Haunting tours
Is visiting famous gravesites a weird tourism trend? Gordon Prentice doesn't think so
Awakening the Music
Biofield Tuning is an effective drug-free way to treat pain and restore systemic balance. Johannesburg-based Biofield Tuner and Sound Therapist Wendy Leppard can help restore harmony and renew our life force.
Time Travel is for now
Time Travel requires no annoying visas, boarding passes, suitcases to be packed, raids on duty-free, economy class syndrome, fetid morning breath. All Time Travel requires is oiling the mind, sometimes on R600 bootleg vodka provided by my village plumber.
Flow like water
Human activity can directly influence weather patterns. and our attitudes may have a far greater impact on the environment than we realise
Lebanon Lament!
Janine Lazarus visited Beiruit about five years before the August 2020 blast. She went to facilitate Crisis Communications Training to executives but said she struggled to get a sense of the real Lebanon due to sectarian allegiances
Birding au Balcon
Wondering what to do during lockdown? Let's twitch again! Blaise Hopkinson on the pure joy that daily awaits the sharp-eyed and patient observers at our suburban South African aviaries
Global Transformation
There’s a whole lot happening in the skies right now – and it’s changing the world as we know it. Let's make some magic, suggests astrologer Linda Shaw
Celestial Spectacle
Officially, the aurora-borealis comprises electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with gas molecules but the more arcane among us know these celestial emanations mark the entrance to a twilight paradise lit by a twin sun, where assorted beings, including Germans from the Vril Society, a few pixies, giants, and Lemurian descendants, have lived in perfect health for hundreds of years
DRD4-7R, the wanderlust gene
As we enter Level 3 Lockdown, I wager that if you tested all the so-called business travellers in planes and cars, many would show up positive for the DRD4-7R gene, having got their papers in mint camouflage condition.
Lessons from the Corona lockdown
Staying at home in the age of the Corona virus lockdown I'm discovering that many of my Facebook friends are virtue signallers, curtain twitchers, conspiracy theorists and pedantic pedagogues … who knew?
Madikwe Magic
Tau Game Lodge in the Madikwe Reserve brings many unforgettable moments. Whether it’s a giant eagle owl taking flight, hyenas pups romping around their den or wildebeest pronking alongside our vehicle, this really is a place to sit, stare, and wonder.
Going the extra Nile
Some river cruise vessels are fit for a pharaoh, offering sparkling pools on deck, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, crystal chandeliers, gourmet restaurants, and postprandial belly dancing. Tarek's boat t was not one of them.
Sliding off the tracks
As Prasa railroads passengers, is it worth paying more for Rovos Rail or the Blue Train? They, too, are subject to signal problems and endless delays. Will Prasa get back on track?
Five Star Flaws
There’s the kettle cord that’s an inch too short to set the kettle on a table, rendering you in a praying position on the floor in order to fill your cup. The bed post that obscures the flatscreen TV by an inch.
The tipping point
“Knowing where to leave a tip is as important as knowing where not to,’ says Wego chief marketing officer Joachim Holte. “In the UK, tipping for food in restaurants is okay, although unexpected as service charges are included. Yet, tipping for drinks at a bar is just not cricket!”
Hot dates with my Hyundai
Helen Grange recalls great times with her old Hyundai Getz before she had to apply the brakes and sell him on Gumtree, the Tinder for cars,because he became too hot to handle.
Shosholoza Fail
Siobhan Cassidy’s 10-point guide to resisting the South African railway service’s best efforts to ruin what should be one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world.
Taking strain on the train
The menu is printed on a garish yellow laminate sheet, but the fare doesn’t look bad – cream of tomato soup, tender steak, and the “best of South African cheese”. Alas it’s a cruel tease.
A journey for Mum
I reach Mum, who is in the severe grip of Alzheimer’s. The joy on her face is a sight to behold. We hug and kiss and then the journey back starts. “Where are we going?” she asks.
Off to see Bodie and Doyle, Kojak and Arthur from Minder.
Full Speedo ahead!
In terms of horror, the sight of a man in a thong ranks alongside the discovery of a fingertip in your burger or dropping your car keys down a storm water drain. The high-cut posing pouch may promise an adequate lunchbox from the front but the sagging rear view is no picnic!
When you gotta go!
If you are queasy, stay home because you will find every kind of lavatorial arrangement in the course of your holiday abroad. In many Middle East, Far East, Asian and African countries, a squat-and-aim hole in the ground suffices.