Sandton City Parking Bug

Sandton City has a nice parking fee structure - during office hours, fees are charged at hourly rates (and are quite steep). However during off peak hours (including weekends, and after 7pm on weekdays), it is a flat fee, regardless of how long you park.

The bug crops up when you enter the parking lot before 7pm and leave after 7pm. Instead of charging the higher of the after hour fees (R 8 currently) and the hourly rate (it is R 6 for the 1st hour), it just charges from the time of entry to 7pm.

So, if you enter the parking lot after 6pm, you actually get a cheaper flat rate than if you entered at 7pm! Ok, it is only R2 ... which is not even an ice-cream at Sandton City ... but still. And off course, it also means that if you enter before 6pm and leave after 7pm, you will probably pay a lot more than the flat rate!

Movie: Vantage Point

It has been some time since I watched a movie on the big screen - in fact since I left Cape Town (when I was watching a movie almost once a week), this is only my fourth visit to the movie theatre. Anyway, it was a good opportunity to activate my Vitality card - although the overall selection of movies at Sandton City was quite poor ...

As for the movie itself - it tries too hard to be "artistic", and fails miserably. The idea of telling a story from different perspective really worked in Crash - in Vantage Point it doesn't - because the roll backs become very irritating. In fact a number of people watching started swearing after the third or fourth vantage point. The subject itself is quite amusing in some ways - an more "friendly" version of Americans - the president does not want to bomb the terrorists, the bumbling tourist saves the young girl and it is not only muslims who want to kill Americans.

All said, Vantage Point is a really good action film - the car chase is brilliant, and the storyline does have quite a few nice ideas. It is above all, entertaining.

Splash and Dash to Durban

On Saturday morning, I drove down to Durban ... on Sunday morning I drove back to Jo'burg - a very quick trip indeed, about the same as my Easter weekend trip - Saturday afternoon to Gaborone, and Sunday afternoon back to Jo'burg.

Both trip were due to my Mom I guess - the trip to Gaborone was taking the family there, and the trip to Durban was taking (some) of them back ... but it also served me to get my stuff - especially my mountain bike. So now the bike is in the shop for a much needed service, and hopefully I will be able to go on a ride this weekend.

SUVs - Reasoning behind the madness?

For the most part, I do not understand why people drive SUVs - they are big, consume a lot of fuel, and are generally not used for much other than an expensive shopping cart. And, for the most part, I thought it is particularly wasted in Gauteng, where the best use of the off road capabilities is to overcome potholes, park on the pavement and jump the dividing kerb, to make a u-turn when avoiding traffic.

This afternoon, while on my way to a meeting, I was stuck in yet another traffic jam. So after making a quick check in my map book, I decided to duck into a side street and take a slightly longer way around. After a few minutes, I realised why not many people seem to be taking this route - it was mostly a dirt road! And, there are actually quite a few dirt roads around Midrand - and together with the farms (saw a Rainbow chicken farm the other day), there are enough reminders of how recent this place has undergone urbanisation.

For the record, it was still a quicker route - it seems that there was an accident, opposite the entrance of my destination - and the traffic was backed up by quite a bit.

The Rand Show

The Rand Show is billed as the largest trade fair in Africa, and "in terms of size and visitor attendance, the Rand Show is rivalled only by the large state fairs held in the USA". Since I needed to shop for appliances and furniture anyway (moving to an unfurnished apartment next week), decided to see what was on offer. It is not a cheap affair if you just want to browse, a 85Km round trip, R55 entry fee and R15 for the parking!

Yes, I got there at 6pm - but considering that it is a Friday, there was hardly anyone there. In fact, by the general look of things, it seems like there was not many people in attendance. But that sort of worked out quite well for me - I managed to "negotiate" the price of a bed from R5249 down to R4000 (including delivery) - so it was a worthwhile trip in that sense. I was actually quite impressed with the customer service (Mattress King). Let's just see if the delivery works out on time!

On other furniture and appliances, I could not really see anything I wanted - so it is off to the usual suspects (Game/Makro/Hi-Fi Corp). On the other halls, there was a surprisingly large section from various government departments, including housing and even correctional services. But they were not well manned, and all seemed to be packing up.

To be honest, over all, it was just another big market - without life. I suppose, it is much better during the weekends; and in that case, why bother opening during the day?

My Coke Fest 2008

In more ways than one, this year's Coke Fest was a different experience than previous years (2006, 2007). The obvious - I went to the Johannesburg concert and not the Cape Town concert. And unlike previous years, when I bought the tickets very early (December/Eary January), this year, I bought the tickets just a few days before. Golden circle tickets were sold out by the time I got back from South America, but I managed to find tickets on sale on Bid or Buy, and had to pay a hefty premium (R1000 instead of the R600 list price). And unlike previous years, where I knew the music of most of the international bands, this year, I could only really claim to know music of one of the bands.

Coke Fest this year was massive - apparently there were 46 000 people who bought tickets. And while, there seemed to be enough food and drink, I think the organisation and facilities could have been much better. For starters, the toilet facilities were grossly inadequate, and clearly not meant to cater for that many people. And while there seemed to be enough food and drink, all of it was at the edge of venue perimeter. And the control of the numbers in the golden circle seemed lax - people could buy "an upgrade" ticket from the organisers (which worked out to almost the same cost as my ticket) and I over heard quite a few people boasting about how they sneaked in. Golden circle was packed - and I think that there should have been bar and food facilities attached to the golden circle.

Was golden circle worth it - absolutely; from the general admission, the stage was hardly visible. And the concert was definitely worth the money! A review of all the bands, in the order of appearance can be found below.

Lonehill Estate

In my opinion, this was the best South African band on show, and I would really like to go see them play at a smaller, more intimate, venue. For a rock band, they had an amazing variety - from the standard rock anthems, to a fusion of jazz and rock, including a Sophiatown mix, with electric guitar riffs coupled with a flute/penny whistle. I think, with the right exposure (and luck) they could be the next big South African band!

Crash Car Burn

They are a more standard rock band, and although their music was great, there was nothing really special - nothing extra that sets them apart from the other rock bands. Good music, good songs - just not as interesting.

Wonderboom

A well established band, their performance showed why they have lasted so long. They played a number of their hits from the years, and got the crowd going. Although, I have hear their music a lot over the years, this was my first time seeing them live, and I really enjoyed the performance.

Prime Circle

Another well established South African band (and seemingly a regular at Coke Fest), and they gave a great performance once again. Although I enjoy listening to their music, I cannot really say, I am a big fan of the band. Great performance though, and a good warm up for the international acts.

30 Seconds To Mars

Like Hoobastank last year, there seemed to be a massive following of the band from the female fans - especially for the lead singer, Jared Leto. In fact, one girl had a placard stating "Jared, I want your sperm". And like Hoobastank, the band members had an awesome stage presence. In fact, it bordered somewhat around crazy.

Jared walked out into the crowd, to the back of the golden circle crowd, and sang a bit from the top of the fence separating the golden circle and the general admission area. And for the last song, he scaled the scaffolding of the stage and sang to the crowd - he apparently wanted to see the crowd better. Musically, it was a god show, and they performed songs from both their albums.

Kaiser Chiefs

Kaiser Chiefs was the main reason I wanted to go to this year's concert - I like their music, and I really wanted to see them perform live. Unsurprisingly, they were introduced by Lucas Radebe, and they played a brilliant set. Like 30 Seconds To Mars, the lead singer, Ricky Wilson, was also very active on stage - and also sang in the middle of the crowd - although he did not brave stepping outside of the stage area. Their performance was amazing, although considering the lineup, their music genre was a bit out of step - a bit like Lonehill Estate I suppose

Good Charlotte

I first heard this band through my friend Ronald, quite a long while back. Like 30 Seconds to Mars, they are also quite a pop-rock band. But unlike 30 Seconds to Mars, their on stage performance was a lot more sedate, and less energetic. I think their music was a lot better though!

Chris Cornell

Before Coke Fest, I must confess that I had not really heard of Chris Cornell. Yes, I have heard his music, but could not associate his name with the music. Similar to Staind last year, Chirs Cornell definitely had the best songs (lyrically) of the concert. And like Staind, their on stage performance was rather sedate.

Muse

If Chris Cornell had the best songs, Muse definitely had the best music of the concert. Muse did not really interact much with the crowd - there was no "I love you" and "We will be back very soon" - it was very much a case of letting their performance speak for itself. And their music was absolutely brilliant, featuring some amazing combination of classical, jazz and rock music. Their performance was definitely the major highlight of the concert.

Korn

For a headline act, they played a surprisingly short set (of just over an hour). The music however did live up to the band's reputation, and there was a lot of serious head banging. That said, the mosh pit was a lot smaller than I expected - a lot smaller than previous years (especially given the numbers) and nothing compared to the Way of Darkness Festival (the standard by which I will judge all mosh pits I think). Considering the headline acts of the past concerts however, I think they were not in par with either Metallica or Evanescence. That said, it was still a very good set.

Sport and Race

It finally had to happen - an in form "player of colour (POC)" (the official term from the department of sports, honest) is selected ahead of another in form player of colour, one is upset and not being selected, the other is upset in being selected as a quota player, and both decide not to accept selection!

The problem with quotas, especially when they are set in stone, is that they become stupidly rigid. I remember, when I was part of the Western Province Badminton Association executive, we had an interesting problem in selecting a junior team - the requirement was that each team needed to have 2 POCs (one boy, one girl). There were two junior teams, and 3 girls who would be classified as POCs. But, all three girls were selected, on merit, to the A team, and there were no girls, who could be part of the B team, and were classified as a POC. I don't remember how it was resolved - but this is a similar situation.

The fact is, Langeveld is good enough to be part of the Proteas. And so in Nel. And on Zondeki's (the replacement) recent form in the domestic series - he should also be there on merit - but he will always be regarded as the quota player. That is sad, and just plain wrong.

Cricket SA could have handled this a lot better - and more importantly, could have picked a 15 man squad instead of a 14 man squad.

In support of the Eskom price increase

In all honesty, I did not think I would end up writing a post defending Eskom. But a recent conversation with Phathu, and Eskom's recent projected price hike has got me thinking.

South Africa's power crisis has two facets. The obvious is that there is the crumbling infrastructure, where the government did not take the advice given to them by Eskom, to invest and improve to meet the demands of the future. But the second is that, our utilisation of energy, especially electricity, is not very efficient. We use more electricity, and thus we have problems providing power - but are we utilising our electricity resources correctly.

Take geysers - how many South Africans switch them off when not particularly useful - say during most of summer? Even after load shedding started - how many people regularly switch them off? In fact, switching them off is not much of an issue - all that is required is to install a simple timer, costing about R600 (including installation when I last checked). And geysers themselves are a bit overspec'ed - the bachelor flat I am staying in right now (for this month) has a 150l geyser - how does one person possibly use that much hot water? In Brazil, and much of Peru, geysers were rare. Instead, many showers had an "instant" heater installed in the bathroom, and that would provide hot water. But I do not see that succeeding in South Africa - and anyway, the cost of replacing the plumbing will be too much of a deterrence.

In the capitalism theory, everything has a price. Under this theory, Eskom raising electricity prices is probably the best possible outcome. Instead of wasting energy, we will be forced to adapt - forced to switch off appliances when they are not being used, because otherwise we cannot simply afford to pay for the electricity. And off course the rich will still have no problems paying the higher price - but the rich do not stay rich by wasting away their money.

Ultimately, we need more electricity generation, and we need better electricity utilisation. Maybe, the price increase is the only realistic way to force people to use electricity better.

Traffic and Development

For the most part, Gauteng has a good road network. But the road system really lacks a congestion control mechanism. For example, on the outer ring roads that surround Washington DC, there is a third set of lanes that is only open during peak times, and open in the direction of where the major traffic goes. But it is not only a lack of capacity on the freeways - the bottlenecks really occur at the off ramps from the freeway.

There has been a lot of development in Gauteng - every corner is either a new shopping mall or housing complex, either being built or been built recently. Old charm - forget it. But with the new development, the surrounding infrastructure has not been developed with it. The roads have not been upgraded to handle the new influx of people. And, off course there is the electricity supply problem.

I have been stuck in traffic a few time already - but not going to and from work, because I live close enough to walk (and I do, most of the time). My new place, where I will move to once this month is over, is also fairly close to work. I see no reason to drive to work. But I don't see the traffic situation improving, even with the Gautrain - South Africans love their cars, and even the high petrol price does not seem to be much of a deterrence.

A New Life

So it has finally come to pass, that I have got myself a job ... it is almost like a fresh start all over again. The internships, while paying jobs (and not bad paying to be honest), were still a lot like university - just a bit more structured. This will be completely different, and it is both exciting and scary.

I have had to move cities also - since the job (for the first 6 odd months at least) will be based in Midrand. Gauteng has been in an interesting experience so far - I have never actually been here during the weekend - all my previous trips have been for conferences, and has been largely curtailed to the conference venues.

I drove through central Jo'burg yesterday and to me, it was a really vibrant and exciting area, and my traveler's instinct was to get out and explore; which I couldn't as I had to be somewhere else . So if nothing else, Jo'burg could end up being quite an interesting place to be; for the next few months at least.

Credit Catch 22

Having been out of the country for over 6 months has had some interesting side effects. One of that being a non existent credit rating, which has made some things very tricky.

The first, which was a major surprise, and a sign of things to come, was opening a new bank account. After my troubles with Standard Bank in Germany (see here), and further troubles while I was in Brazil; I decided to change banks. After getting all the necessary documents in order, I was quite surprised that ABSA (which had the best package in terms of fees and services) were somewhat reluctant to open the account of my choice, given my non-existent credit rating. However, sanity somewhat prevailed (after the sales rep, who has been most helpful - a very pleasant change to Standard Bank, and FNB for that matter), and I have been assured that everything will be up and running on Monday morning.

The second, of more immediate concern, was trying to set up a cell phone contract. My new job provides a sizable cell phone allowance, and I know quite well that I will be using that allowance, and probably more. And, while I admittedly left it quite late in trying to get a contract sorted out (I was hoping to sort out the banking issue first), getting a business cell phone contract has, so far, been impossible. It seems, that because I have no debts, I am not to be trusted with a business cell phone contract. Hopefully, I can get more time to reason with the sales staff (more importantly, the people who approve of the contracts), and get this sorted.

It seems to have a good credit rating, you must first be in debt. Surely that is a bit counter intuitive - a person who can prove that they can pay their debts should have a better credit rating than a person who can prove that they have debts?

Next Trip

So after my South American trip, I am already thinking of my next holiday :p It will not be a long trip (maximum 3 weeks), and I have a number of ideas. While traveling alone does have its advantages, some of the ideas I am interested in would be far better in groups, so if I can get a group for any of the ideas, I would be happy to do the organising!

1: Carnaval 2009

Carnaval in Salvador was definitely the best party I have ever been to, and very much lived up to the hype. I am keen to go again, although not necessarily to Salvador (Olinda/Recife and Rio De Janeiro are the obvious alternatives). However, for this trip, I would be only keen if there are 3 (or more) other interested people. This is also a very expensive trip (easily 1 000 Euros for about 12 days); so I think that would be a big constraint for most people.

2: Road Trip to Namibia

This is a trip Jay and I planned (though not in great detail) about 18 months ago. Starting and finishing in Cape Town, it is a 2 - 3 week trip going through, amongst other places both the Fish River Canyon and Etosha Pans. Cost wise, it depends on the number of people and the petrol price; but Jay and I planned it mostly as a camping trip to keep the costs low.

3: Egypt

I went on a very short family holiday to Egypt - just to Cairo and Alexandria. I would like to go back, and spend a lot longer; especially in the south, to Luxor and then also the Middle Kingdom.

4: Jordan and Turkey

Petra - that is why I want to visit Jordan. Apart from that and the major cities, I am not sure, given the extensive security problems in the area, whether Jordan can really be explored in much detail. Thus the addition of Turkey to the itinerary, although, the limited time would mean just one or two cities in Turkey.

5: Ethiopia

Rudy has raved about it. I have wanted to go ever since I seeing a documentary on the ruins of early Christian churches some years back. The country is the advertisement of all Africa's misfortunes, but it is also the seat of the AU, supposedly the future of Africa. That alone makes it a reason to go.

6: Senegal and Mali

They are probably the most stable countries in West Africa, and their music is great! And, I have always wanted to go to Timbuktu.

7: Oman and Yemen

Possibly the most expensive places to travel in the Gulf, but it is also, possibly the most authentic. I have been to Oman before, and would like to go back. Although, I hear that getting in as a tourist is a lot more difficult.

8: Iran

I would really like to travel to one of the points on the axis of evil - it is after all one of the oldest inhabited places on earth. I have met a few travelers on my recent trip who have been to Iran, and they have all raved about it.

9: Trans Siberian Railroad

I met Dutch couple in Rio (and subsequently met up again in Sao Paulo) Lourens and Leonie, who gave me an interesting expansion to the normal long trek from Moscow to Vladivostok or Beijing: do a pre-aranged stop over tour, where you stop over at various towns along the way and stay with the locals. Lourens (who has travelled to an amazing number of countries) has done the trip 3 times, and insists it only makes sense to do the trip in winter.

I love trains, and I have always wanted to do the trip - but this is an expensive trip, thus the last of my current options.

Reflections: South America

Both Peru and Brazil are similar to countries I have been to before. In many respects, much of Peru reminded me of some of the less developed Indian cities or for that matter the lesser developed South African towns, while Brazil reminded me a lot of South Africa. But they are still very different countries, and I really enjoyed my time.

They are very different countries - with very different attractions. While Peru is a lot less developed, it is the centre of civilisation in South America, and as such has a lot to offer in terms of things to see. Furthermore, with its varied geography, there is a lot of different things to do - from the jungle to the mountains to the beaches to the desert - it is all there. Brazil is a lot more developed (in many cases more than South Africa), and offers a simpler range of attractions - beaches and jungles; and interesting architecture highlights.

Brazil is a massive country, and traveling around is time consuming and expensive. To really explore Brazil, one requires a lot more time than what I had. That said, the fact that I went during Carnaval also contributed to my less time. There are a few places I would love to go in Brazil - the North-Eastern area from Salvador up to Belem, and to the South Western area - from Igazu Falls and the Pantanatal.

Cost wise, Brazil is a lot more expensive than Peru - especially in terms of accommodation and transport. And it is not that quality is better in Brazil for the higher price - I think Peru's buses were a lot better value for money, when compared to Brazilian buses for example. In total, my travels for two months cost me about R 45 000 (inclusive of airfares), or about 4 200 Euros. That is a full R 15 000 over my original budget; but my original budget had no provisions for Carnaval; which cost about R6 000. In all honesty, I had under budgeted for Brazil; and there are two problems that hit the costs simultaneously - the strengthening of the Real and the depreciation of the Rand. My expenditure was also impacted by two very expensive flights (of around R4 500 each): Sao Paulo - Lima and Manaus - Salvador; which together cost more than my return flight between Johannesburg and South Africa!

All said, I want to go back to South America - but for a lot longer period: at least 1 year, possibly longer. And instead of just Peru and Brazil, I would like to go to the other countries in South America; especially Argentina, Bolivia, Equador and Columbia. I estimate I will need about 2 000 US Dollars a month for such a trip (on average) so I better get saving!

Reflections Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world, and it is the business capital of Brazil, and for that matter South America. And in all honesty, it is a city for work, and it does not really make itself a major tourist attraction. But it is still an interesting city.

The Japanese Quarter

Sao Paulo aparently has the largest Japanese population outside Japan, and it is easily noticable. The area of "Liberade" is the Japanese quarter, and features a number of Japanese restaurants and the like. When I arrived in Sao Paulo, I had a craving for sushi, so I tracked down a Sushi restaurant (there were surprisingly not that many to choose from) which offered a sushi festival - which equated to almost an "eat as much as you can" sushi option, for a fairly decent price.

Space

I think there are probably more high rises in Sao Paulo than in New York - but the high rises in Sao Paulo are not really that high. But despite that, the sometimes claustrophobic nature of Manhattan is not repeated in Sao Paulo, because there seems to be just so much open space - not just in parks and gardens, but also in broad pedestrian avenues that seem to connect various parts of central Sao Paulo.

One interesting part is the job recruiters, who seem a lot like your standard flyer guy at the traffic lights. The jobs advertised seem to be mostly semi-skilled ones - drivers, cooks, etc. but it is an interesting approach.

The city centre is around the Cathedral (which features a sizable plaza and park around it) which is also where the concentration of what remains of old Sao Paulo. Brazil, it seems has a fascination with the Parisian opera house, as the city theatre is also modeled on the Parisian opera house (like Rio's main theatre).

Helipads

The roads in Sao Paulo are noticeably more congested, and one of the more recent features of Sao Paulo are the helipads on top office buildings and the helicopters ferrying people (most probably business executives) between the buildings. Public transport in Sao Paulo is not bad - I did not take the buses, but the metro is super efficient (there seemed to be one every 2 minutes, even after 10pm), although does not have a great coverage.

Shopping Districts

In general, there is a trend of "shopping districts" - where a certain area has all the shops associated to a certain industry. For example, near the hostel, all the shops seemed to be either mechanics or dealers for motor parts. One of the more interesting shopping areas was the "Gallery of Rock", which is a 6 storrey shopping centre with shops dedicated to rock music (and rap and hip-hop music on the ground floor): not just the music, but also clothing: from T-Shirts of your favourite rock band to studded jewelery, and other "lifestyle" products like tattoo and piercing studios.

Street People, and the "old" look

There are a lot more people sleeping on the streets in Sao Paulo - I suppose it is to be expected, as it is the "richest" city. One thing that does strike about Sao Paulo, is that it has a old, faded look - buildings seem to age very fast, probably in the inevitable smog and pollution (which is a lot less than one can expect in a city this size), but also possibly due to a lesser zeal for maintenance when compared to cities like New York.

Juice

One of the great pleasure of Brazil is fresh juice. Restaurants, always serve fresh juice - no boxed juices on offer - and there are many specialised juice bars that only sell snacks and juices. And there is an amazing variety of juices (and I guess some juices qualify more as smoothies) on offer. Apart from the obligatory orange (Brazil is the world's largest producer of orange juice), the other common juices are pineapple and mango. But most places also offer lemon (as lemonade), paw paw and granadilla. There are also a number of more local fruits on offer (from the Amazon region for example) while the two most interesting options are definitely Avocado (which is served as a smoothie really) and açaí (pronounced a-saa-ee) - which is a berry like fruit from the Amazon (looks a bit like blackberries imo), which is blended with some other fruits (usually banana and/or mango) with ice (to make it like a sorbet) and then usually eaten with granola.

Rio and Security

Rio De Janeiro is infamous for its crime rate ... in fact, Brazil has one of the highest crime rates in the world. Makes one feel right at home :p

But the security tips listed in the guide books and the hostels, is, in my opinion, silly and downright misleading. The first tip: do not carry back packs, rather carry everything in plastic shopping bags, like the locals. But a quick observation in town soon shows that locals carry only shopping in their shopping bags, not cameras and the like. In fact, there are many locals carrying backpacks, briefcases and laptop bags. In my opinion, carrying your valuables a plastic shopping bag is a downright stupid idea. Firstly, shopping bags are transparent, and even when you use two, it is pretty easy to see what it is. Secondly, shopping bags are thin, and are hardly the most comfortable things to carry. Thirdly, tourists are really easy to identify: they are usually pale skinned gringos with a hint of sun burn, or failing that the fact that they usually do not speak the language like the locals or failing that, they are inevitably carrying maps and guide books. And if you are a thief, and you see a potential target carrying a shopping bag - are you not going to rob him because he is a local?

Another stupid tip: do not carry wallets or money belts - but rather hide your money in your bra (if you are a woman) or in your shoe (if you are a man). This is followed by a tip to dress like a local: bermudas, t-shirts and flip-flops. I guess guys should not carry money ... but in all seriousness, carrying money in your shoe has a number of other problems that I can think of. Firstly, Rio is a hot place - it is about 28 Degrees Celsius at night! On top of that, since it is next to the ocean, it is fairly humid too. So, putting money in your shoe means that it will get all sweaty and wet ... you might not get robbed, but you might not get to use the money either. Next, putting money in your shoe means getting money out of your shoe. While putting money in your shoe has it's positives - getting pick pocketed is harder - but putting all your money in your shoe? That's daft.

All said, I found Rio De Janeiro to be rather tame. The signs of high crime rates are there to see - windows have burglar bars, houses have alarms, cars have anti theft devices, there are electronic gates and doors. But, to be honest it is nothing in the levels of South Africa. People drive with their windows open. Burglar bars are not that common. Fences are short. Security guards for cash in transit vans carry pistols not automatic rifles.

And my hostel is in the centre of town, in an area very similar to Observatory in Cape Town. It is rated as one of the more unsafe areas of town - and I have walked around, at night, with no problems.

But then, I do that in South Africa too. Yes, Rio De Janeiro can be dangerous. But the danger is overblown out of proportion. However that does bring an interesting social observation - according to even locals, the favelas or the slums are like warzones, areas where the police fear to enter. However, that violence does not spill over. In South Africa, this is what used to be, before 1994. Violent crimes occurred more in the townships, and since 1994, crime has been, for that lack of a better word, been better distributed. Is the violence in Rio just waiting for its own liberation?

Reflections: Rio De Janeiro

No doubt about it, Rio De Janeiro, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but, in my biased opinion, it is not as beautiful as Cape Town. The Sugar Loaf and the Corcovado, together with the beaches and the bay provide a stunning location. But in competition, Cape Town should not just be judged with Table Mountain, but also Lion's Head, Devil's Peak and the 12 Apostles, and then I think there is no competition.

But there are two factors that might make Rio a better city - great public transport and (a diminishing) colonial charm. The colonial past of the city has largely disappeared; and many of the buildings that are old, are hardly 100 years old - considerably younger than the city itself. But the remains of the colonial cities - large plazas, cobbled stone streets, lavish churches - are interesting to explore.

In general, public transport is great in Brazil. Rio has a fantastic road network, and since their mountains are a lot smaller, numerous tunnels link the various suburbs. And except for a few bottlenecks (introduced because of the geography or at the junctions of the main roads), traffic is fairly fast moving - even in rush hour. One of the side effects is that the buses are driven at, sometimes terrifying and uncomfortable, high speeds. In fact, I think the ordinary minibus taxi driver from South Africa would be hard pressed to match the Rio bus drivers on the road ... after all the buses are much bigger :p Rio's metro is also quite nice, although not as useful as it could be. They do feature air-conditioned carriages - which is really useful in Rio's weather.

I stayed a long time in Rio, and even then there were things I wish I could have done - a hike on the rain forests covering the Corcovado and surrounds topping the list, as well as a favela tour. But that said, Rio is possibly the most expensive city I have been to in Brazil, and in all honestly, it is not my favourite city in Brazil. If I come back to Brazil, I would stop over in Rio - but won't stay as long.

Flamengo vs Vasco da Gama

Football - nothing is more Brazilian I think. And a match at the world famous Maracana stadium, involving the two biggest names in Brazilian football, Flamengo and Vasco da Gama, in a cup semi-final.

I went as part of an organised tour - I was not sure what to expect, and initially could not find people who were keen to go along with. The atmosphere was electric - by far the most passionate supporters I have seen at any sporting event - and although the stadium was not full (despite the massive fan bases of the two clubs), it was a great atmosphere.

All the features of the big rivalries were there - the big flags, drums, the chanting and off course, great football. Brazilian football is just on such a different level - it is fast, and the 2-1 score line (in favour of Flamaengo) is a testament of good keeping more than bad shooting - shots on goal tended to be on target more often than not, and the sleek passing and ball control was wonderful to watch.

Hang Gliding over Rio (well part of)

I decided that Sunday was a great day to run and jump of a cliff ... on a tandem hang gliding ride. It was certainly not as much of an adrenalin rush as a bungee jump - but it lasted a lot longer. Unfortunately, it is yet again the wrong time of the year - the winds are not that great, and so the flight only lasted 10 minutes or so ... but absolutely stunning views of Rio (well part of it) and a great experience.

Lapa, Santa Teresa and Rio De Janeiro Centro

The three suburbs more or less combine to form the old centre of Rio De Janeiro - which is a fairly old city (it is almost 500 years old). Most of the old colonial buildings have been destroyed, replaced with skyscrapers. It is still a fascinating place to walk around, and there are some surprises.


The New Cathedral, ugly on the outside, beautiful inside.

The old buildings have a distinct colonial style, while the modern replacements are usually pretty ordinary.




The aqueduct, otherwise known as the Arches of Lapa. Now carries the surviving tram line to Santa Teresa.


Santa Teresa and Lapa are very much the hippie quarters - lots of artists stay around here, and thus, like Observatory in Cape Town, it is the center of music and art in Rio De Janeiro. There are loads of clubs and bars, many featuring live music every night. From Samba to trance, Friday nights are however the biggest, where Lapa basically becomes one big street party, with a few bands playing outside for free (though they are not that good). There is a big police presence, and everything works pretty smoothly.