural heritage. restaurants. For my kids, there was no better way to learn than experiencing the › YOU SCHOOLED YOUR KIDS WHILE things they were learning about. For ON YOUR AMAZING JOURNEY. example, when we were at the coast, they’d WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS learn about the sea theme and would see TYPE OF TRIP TO OTHER FAMILIES? the penguins, dolphins etc. We’d also take DO YOU THINK IT WAS A LIFECHANGING EXPERIENCE FOR THEM? them to aquariums or museums for their Absolutely. This trip was the best gift we ever school programmes—exciting ways gave to our kids, and they will cherish these of learning, rather than being confined in

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a classroom. I highly recommend that parents go out of their comfort zone and expose their kids to our rich cultural and natural heritage. › WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE MOST ESSENTIAL THINGS ONE NEEDS TO TAKE ON A JOURNEY IN A ‘HOME AWAY FROM HOME’?

Don’t take your whole house! Most of the time you will be outdoors. Be simple in your packing and do your research to know where you are going, what facilities and activities they have, so that you can pack accordingly. Essential things to pack: map, first-aid kit, water or filter, torches, camping plugs etc. › WOULD YOU DO THIS AGAIN? POSSIBLY ON ANOTHER ROUTE? Absolutely! We’re planning a SADC [Southern African Development Community region] book, for which we’ll take a whole year off into the African wilderness!

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T R AVEL G E A R

spring into action!

It’s time to hit the trails in all four corners of our beautiful country. Nick Dall has your gear and garb covered

The days are getting warmer, and folks all around South Africa are rousing from their annual hibernation. Spring is the perfect time to get fit and focused—so what are you waiting for? Go hit the trails! There’s no excuse, as Cape Union Mart is the one-stop destination store for all your pre-, during and post-race needs—stocking top brands of shoes, outdoor apparel, fitness watches and hydration packs, as well as gear for more leisurely pursuits. With all these incredible products under one roof, you can spend less time shopping and more time running mountains!

K-WAY WOMEN’S DIA VEST The effortlessly elegant K-Way Dia is designed by runners for runners. First, its moisture-wicking fabric transports perspiration away from your skin, then its incredible quick-drying properties kick in to keep you cool and comfortable all-day long. Its ergonomic ‘racerback’ cut eliminates pulling, additional underarm mesh provides ventilation where you need it most, and four-needle flatlock stitching means there are no bulky, irritating seams. A wise ‘in-vest-ment’ if ever there was one…

K-WAY WOMEN’S CERRO RUNNING SHORTS

R250

K-WAY MEN’S RAIDEN CREW MOISTURE MANAGER

R299

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The super-lightweight (only 95g!) Cerro has a flat lycra waistband with adjustable drawcord to ensure a snug fit while wicking moisture away from your skin, and the slide slits give you fantastic freedom of movement—even when you’re tackling a near-vertical ascent. The nylon/polyester blend is treated with a water-resistant coating, so rain and sweat simply slide off.

Concealed zip-up pockets (great for energy gels) and rear reflective flashes complete the package. Guys, check out the equally impressive K-Way Knox, at R499.

R399

The Raiden’s long sleeves make it the perfect companion for chilly pre-dawn sorties while its peerless moisture-wicking properties come into their own once the harsh African sun has made its appearance.

The Raiden is breathable, quick-drying and offers exceptional value for money.

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T RAVEL GEA R

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T R AVEL G E A R SALOMON SPEEDCROSS 4 Those in the know wondered whether the iconic Speedcross 3 could ever be beaten. The just-released Speedcross 4 has answered all the doubters with an emphatic ‘Yes!’ Believe it or not, the Speedcross 4 features better traction than its predecessor in an even lighter package. While the overall shoe is without peer, it’s the little things that will transform your day in the ‘Berg: things like the super-convenient Quicklace system and highly efficient anti-debris mesh.

The Speedcross is one of the mostloved shoes on the planet, and its latest incarnation is only going to earn it more fans. Available in men’s and ladies’ styles.

R2 299

ADIDAS MEN’S TERREX BOOST This bad boy from Adidas ticks all the boxes. Its ‘sock-like’ stretch mesh uppers fit like a glove, the midsole offers unrivalled support, and the Continental Rubber outsoles’ truly massive lugs come into their own in rugged African terrain.

All this heavy artillery means the Boost is slightly weightier than the Speedcross 4, but the whiz kids at Adidas have incorporated energy-returning properties that will quite literally drag you to the top of Lion’s Head.

Adidas is a relative newcomer to the trail-running scene, but the Boost signals its intention to run with the big boys.

R50

FALKE MEN’S TRAIL RUNNER SOCKS After your shoes, your socks are probably the next most important piece of equipment you’ll buy. These ones from Falke feature a reinforced heel and toe for lasting durability, an extra-fine toe seam for maximum comfort, and a wide ankle cuff to keep out the sticks and stones.

What’s more, their soft elastic arch support ensures all-day comfort and freshness.

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R499

K-WAY SWIFT 12L HYDRATION PACK

R1 699

This very well-made hydration pack gives you the best of both worlds: It’s big enough for longer sessions, but also features all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a race pack. When used in conjunction with a 2L hydration system, the pack is exceptionally stable and well-balanced, which makes for a very comfortable running experience. Seven litres of storage space mean you can carry a warm top, a proper lunch, a first-aid kit, and your phone and wallet.

The zips are all YKK and the materials quite hardy.

OUTDOOR RESEARCH’S HOT PURSUIT CONVERTIBLE WRIST WARMERS These ingenious little fellas from specialist US manufacturer Outdoor Research will save your bacon on icy mornings and in the sweltering midday heat. When you set off on the trail, you’ll be grateful for the weather-busting, open-palm fleece mitts. As things hot up, simply fold them away into the wristbands and enjoy a sweat-free training session.

The Radiant™ fleece is moisturewicking, breathable and quick-drying, and the mitts feature reflective trim and logos.

R599

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T RAVEL GEA R

K-WAY 2L HYDRATION BLADDER

R350

This 2L hydration system offers exceptional value for money. It features a wide mouth opening for easy filling, an antimicrobial finish (because trail runners don’t have to drink ‘funky’ water), and a magnetic strap retainer that eliminates annoying on-trail buckle struggles. One important thing to note is that the bite valve has to be switched to ‘ON’ before you drink—just remember to switch it off when you throw it in the car at the end of the day! The 3L version retails for R399.

GARMIN FĒNIX 3 HR Garmin’s new fēnix 3 HR harnesses all the key functions of its industryleading predecessors and throws in a wrist-based heart-rate monitor for good measure. Stylish, sporty, robust and intelligent, it has dedicated profiles for trail running, cycling, swimming, climbing, skiing and rowing (among others), and free apps make it yet more customisable. You can sync it to your smartphone, use it as an activity tracker, and switch between training modes.

The Sapphire lens is scratch-resistant, the device is water-resistant to 100m, and its battery life is amazing.

R199

K-WAY 24OZ INSULATED WATERBOTTLE There’s nothing worse than a lukewarm drink when you’re out on the trails.

This nifty 700ml waterbottle features a space-age foil inner that keeps your drink chilled for much longer than regular waterbottles. The pushpull spout is super-easy to drink from, and the tough plastic carry loop allows you to clip it to the outside of your pack.

R10 499

R199

FITBIT BLAZE

R3 999

The Blaze packs all the best features of Fitbit into a highly intelligent (and elegant) watch, with a wrist-based heart-rate monitor. It has various sports modes such as running, biking and cardio, and automatically records all your activities. The Blaze syncs wirelessly to your phone for call, text and calendar alerts and to allow wrist-based music control. It uses your phone’s GPS to track your routes and provide invaluable pace and duration stats. Workout summaries are instantly available on screen, while more detailed analysis can be obtained from the Fitbit app.

RED-E RC25 ULTRA-SLIM POWERBANK The RC25 is so slim and lightweight, you won’t even know you’re carrying it, but it still packs 2 500mAh of juice. The best part?

The micro-USB cable is incorporated into the powerbank itself, so you’ll never be caught short. There’s also an 8-pin Apple adapter that stows in a separate slot.

*All prices in this feature were correct at the time of going to print.

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L IFE T HR O U G H T H E LE N S

LIFE

THROUGH THE

In this edition of The Intrepid Explorer, we showcase some of Fiona Ayerst’s magical underwater photography

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LENS www.intrepidexplorer.co.za

L IFE T H RO UGH T H E L E NS

Pilot fish symbiotically clean parasites off the whale shark, receiving protection in return

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A barnacle-encrusted humpback whale in the plankton-rich waters of East London

S

pecialising in stills underwater photography, Fiona Ayerst has been taking her camera below the surface for 10 years. She lives for animals, and particularly those of the unknown and mysterious depths of our oceans. She loves to show people what they may otherwise never see: the wonders

of the underwater world.

Her latest undertaking is photographing humans in water, and she’s keen to expand this new interest.

Ayerst has had success in high-profile local and international photography competitions, having already won a number of

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awards for her stunning work—but the greatest and most prestigious honour has been the South African Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award.

She also contributes to stock image banks, with her photographs appearing in magazines and newspapers around the world. When she’s not behind the lens, she writes regularly for various publications and runs an internship programme for photographers and journalists in Mossel Bay and Mozambique.

Anything that launches Ayerst into the unknown and the unexpected features high on her list of loves.

Visit FionaAyerst.me for further information, or see www.africa-media.org, www.instagram.com/fiona_ayerst and fionaayerst.tumblr.com for more of Fiona’s gorgeous images.

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The inquisitive turtle of Manta Reef near Inhambane, Mozambique peers at his own reflection in the dome port of my camera housing—perhaps pondering the image of himself

Monarch of Lewa 1, Kenya

Ethnicity, Etosha Plains

A lemon shark presses its snout up against my camera—the ampullae of Lorenzini (special sensing organs) are easily discernible on the tip

L IFE T HR O U G H T H E LE N S

Galapagos sharks float with a free diver at the surface in the middle of the ocean between Mozambique and Madagascar

A nosestripe anemonefish, or skunk clownfish, peeks out from its host— the magnificent anemone

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L IFE T H RO UGH T H E L E NS

Monarch of Lewa 1, Kenya

Like puppy dogs with sharp teeth, lemon sharks patrol just under the surface, always looking for a snack

A small bait ball of red-eye fish glints in the late-afternoon shafting sunlight

O UT AN D A B O U T

on the

wild side

Here’s the inside scoop on the outside world! We look at some of the astounding feats accomplished by intrepid explorers young and old; the latest developments and products; as well as events and causes in which you, The Intrepid Explorer reader, can become involved. So get out there and make the most of the outdoors!

Compiled by Robbie Stammers

EXPLORE THE WILD IN STYLE

Shamwari Game Reserve, situated in the Eastern Cape near Port Elizabeth, as well as Sanbona Wildlife Reserve just outside Cape Town, are set to reopen their Explorer camp and safari for the upcoming season from October 2016 to April 2017. This once-in-alifetime experience takes guests on a guided walking safari that allows them to get up close and personal with nature.

The Shamwari Explorer itinerary comprises a two-night trail, departing each Friday, with an optional third night on request to stay at either the Shamwari Explorer or incorporate nights at one of the six Shamwari lodges. Unique to Shamwari’s Explorer Camp is the Explorer Deck overlooking 25 000 hectares of breathtaking Big 5 territory.

Each tent is luxuriously furnished by Melvill & Moon for comfort in the wilderness.

The Sanbona Explorer two-day walking safari takes place in the midst of Sanbona’s Big 5 wilderness territory, and is perfect for guests looking for an authentic walking safari accompanied by a specialist guide. Guests learn about this unique Karoo wilderness area as well as the vast variety of birds, wildlife and vegetation, plus the natural history and culture of the area. In the evening, a delicious bush meal is prepared and cooked on the campfire, enhancing the safari experience. Guests can still experience the height of bush comfort with

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an eco-shower and toilet, and all tents are equipped with bedding and torches.

Distances walked vary each day, but can last up to four hours each.

No persons younger than 16 years or older than 60 years will be able to participate. However, if a medical certificate can be provided by the client or the booking agent, exceptions will be allowed.

The Intrepid Explorer highly recommends these magical destinations! So book now to avoid missing out, as spots are filled quite quickly. Go to www.shamwarigroup.com for further details.

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O UT AN D ABOU T

answering the

desperate call of the wild Marlice van Vuuren has dedicated her life to the conservation of the magnificent animals and people who make Namibia, the “Land God Made in Anger”, the unique country it is. Together with her husband, Dr Rudie van Vuuren, she founded the N/a’an ku sê Lodge and Wildlife Sanctuary in 2006: a place where the conservation of wildlife, landscapes and cultures is closely interlinked. They quickly catapulted the N/a’an ku sê Foundation into the highest echelons of conservation prowess, with additional N/a’an ku sê reserves in Namibia not only providing visitors with exceptional wildlife experiences but also vastly adding to their numerous conservation efforts.

The N/a’an ku sê Sanctuary itself is a paradise nestled deep in the bush, where orphaned animals are raised with dedication, their natural needs being carefully considered—creating an environment where their instinctive behaviours are nurtured and encouraged.

Only those animals too ill, abused or habituated remain at the sanctuary: “returning wildlife to the wild” being the mantra that forms the backbone of projects.

The desperate cry of Namibia’s vulnerable wildlife prompted N/a’an ku sê to embark on a scientific journey, one whereby human–wildlife conflict is researched and tackled as intensively as possible, with the scientific data resulting from the GPS collaring of wild carnivores providing a platform from which to address the complex facets of conflict. Free-roaming carnivores face an ongoing battle in their quest to co-exist peacefully with farmers and landowners, with elephants and the highly endangered African wild dog also in critical need. N/a’an ku sê’s conflict mitigation research has prevented the persecution of countless threatened wildlife species.

The innovative conservation practices of the N/a’an ku sê Foundation are paramount to providing a voice for those who cannot speak. Visit www.naankuse.com to fully grasp the scope of its conservation work.

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lights... camera...

TRaction!

All the finest cities in the world have one: Frankfurt, Paris, Tokyo, Dubai and New York, to name a few. So it was only a matter of time before Cape Town, voted one of the Best Cities in the World in 2015, would finally announce its own CAPE TOWN MOTOR SHOW (CTMS).

The inaugural CTMS will take place over the last weekend of January 2017 (27 to 29) at the prestigious Sun GrandWest in association with The City of Cape Town. It promises a weekend of incredible fun with a broad appeal to all car and bike buffs, petrolheads and, in fact, the entire family, with loads of entertainment.

Exhibitions include: multiple world- and South African introductions; a complete range of domestic and imported passenger cars, bikes and trucks; sport utility vehicles; and experimental or concept cars. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to see numerous accessories and auto-related exhibits, competition vehicles, antique and collector cars, engine modifications (pimped-up rides), Sound-Off Beats competitions, virtual simulations, car wrapping, drifting, live music and more!

Finally the Mother City can boast a motor show that will rival any of the international equivalents, hosted in a safe and conducive environment with an expected audience of more than 25 000 over the three days of the CTMS. The show will span the length and breadth of the Sun GrandWest Entertainment World, including the Market Hall, Grand Arena, the Sun Exhibit area, the Sun Garden area, outdoor 4X4 areas, drifting zone, bike zone, and Classic and Vintage car displays.

Marketing and promotions will run in conjunction with the local and national press, television, a radio partner, social media platforms and promotional flags across the city—ensuring the CTMS will definitely be something everyone will get revved up about!

For more information, go to www.capetownmotorshow.co.za or like the Facebook page (Cape Town Motor Show); tickets can be booked via Computicket.

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O UT AN D A B O U T

HI-TEC FINDS A SOLE MATE IN MICHELIN RUBBER In September 2016, HI-TEC South Africa launched its new Comfortable Anywhere campaign. Accompanying it were new shoe designs specially engineered to keep you comfortable in any outdoor environment in which you may find yourself.

HI-TEC announced an all-new collaboration with worldrenowned quality rubber manufacturer, Michelin, which is providing the high-performance technical outsoles for the signature OX shoe.

This higher-cut crossover boot was specifically developed for those who never let the adventure die out; a boot for a man who lets himself be free in an urban or trail environment. Designed with HI-TEC’s latest technological features, the shoe ensures comfort and style to help you stay on top.

Its design includes a leather upper that’s combined with a tough ballistic leather protection to ensure durability and comfort are provided on all your adventures. A padded collar and tongue offer extreme comfort, and a gusseted tongue keeps the unwanted debris out. A micro-fleece moisture-wicking lining helps keep your feet dry. Durable nylon and rustproof hardware ensures a secure fit, while an extended lacing system offers a more personal fit and greater adjustability. A moulded heel chassis offers additional stability, protection and durability.

Thermo-Dri and a 200g Thinsulate insulation trap heat to

keep your feet warm when you need it most. HI-TEC classic technology, i-shield, repels water and dirt and is resistant to stains. An OrthoLite Impressions sockliner with slow recovery foam provides extreme comfort; a lightweight, durable ‘fork shank’ ensures flexibility and stability. And if that’s not enough, an all-new high-performance Michelin rubber outsole delivers multi-surface traction.

Big things are happening in the HI-TEC world, so keep your eyes open this summer for more to come!

Available at Cape Union Mart, R2 199.

bigger and better This October, the annual Banff International Mountain Film Festival comes to South Africa, bringing with it films of adventure by ski, bike, rock, rope and on water. For the 11th year, Cape Union Mart proudly hosts the screening of the 2016 World Tour films at Ster-Kinekor cinemas in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria—in proud partnership with leading outdoor brands K-Way, LED Lenser, Deuter and GoPro. Cape Union Mart delivers the spirit of outdoor adventure and mountain culture to South Africa. This year’s World Tour features the best mountain films, showcasing amazing filmmaking talent from the world over to an audience that spans the globe. Cape Union Mart will be offering South Africans this opportunity, “allowing everyone to experience these inspiring stories that drive us to keep exploring the great outdoors.”

Eleven award-winning and audience-nominated World Tour films, selected from hundreds of festival submissions, will be shown at each World Tour screening. They include a mix of topics and styles that are entertaining, inspiring and thoughtprovoking. These films range in duration from the intense-action-packed, three-minute surfing video Living Rivers—Surf, to the 40-minute documentary film A Line Across the Sky, winner of the Best Climbing Film category.

South African audiences will also be treated to the screening of an additional five-minute film: the winning submission from the Cape Union Mart Adventure Film Challenge. This annual film competition encourages South African filmmakers and athletes to capture and celebrate local outdoor and adventure culture.

The 2016 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour will be screened at: • Cape Town: Cavendish Square—21 to 29 October • Cape Town: Tygervalley Centre—21 to 29 October • Johannesburg: Sandton City—21 to 29 October • Pretoria: Brooklyn Mall—21 to 29 October • Durban: Gateway—28 and 29 October (two nights only) • Port Elizabeth: Baywest—29 October (one night only) Shows start at 20h00, with all 11 films shown at each screening. Tickets are available through Ster-Kinekor at www.sterkinekor.com or on 082 16789.

(Price is the same as a standard Ster-Kinekor movie ticket.)

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O UT AN D ABOU T

flower power

For more information, see www.capetownflowershow.co.za.

RB16.26

If the colourful corolla of a budding St Joseph’s lily causes you to pause in awe of the beauty and perfection of its sequential whorls, then you need to get your green-fingered self to the Castle of Good Hope from 27 to 30 October 2016 to witness the annual Cape Town Flower Show.

All about gardens and gardening, the bright and beautiful lifestyle fair showcases the latest planting trends and top tips, along with useful decor and design ideas for outdoor living. Aside from learning to create serene outdoor sanctuaries, there’ll be a selection of local food and craft beer on offer to keep gifted (and aspiring) gardeners well fed. Whether you’re ready to win the Chelsea Flower Show or you struggle to keep a cactus alive, there’s

something for everyone at this green affair.

Expect a selection of jaw-dropping show gardens, along with sterling examples of the art of floristry, a special display of the use of flowers in art, various horticultural exhibits, and a smorgasbord of nurseries and seeds to kick-start your garden growing or embellish your existing terrain. You can also get top tips from local experts, and take part in some of the numerous workshops happening throughout the four days, including planting, biomimicry, orchid care, flower arranging and more.

Tickets cost R100 for adults and R50 for children between 10 and 17 years, and can be bought via Computicket. At the door, tickets cost R180 for adults and R90 for 10- to 17-year-olds. Kids under 10 enter for free. The show is open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday, and from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday.

COME AND ENJOY A TASTY CUP OF ROOIBOS

INFORMATIVE VISUAL PRESENTATION

Come and enjoy a tasty cup of Rooibos with us!

Visiting times: Monday to Thursday 9:30, 11:30, 14:00 & 15:30 and Friday 9:30, 11:30 &14:00 Group bookings: 027 482 2155 A range of Rooibos products and gifts are available at the Promotions Shop in Clanwilliam (Monday to Thursday 08:00 - 16:30 & Friday 08:00 - 15:15).

For postal orders of our product range: sales@rooiboltd.co.za.

GPS Coordinates: S32º 11.131’ EO 18º 53.291’

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VARIOUS ROOIBOS PRODUCTS

O UT AN D A B O U T

one lucky bookworm can WIN all these incredible new releases!

Baobabs of the World: The upsidedown trees of Madagascar, Africa and Australia (Penguin Random House) A photographic masterpiece, this beautiful book produced by Andry Petignat and Louise Jasper is a fitting tribute to the baobab. The first section offers a short introduction to the classification and general description of baobabs, details of their life history, biogeography, dispersal and their role in people’s lives. The second section comprises a guide to each of the eight baobab species, including botanical description, details of their habitat, distribution and principal uses, accompanied by clear images and line drawings of the leaves, flowers, fruits and growth habit of each species.

Interesting text and lavish photographs throughout make this book irresistible for specialist botanists and lay enthusiasts alike, and it will have particular appeal for tourists too.

Elephant Dawn (Jacana) In 2001, Sharon Pincott traded her privileged life as a high-flying corporate executive to start a new one with the Presidential Elephants of Zimbabwe. She was unpaid, untrained and self-funded, and arrived with the starry-eyed idealism of most foreigners during early encounters with Africa. For 13 years— the worst in Zimbabwe’s volatile history— this intrepid lady lived in the Hwange bush, fighting for the lives of these elephants and forming an extraordinary, life-changing bond with them. Now, Pincott writes without restraint sequentially through the years, taking us on an unforgettable ride of hope and heartbreak, profound love and loss, adversity and new beginnings. Powerfully moving, sometimes disturbing and often very funny, Elephant Dawn is a celebration of love, courage and honour among our greatest land mammals. With resilience beyond measure, Pincott earns the supreme right to call them family.

101 Kruger Tales: Extraordinary stories from ordinary visitors to the Kruger National Park (Leadwood Publishing) This book, compiled and edited by Jeff Gordon, is a collection of first-hand accounts by ordinary tourists of their sightings, scrapes and encounters in one of Africa’s greatest national parks.

It details hair-raising experiences from the Kruger Park’s roads, camps, picnic sites and walking trails, such as: an enraged elephant flipping a car onto its roof; a lioness prising open a terrified couple’s car door; a fleeing impala leaping through an open car window; a hyena snatching a baby from a tent; and a tourist taking a bath in a crocodileinfested waterhole. It’s a bedside book, a travel companion, a dip-into, readanywhere compilation of joyful encounters laced with terrible warnings. It includes 192 colour photographs taken at the scenes of the tales.

Enter now to stand a chance of winning a copy of all three books!

Simply email your name, contact details and the answer to the question below to susan@insightspublishing.co.za before 5 November 2016. The winner will be notified via telephone or email.

Question: Who compiled the collection of 101 Kruger Tales?

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O UT AN D A B O U T

Chris Bertish is at it again!

Our Intrepid Explorer cover hero and friend, Chris Bertish, is going to attempt the first-ever solo, full-length transatlantic stand-up paddleboard (SUP) crossing. He will embark on this epic journey toward the end of December 2016, proving that ”Impossible isn’t a word, it’s just a challenge!”

The world-renowned big-wave surfer, Guinness SUP world record holder, speaker and adventurer recently announced the details surrounding his groundbreaking expedition, #TheSupCrossing, at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. He will attempt the transatlantic crossing, unsupported and unassisted, on a custom-made 6m long standup paddleboard/craft, over four straight months.

Dubbed the greatest solo open-ocean adventure ever attempted, you can be sure that besides helping millions of kids in Africa, this will be a journey like no other. It will surpass anything Bertish has ever attempted before, and will see him paddle across 7 500km of open ocean: setting off from Morocco and finally landing in northern Florida, doing the equivalent of a half-marathon per day for over 120 consecutive days.

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The SUP Crossing is a multi-layered project that seeks to change the lives of millions, and has taken Bertish more than five years to bring to life. While one of the key objectives is to redefine what’s possible by pushing the limits and boundaries of the human body, mind and spirit, the core goal is to create a positive impact.

Bertish has selected charities to benefit from the groundbreaking sustainablegiving initiative linked to the campaign.

Working with the Signature of Hope Trust, the initiative will provide long-term funding to help these charities achieve their goals by raising funds through two separate crowdsourcing initiatives: Thundafund and Indiegogo.

Charities to benefit from the initiative: • The Lunchbox Fund, an NPO that focuses on fostering education via nutrition and providing a daily meal for orphaned and at-risk children in townships and rural areas across South Africa.

• Operation Smile South Africa, the initiative that provides free surgeries to children and adults throughout southern and Central Africa, as well as educational and training opportunities that promote sustainability and self-sufficiency throughout the region.

• Signature of Hope, to build numerous small schools in areas where there is a lack of money and facilities for education in and around the country.

Bertish comments, “This project has been a huge undertaking to bring into reality and has definitely taken its toll on me personally, but I believe in it with every fibre in my being, that it’s going to have a monumental impact on the lives of millions of children in South Africa and generations to come and leave a legacy—and that’s why I’m willing to do whatever it takes, sacrifice whatever is needed to go the distance. I have a great team behind me, and with their backing and RSA and all the planning and preparation we’ve put in—add in courage, passion purpose and perseverance—and we can achieve anything!” #TheSupCrossing will also give researchers in South Africa the opportunity to track Bertish, his environment and his experiences.

For more details, visit chrisbertish.com or follow him on Twitter: @chris_bertish

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THE DIGITAL VERSION OF

The Intrepid Explorer

IS NOW AVAILABLE ON APPLE IPAD AND ANDROID TABLETS www.intrepidexplorer.co.za • 3rd Quarter Edition 2016 R29.90 Incl. VAT

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› NOW THIS IS THE LIFE – Hanging out on Thanda Private Island › WONDERFUL LAND OF OZ – Island-hopping Down Under › BACK IN THE SADDLE – Grant does A D RLottering IANA MAR A I S the Im’Possible › BLACKS DO CARAVAN – Fikile Hlatshwayo shows us how it’s done › LIFE THROUGH THE LENS – Underwater magic by Fiona Ayerst

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OR

Adriana Marais has her eyes set on a one-way trip to the Red Planet, writes Miriam Mannak

From paddling the Amazon, exploring the Arctic and climbing Mount Everest, to hiking the Grand Canyon and visiting Easter Island—when it comes to adventure bucket lists, the sky is the limit. Or is it? The Intrepid Explorer spoke with a would-be space pioneer from Durbs.

©Richard Hughes

16011

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O UT AN D A B O U T

CHECKED OUT Editor Robbie Stammers shares a favourite travel destination that should not be missed

Bliss in the ‘Berg

Elephant Leisure Resort, a long-treasured destination for the traveller who seeks the road less travelled and solitary bliss, has new owners and management. This tranquil setting is a superb place to unwind—and if you’re a bird enthusiast, you’re in for a treat.

The Jacuzzi is an added bonus!

Situated at the foot of the Olifants Mountains, it boasts majestic views of the Olifants River Valley and the Cederberg. As company you’ll have a multitude of bird species happily singing their song, while a lazy breeze may rustle the fynbos and trees.

Ten en-suite cottages—with a total of 14 king-size beds or 28 singles—await your arrival, and have been refurbished to cater to your every need. Each cottage has a fireplace and private Jacuzzi. There’s also a luxury tented camp at the river with sleeping place for a further 36 people.

The two-and-a-half-hour hiking trail at Elephant Leisure will take you past Tombstone Forest (named for the old, grey

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bluegum tree trunks), among which you’ll find 14 baby Clanwilliam cedars—one of the most threatened tree species in South Africa. (The Cedarberg was named after these trees, which used to be a prominent feature but are a rare sight today. Elephant Leisure managed to find a few of these beautiful trees, which are being carefully nurtured.) You’ll also find amazing rock formations and a perennial waterfall along the hiking trail. Enjoy a silent moment in

this magical area.

To complement your stay in the Oliphants River Valley, there are other unique activities on offer, such as birdwatching, canoeing, fishing, mountain biking, a nine-hole golf course as well as a number of other professionally run group sports competitions and pastimes.

Visit www.elephantleisureresort.co.za or telephone 083 285 6766.

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HIT T HE ROA D , J AC K

big

Robbie Stammers gives us a guided tour of the new, exciting vehicles that have been spotted on our roads recently

Like the Big 5 in the bush, these vehicles have unique characteristics: some may be featured for their strength and speed, and others for their comfort and size.

Bold beauty – Jaguar F-Pace Released in July this year, the all-new F-PACE redefines the fusion of design, practicality and the next generation of technology— offering first-class interior, dynamic styling and exciting proportions, while remaining spacious enough to accommodate five passengers and their luggage.

The new SUV looks strongly assertive but not aggressive; it’s a versatile, allweather, all-surface Jaguar sports car.

The driving experience is as luxurious and comfortable as one would expect from a Jag sedan, and all that performance and power is packed into the sleek vehicle.

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A true five-seater, the F-PACE has a spacious interior featuring the craftsmanship, premium materials and meticulous attention to detail that give every Jaguar its unique sense of occasion.

The ‘Sports Command’ driving position provides an authoritative, confidencegiving view out, but retains a sports car feel. Jaguar’s cosseting sports seats are shaped to provide exceptional comfort and support, and are available with 14way adjustment, heating and cooling, as well as refinements such as soft-grain leather, contrasting twin-needle stitching

and embossed headrests.

The focus on package efficiency also means the all-new F-PACE has an exceptional luggage compartment: 650 litres. The space is made all the more useable by its width that’s more than enough to accommodate two full-size golf bags, for example, or four large suitcases.

Using Jaguar’s leading expertise in aluminium construction, the design and engineering teams had the ideal starting point for creating the brand’s first-ever SUV. From the outset, it was developed to have a modular structure, allowing the wheels to

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be positioned exactly where they are needed to deliver the proportions, dynamics and practicality essential for a performance SUV. All F-PACE models are fitted with InControl Touch as standard—the same system currently fitted to the Jaguar XE, XF and F-TYPE. With its eight-inch touchscreen and intuitive interface, InControl Touch offers drivers easy access to the vehicle’s infotainment functions.

(InControl Touch is also available with a 380-watt Meridian audio system.)

InControl Protect and InControl Remote are fitted to all F-PACE derivatives. Drivers

can rely on the ultimate in customer care with InControl Protect, which offers both an SOS button for emergencies and accidents, as well as a roadside assistance button.

The F-PACE is also available with the Jaguar Activity Key, a first in the SUV segment. This waterproof, shockproof wristband with an integrated transponder is wearable tech that supports active lifestyles. It allows the key fob to be securely locked inside the vehicle— invaluable if you’re going surfing or kayaking, for example.

Locking the SUV using the Activity

Key will disable any key fobs left inside.

It works on the same RF frequencies as the other keys and is used to lock and unlock the vehicle when it is held in close proximity to the “J” of the Jaguar lettering on the tailgate. The key has no battery, so as a driver you never have to worry about changing it.

With sports car–inspired design and performance, as well as class-leading levels of interior space, the F-PACE truly lives up to its title: It simply is “the most practical sports car”.

Prices start at R776 800.

Loads of street cred – 2016 Hyundai Tuscon The all-new Tucson is again the best-selling model in the Hyundai Automotive SA range, and has topped the sales in the very competitive medium SUV segment since its launch in March. Returning to the model name that helped Hyundai establish itself as a leading brand in the country, the Tucson was launched with very positive media reports. Its exceptional ride and build quality, its stylish bold design and the performance of the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, among others, were mentioned as outstanding features.

Hyundai has really impressed me lately with its range of vehicles.

The new model is yet another sleek, stylish SUV; from its bold, assertive front, flowing lines along its flanks and sporty rear, it’s possibly the best-looking version of the Tuscon yet. The front is dominated by a new hexagonal grille with chromed slats, new LEDs, and a wing-shaped horizontal bumper incorporating LED daytime running lights. The rear is reinforced by strong horizontal lines flowing from the wheel arches. The combination taillights and reflectors are stretched to, with the rear skid plate and twin exhaust adding a sporty touch. Its new design makes its more in-line with the rest of Hyundai’s lineup.

The four-cylinder 1.6-litre turbopetrol engine (130kW/265Nm) has been introduced for the first time in a Hyundai SUV locally. The Korean firm’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is available with this engine, and sits at the head of the local range. A six-speed manual is standard.

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Fuel consumption is rated at a claimed 8.3 litres/100km for the manual 1.6, and 8.5 litres/100km for the AWD version, with emissions of 169g/km and 178g/km respectively.

A 2.0-litre normally aspirated engine is capable of 115kW/196Nm (only offered in the Premium spec) and can be mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. Fuel consumption for the 2.0 petrol is rated at a claimed 8.9 litres/100km (manual) and 9 litres/100km for the auto, with emissions of 186g/km and 204g/km respectively.

If you’re looking for a compact SUV with great styling, sophisticated technology and a comfortable ride, the 2016 Hyundai

Tucson should be on your list. Backed by Hyundai’s industry-leading seven-year or 200 000km powertrain warranty, it makes for a great value proposition in the fiercely competitive SUV market.

Price tags › Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Nu Premium (manual) › Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Nu Premium (auto) › Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Nu Elite (auto) › Hyundai Tucson 1.6 TGDi Executive (manual) › Hyundai Tucson 1.6 TGDi Elite DCT AWD

R359 900 R379 900 R439 900 R419 900 R499 900

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HIT T HE ROA D , J AC K Enhanced people carrier – 2016 Captiva LT First introduced to our country in 2007, the Chevrolet Captiva is a highly capable seven seater with an appealing design. It offers a smooth ride over any condition the South African landscape can throw at it.

The Captiva comes with a long list of standard features including: an on-board computer; eight-way electronically adjustable driver’s seat; dual-zone climate control; rear park assist; cruise control; keyless entry and start; hill descent control and start assist; and power folding mirrors.

Enhancements to the 2016 model range include a new grille and front fascia that give the Captiva the latest Chevrolet look. The headlamps have LED daytime running signature lighting with automatic on and off. 2016 models ride on 18-inch alloy wheels, and the bold look is finished off with neatly integrated side steps.

Taking pride of place inside is Chev’s award-winning MyLink infotainment system with 7-inch touchscreen. The second-generation MyLink builds on the innovations of the previous system, with class-leading connectivity that introduces phone projection technology—a first in this segment. The system allows users with compatible smartphones the ability to

project some of their phone’s apps and functions onto the screen.

Furthermore, the spacious cabin allows for extra storage space, and has three rows of seats with high levels of safety and comfort features. Buyers of the 2016 Chevrolet Captiva have a choice of either the 2.4-litre petrol engine or a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine. The 2.4-litre naturally aspirated engine produces 123kW @ 5 600rpm, and has torque output of 230Nm at 4 600 rpm. Combined cycle fuel consumption is measured at 8.8 litres/100km, producing 210g of CO2 per kilometre. Performance figures for the 2.4 LT FWD fitted with the manual transmission are: 0–100km/h in 10.5 seconds, and a top speed of 190km/h. When fitted with the

6-speed automatic transmission, the 2.4 LT FWD LT accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 11 seconds and reaches a top speed of 181km/h.

The fuel-efficient engine combined with a 65-litre fuel tank make the Captiva an ideal cross-country vehicle. I’ve always enjoyed driving the Captiva, and although it’s in a very competitive market segment, it still holds its own.

Price tags › C hevrolet Captiva 2.4 LT FWD manual › Chevrolet Captiva 2.4 LT FWD auto › Chevrolet Captiva 2.2 D LT FWD auto

R396 600 R415 500 R431 300

It’s your journey – 2017 Volvo V40 The Volvo V40 has been updated with a more premium, classier look and a renewed sense of character. V40 Cross Country models have also received design tweaks, adding an even more adventurous feel.

Designed in line with new and future Volvo cars, the signature Thor’s Hammer LED daytime lights now feature on some models, and the new Volvo iron mark takes pride of place inside and out.

The updated Volvo V40 places emphasis on the individuality of the driver. The Swedish design and uniquely Scandinavian approach to life means the Volvo V40 is different—much like the individuals to which it appeals. “It’s your journey” is the creative campaign developed by Volvo Cars to signify this distinctiveness.

New floating centre-stack decor panels lend a more modern feel, while the familiar digital instrument cluster maintains a smart ambience in the cabin.

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H IT T H E ROAD, JACK

The Cross Country versions bestow the range with cheeky and adventurous alternatives, featuring a raised ride height, roof rails, black bumper cladding and slightly bolder nose treatment—with the availability of all-wheel drive in the T5 AWD. From the 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel that powers the V40 D2, to the powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit in the V40 Cross Country T5 AWD, the entire range ensures an optimal balance between driveability and efficiency. The gearbox range includes 6-speed manual, 6-speed Geartronic (automatic) and eight-speed Geartronic transmissions. The V40 Cross Country range offers five main models, available in Momentum or Inscription guise.

Standard safety equipment naturally includes seven airbags, ABD, EBD and ESC; the world’s only pedestrian airbag is still an optional extra. City Safety uses autonomous emergency braking to avoid collisions with vehicles ahead.

Price tags › V 40 D2 6-speed manual (Kinetic, Momentum, Inscription or R-Design) from R351 100 › V40 D3 6-speed Geartronic (Momentum, Inscription or R-Design) from R432 400 › V40 D4 8-speed Geartronic (Momentum, Inscription or R-Design) from R442 400 › V40 T3 6-speed manual (Kinetic, Momentum, Inscription or R-Design) from R337 700 › V40 T3 6-speed Geartronic (Momentum, Inscription or R-Design) from R396 500 › V40 T4 6-speed manual (Momentum, Inscription or R-Design) from R400 200 › V40 T4 6-speed Geartronic (Momentum, Inscription or R-Design)from R420 300 › V40 T5 8-speed Geartronic (Momentum, Inscription or R-Design) from R459 700 › V40 Cross Country D3 6-speed Geartronic (Momentum or Inscription) from R452 700 › V40 Cross Country D4 8-speed Geartronic (Momentum or Inscription) from R469 300 › V40 Cross Country T4 6-speed manual (Momentum or Inscription) from R412 500 › V40 Cross Country T4 6-speed Geartronic (Momentum or Inscription) from R432 600 › V40 Cross Country T5 AWD 8-speed Geartronic (Momentum or Inscription) from R504 400

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Captivating crossover – Renault Captur The all-new Renault Captur is the marque’s latest addition to its fresh and diverse model line-up, and set to be a serious contender in South Africa’s very popular B-segment SUV category.

While the beautifully practical Captur crossover has the attributes of a standard SUV, I’ve always been wary of Renault in South Africa due to the expensiveness of parts; however, the one major thing this vehicle has going for it is that it’s very competitively priced.

Renault Captur offers three derivatives, all petrol-powered: the flagship Dynamique EDC featuring Renault’s new-generation 1.2-litre 88kW EDC Turbo power plant; the Dynamique 66kW Turbo; and Expression 66kW Turbo.

These engines are a direct result of Renault’s renowned adaptation of Formula 1 tech and transfer to road cars.

The vehicle features the trademark diamond-shaped centrepiece that dominates the crossover’s front grille and LED daytime running lights—two features with which the South Africa market is becoming increasingly familiar.

With its flexible, modular layout, the Captur’s interior is spacious (as is the boot area), which houses hidden yet easy-to-access storage space.

Immediately eye-catching are the innovative shell-shaped seats that feature trendily designed, practical zip-collection covers (on Dynamique models) that are easily removed and washable.

The petrol-powered Renault Captur line-up offers two manual derivatives: the 66kW Turbo Dynamique and Expression models, and top-of-the-range

Dynamique 88kW Turbo (EDC auto only).

The launch of the flagship Captur Dynamique EDC (dual-clutch 6-speed auto transmission) sees the introduction to the country of Renault’s 1.2-litre 88kW Turbo engine that delivers an excellent, fuel-efficient drive in tandem with slick, smooth gear changes. With maximum output of 88kW @ 4 900rpm and peak torque of 190Nm @ 2 000rpm, the Dynamique EDC reaches a top speed of 192km/h. At 5.4 litres/100km (in combined cycle NEDC), fuel consumption is frugal, while CO2 emissions are a low 125g/km.

The Captur Expression and Dynamique 5-speed manual derivatives are fitted with Renault’s new-generation 66kW Turbo petrol engine with overboost. This serves to underscore the fact that access to highly efficient and technologically advanced engines is no longer the preserve of more expensive vehicles. Safety is synonymous with the Renault brand and, with an unrivalled safety package standard across the Captur range, the newcomer achieved a 5-Star Euro NCAP rating in 2013— the 15th Renault model to do so.

Pundits are predicting the Renault Captur will find favour in the local market and perform equally as well on South African roads.

Price tags Renault Captur 66kW Expression R219 900 Renault Captur 66kW Dynamique R239 900 Renault Captur 88kW EDC Dynamique R279 900

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STOR E L IS TI N G

WESTERN CAPE STORES Bayside Mall, Blouberg (021) 556-3861 bayside@capeunionmart.co.za Blue Route Mall, Tokai (021) 712-5979 blueroute@capeunionmart.co.za Canal Walk, Century City (021) 555-2846 canalwalk@capeunionmart.co.za Canal Walk Adventure Centre (021) 555-4629 cwac@capeunionmart.co.za CapeGate Shopping Centre, Brackenfell (021) 982-2000 capegate@capeunionmart.co.za Cavendish Square, Claremont (021) 674-2148 cavendish@capeunionmart.co.za Constantia Village (021) 794-0632 constantia@capeunionmart.co.za Gardens Centre (021) 461-9678 gardens@capeunionmart.co.za Mill Square, Stellenbosch (021) 886-4645stellenbosch@ capeunionmart.co.za Mountain Mill Mall, Worcester (023) 347-1484 worcester@capeunionmart.co.za Paarl Mall (021) 863-4138 paarl@capeunionmart.co.za Somerset Mall (021) 852-7120 somersetwest@capeunionmart.co.za Tygervalley Shopping Centre (021) 914-1441 tygervalley@capeunionmart.co.za V&A Waterfront Quay Four (021) 425-4559 quayfour@capeunionmart.co.za V&A Waterfront Travel & Safari (021) 419-0020 waterfront@capeunionmart.co.za West Coast Mall, Vredenburg (022) 713-4113 weskus@capeunionmart.co.za GARDEN ROUTE Garden Route Mall, George (044) 887-0048 gardenroute@capeunionmart.co.za Knysna Mall (044) 382-4653 knysna@capeunionmart.co.za Langeberg Mall, Mossel Bay (044) 695-2486 mosselbay@capeunionmart.co.za The Market Square, Plettenberg Bay (044) 533-4030 marketsquare@capeunionmart.co.za

Hemingways Shopping Centre, East London (043) 726-0908 hemingways@capeunionmart.co.za

NORTH WEST STORES Brits Mall (012) 250-1909 brits@capeunionmart.co.za

Walmer Park Shopping Centre, PE (041) 368-7442 walmer@capeunionmart.co.za

Matlosana Mall, Klerksdorp (018) 462-0711 matlosanamall@capeunionmart.co.za

Vincent Park, East London (043) 726-2900 vincentpark@capeunionmart.co.za

MooiRivier Mall, Potchefstroom (018) 293-1788 mooirivier@capeunionmart.co.za

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Mall@Reds, Centurion (012) 656-0182 redsmall@capeunionmart.co.za Mall of Africa, Midrand (010) 592 2210 mallofafrica@capeunionmart.co.za

Mall of the South, Aspen Hills Waterfall Mall, Rustenburg (011) 682 2361 KWAZULU-NATAL STORES (014) 537-3651 mallofthesouth@capeunionmart.co.za Boardwalk Inkwazi Shopping Centre, waterfall@capeunionmart.co.za Menlyn Park Richard’s Bay (012) 368-1015 (035) 789-0321 LIMPOPO STORES menlyn@capeunionmart.co.za boardwalk@capeunionmart.co.za Lephalale Mall Nicolway Bryanston Galleria Mall, Durban (014) 763-1278 (011) 706-7573 (031) 904-2318 lephalale@capeunionmart.co.za nicolway@capeunionmart.co.za galleria@capeunionmart.co.za Mall of the North, Polokwane Northgate Shopping Centre Gateway World, Durban (015) 265-1067 (011) 794-1022 (031) 566-5111 mallofthenorth@capeunionmart.co.za northgate@capeunionmart.co.za gateway@capeunionmart.co.za

OR Tambo International Airport GAUTENG STORES (011) 390-3245 Atterbury Value Mart, Pretoria ortambo@capeunionmart.co.za (012) 991-3171 atterbury@capeunionmart.co.za Rosebank Mall Midlands Mall, Pietermaritzburg (011) 442-1959 Bedford Centre, Johannesburg (033) 342-0152 rosebank@capeunionmart.co.za (011) 615-3097 midlands@capeunionmart.co.za bedford@capeunionmart.co.za Sandton City The Pavilion, Westville (011) 884-9771 Brooklyn Mall, Pretoria (031) 265-1666 sandton@capeunionmart.co.za (012) 460-5511 pavilion@capeunionmart.co.za brooklyn@capeunionmart.co.za The Glen Shopping Centre, Oakdene Watercrest Mall, Durban (011) 436-1300 Mall@Carnival, Brakpan (031) 763-1489 theglen@capeunionmart.co.za (011) 915-0470 watercrest@capeunionmart.co.za carnivalmall@capeunionmart.co.za The Grove Mall, Pretoria (012) 807-0642 NORTHERN CAPE STORES Centurion Mall thegrove@capeunionmart.co.za Diamond Pavilion Shopping Mall, (012) 663-4111 Kimberley centurion@capeunionmart.co.za Vaal Mall, Vanderbijlpark (053) 832-3846 (016) 981-5186 Clearwater Mall, Roodepoort diamondpavilion@capeunionmart.co.za vaalmall@capeunionmart.co.za (011) 675-0036 Kalahari Mall, Upington clearwater@capeunionmart.co.za Wonderpark Shopping Centre, Pretoria (054) 331-3631 (012) 549-4203 Cradlestone, Krugersdorp kalaharimall@capeunionmart.co.za wonderpark@capeunionmart.co.za (011) 662-1530 Kathu Village Mall cradlestone@capeunionmart.co.za Woodlands Boulevard, Pretoria (053) 723-2736 (012) 997-6960 Cresta Shopping Centre kathu@capeunionmart.co.za woodlands@capeunionmart.co.za (011) 478-1913 Kuruman Mall cresta@capeunionmart.co.za kuruman@capeunionmart.co.za BOTSWANA STORES Eastgate Adventure Centre Francistown, Pick n Pay Centre (011) 622-8788 00267-241-0398 FREE STATE STORES egac@capeunionmart.co.za francistown@capeunionmart.co.za Loch Logan Waterfront, Bloemfontein East Rand Mall, Boksburg (051) 430-0230 Gamecity Lifestyle Shopping Centre (011) 826-2408 lochlogan@capeunionmart.co.za Gaborone eastrandmall@capeunionmart.co.za 00267-391-0948 Mimosa Mall, Bloemfontein Forest Hill City, Centurion gamecity@capeunionmart.co.za (051) 444-6060 (012) 668-1030 mimosa@capeunionmart.co.za Riverwalk Mall, Gaborone foresthill@capeunionmart.co.za 00267-370-0040 Dihlabeng Mall, Bethlehem Fourways Mall riverwalk@capeunionmart.co.za (058) 303-1372 (011) 465-9824 dihlabeng@capeunionmart.co.za fourways@capeunionmart.co.za NAMIBIA STORES Maerua Mall, Windhoek Greenstone Shopping Centre MPUMALANGA STORES 00264-612-20424 (011) 609-0002 Highveld Mall, Emalahleni windhoek@capeunionmart.co.za greenstone@capeunionmart.co.za (013) 692-4018 La Lucia Mall (031) 562-0523 Lalucia@capeunionmart.co.za

highveld@capeunionmart.co.za

i’langa Mall, Nelspruit (013) 742-2281 EASTERN CAPE STORES ilanga@capeunionmart.co.za Baywest Mall, Port Elizabeth Middelburg Mall (021) 886-5262 (013) 244-1040 baywest@capeunionmart.co.za middelburg@capeunionmart.co.za Fountains Mall, Jeffreys Bay Riverside Mall, Nelspruit (042) 293-0005 (013) 757-0338 fountainsmall@capeunionmart.co.za nelspruit@capeunionmart.co.za Greenacres Shopping Centre, PE Secunda Mall (041) 363-1504 (017) 634-7921 greenacres@capeunionmart.co.za secunda@capeunionmart.co.za

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Kolonnade Shopping Centre, Pretoria (012) 548-9811 kolonnade@capeunionmart.co.za

Heidelberg Mall (016) 341-2031 heidelberg@capeunionmart.co.za

The Grove Mall of Namibia 00264-612-53161 thegrove@capeunionmart.co.za

Hyde Park Corner (011) 325-5038 hydepark@capeunionmart.co.za

OUTLET STORES Access Park, Cape Town (021) 674-6398 accesspark@capeunionmart.co.za

Irene Village Mall (012) 662-1133 irene@capeunionmart.co.za Killarney Mall (011) 646-7745 killarney@capeunionmart.co.za

Woodmead Value Mart, Johannesburg (011) 656-0750 woodmead@capeunionmart.co.za

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T H E L AS T L AUG H

Up the Cajun creek Graham Howe goes gator spotting in the bayous on the Gulf of Mexico

W

hile visiting New Orleans in mid-2016, I heard urban legends about missing motorists on the low suspended highways that run through the swamps of southern Louisiana. The victims were last seen changing a flat tyre—spanners, a wheel jack and an abandoned car were all that remained at the scene of the crime.

Foul play by man-eating alligators was suspected, but any evidence was long gone.

I headed out into Cajun country to investigate. The bayous, waterways and swamps of these vast wetlands on the Gulf of Mexico are home to an amazing diversity of birds, animals and plants. The lush watery landscape itself is spectacular: from the cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, to the flowering water lilies, myrtles and wild iris.

Captain Billy J. Garson, “Da Cajun Man”, was my guide. He’s the real deal. He spent his early days fishing and hunting in the black bayou of Terrebonne Parish. These days he makes a living taking folk out on his swamp boat, teaching visitors about the fragile ecosystem of one of the most endangered wetlands on the planet.

“Where’re you folks from?” he asked.

“South Africa? Well, we don’t have African crocodiles down here. We got enough problems with alligators.” He drawled real slow in a deep southern way. “You ever been down the swamp? I was born and raised here. I’ve been doing this all my life, watching the sunrise, watching the sunset.

I call the gators by name, they come when they hear the sound of my voice.”

We set off in his swamp boat. The dark black channels of the bayou—named after the Native American word for the slow-moving currents of these tidal waterways—swallowed us like the Amazon Jungle. A wooden sign on the boat read “Da Cajun Man’s GPS”, above directional arrows: “Up da bayou. Down da bayou.”

Captain Billy sighed, “Yeah, it’s easy to get turned around and lost out in the swamps.”

He quipped, “We spell da same way we talk,” pointing out “da bat room” (the bathroom) at the back of the boat. “Keep your hands inside,” he warned as we

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cruised past alligators sleeping on the red roots of waterlogged cypress trees supported by knobbly buttresses standing knee-deep in water—known as, well, cypress knees.

“Jolie,” Billy called out gently.

“Come on, baby.” A large four-metrelong alligator slid off the bank and, with a sleek muscular swish of its tail, rippled through the water toward us. Talk about a gator whisperer. “When you go down the bayou at night, all you see is red eyes in the dark. For every gator you see by day, there’s another 25 waiting out there.” But if you keep an alligator as a pet, it’ll keep all the others away…

“In 40 years, I’ve only had to wrestle a gator a few times,” the captain continued, pointing out snapping turtles sunning on a log and a bald eagle’s nest high up in a tree. “You got to have eyes in the back of your head when you wade out in the water to check your crawfish traps. The worst is the water moccasin—now that’s one deadly snake!”

A long curtain of grey Spanish moss hung on the branches of the cypress, willow, myrtle, tupelo and live oaks, swaying in a gentle breeze blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico. The early Native Americans named it Spanish moss; whereas the French Creoles called it “mousse” in Louisiana. Captain Billy pointed out that it’s not really moss at all, but an epiphyte—an air plant nourished by moisture and nutrition from the air.

“When I was a little bitty baby, I slept on my grandmother’s mattress made of Spanish moss. The upholstery of every Model T Ford, chairs and couches were stuffed with it. It’s as strong as horsehair.

During the Civil War, they used it to stitch soldiers’ wounds around here.” When I held one of the long dried tresses to my chin, it was easy to understand how people thought it resembled a greybeard. It sure did on me.

“We’re in the hurricane season right now,” added Billy, “When we get a hurricane out in the Gulf, the eye of the storm is usually right out there in

the basin. It pushes a four-metre wave through the bayou. Hell, we’ve had storms worse than hurricanes!”

We spent a balmy afternoon baking in the humid 40°C heat of midsummer in Louisiana. Captain Billy taught us all about the fragile ecology of these wetlands, threatened by global warming, warmer waters (which change the sex ratio of alligators and turtles), oil spills, chemical pollution and rising sea waters. When you live in a landscape where the land meets the water, where the coastline changes constantly, you live at the mercy of a delicate balance of the forces of man and nature.

As we tied up the boat back at his pier, Captain Billy made a passionate plea for the conservation of this habitat: “These wetlands are very important. Once this is all gone, the eagles, the pelicans, the herons, otters and turtles—they’ll never come back. It took thousands of years for nature and the Mississippi River to build these wetlands. Weather changes, coastal damage and salt-water intrusion are killing the marsh and all the cypress trees. It brings tears to my eyes. Come and see it while it’s still here.”

Check out www.cajunmanadventures.com and www.visitlafourche.com.

The Intrepid Explorer issue 15

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T HE L AST WO RD

We go behind the scenes with TV star and director, Chris Beasley

› What are the top destinations on your ‘bucket list’ of places to which you’d like to travel?

I plan to sail to St. Helena Island—it’s considered the remotest in the world.

Thereafter, the Pacific!

› Which favourite places have you already ticked off your bucket list?

I’ve seen huge parts of SA and its neighbours, and have motorcycled through many of those. Then I’ve seen parts of the UK, Europe, Australia and Seychelles.

memories that stick. I love that one can enjoy and be in the wild and then step into a formal setting and enjoy a dinner, theatre or jazz. So, who knows…?

› Beer or wine? › Braai or sushi?

Wine or rum, you mean?

Sushi on the boat—fish straight out of the sea!

› Camping or luxury lodge?

Depends: wine or rum?

› What is the most memorable experience you have had with wildlife?

King Edward VII boarding school food! (laughs) I’m a very adventurous eater: termites, flying ants… They’re great!

Many experiences with rhino: I’ve worked with rhinos for almost two years.

Recently I’ve sailed from Durban to Cape Town. As we crossed False Bay, we saw the largest group of dolphins I’ve ever come across—it seemed like thousands.

They came out of False Bay at a pace and crossed our path for what felt like an eternity.

› We hear you are quite the adrenaline junkie. Have you done shark-cage diving, bungee­jumping, parachuting, abseiling or the like?

› If you were stuck on a desert island, would you know how to make a fire without matches, and how to catch dinner?

Yeah, I guess so. I’ve certainly done all of the above, except shark-cage diving. I represented South Africa in the Czech Republic and Austria in skydiving at the World Parachuting Championships, and even scored a fifth place in the event.

That’s definitely a highlight in the adrenaline department.

I could catch dinner. Might have to eat it raw, though… (laughs)

› Would you say you are a bush baby or a city slicker?

› If it were up to you, what should be done to the people running the rhino horn trade?

› What is the weirdest food or drink you have ever tried?

I spend a lot of time in the bush and near the ocean; these are definitely the

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The Intrepid Explorer issue 15

possible. But the reality is that it’s far too complex of an issue to get into here. It breaks my heart.

› What is your tried-andtested signature dish you serve your friends?

At the moment, I do a mussel pot that’s a winner.

I’d say stop them, of course, by any means

› You have been on television five days a week for over a decade.

When do you and your family find the time to travel—and if so, where do you like to go?

Adventure biking across anywhere, or sailing off to somewhere new. I guess I like the ‘just keep going-ness’.

› For many years, you graced our screens as Len Cooper on Isidingo. Are you anything like him in real life?

I wish I were half the smart ass he was!

He always had the right chirp at the right time—and great shirts too. (laughs) Thanks, Wardrobe.

› Do you stillget a thrill from acting? Can you tell us what Chris Beasley is up to now and what is on the cards?

Yes, absolutely. I’m acting in an SABC3 show at present, titled Sober Companion.

I love acting! I direct Scandal! on e.tv and I’m writing a few scripts—trying to develop new ideas and shows. Other than that, on my bike or on my boat is where you’ll find me.

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