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ello, I’m Niki’s computer. Shhh! Please read this very quietly, I don’t want to attract any attention to myself right now. I’m cowering here in a corner of her desk while she rampages around the office, giving me venomous looks and muttering imprecations. You see (oh, I’m so ashamed!), I went on a bit of a bender on Saturday night and I wiped out all my memory banks. (There was a rather nice cocktail called, I think, Lightning Flash, oooh-my-head.) And she had just finished the latest newsletter and was rather proud of it.
It’s all gone. With all her notes. And – oh, I feel terrible! – the same thing happened only two months ago. So to make up for it, and to prevent myself ending up on the conveyor belt to computer hell, I’ll just try to remember as much as I can and we’ll pretend that nothing’s out of the ordinary, alright?
Ins and outs of Community Tourism
ne of the things I know she was keen to promote was that people should support their local Community Tourism Offices. In fact, anyone involved in tourism in any way should get in touch with Dick Jones (now that name rings a bell – oh, yes, he sends out a regular newsletter detailing all the news from Community Tourism. There are things in it like working with local guides, getting funding from councils, the SA host programme, all juicy insider stuff) and put yourself on his mailing list. Get hold of Dick at 033 – 330-6192, e-mail dick@futurenet.co.za or the website www.ctasa.kzn.org.za. She also had a funny story to relate about Dick, but –, I just can’t remember what it is!
The London touch
here was also a write-up of the new boutique hotel on the North Coast – the Hotel Izulu which held a banquet last week to launch the new tourism brochure for the North Coast with the pay-off line: the Jewel of the Zulu Kingdom. I don’t remember much about it though – she never takes me to these nice places, you know, sniff sniff. I’ll just have to ask her politely to do a re-write when she simmers down. Actually, I do remember her saying that she had met the owners Owen and Jackie Williams and her saying what wonderful people they are. Apparently they have a long record of looking after guests, having run restaurants in London for 15 years. She also said there was a rather heartwarming love story involved, but no details - she never tells me anything interesting. You’ll just have to go online at www.hotelizulu.com or ask them yourself when you book into the hotel at 032 – 946-3444 or e-mail info@hotelizulu.com.
Introducing a theme
r, I seem to remember that there was a mention of the Kamberg community launching Theme Evenings for all the holiday makers who have cottages in that wonderful part of the Drakensberg, as well as visitors to the region, casual passers-by, Uncle Tom Cobbleigh and all. I think the first one was a Greek evening at one of the restaurants in that area, can’t tell you much more, I’m afraid. I have said in a previous newsletter that Kamberg has become the Down Under of South Africa, where all sort of interesting characters live and all sorts of interesting shenanigans are perpetrated. I’m sure Ali Engelbrecht of the Kamberg Tourism Association will have more info – she’s at 033 – 267-7028 or e-mail kamberg@futurenet.co.za
Welcome to the country
h, hang on, here’s something that I remember almost in its entirety – she went up to Maputaland last week and visited a place called Overwin Country Lodge. She’s left the brochure on the desk, so if I just swivel my screen – like so – I can read the details. This lodge is high up in the Ubombo Mountains overlooking the famous Ghost Mountain on one side and the Makhatini Flats on the other and is one of the original farmhouses in the area, with a long and colourful history. Built by the Irons family in (I think) 1902, it has played host to some extremely famous and important people. Treaties have been signed under the high roof beams and the whole place is just the way a country house should be. The area is also soaked in history – Major General Sir David Bruce lived here while he made the earth-shaking discoveries about the tsetse-fly that allowed science to eliminate sleeping sickness from the entire world. (I looked this up in my on-board encyclopaedia). The views from all the rooms are stupendous, the house is friendly, the grounds contain a swimming pool and lapa, the area is exceptionally interesting (One of those hidden jewels again.) Your hosts David and Dawn Irons will welcome you with typical frontier hospitality – this country house is a great base for exploring the Big Five reserves, the birding hotspots of Mkuze and Ndumo and Zulu culture. Contact them at 035 – 595-1018, e-mail long20@saol.com and cell: 083 – 269-9211.
Tantalising tales
h-oh, here she comes and I don’t like the way she’s carrying that screwdriver. I know! I know! Here are some of the cute tourism stories that she had prepared for you to get you into the holiday spirit:
A tour guide by the name of Mariet Ray was taking a tour in a game reserve with a 4x4 full of tourists, who spent the day looking in vain for an elephant. In the middle of the afternoon, to everyone’s delight, they found a large male ellie browsing smugly in the trees right next to the road, in the best possible viewing position. Word spread quickly and within minutes there were several vehicles all jockeying for good viewing spots. It was then that this tour guide’s driver gestured frantically to the back to her vehicle. She looked round, expecting to see that another elephant had snuck up behind them. Instead, it was a tiny tortoise that was ambling unconcernedly amongst the myriad large tyres. As new vehicles arrived and asked: “Where is it? What’s happening?” they were shushed and pointed to Timmy, manoevering his way round all the cars. “Be careful!” everyone would hiss. “There’s a tortoise crossing the road!” At that stage the elephant could have been giving an ice-skating demonstration and no-one would have noticed, they were all focussed on the little reptile as he gamely meandered along. Now we know why elephant have big feet – it’s to stamp out upstaging tortoises!
Another story from the same game reserve (I think it’s also a true story): a guide was conducting a foot safari with a group of guests. One of the hikers asked: “Is it true that a lion will not charge you if you are carrying a torch?” Replied the guide: “Depends how fast you are carrying it…”
This was one that had me clutching my circuit board in glee: there was a newspaper story about a recent visit to KZN by foreigners which was headlined: KZN HOSTS POLISH JOURNALISTS. I just hope they rubbed them up the right way!
Alright, sorry, you’re right, it wasn’t very funny. I’m not very good at this. But by the next newsletter Niki will have got her temper back and will do that one. Just to cheer her up, please (I ask on bended keyboard) send her all your tourism news so that she has lots to write up.
Bulletin 62 |
