It’s Cooking in Prince Albert

After all the drama and stress of the last few weeks (have you got your head around the Tourism Grading Council’s new, um, criteria?  And have you done anything to protest the new Secrecy Bill - at the very least joined the country’s top ranking people and organisations by signing an on-line petition?), I thought it might be as well to go back to basics and to focus on what we do in tourism through the window of two products I really admire: African Relish Cooking School in Prince Albert, and Buffalo Hills in Plettenberg Bay (see post).

In the good old days (oh, about a year or two ago), I used to think that if you’d eaten well in Plett or Knysna, you’d eaten food by Vanie Padayachee. But then Vanie left the Garden Route, and my sad taste buds were forced to begin their (often heartbreaking) search once more.

In the middle of July, though, they found their nirvana again when I found Vanie again: she’s now the executive chef at African Relish, a “recreational cooking school” in Prince Albert, where I joined nine other (much more experienced) part-timers for her Spice Girl Weekend.

As a vegetarian, the whole thing was probably my most enjoyable restaurant experience - ever. And not only because we didn’t see a single spinach and feta quiche all weekend (I am SO sick of spinach and feta quiche - you’d think the people who owned 99.999% of South Africa’s eating houses could think of at least one other dish that might appeal).

Vanie is an incredible teacher - patient, fun to be with, and deeply knowledgeable - and she knows just everything about herbs and spices and vegetables, and how to combine them with incredible effect. And - gak! - she knows about meat, too. But on this course the class cooked only one meat dish - lamb shanks - and I’d (wisely) been put in the team that was making chapatis, rotis, and other Indian breads. (Need to know? I struggled with the kneading. It’s quite an art…)

And she’s got an amazing kitchen to work in, too - set in an incredible garden, with an indescribably beautiful olive grove, nestled in a stunning town, that’s located in a brilliant… Oh lord! I better lose the superlatives. You probably get my point.

In fact, the kitchen - which was purpose-built by owners Jeremy Freemantle, and Phillip and Lisa Key - looks more like an art gallery (as it should), and is designed for interaction between cooks and diners. So the food - both for students at the cooking school and for patrons of the restaurant - becomes something more than the stuff you stuff into your face. With no walls and no sound-proof doors between you and the chef, you begin to feel part of the process of feeding yourself, and this lifts the entire experience.

African Relish offers scheduled and non-scheduled cooking courses - some of which are presented by Vanie (‘Heritage Karoo’ - 24 to 26 September - “Authentic traditional country cooking - celebrating our culinary heritage”), and some of which are presented by guest chefs (‘Loafing around!’ - 17 to 19 September - “Niel Jonker, artist and master artisan baker gives us an insight into the supremely satisfying process of bread making.” Never forgetting Julia Child, of course, who asked “How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?”).

They also present corporate weekends, and arrange tours (the ‘Gourmet Cycle Tour in the Karoo’ in conjunction with Escape Cycle Tours - 8 to 12 September - “Unwind in Prince Albert with some gourmet cooking and adventurous calorie burning!”).

Importantly, although the weekend was focused on cooking, African Relish also laid on a couple of non-food attractions. So, for example, we had a chance to gril a little with Ailsa Tudhope and her Ghost Tour of Prince Albert (yes ‘gril,’ and not ‘grill’ - it’s Afrikaans for ‘thrill,’ and in case you don’t know the slang, it’s that prickly feeling you get when you meet the paranormal. Watch my video below).

And, of course, African Relish is a restaurant, too, and offers accommodation - although not enough for all its pupils, so, like me, you might be lucky enough to stay in the nearby de Bergkant Lodge, or in one of a number of selected guest houses in the village.

But African Relish is much more than the sum of its parts: I’ve been in tourism for most of my adult life, and it’s one of the most unique and well-managed products I’ve seen. And, very wisely indeed, it’s presently focusing very sharply on the domestic market. In this economy, you can’t do better.

… Who knew going to school would be anything near this much fun?

For reservations and enquiries, contact general manager Virna Gouws on 023 541 1381 or visit www.africanrelish.com. And watch my video interviews with Vanie and Jeremy below - and one about an amazing little coffee shop I found on top of the Swartberg Pass.

Vani Padayachee:

Jeremy Freemantle

 Ailsa Tudhope’s Ghost Tour of Prince Albert

Die Bergkombuys - Lekker Eating on the Swartberg Pass

“Basically - between now and the 31st of October - you pay for your accommodation (which includes dinner and breakfast), and you get you get up to five adventure tours for free,” said the Reserve’s owner, Tony Kinahan.

The packages on offer include a selection of ‘Gold,’ and ‘Green’ Adventures - the Gold Adventures being the Knysna Elephant Park’s Walking with Elephants Experience; the Knysna Oyster Farm boat tour and oyster tasting; the Tsitsikamma Treetop Canopy Tour; Ocean Blue’s whale boat safari in Plettenberg Bay; Springtide Charters’ yacht cruises in Knysna; and the Tenikwa Wild Cat Sanctuary’s Cheetah Walk in Plettenberg Bay.

The Green Adventures are the Keurbooms River Ferry Cruise in Plett; the Tenikwa Wild Cat Sanctuary tour; the Knysna Elephant Park tour; Ocean Blue’s kayaking trips; Storms River’s Woodcutters Forest Tour; and the Highgate Ostrich Show Farm tour in Oudtshoorn

“Our ‘Buffalo Hills 2 Days of Garden Route Adventure’ includes two nights of luxury accommodation at Buffalo Hills with meals, game drives, game walks, a Nyati JJJ Mampoer distillery tour and two adventures - with guests choosing any one Gold and any one Green Adventure - all for just R 1,700.00  per adult sharing,” said Mr. Kinahan.

He said that the Buffalo Hills ‘3 Days of Garden Route Adventure’ includes 3 nights accommodation (with meals, game drives, game walks, a mampoer distillery tour) - and no less than five adventures for just R2,550.00 per adult sharing per night.

“In the 3-night package, you get to choose any two Gold, plus any thee Green Adventures - and both packages work out to just R850.00 per adult per night.

“That’s incredible value in anyone’s book,” he said.

Mr. Kinahan said that Buffalo Hills was also offering free accommodation for kids: “If you stay for two nights or more, your Kids Stay Free.

“Our current rack rate of R850 per night (R425.00 for children below 12) includes dinner, bed and breakfast and an afternoon game drive, a guided morning game walk, and a Nyati jjj Distillery Tour and mampoer liqueur tasting - but for guests who want to stay for two nights or more, this comes down to just R750.00 per adult per night.”

He said that this offer allowed for a maximum of two children accompanying two adults, and that the rate for additional children below 12 was R385.00 per night.

“At these prices, it really pays to explore the wonders of the Garden Route and Klein Karoo,” said Mr. Kinahan.

For more information, visit www.buffalohills.co.za or call Tony Kinahan: 0027(0)44 535 9739

Here’s a video about Mountain Biking at Buffalo Hills:

Train Travel: Going Backwards Quickly

Train Travel in South Africa has taken some serious knocks lately, and it’s frustrating watching from the, um, sidelines as our industry loses ground once more.

This week, Transnet announced the closure of the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe, the iconic steam train that once ran between George and Knysna, and, more recently, served the George-Mossel Bay route. In a terse statement issued on the 24th of August, Mboniso Sigonyela (the company’s External Communications Manager for Group Corporate and Public Affairs), said: “In 2007, Transnet Limited identified the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe steam train service operating between George and Mossel Bay as one of its non-core assets. Following extensive studies and stakeholder consultation, the company decided to follow an open tender process to find a new operator for the service.

“Unfortunately, this process could not identify a new operator and as a result, Transnet was left with no option other than to terminate the service subject to the required approval by the Minister of Public Enterprises in terms on the Public Finance Management Act – this has since been finalised. The Outeniqua Transport Museum in George will remain open to the public.”

Stakeholder consultation? I don’t remember anyone asking the tourism industry as a whole what it feels about losing what was once one of the most unique attractions in Africa.

Mossel Bay Tourism - which fought (successfully) to preserve the Choo Tjoe when the floods of 2006 closed the service between George and Knysna - was understandably angry: ‘Mossel Bay Tourism Upset Over Closure of the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe,’  and I have noticed one or two bleats in the press about the closure / suspension / fracas-that-is/was the Shosholoza Meyl - see ‘Shosholoza Meyl runs out of steam’ - and ‘PRASA’s Shosholoza Meyl has collapsed - DA.’  (PRASA being the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa - please note the bit about the its profligate spending.)

But if it’s true that only sixteen out of PRASA’s hundred-and-thirty locomotives are currently operational, the problem’s a much deeper one.

Apparently PRASA doesn’t get enough money to maintain its infrastructure: in a country where the road system is collapsing as quickly as a Cape Town cooling tower on a rainy Sunday Morning, and where the tourism industry is as important as ours, and which has as much to offer as ours, this is worrying indeed.

But in a country where the bulk of long-distance travellers are seriously financially challenged - this is criminal.

Around the world, companies and countries are pouring gazillions into rail travel. A quick Google reveals that a private resort in West Virginia is putting $15 million into train travel - ‘Greenbrier Resort investing in luxury train’  - and, even more impressively, that “High-speed rail is hot these days, as the Obama Administration promises to invest billions in faster train lines.”

In South Africa? Well, there’s the Premier Classe - but lookee here: “AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS -  PRASA Management apologizes for the inconvenience caused due to the limited Shosholoza Meyl train service. Current operational routes are: JHB-DNB-JHB (the Trans Natal and Premier Classe); and JHB-CPT-JHB (Premier Classe only). Please be assured of our continuous efforts to ensure the service is re-instated soon.”

So the question has to be asked - where to for tourism in South Africa - especially since the only mode of transport in which the substrate seems to be in good order is flight.

Train travel was once the jewel in South Africa’s crown - so much so, in fact, that the Railways virtually had the monopoly on the marketing pf tourism in the country. And yes, I realise that that was in the bad old days - but it’s unpardonable that our train services have run out of steam.

And I wonder that the tourism industry hasn’t blown the whistle on the whole situation…

Heads Up
More books for the tourism industry at the BarefootBookshop: this week, San Rock Engravings - Marking the Karoo Landscape. Read our review - and buy it - here.

The hotel is set to become the essential luxury stay-over for tours and independent travellers on their way to and from their East African adventures, and will add even more sparkle to the many attractions of the northern Tanzanian town.

“The 178 room Mount Meru Hotel will change the landscape of hospitality in Arusha,” said Rafique Symonette, managing Director of Inflection Capital, which represents the property’s owners, the Southern African Enterprise Development Fund.

“Those 276 positions will make it one of the larger employers in the hospitality industry in the city.”

Mr. Symonette said that that 147 of these positions would be created in the Food and Beverage Department, which will run four restaurants on the property, while the Rooms Division will create 75 positions, and the rest will work in administration and support services.

He said that Holtan, the company contracted to complete the building of the hotel, was currently employing 400 people on the project - the majority of whom are drawn from the local community, and have been employed over the last eighteen months.

“The Southern African Enterprise Development Fund has committed itself to using local talent in all departments of the hotel, and we aim to have the Hotel managed and run entirely by Tanzanians within one year of opening,” said Mr. Symonette.

“We’ve employed some expatriates to help with the opening and the training of the staff - and to ensure that the highest standards are achieved and maintained - because the Mount Meru Hotel will be of a world class standard, which we’ll only be able to attain by embracing skills and technology from across the globe.”

Apart from direct, formal income generated by the salaries it will pay, Mount Meru Hotel is expected to boost the local economy through the establishment of small and micro enterprise within Arusha and the surrounding region.

“The hotel expects to purchase fresh produce from local communities - which will boost local economies by creating a secure and reliable market for small vegetable growers,” said Mr. Symonette.

Zabulan Hospitality - whose CEO, Rowald Kresfelder, and executive director, Anton Perold, have been involved with the opening, renovation and re-launch of various top hotels in Africa - has been contracted to manage the Mount Meru.

“Zabulan Hospitality has more than 60 years of international management experience in hospitality, and will be a real asset to the Mount Meru Hotel, and to the Tanzanian hospitality industry,” said Mr. Symonette.

“I’m sure that the residents of Arusha, our esteemed clients, and the public at large are as excited as we are about the opening of the Mount Meru Hotel,” he said.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Prospective employees should send their credentials and contact details to the Human Resources Manager - applications@mountmeruhotel.com.

ABOUT TANZANIA AND ARUSHA:

GATEWAY:
Arusha, the safari capital of Tanzania, is the gateway to:

• Kilimanjaro, (270 km to the southeast; at 5,893 metres above sea level, the highest mountain in Africa, and, at 5,882 metres above its base, the highest freestanding mountain in the world);
• The Serengeti (a 30,000 km2 region in north-western Tanzania and south-western Kenya, and about 300 km from Arusha. Its animal migration has been described as one of the ten wonders of the natural world);
• The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in the Crater Highlands area, 180 km west of Arusha);
• The 231 km2 Lake Manyara - a shallow (maximum depth 3.7 m) body of water in the Great Rift Valley that was said by Ernest Hemingway to be the “loveliest [lake] … in Africa;”
• The Olduvai (now Oldupai) Gorge - commonly referred to as ‘The Cradle of Mankind’ - a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley that’s considered one of the world’s most important prehistoric sites. The archaeology of the area - famously pioneered by Louis and Mary Leakey - is interpreted in the Olduvai Gorge Museum; and
• Tarangire National Park - the sixth largest in Tanzania (after Ruaha, Serengeti, Mikumi, Katavi and Mkomazi). It’s famous for its huge herds of elephant, its baobab trees, and its tree-climbing African pythons.

ATTRACTIONS:

• The Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre presents the past and present of more than 120 tribes of Tanzania, with impressive displays of carvings, gemstones, artifacts, clothing, and books, etc;
• The Arusha Declaration Museum portrays the political and economic development of Tanzanian societies from pre-colonial period to the present, with emphasis on foreign interaction before colonial rule, as well as the periods of German and British rule, the struggle for independence, the act of Union, the formulation of Tanzania’s policy for self-reliance, and the development of the country following the Arusha Declaration.
• The Arusha International Conference Centre, which caters for conferences, workshops, seminars, and meetings of between 10 and 1,350 delegates;
• Arusha National Park - the closest national park to the city - “a multi-faceted jewel, often overlooked by safari-goers, despite offering the opportunity to explore a beguiling diversity of habitats within a few hours.”
• Meserani Snake Park, 25km west of Arusha, on the route to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater;
• The National Natural History Museum, in the Old German Boma (built in 1886 for administration and communication purposes) - which has displays that feature human evolution as presented by items discovered at Olduvai Gorge. The Laetoli Footprints are a major highlight - they date back more than 3,500,000 years;
• Lake Duluti, east of Arusha - which offers guided nature trails and canoeing, and is home to more than 130 species of birds.

EVENTS:

• The annual Nane Nane Agricultural show (August attracts up to a half million people;
• Arusha is the home of rugby in Tanzania: its stadium is the chosen site for international tests.

PRODUCE & MINERALS:

• Farmers in the Arusha area produce awesome coffee that’s sought after internationally; and
• Arusha is the sole source of the gem Tanzanite.

TANZANIA:

• The United Republic of Tanzania is located in central East Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean (its coastline is 1,400 km long)
• Capital: Dodoma
• Area: 945,203 km2 - of which 6.2% is covered by water
• Population (2009 estimate): 43.74 million
• Arusha (Population 1.3 million) is located in northern Tanzania, below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley. According to Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arusha - “Despite its proximity to the equator, Arusha’s elevation of 1400 m on the southern slopes of Mount Meru keeps temperatures down and alleviates humidity. Cool dry air is prevalent for much of the year. The temperature ranges between 13 and 30 degrees Celsius with an average around 25 degrees. It has distinct wet and dry seasons, and experiences an eastern prevailing wind from the Indian Ocean, a couple of hundred miles east.”

More Information: Mount Meru Hotel www.mountmeruhotel.com

Media Enquiries: Mariki Theron c/o House of Ngamathuba
Cell: 0027(0)83 375 3973
Fax: 0027(0)86 530 3249
experiences@octagonal.co.za

Your Silence Is The Loud Trumpet Call That Heralds The End Of Tourism To South Africa

Democracy created the tourism industry in South Africa: it’s coming end will kill it.

Remember the democracy dividend? Even the much-vaunted World Cup could never do for the South African tourism industry what democracy did: for a long and sustained period, our industry reaped the benefits of the dramatically positive changes that came about as a result of the unbanning of political parties, and the elections of 1994.

Over the last five years, though, it’s become more and more apparent that the rulers of this country have lost all sense right and wrong, and that they’re more interested in lining their own pockets, and in consolidating their own power, than they are in the common good - and this (it’s so blatantly obvious!) is the simple reason why they’re now calling for a silencing of the media. Nor has this been lost on the people in our source markets: South Africa has been accused of being a kleptrocracy, South Africa is seen as an unsafe destination, South Africa is seen as a tourist trap, and a rip-off.

So the visitors are staying away in their millions.

And how have we as a tourism industry reacted? We’ve done nothing, I think, except mount a sustained PR campaign about ‘perceptions.’ (“This is a great country. Crime and violence? Graft? Corruption? Lack of service delivery? All a perception. The reality is very different.”)

We have, in other words, stuck our heads in the sand.

But then, ostrich tourism always has been a particularly South African icon.

And, now, as this country faces the biggest threat to its democracy - ever - in the form of the proposed Media Appeals Tribunal (which will silence the press more effectively than the Nationalists ever managed to do), and the Protection of Information Bill,  (which will silence any discussion of or investigation into graft and corruption in South Africa, and which will, in effect, prevent any criticism of the government - at every level - and so leave the kleptocrats free to walk all over our hard-won democracy, and pillage the country, and quickly and effectively kill tourism, and every other industry besides) - the tourism industry has once again done nothing. Or nothing that I know of. Maybe there’s been some quiet diplomacy going on, but we all know how effective that is.

Does its silence mean that tourism doesn’t care? It seems so.

What’s happening now is worrying the USA (watch US ambassador Donald H Gips’ address to the South African Institute of International Affairs, in which he explained why it’s necessary to fight corruption, why it’s necessary to ensure the freedom of the media - and why the two are linked); it’s worrying big business (well, some big business. Read the Daily Maverick on this: “On Wednesday morning the chairman of Pick ‘n Pay linked media freedom with economic freedom. On Wednesday evening the US ambassador to South Africa linked media freedom with the fight against corruption. What makes their voices stand out in particular is that both have felt the sharp end of the media – but neither think that’s reason enough to muzzle the country.”)

So tell me - why isn’t it worrying tourism?

Heads Up

We’ve got a whole list of new titles in the BarefootBookshop - which is dedicated to reviewing books for and about tourism in South Africa.

• Soccer In Africa - A Game of Passion
• One Love, Ghoema Beat - Inside the Cape Town Carnival
• Shoreline - Discovering South Africa’s Coast

Pick of the week? - Awesome South Africa

Derryn Campbell’s new book, Awesome South Africa, is funny and inspiring, and could be tourism’s best sales tool ever.

I’d love to go to a country that was presented like this. The book is richly illustrated, filled with fast facts and word pictures, and its big, and square (24×24 cm), and solid (224 pages) - and it paints a portrait of South Africa as big (1,219,912 km = which is the same area as France + Germany + the UK), and weird (see pages 21-22: ‘Real Life Situations on South African Roads’) - and solid (”while occupying 4% of Africa’s land mass, South Africa boasts more than 50% of the cars, phones, automatic bank tellers, and industrial facilities on the continent”. and it ranks number one in the world for reserves of platinum, manganese, chrome, gold and vanadium - and number two for vermiculite, titanium, and zirconium).

But above all, it paints a picture of a country that is incredibly beautiful, and has a huge amount of fun even as it faces some of the greatest challenges of any country, anywhere (where else would you expect to find an estate agents’ board that offered a property for sale as a “Potential Mortuary, or Fruit Packing, Or Meat Processing Facility”?).

It’s the kind of gift you’d want to give to everyone who visits, it should be on every coffee table in every lodge’s lounge, and you’ll want a copy for your self, too, to keep by your side and dive into when you need to laugh at this exasperating land of ours.

Awesome South Africa: The Best, Greatest, Craziest, Biggest and Funniest is an awesome book.

Buy it here