KHULUMA _MARCH_STRUNG

SPICE ROUTES EXPLORE

Aromatic spices
capture the essence
of a country or town

in tiny packages.
A little hint of oregano

and you’re in Napoli
enjoying thickcrusted

pizza. A whiff of
cardamom and you’re

shuffling through
a crowded bazaar

in Istanbul.
Nikita Singh takes
her taste buds on

an adventure

kulula.com MARCH 2020 101

ne of my favorite The fact is, though, that many
childhood dishes traditional dishes start with a fat. The
was – and still is – my grandmother’s Italians use olive oil, the French have
braised potatoes with turmeric, which butter, Indians start with ghee. It’s used to
my sister and I called ‘yellow potato’. coax flavour from a spice, and infuse the
Dadima (grandma) would toast cumin entire dish with its aroma and flavour.
and mustard seeds in oil before gently
braising potatoes and onion with dried This is particularly important when
red chillies and a dash of turmeric. cooking paella where very few spices are
The gentle, slow fry results in pillowy used. ‘Depending on the type of paella
soft potatoes with a slight crunch and you are making, you will use fresh herbs
caramelised exterior. to infuse the oil when it’s hot,’ explains
That secret ingredient that’s always Clementine Forsthofer, co-owner of Tutto
made Dadima’s food taste so good is Food Co., a Joburg market stall that
patience – and, of course, lots of oil. specialises in one dish: authentic Spanish
Honestly, it’s a tiny miracle that she’s 87 paella. ‘It takes about an hour and fifteen
years old with a clean bill of health. minutes to cook. We start with the sofrito,
the aromatic base. It forms the foundation
of the paella,’ says Clementine.

A sofrito is a sauce used as a base
in Latin American, Spanish, Italian and
Portuguese cooking. Aromatic ingredients
are cut into small pieces and braised in
cooking oil.

After infusing the oil with herbs,
Clementine adds onions, tomato paste,
garlic, and tinned tomato. She pushes
the sofrito to the outer edges of the pan
to toast paella rice in the middle.

Paprika is the only ground spice
used in paella, it brings warmth but not
a spicy heat.

Tutto Food Co., Joburg Eastern Temptations,
Giant pans of authentic paella Joburg
prepared in front of you. Find
them at the Neighbourgoods Located in Emmarentia, this is
possibly the best spice shop in
Market in Braamfontein on Joburg. Their selection ranges
Saturdays and at Fourways from za’atar to saffron to North
Farmers’ Market on Sundays. African ras-el-hanout. 35 Greenhill

tutto.co.za Road, 011 646 8429

spiceW-ehnhearencteodfiflnadvaouutrhseinntMiczansi The Africa Cafe, Cape Town
Authentic, flavoursome
102 MARCH 2020
home-cooked African cuisine.
The menu changes regularly
so there’s always something
new to try. africacafe.co.za

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SPICE ROUTES EXPLORE

In Spain, aromatic saffron would be This cooking method resulted in a drier, Pictured left is restaurateur
added, but unless you’re happy to pay chewy texture, somewhat similar and culinary raconteur Portia
R300 a plate, Clementine leaves it out. to droëwors. Mbau with her daughter, Lumai;
together they’ve created a
Another crucial element at Tutto Food However, the Congolese worms, cooked cookbook inspired by their
Co. is the pan. For her paella, Clementine with onions, tomato, and garden eggs taste bud fuelled adventures
uses massive pans imported from Spain. (much like an aromatic base), rehydrated in Africa; above are some of
They have to be wide and flat so the rice the mopane worms to make a stew-like the gourmet mopane worms
cooks evenly in one layer. dish, and won my vote for the best worms. created for a Congolese-
Zimbabwean worm-off
The specialised pan is integral to It’s not only the culinary treatment of
developing the most crucial element of a mopane worms that varies across
paella: the socarrat. ‘At the end, if you get the African continent, but the use of
it right, you get a crust called the socarrat. spices, too.
That’s the crust at the bottom which is like
a delicacy in Spain. It’s like the corner of
the lasagne which everyone fights for.’

It seems that certain dishes, like
paella, can succeed or fail based on
the preparation. A fundamental part of
developing flavour lies in the cooking
method. I discovered this the hard way
when I attended a ‘worm-off’ at my
neighbour’s apartment.

Yes, you read that correctly.
WORM-OFF. Basically a cook-off between
two different approaches to preparing
gourmet worms. Mopane worms, of
course, cooked in a Congolese style and
Zimbabwean style.

The Zim-style worms were cooked with
a ‘secret’ spice ingredient (which, to my
great disappointment, turned out to be
Royco usavi mix) and lots of fresh chillies.

Kung Thai, Durban Atlas Trading Company,
Don’t forget the aromatic spices of Cape Town
Thailand like ginger, lemongrass,
Cariema Isaacs grew up visiting
and chilli powder. The must-try this Bo-Kaap spice shop with
dishes at this authentic Thai her grandmother. They’ve been
trading for over 70 years, and
restaurant include green papaya it’s still one of her favourites.
salad and whole fried fish. atlastradingcompany.co.za

59 Adelaide Tambo Drive, Durban
North, 031 564 5458

Kula Chakula,
Joburg

The first African ingredient
delivery service in the city.
Order individual ingredients or
a set meal box to cook at home.

kulachakula.africa

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EXPLORE SPICE ROUTES

Portia Mbau is the owner of The Africa In West Africa, you find flavoursome but In The Africa Cookbook, Portia espouses
Café, a Cape Town institution where milder dishes, like Nigerian pepper soup the idea that cooking in Africa isn’t
countless travellers have been schooled in and fufu. ‘Food in that part of the continent something that’s learnt at cookery school.
the vast and varied cuisines of the continent. is flavourful but not as spicy as Ethiopian ‘It all begins at home,’ she writes. ‘And if
A self-taught chef, Portia opened her food,’ Portia says. you want to learn new dishes, you have to
restaurant 27 years ago – she’s learnt visit other people’s homes, which is what
new African flavours and recipes In both East and West Africa, people cook I’ve done by travelling the continent and
during her travels across the with groundnuts (peanuts) which are easy collecting recipes wherever I go.’
continent which she’s recently to grow, a cheap source of protein, and
documented in a beautiful book can be used as a flour to thicken sauces That’s how Portia came to discover the
of recipes, The Africa Cookbook. and stews. secret to making her fiery
berbere sauce. To make
Portia says there are distinctive Groundnuts are found in Nigerian, two cups of the sauce,
spices and spicing preferences Cameroonian, Rwandan, Ethiopian, and Portia uses two whole
in different regions of the Ugandan cooking – one well-known dish is cups of ground paprika.
continent. In South Africa, you West African peanut stew. ‘When I wrote the recipe
experience warm, earthy spices, for the book, the editor
like cumin, garam masala, and Finally, at the very north of the continent, asked if it was
coriander, in both Indian and Portia explains that in countries like Egypt a mistake,’ she laughs.
Cape Malay cooking. and Morocco, a lot of cooking uses dry Portia explains that
spices – an influence of the Mediterranean. fresh herbs and their
As you move up to Angola and ground equivalents have
Mozambique, your taste buds different effects in a dish:
will experience the intensity of ‘Fresh coriander is not
hot chillies, as found in piri-piri,
introduced by the Portuguese. In East Africa, the same as ground coriander. It’s the same
Tanzanian, Kenyan, and Zanzibari cooking thing but it gives you a different aroma, it
makes use of abundantly available coconuts – has a different relationship to the dish.’
commonly found in pilau, dips, and sauces.
In Ethiopia, meanwhile, it’s rich and fiery Ground spices are warmer and
spices that are more liberally used. more earthy, but each one has unique
characteristics. ‘They have such distinct
Ethiopian cuisine is in fact so iconic that, personalities. There’s such a wide palette
while the menu at her restaurant changes of what you can paint with, the tone can
regularly, you’ll always find a spicy Ethiopian be brought up or brought down,’ she says.
dish like doro wat chicken or sik sik wat. Such
dishes include a potent spice mix called Of course, spices aren’t exclusive to
berbere, made with fiery ground spices like African culinary traditions. In virtually every
ginger, coriander, chilli pepper, and paprika – country you visit, spices play an integral role
lots and lots of paprika. not only in culinary heritage and contributing
to comforting home cooking, but in cultural
Portia Mbau (above) started The Africa Café history and identity, too. The distinctive
in Cape Town almost 30 years ago; on the characteristics of certain spices evoke the
left are some of the Africa-shaped ginger aroma and ambience of a place, and often
biscuits served at the restaurant conjure up the countries or regions from
which they hail. Put in the cheesiest way
possible, a spice has the ability to transport
a diner through time and space thanks
to the powerful trifecta of aroma, taste,
and texture.

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SPICE ROUTES EXPLORE

Pictures: Turhaan Samodien, Lumai Mira De Smidt, Nikita Singh, Supplied For spice master and cookbook Thyoreuer bcuelaiuntairfuylwtoamndeesrtluosfitre
author Cariema Isaacs (pictured
right), the real magic of spice lies in The Africa Cookbook
its aroma: ‘The easiest way to explain
it is if you’ve ever been in love and ‘Food can be beautifully presented
you know the smell of the person, it’s and technically perfect, but if it has
exactly the same thing with spices.’ no soul it tastes empty,’ says Portia
Mbau, who authored this beautiful book
She describes her favourite spice, featuring recipes from across the continent.
saffron, as floral yet fragrant: ‘I know it You’ll travel from Botswana to Egypt,
sounds really silly, but there’s almost Tanzania to Senegal, and from Ethiopia
something very ancient about the to Madagascar all by way of flavour. It’s
fragrance of saffron.’ published by Quivertree.

For me, it’s the scent of warm ginger that provides instant comfort, conjuring Anatolia: Adventures in
Gogo’s ginger biscuits. By contrast, I can’t stand the taste of cloves because, Turkish Eating
one fateful Christmas, my aunt studded a lamb with 49 cloves and that acrid
taste has haunted me ever since. Somer Sivrioglu and David Dale have
put together a gorgeously illustrated
Cariema grew up in Bo-Kaap, in a Cape Malay home filled with the constant and richly informative book that details
aroma of tangy blatjang, spiced bredies, and sweet, syrupy koeksisters. the recipes and cooking culture of old
and new Turkey. From grand Ottoman
‘Other kids grew up playing with building blocks and dolls, I played with my Empire banquets to spicy snacks you
grandmother’s spice jars,’ she says. can still sample at Istanbul’s street
stalls, the book contains over 100 dishes
Sitting on the kitchen floor while her grandmother cooked, Cariema learned with sumptuous images shot on location in Turkey – there’s great
about spices before she learned how to read. ‘At a very early age,’ she writes coverage of various culinary artisans and producers with lots of
in her book, Spice Odyssey, ‘I understood the tastes derived from cumin and speciality foods that’ll have your taste buds at attention and your
coriander, the pungency of fennel, cloves and star anise, and the piquancy of mouth watering.
chilli powder, cayenne pepper and masala blends.’
West Coast Wander
The first spice she recognised was turmeric because its bright yellow hue
reminded her of the sun. Cariema fondly recalls her grandmother’s cauliflower Cape Town food writer (and lover) Georgia East did a spectacular
bredie but, more importantly, she remembers the fragrant, earthy aroma of job of digging up the personal stories of fishermen and foragers,
toasted cumin, coriander, spicy cloves, and cardamom. home cooks and kitchen innovators whom she met and spent time
‘A luscious and fragrant curry is the epitome of warmth and comfort to me and with up and down the Cape West Coast.
one that transports me to the countries from which these curry spices hail,’ The result is an intriguing exploration of
says Cariema. All these emotional links to sense memory and the pleasure cooking traditions that echo the simplicity
centres of the brain have a basis in complicated science, of course. But for of the Mediterranean, but reveal the
Cariema it’s enough to understand the simple science behind the rewards that traditions behind local favourites such as
spices provide: ‘Toasting or roasting whole spices allows you to coax even more heerboontjies and harders. It gets into the
flavour from them. Because, as they start warming up, they emit their own reasons why Saldanha Bay produces the
natural oils.’ fattest oysters in the country and unearths
the best foodstuffs from Hopefield to
Yes, once more it comes down to Doringbaai and beyond.
oils. And once more, I’m reminded
of Dadima, my patient grandmother
for whom it’s always been about
standing over the pot, stirring
constantly, and letting the natural
flavours develop. Which is why her
kitchen is always a starting point for
wondrous adventures…

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TRAVEL CURIOUS EXPLORE

Hodophilia is a term derived from the
ancient Greek ‘hodos’ (journey) and
‘-philia’ (love). A hodophile, then, is
someone who loves to travel. Sadly,
these days, many travellers have
swapped the adventurous spirit of our

explorer forebears for

MEET THE the mundane pseudo
thrill of populating banal
social media pages

HODOPHILES in hopes of triggering
empty engagement.
It needn’t be like this,
though. In search of
ways of rediscovering that wanderlust
spirit, Mart-Marié du Toit meets a
few committed hodophiles – real-life
adventurers who like to go back to
basics, making it up as they go along
and reassuring us that the world
is a much more interesting place if
explored without hashtags, filters
and selfie sticks

A dventure! That insatiable desire
to discover new cultures, wander

off the beaten path and get lost

in the process. All in the name of curiosity and

experience, to escape the daily humdrum and

step outside the comfort zone of home.

Unfortunately, travel has now become more

‘bucket list’ and far less braving the unknown.

Many travellers nowadays seem hellbent on finding

opportunities to take the perfect Instagram snap of

a tourist trap with the perfect hashtag, only to move

on to the next place on the list, and then the next,

and so on. We stay in comfortable, albeit sterile

surroundings that look the same whether we’re in

Miami, Mykonos or Mozambique. What happened

to being true adventurers? Earnest explorers?

Discoverers of new worlds and unknown places?

kulula.com MARCH 2020 109

Surely heeding the call and heading A trunk filled with sponsorship money to own neighbourhood through explorer’s
out should be more important than the brave the world would be handy, but simply eyes. Look more closely at corners you
1 million travel hashtags searched weekly deciding on a plan that is flexible enough to haven’t bothered with before. Look up,
on Instagram. allow for deviation could do the trick. Head look around corners, read little signs and
out of town and throw the dice to decide stop to chat to people. Pretend you need
Modern-day South African adventurers if you’re turning left or right, do it 22-or-so directions and ask actual humans – it’s
like Riaan Manser and Mike Horn (pictured times and see where you end up. always a great icebreaker.
below) have television shows, blogs and
the like showing us the nitty-gritty of Research from the University of Getting out of your comfort zone
their everyday exploits, but most of these Colorado Boulder shows that a weekend of needn’t be a longwinded, difficult
adventures seem impossible for ordinary camping can reset your circadian rhythm, process involving visas, flights and
folk like us. But it’s simpler than you think. which regulates your sleeping patterns. all the extensive planning that entails.
This is if you stay away from all artificial Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where so
light, especially of the blue variety. much as how.

That means you should put down your This mapping of the unknown or
phone, and leave the gadgets and hashtags stumbling in the dark might just yield
behind and be willing to engage. While the perfect dose of adventure. The only
a holiday without social media sounds question, really, is whether or not you’re
extreme, try to imagine that it’s also curious enough to try?
a holiday without the constant pressure to
capture moments, find a Wi-Fi connection,
think up clever captions and hashtags, or to
check what people are saying. Integrating
a digital detox into your adventure frees up
mental energy to instead take in more of
your surroundings, unfiltered by a screen.

The sense of liberation is real – and
imagine the rewards that come from
chatting to locals about what to do and
where to hang out, rather than asking
Google. Those interactions will do more
to imprint cool memories than any picture
you post.

Finally, don’t assume that all big
adventures happen far from home or on
the other side of the globe. Just walk
out the front door and try looking at your

Read
about Mike
Horn's new

book on
page 142

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TRAVEL CURIOUS EXPLORE

1 BORN TO
EXPLORE

Entrepreneur Petrus Correia (pictured below) was born with #dumbass LOLs), tomfoolery, moral
wanderlust. He signed up for his first big adventure when he was depravity, extreme eating
fresh out of varsity and working his first job in Cape Town. ‘One It’s the double dose of and more.
morning, some friends and I went looking for a sailing school at dopamine you get from
the Waterfront. We found Mike Horn’s boat instead. Conversation a so-called ‘danger post’ These kinds of hashtag-
ensued and one week later, I had quit my job and was sailing with – a reward for the risk- obsessed tourists have
Mike as part of the crew to New Zealand on my first sailing trip,’ taking, as well as the reward prompted entire cities, like
he says. The task: a 12 000-nautical mile voyage through icy for the social likes, clicks, Milan, to ban selfie sticks
waters with icebergs, howling winds and ocean waves that rose subscriptions and followers. and even the happiest place
from the surface like mountains. Some travellers take on earth, Disney World in
#buttselfies at religious sites Orlando, Florida, hates your
Correia describes the voyage as his most uncomfortable to or practice their #streetart on selfie stick. If only someone
date, citing no water (due to a faulty water-maker) and storms the walls of the Colosseum could impose some sort of
that lasted for days. ‘Mike and another crew member hosted in Rome. Silly social media law against the ubiquitous
challenges abound, with one- Instagram scene where
water tastings in the upmanship the name of the a glass of bubbly is proudly
engine room in their game. The stunts to take the placed in front of the view
attempt to try and perfect Instagram that could be, well, anywhere.
fix the water-maker. shot take many Check out page 157 for news
They needed everyone forms: posing on of how the city of Vienna is
to try the water to tall buildings or high urging travellers to go on
know if they were cliffs, interaction a digital detox.
making progress. They with wild animals,
had tasted the bad reckless activity on,
water so many times in, near or under
themselves, they trains, motorcycles
couldn’t tell anymore and cars, and all
if it was okay to drink or other manners
not.’ They did, however, of dangerous
have plenty of red wine jackassery (for the
on board, so it wasn’t
all bad.

Correia’s accidental,
last-minute descent into adventure is perhaps not as difficult to
emulate as you might imagine. Cruising the waters Crusoe-like
has always had a certain appeal for adventurers and, recently,
those wanting to limit their carbon footprint have started booking
extra spaces on cargo ships. These rogue travellers say the
absence of onboard-entertainment and typical ‘touristy’ vibes on
board, not to mention not knowing the date of departure until two
or three days ahead, contribute to an adventure in which they are
more present, more in tune with their travels.

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EXPLORE TRAVEL CURIOUS

2 THE LITERARY
WANDERER

Author Sisonke Msimang (centre) is a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Guardian, DOPPELGANGER
Daily Maverick and Mail & Guardian. Born in Zambia to parents in exile, she spent her childhood in DESTINATIONS
Lusaka, Nairobi and Canada, generating tales that found their way into her first memoir, Always
Another Country. ‘I’m very much an urban African, and have always loved exploring African cities,’ According to Booking.com, second-city
she says. ‘These are not cities where discoveries are made in museums, but on the streets. In travel is becoming more popular as
Nairobi, where I lived as a teenager, there was a row of travellers veer away from overcrowded
streets packed with second-hand bookstores. Among my destinations toward cities or locales that
fondest teen adventures was my discovery of amazing offer similar adventures and vibes without
writers on that street – I bought my first Alice Walker the jostling of thousands of tourist-elbows
book while trawling through the shelves and piles of in your sides. Second cities are also likely
second-hand books on a Sunday afternoon. My friends to be more affordable.
and I would take a matatu into the city and we’d go up
and down looking at records and used books. And we’d Deutsche Bahn, the German rail
slip into those old colonial hotels and just hang out.’ Find company, has seen a 24% revenue
out about other books that’ll take you places on page 141. bump by using lookalike destinations
to encourage domestic holidays. They
3 use images of picturesque German
OLD locations that mirror famous tourist
SCHOOL destinations to encourage Germans to
IS COOL holiday in their own country, making German
destinations ‘second cities’ to places like
Real-life explorers make you London (Munich), Arizona (Rhineland) and
realise just how important it is Vancouver (Hunsrück).
to step out of your comfort zone
and plan just enough, but not With second-city travel being one of
too much. ‘A true adventurer is the most popular trends for 2020, why
someone who can pack up, lock the front door, and go,’ says Cara Coertze (above), daughter not trade the Amalfi Coast’s Positano for
of intrepid explorer Johan Bakkes. ‘My dad loves to explore – the coldest places, the highest the authentic seaside hamlet of Atrani or
places, everywhere…’ she says. Her life has been one of adventure, listening to chatter in swap Dubrovnik for Mostar in Bosnia and
hostels to decide her next hike, the next place to explore, but she concedes that the necessity Herzegovina. You’ll also be amazed to find
of flight and accommodation bookings for visas has made this laissez-faire pack- out that the bricks of feta taste the same in
up-and-go attitude to travel much more difficult in recent years. Nevertheless, Paros and Ios as in over-touristy Santorini.
old-school travel seems to be leading the way for those wanting more than
just likes and comments out of their trip. You just have to be willing to take Then, closer to home, there’s Parys,
the road less travelled and hunt for unknown places, sights and sounds not quite Paris, but definitely without the
in real time – as you go – rather than picking what some social media crowds. And if you want to experience
algorithm throws at you. time travel, you can visit Johannesburg in
California – it’s a teeny tiny mining town that
resembles a Wild West movie set and has

a mere 170 residents. Scarborough?
Llandudno? Sutherland? Margate?
Worcester? Ramsgate? Yup,
you’ll find their originals on
that island just north of
continental Europe.

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TRAVEL CURIOUS EXPLORE

5 THE
NUMBERS
THE ARE IN
TRAILBLAZER
4 1 MILLION:
Saray N’kusi Khumalo (pictured below) was The number of travel-
MUSICAL Africa’s first black woman to summit Mount related hashtags that are
JOURNEYS Everest, and – in January this year – she searched weekly. 
trekked to the South Pole. Adventuring –
He may be known primarily as one of ambitiously exploring the world – seems 60: Percentage of
the planet’s foremost jazz musicians, built into her DNA. ‘It’s knowing that there is travellers who use social media
but Abdullah Ibrahim also considers so much to see in a limited amount of time,’ to showcase their vacation
himself a great traveller. He says he loves she says. ‘Embracing that I am a citizen of the photos. Among millennials,
exploring. ‘As a jazz musician, I compose world feeds my curiosity as well.’ though, this rises to 90%.
on the spot – and I take a similar approach
when travelling, setting out with a sense of Khumalo’s first adventure was an unplanned trip 8:30 84: Percentage
adventure,’ he says. ‘I started travelling as with her best friend – to Botswana and Tanzania TRAVELGUY of millennials who
a young person without money, exploring when she was 18. ‘We set off not knowing where claim they’re likely
the country on foot – I’d hike from Cape we would spend the night and what exactly Liked by yourfriend, yourfriend and 2000 others or very likely to
Town to Joburg and back. Sometimes was happening the next day… Once we reached TRAVEL TO MAURITIUS plan a trip based
it took me a month, sometimes longer, Francistown, we decided to hitchhike back to #MAURITIUS #TRAVELGUY #LOVETOTRAVEL on someone else’s
stopping in small and unusual places to Lusaka. We did some crazy stuff.’ View All 10 Comments vacation photos
discover the rhythms of life along the way.’ 2 HOUR AGO SEE TRANSLATION or social media
Continuing the jazz analogy, he says that, Of course, Khumalo’s real love is exploring on updates. The rest
‘Travel is like music itself. There’s always foot. ‘I love hiking. And I can talk about hiking aren’t far behind,
this expectation – some preconceived endlessly. When you’re hiking, you can be with either – some
idea about where you’re going to end up, a group of people and yet you are on your own – 73% of non-
what you’re going to see. When you arrive, able to practice introspection and realise that millennials make
physically, it’s quite a different story. That’s the same claim.
travel’s biggest wonder. It’s also the way you can survive
we jazz musicians play – with a sense of with a fraction 37: Percentage of millennials
discovery. I think it’s even more profound of what you who’ve had their holiday destination
in Africa. Even for those of us who live believe you need. influenced by social media.
here, everyday there is something new and When I went to
remarkable happening, something beautiful Everest in 2014, 34: Percentage of millennials
to see, experience, witness. Something you it dawned on me who’ve actually booked a holiday
have never experienced in your life before.’ that everything because of content seen on
Ibrahim performs at this month’s Cape I needed to exist, social media. 
I was carrying
Town International Jazz Festival; in my backpack.
more about that on page 49. That was for
eight weeks of
walking and
climbing. When
you do that, you
start questioning
a lot of purchasing decisions – things that you once
thought were important seem trivial. So walking in
that way can be very liberating.’

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EXPLORE TRAVEL CURIOUS

6 THE OCEAN
TAMER
Chris Bertish – big wave surfing legend and the first
28: Percentage of millennials person ever to complete a solo SUP crossing of the Additional interviews: Keith Bain, Pictures: Craig Kolesky, R.M. Nunes/istockphoto.com, undefined undefined/istockphoto.com, Supplied
who trust social media over Atlantic Ocean – undertakes his waterborne adventures
magazines, television and Google to prove his philosophy that ‘nothing is impossible’.
and TripAdvisor reviews.  His affinity for the ocean stems from early
childhood when his dad (‘an incredible waterman
43: The percentage of millennials who water-skied for South Africa and built the
who say they won’t go on holiday without country’s first ever catamaran’) took him sailing
checking in to make sure their followers as a toddler. ‘I’d fall asleep on deck with only
are aware of where they are and what my arm wrapped around the rigging. And so the
they’re doing. ocean became my second home – a canvas that
allows me to express myself. It’s not like being
31: Percentage of millennials who on land where you’re confined to borders and
claim that posting holiday pictures online boundaries and rules and regulations. There’s a
is as important as the holiday itself. boundlessness with the ocean. When you’re out to
sea, sometimes 30 kilometres offshore, and there’s
29: nothing but yourself and your board, sea creatures
Percentage of tend to exercise their curiosity – they’ll come up and
millennials check you out and if you send out the right signals,
who say they’ll they don’t feel intimidated by you. They treat
avoid holiday you like you’re part of the environment, and they
destinations interact with you on a whole different level than
where they’re they would if you were in a boat or any sort of engine-powered craft.
unable to post
on social media.  ‘In 2013, I did a 325km self-supported SUP paddle from Cape Point to Lambert’s
Bay. On day four, I was standing on my board somewhere off the West Coast between
40: Percentage of millennials in Dassen Island and Saldahna Bay and had been hammered by sunburn, dehydration,
the UK who say they consider how and fatigue. My corneas were roasted and I was frazzled by lack of sleep. I’d paddled
Instagrammable into thick fog and now the wind was coming from the wrong direction. These weird
a location is when sounds began emanating from down below and water spouted through the mist.
planning a trip. Then, suddenly, I found myself in the midst of a pod of humpback whales – I counted
at least 23. My navigation equipment told me I was off course; mysteriously, the
whales already knew this and were guiding me back on track.’

116 MARCH 2020 kulula.com



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to local travellers

As one of South Africa’s leading specialist retailers of quality luggage and
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Frasers has more than 30 stores throughout Gauteng, Western Cape,
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products available across South Africa. Its extensive ranges include major-
owned local and international brands, sold exclusively through Frasers.
Travelite has reinvented travel with unique, high-quality and on-trend pieces
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travel essentials and accessories. The brand is the official luggage sponsor of
the DHL Stormers for the second year running.

Busby Leather, a local brand established in 1933, was the first of its
kind to introduce a portfolio of classic leather items to the South African
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unwavering commitment to producing products that offer only excellence in
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Leading international luggage brand DELSEY is a Parisian brand with over
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Fashion heavyweight Kipling is well-known for trendy, hardwearing and
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has just launched its first hard-shell luggage collection and, to celebrate the
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Find your perfect luggage solution
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I’m llaattee!! WHAT’S THE RUSH?
I’m
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in your stomach that can ruin the start of your holiday, save
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your flight. Not only can you print your boarding pass before
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arrangements, which is especially useful if you want to
sit close to family and friends. So, get your trip off to a
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visit www.kulula.com

GET PUBLISHED ON
THE NEW KULULA BLOG

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or writing enthusiast wanting to share
your travel and holidays experiences with
the world? kulula.com invites all guests to submit their
travel and holiday stories for the brand new kulula
blog. Submitting news of your adventures is simple:
stories should be between 600 and 1 000 words with clear
subtitles distinguishing different sections if there are any.
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together with your name. To be considered, send your
story, together with pictures (which should be at least
1MB in size) to [email protected]. Ts and Cs apply.

Download the khulula app now!
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AFRICA FRAMED EXPLORE

Wandering
lens

An annual photographic
competition run by
high-end conservation
outfit Wilderness Safaris
encourages participants
–professionalsand lodge
guests – to capture the
soul of Africa. Here are
2019’s seven winning
entries

Udo Kieslich’s Starry Starry
Night was photographed in the
Cederberg. He used torchlight to
enhance the foreground which he
shot a second time afterwards
for deeper depth of field and
more detail. Sky and foreground
images were later blended in
Photoshop. It earned the African
Landscape category prize.

kulula.com MARCH 2020 121

Mantis Fire was James Kydd’s
winning entry in the category for
Africa’s Plants and Insects. A macro
shot of a praying mantis silhouetted
by a fire, it was taken at the Cuando
River in a remote part of Angola.

In Hippo Fight, Dennis Stogsdill caught kulula.com
two males in the early stages of an epic,
bloody battle for territory. It was shot in
South Luangwa, Zambia, and came out
tops in the African Wildlife category.

122 MARCH 2020

AFRICA FRAMED EXPLORE

Look carefully. In this picture, titled Father and
Son, a silverback mountain gorilla is gently
nuzzling his infant son under his chin, his huge
head and hand dwarfing the baby whose tiny
foot is sticking out. The picture was taken by
Claudio Macchetto at Rwanda’s Volcanoes
National Park and earned him the prize for
best Overall Guest photograph.

Photographed in Kafue National Park, Zambia, Morgan Trimble’s picture of a darted
lioness being collared with a GPS was taken while on safari in the Busanga Plains
where guests got to help the Zambian Carnivore Programme. The picture won in the
Conserving Africa’s Wilderness category.

kulula.com MARCH 2020 123

Sushil Chauhan took this portrait of a Samburu warrior
in Kenya and was the winning entry in the People or
Cultures and Communities of Africa category.

GET CLICKING
Sponsored by, and in partnership with, Olympus and Wild Shots Wildlife Photography
Conference, the Wilderness Safaris Photographer of the Year competition comprises
five categories and is open to photographers, lodge guests and all Africa enthusiasts
who are invited to submit images taken anywhere on the continent. Last year’s
contest saw 4 000 entries, raising almost a quarter of a million rand for Children in
the Wilderness, the Desert Lion Conservation Project in Namibia, and a new Gishwati
Reforestation Project in Rwanda. Look out for this year’s competition on the Wilderness
Safaris website. wilderness-safaris.com/photo-competition

124 MARCH 2020 kulula.com

AFRICA FRAMED EXPLORE

Framed by the Ankosi Watule is the title of Trevor Cole’s
overall Photographer of the Year winning entry. It’s of
a young Mundari herder in the midst of the cattle in his
care and was shot in Terekeka, South Sudan.

Words: Keith Bain, Pictures: Pictures: Courtesy of Wilderness Safaris

kulula.com MARCH 2020 125



PORT TO PORT EXPLORE

Some suffered
the indignity of
running out of cold
beer, while others
were badly hit by
Cyclone Kurumi and
fell off the radar.
Dawn Bradnick
meets the adventure-
seekers who raced
across the Atlantic in
this year’s Cape2Rio

Yacht Race

It was calm and nearing midnight, the
moon a thin slither in the dark sky as
I bobbed up and down on the tiniest
little rubber duck just beyond Rio de
Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay, waiting about
4km offshore on an ink-black sea at that
spot where the Cape2Rio 2020 finish line
spanned between Ilha do Pai and Ilha da
Mãe, the Father and Mother islands.

I was fighting back nausea aggravated
by fuel fumes from the little boat’s engine
while trying to look cool alongside race
chair Luke Scott, himself a seasoned

kulula.com MARCH 2020 127

sailor who makes a point of meeting all sea – rough, stormy, merciless ocean – for BELOW: Winning trimaran Love Water,
arriving crews, no matter what mad hour three weeks? That’s how long many of the which arrived at the finish in record-
they sail in at. participants in this legendary race spend breaking time
aboard their various seagoing vessels – the RIGHT: JM Busha 54 sails out of Cape
There were 22 participants in this last two boats take a month to do the Town, Table Mountain waving goodbye
year’s Cape2Rio. I’d seen all of them crossing, while the winning craft finished
departing Cape Town, on the 4th and in just over seven days.
11th of January respectively, depending
on the race class they were in. Having The first boat I witnessed crossing the
missed the arrival of the two trimarans finish was a monohull named JM Busha
that’d soared in a week earlier, I was 54. As it approached, the wind dropped
finally in Rio to meet the crews due to away completely – good for my motion
arrive during the last days of January. sickness, but not for Busha’s weary
and battered sailors whose final leg
To sturdy myself, I kept my focus became painstakingly slow.
on the iconic outline of Sugarloaf
Mountain, and the reflection of Christ At the helm were South African
the Redeemer casting light across siblings Michaela and Ryan Robinson
the city from His vantage point on on their third Cape2Rio adventure,
Mount Corcovado. My passage to this with 19-year-old Michaela the
point had taken under an hour, and still youngest skipper in the history of
I was wobbly on my legs, my tummy the race. This crew of six students,
churning. How to even imagine being at including Tawanda Chikasha, the

128 MARCH 2020 kulula.com

PORT TO PORT EXPLORE

Love conquers all race’s first ever Zimbabwean participant, Held in January every three years,
had gone to war on the waters – Cape2Rio links ‘Cabo da Boa Esperança’
The overall winners of the they’d battled the threatening swells (our Cape of Good Hope) with Rio de
2020 Cape2Rio Yacht Race of Cyclone Kurumi, almost run out Janeiro in a sailing race designed to
were a group of friends who’d of food, and suffered a broken rib. challenge the brave, test the tenacious
done the race before, but this Yet here they were, celebrating the and humble the courageous. It strips
time wanted more. Skippered fulfilment of their dream. sailors down to survival mode, drawing
by Craig Sutherland with out the bare basics of human resilience
South Africans Ken Venn, Ryan Robinson later spoke of how that sees crews pull together, honing
Phil Lambrecht, Mike Clarke, the night of the storm had them digging their skills and hard work to push
Mike Minkley and Rick Garratt deep to survive. ‘It’s not something towards the finish.
among the core crew, Love driven by self-preservation, but rather
Water was chartered from by the need to save each other,’ he The tactical event began 49 years ago
Frenchman Antoine Rabaste, said. ‘We pushed through the long with the first race attracting 58 boats of
who joined the team as a crew dark hours, rain pelting down like intrepid sailors that set off from Cape
member for the crossing. bullets, knuckles white from holding Town on 16 January 1971. The longest
Intent on winning, they had on, a 60-degree lean angle as we rode continent-to-continent yacht race in the
entered with that express the 35-knot induced waves. It was southern hemisphere, it covers a distance
purpose, but had strong terrifying, but we fought together.’ of about 6 670km (or 3 600 nautical
competition – their rival
MARCH 2020 129
throughout was fellow
trimaran Maserati Multi 70,
skippered by Giovanni Soldini
and manned by a crew of
dashing Italians who survived

on pasta, adrenaline and
determination. Soldini, whose
VOR70 Maserati was the 2014
line honours winner, still holds
the monohull record for the
Cape2Rio race and had played
a game of cat and mouse with

Sutherland as they chased
across the Atlantic Ocean.
But Love Water emerged
victorious. No ordinary boat,
the 80ft long, 64ft wide (24m,
20m) revolutionary racing
trimaran, literally flies above
the water – and did make
history. Leaving Cape Town
on 11 January, it crossed the

finish line in Rio in just
7 days, 20 hours, 24 minutes
and 2 seconds. Sutherland
and his team smashed the

existing South Atlantic
crossing time in the process

and took four days off the
previous world record.

kulula.com

EXPLORE PORT TO PORT

miles). This year’s South Atlantic crossing like, across the Atlantic. Still, the Rijk Kuttel and Christopher Garratt, the
drew participants from six continents and
16 countries. There were 17 monohulls, challenge of the crossing and the impact boat’s two-man crew, were on their 4th
three cruising catamarans and two crazy-
looking futuristic trimarans named Love of Neptune’s unpredictable moods remain Cape2Rio race, their 3rd sailing together.
Water and Maserati Multi 70 which would
score first and second places overall. unchanged. Cape2Rio remains a hardcore They finished second in their class behind

Technology has advanced substantially race geared towards adventure-seekers. the impressive Brazilian double-hander,
over the years and the Iridium Satellite
Tracking system fitted to each of the Among the hopefuls that headed to Rio Mussulo 40.
individual boats does an amazing job of
monitoring the fleet’s progress, Pacman- de Janeiro this year was the Wh y Cape Town Also in the race was
fast-on-the-downhills, yet and Rio? Zulu Girl Racing (left),
somewhat lacking in comfort, a MAT 1180 monohull

Ballyhoo Too, a 25-year-old Perhaps mostly because skippered by Siyanda
monohull on her maiden it links two of the Vato (one of the youngest
ocean crossing. Capetonians black skippers the race
world’s most beautiful has seen) and crewed
seaports – their iconic by an experienced South
mountains the last and African team. Their charge
first things participating to the finish carried a
sailors have sight of.
There is also that shared

history of exploration particularly palpable
that can be credited to energy as it had not all
the great Portuguese been plain sailing for this
navigators Diaz and Da crew who’d fallen off
Gama. Although it was the radar for a few hours
ironically by accident after hitting the cyclone,
that while sailing in frail causing grave concern.
caravels in search of a

sea route to the spices Zulu Girl found itself
of India 500 years ago, with a broken rudder
that a small fleet led by and a badly burnt crew
Pedro Cabral reached a member, and was without
river mouth surrounded power for the last 10 days
of the crossing.
by spectacular high
peaks, and since it was Losing electricity meant
the month, called it the

River of January being unable to operate

(Rio de Janeiro; below). the desalination system

130 MARCH 2020 kulula.com





PORT TO PORT EXPLORE

#Sail4Good 2
4
An underlying theme among the 2020 competitors
was their desire to give back, with many adopting

1 their own cause or fundraising project in a

commitment to the ocean and environment;

1 Besides wearing their South African
pride on their Speedos, the crew on board
Myrtle of Bonnievale sought to draw
attention to the scourge of Phoetal Alcohol
Syndrome and raise funds for what is
a serious crisis in the Western Cape.

2 Umoya’s crew of five friends created
eco-bricks with the waste generated en
route. Over the 25 days, they produced
five bricks, each being equivalent to
a black bag full of plastic. In Rio, these
were handed over to Engineers Without
Borders and the boat’s skipper did

3 a presentation on the use of eco-bricks.

3 JM Busha 54 is not only the name of the
craft, but also an organisation that works to
promote peace and unity in Africa through
education, arts, culture, music and sport.
An initiative that spoke to this crews’ hearts,
they sailed to create awareness and spread
the word.

4 Zulu Girl Racing’s ‘No More Barefeet Campaign’
was focussed elsewhere. Inspired by his own
background growing up in an impoverished area
in KwaZulu-Natal, the boat’s skipper, Siya Vato,
has invited donations of used school shoes to be
distributed to disadvantaged children, so that they
may go to school and in turn get an education.

needed to produce drinkable water. And, since they’d opted for freeze-dry
food, the crew was unable to prepare meals. They were forced to ration their
emergency supply of drinking water – it just about saw them through to the end
but they arrived in Rio very thirsty.

Of course, having no power also limited their use of navigation and monitoring
equipment, leaving them on full alert as they reverted to keeping watch for
potential dangers from the deck – it was real back-to-basics stuff that meant
being taken by surprise by what they couldn’t account for at night.

‘When we were hit, it was the dead of night and everything turned pitch black,
bar the occasional lightning bolt that illuminated the horizon,’ says Vato.

kulula.com MARCH 2020 133

EXPLORE PORT TO PORT

‘it’s not a race just anybody ABOVE: Flying the flag for South Africa,
can do. although minor Northern Light sails into Rio

challenges are expected and LEFT: Despite losing electricity during
good preparation can make a storm, the crew of Zulu Girl Racing stayed in
those challenges easier to good spirits and arrived looking forward to 2021
manage, you just never know
w–haztuwtlhiulelgetlirhelrmoernwatcsaintagnyodskuci.p’hpaenrc, e BELOW: A finishing yacht approaching
Rio at sunset
siya vato

‘We saw 70 to 80 knots, got the sails up and with the boat vibrating like crazy, rode out Pictures: Dawn Bradnick, Alec Smith/ imagemundi.com
the storm. The crew was obviously a bit shaken, but we managed to get our heads back
in the race.’ Dealing with a different sort of deprivation was the crew of South Africa’s kulula.com
Argonaut, skippered by Charles McDonald. His team comprised Royal Cape Yacht Club
members who had committed to braaiing all the way to Rio, leaving a trail of boerewors-
scented smoke in their wake. Their most critical moment, they claim, was when their
freezer broke and suddenly there was no more ice or cold beer.

Vato, meanwhile, took the thirsty passage in his stride. His crew not only pulled
through, but by the time they’d set foot on dry land, were already looking forward to the
next edition. ‘I’d do it again in a heartbeat,’ he says. ‘Every day, and twice on Sundays.
We’ll be back – and next time we’re taking the trophy!’

Yes, the celebratory caipirinhas at Rio’s yacht club did wonders for courage.

134 MARCH 2020









THE GREEN FEMINIST DISCOVER

DISCOVER
People. Ideas. Things.

Words: Keith Bain, Picture: Noma Bar / Dutch Uncle HARBINGER OF HOPE

She’s been dubbed a prophet, a sage forecaster of dystopian
woes. But Canadian author Margaret Atwood insists that
everything she’s written about is based in history – and that
the evils perpetrated against women in her 1985 novel The
Handmaid’s Tale have happened in reality. Her recontextualising
of humanity’s inhumanity has rung especially true in these
ideologically rough-and-tumble times, however, and the red
worn by the enslaved women of Gilead in the much-praised
Hulu TV series has become a potent symbol for women’s rights.
In an interview with TIME magazine, Atwood said that she used
a crayon to colour in the Noma Bar-designed illustration on the
cover of her Booker-winning sequel, The Testaments. She says
that the specific shade chosen – ‘spring green’ – is an evocation
of hope. Atwood’s new novel is told from the perspective of
three female voices, including that of Lydia, one of Gilead’s
founding Aunts. You can learn more about the novel at Cape
Town’s Fugard Theatre on 30 March, when there’ll be two
screenings of In Conversation with Margaret Atwood, a filmed
event that includes a Q&A with Samira Ahmed, readings by
Lily James and never-before-seen footage from a documentary
about Atwood’s life and work. Screenings happen at 3pm and
7pm, and are part of the 2020 Fugard Bioscope World Art
Cinema Season which shows live operas, ballets and dramas

filmed in European theatres. thefugard.com

141 147 151Books that take you places
Go out and shop Gear for wanderlusters

kulula.com MARCH 2020 139



PAGES THAT TAKE YOU PLACES DISCOVER

The wanderer

‘I was a loser at school,’ says Erling Kagge, ‘a bottom-
three pupil, I think, in every class I attended for
10 years.’ Having battled with childhood dyslexia,
the 57-year-old Norwegian went on to study law, and
then became an explorer. In the 1990s, he was the first
human being to walk to all three of what are considered
Earth’s ‘extremities’, namely the North and South
poles and the summit of Mount Everest. Then, he
studied philosophy, started a publishing house, became
a renowned collector of contemporary art, and turned
to writing thought-provoking books that combine
his ideas about how to live a fulfilling life with his
adventurous spirit. The latest is called Walking: One
Step at a Time – it’s a 25 000-word essay on the
wonder of bipedalism, a subject he knows intimately
– and there are six earlier books covering exploration,
philosophy, and art collecting.

Armchair
travel

Books to fuel your wanderlust

kulula.com MARCH 2020 141

In Walking, Kagge grapples with ‘I have no idea how many walks I’ve together. Silence is as abstract as walking
modernity’s belief that it’s become ‘radical been on,’ he writes. ‘I’ve been on short is concrete.’
to actually choose to walk’ and that walks; I’ve been on long walks. I’ve walked
moving at a human pace from one place from villages and to cities. I’ve walked Silence is the in-depth subject of his
to another is a kind of privilege, one that through the day and through the night, previous book, Silence: In the Age
many of us can’t afford because most of from lovers and to friends. I have walked of Noise, an 18 000-word essay in which
us need to get to wherever we’re going in in deep forests and over big mountains, he expresses the joy of inner silence.
a hurry. Kagge writes things like, ‘Humans across snow-covered plains and through And while it would seem that Kagge’s
or Homo sapiens didn’t invent walking. urban jungles. I have walked bored and journeys have become ever more internal,
But walking invented human beings. So, of euphoric and I have tried to walk away he has not given up on exploring the
course, now we go into a time where we from problems. I have walked in pain and in world. His more recent adventures have
walk less and less.’ happiness. But no matter where and why, seen him crossing large cities – like Los
I have walked and walked. I have walked Angeles – on foot, and he traversed New
He writes that, ‘Placing one foot in front to the ends of the world – literally. All my York using tunnels and sewerage pipes.
of the other, investigating and overcoming walks have been different, but looking He says that there will always be new
are intrinsic to our nature. Journeys of back I see one common denominator: discoveries because the world itself is
discovery are not something you start inner silence. Walking and silence belong always changing. Not only that, but there
doing, but something you gradually stop are always new ways of seeing things.
doing.’ In other words, walking is an
expression of being alive.

White dreams

‘White, and more white, in every imaginable shade. Each and every second in this whiteness
became an ordeal: being this close to the magnetic South Pole made the needle of my
compass spin like the hands of a crazy watch. I didn’t know where I was heading. I was
a blind man in the middle of Antarctica…’. After losing his wife, South African-born explorer
Mike Horn went off to pursue a childhood dream – he’d always wanted to cross Antarctica.
And so, in February 2017, he set off – alone – on a 5 100km journey across the vast white
frozen desert. He went on foot and by kite-ski, following an unexplored path that would take
him across ice fields and over crevasses, and up and over some of the White Continent’s
highest summits. His new book detailing that journey is called Dream of a Lifetime:
Crossing Antarctica and has just been published.

142 MARCH 2020 kulula.com

PAGES THAT TAKE YOU PLACES DISCOVER

A dozen good reads

If words on the page have ever inspired you to set off into the real world, then
these 12 books might trigger an adventure. Wanderlust: A Traveler’s Guide
to the Globe is packed with bucket-list ideas for voyages, road trips and quirky
discoveries. In How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around
the World to Find a New Way to Be Together, Dan Kois reveals how travel
strengthens family ties. Described by The New York Times as ‘A wanderlust-
whetting cabinet of curiosities on paper,’ the second edition of Atlas Obscura
has just been published. Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage
Sale looks at the crazy journeys undertaken by our discarded former possessions
– whether they’re to be resold, recycled or reused. Former Lonely Planet CEO
Daniel Houghton shares insights about what it’s like when travelling is your job
in Wherever You Go: A Guide to Mindful, Sustainable, and Life-Changing
Travel. In Elsewhere: One Woman, One Rucksack, One Lifetime of Travel,
Rosita Boland details nine journeys from her 30 years of travelling. Travis
Elborough’s Atlas of Vanishing Places: The Lost Worlds as They Were
and as They Are Today deftly weaves the past into the present. Cam Honan’s
Wanderlust USA: The Great American Hike is all about exploring the
US of A on foot, while A Month in Siena is a powerful memoir by Pulitzer Prize-
winning author Hisham Matar. Tory Bilski’s Wild Horses of the Summer Sun:
A Memoir of Iceland is one of 2019’s most wonderful reads, and Sarah Baxter’s
Literary Places takes you to 25 key locations in literature. Finally, keep an eye
out for Anthony Bourdain’s posthumous World Travel: An Irreverent Guide,
due out in October.

kulula.com MARCH 2020 143

DISCOVER PAGES THAT TAKE YOU PLACES

J-Bay Award-winning Cape Town-based young adult fiction author
Romance Sally Partridge has penned a coming-of-age novel about
young love, self-discovery, and the thrill of what can happen
away from home. Sea Star Summer centres on 16-year-

old Naomi, an awkward redhead who, over December, just

wants to read books and be left alone. But during what

should be an event-free holiday in Jeffreys Bay, Naomi’s life

is thrown upside down when she finds herself at the centre

of a love triangle between a blue-eyed local surfer named

Daniel and a dark, mysterious, brooding boy named Marius.

And then, of course, there’s Marius’s sister, Elize, a strange

and imaginative girl whom Naomi befriends on the beach.

While both boys are likely prospects, it’s Elize who may well

capture Naomi’s heart.The book will be published next month

– in the meantime, we asked Partridge to talk about her

relationship with places and how travel inspires her writing:

Everyone knows the phrase, ‘write what you know’.

Setting a novel somewhere specific allows the reader to

experience that place for themselves and personalises the story for people who

know the area well. This also grounds the story in reality. Sea Star Summer is set

in Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape, which is a very special place for me. It is my

favourite road-trip destination. Glassy shell beaches, huge swells, lightning storms.

It’s magical and I knew the first time I travelled there that I was going to use it for the

setting of a book.

Sea Star Summer is about self-discovery. Sixteen-year-old Naomi James does everything she

can to fit in at school, but she’s never really belonged. Being in Jeffreys Bay, a place so wild and

beautiful, allows her to truly embrace her imaginative nature and come to terms with who she is

and what she wants from life. In a way, being so far from home and meeting all the characters on

the beach allows her to recognise her own strength and beauty.

I’m a big fan of armchair travelling – when a book takes you to places you’ve never been.

I used to be a huge Dan Brown fan for this very reason. His vivid descriptions of Italian churches and

cathedrals made me feel like I was exploring them myself.

My favourite armchair travel reads are Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun and Murder

in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie. Christie accompanied her archaeologist husband to many

historical digs and used those settings in her whodunnits. They’re like little time capsules. What

could be better than to experience an ancient Egyptian archeological dig in the 1920s?

I’m an immersive (and very imaginative) reader so whenever I read a book, I’m right there Words: Keith Bain, Pictures: Supplied

seeing the world from the character’s perspectives. I recently read The Wickerlight by Mary Watson,

which is set in a small Irish village called Kilshamble. I was lost in that dreamy world for days.

I love the classics – Woolf, Austen, Hardy. A few years ago, I went on a literary pilgrimage

to southern England. I hired a car and travelled around to sites of literary importance, including

Monk’s House, which was Virginia Woolf’s summer residence, and the Jane Austen House Museum

in Hampshire. During the London leg of the trip, I visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum and did the

Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden, which was great fun. It was one of the most memorable

trips I’ve ever taken.

144 MARCH 2020 kulula.com





THINGS WORTH HAVING DISCOVER

MINGLE / BROWSE / BUY

2C7A–P2E9 MTOAWRCNH Ink International

kulula.com Once worn as symbols of social status,
as cultural cache, or even as a form
of protection against evil portents,
tattoos today risk becoming clichés.
Last year, the US tattoo industry
brought in $2 billion in revenue, and
a good proportion of that went to pay
for outdated tribals, cartoonlike figures
and poorly executed hack jobs that will
probably end in regret. Apparently, the
tattoo removal industry is expanding
by a massive 18% each year. Your body
being an irreplaceable canvas, you’ll
want to carefully consider prevailing
trends, making sure they’re aligned
with your personal predilections rather
than opting for passing fads. Minimalist
designs are in this year, along with
detailed floral and multicoloured
tattoos. And there’s a move towards
more extreme blacking out of entire
limbs, plus face and even eyeball
tattoos. Increasingly, it’s about where
on your body the tattoo goes – hands
and ears are growing in popularity. One
place to get work done by a master
artist is at an event such as this month’s
South African International Tattoo
Convention, where some 100 tattooers
from 17 different countries will be
gathered. You can pre-book a session
or turn up and hope for the best. It’s
at The Lookout, V&A Waterfront, and
there’ll be plenty to do – live music,
food trucks, beer tent, people-watching
– even if you’re not getting tattooed.
southafricantattooconvention.com

MARCH 2020

147

Drinkables

Seaside swag Joburg, 8–13 April
Rand Show
If you, like most folks, assumed that all the Irish drink
is Guinness and whiskey, then seaweed-enhanced Just about everything and anything is on show
gin will come as a surprise. From the pretty at Nasrec’s Johannesburg Expo Centre – from
coastal region of Donegal, there’s An Dúlamán household products to food innovations – and
Irish Maritime Gin, a premium spirit produced all the latest trends and coming fads will be
at the Sliabh Liag Distillery. There, an infusion of punted, too. Adding a festive touch will be Easter
five locally harvested seaweeds, namely sweet egg hunts, a gaming festival celebrating geek
kombu, dulse, pepper dulse, dúlamán and carrageen culture with cosplay and e-sports, a reality-style
moss (aka Irish moss), brings an umami richness and cooking challenge, and a ‘superhero training
a dry tang vaguely reminiscent of an Irish sea breeze academy’ for children. But mainly it’ll be about
to the spirit. sliabhliagdistillers.com swiping your credit card, hopefully on stuff you
really need. randshow.co.za 
Boland gin
Sandton, 14–15 March
Distillery Road is the third gin to be The Wedding Expo
launched by Autograph, an artisanal
distillery in Stellenbosch’s Bosman’s From wedding planners to dress designers
Crossing. Open on weekdays by and jewellers, and from honeymoon and
appointment, you can visit the distillery wedding venues to photographers and caterers,
(13 Distillery Road) and let Autograph practically anyone you need to talk through
distiller (and gin scientist) Matt Beech talk the practical aspects of your happy day will be
you through the traditional London dry at the Sandton Convention Centre pitching for
method that he uses to produce a spirit that your business. wedding-expo.co.za 
leads with top notes of lime and coriander
on the nose. More delicate perfume notes
result from infusions of fynbos such as confetti bush and lemon pelargonium, and
gentle spice notes are produced by Angelica root, while cracked black pepper and
ginger add a distinctive warmth to the palate, along with a warm, rounded mouthfeel.
You might never look at gin the same way again. autographgin.com

Corsica calling

Teleport to the Mediterranean with Pampelle,
a delicious aperitif from sun-drenched Corsica where Star
Ruby grapefruit is hand-harvested to give this rosy, sunny
bitter-sweet drink its gorgeous flavour. To achieve this rich,
evocative taste, the macerated fruit is blended and distilled
in three batches – with tree bark quinine, natural gentian
bitters and an eau de vie made from fermented and
distilled grapes. When the batches are recombined, the
resulting bitter-sweet citrus drink is a lip-smacking delight
that’s perfect with tonic water, or taken as a spritzer with
MCC and a dash of soda water. pampelle.com 

148 MARCH 2020 kulula.com