07 May 2010
SAA Departure Lounge at ORTIA
The new SAA departure lounge at OR Tambo is absolutely stunning, in both layout and facilities (although the food section seems to be lacking a bit). There is a stunnign view of the airfield, and individual areas with TVs, business centre, kids area, etc. It is definitely one of the best lounges I have been to (although, to be honest, I haven't been to many of them).
Company Innovation
I have recently changed my responsibilities, and one of my old responsibilities was in innovation management within my company. Innovation is a tricky subject, and there was a lot of frustration, in getting the right audience to take innovative ideas seriously.
I am travelling again, and my shuttle driver, Steve, and I got on our seemingly favourite topic - the Gautrain. In my opinion, the Guatrain does not necessarily represent a threat to Steve's company - but rather a potential for new and different business models. He agreed, and we started talking about very different ways that the Gautrain could actually help his company instead of hamper the company's services.
That said, a clear fact also emerged - his company did not value input from employees - and in fact, when input was given, the credit was frequently taken up by management instead of the employees. And for that reason alone, Steve would not approach his bosses with any new ideas.
Innovation is a critical success factor for any company, but I think the integrity in how employees are treated is more important to get right first.
------------------------
Previous post about conversation with Steve.
Conversation with taxi drivers from Hamburg and Amsterdam.
I am travelling again, and my shuttle driver, Steve, and I got on our seemingly favourite topic - the Gautrain. In my opinion, the Guatrain does not necessarily represent a threat to Steve's company - but rather a potential for new and different business models. He agreed, and we started talking about very different ways that the Gautrain could actually help his company instead of hamper the company's services.
That said, a clear fact also emerged - his company did not value input from employees - and in fact, when input was given, the credit was frequently taken up by management instead of the employees. And for that reason alone, Steve would not approach his bosses with any new ideas.
Innovation is a critical success factor for any company, but I think the integrity in how employees are treated is more important to get right first.
------------------------
Previous post about conversation with Steve.
Conversation with taxi drivers from Hamburg and Amsterdam.
03 April 2010
Gmail Cleverness
I was writing an email in gmail, meaning to send an attachment (which I forgot to actually include). However, I did write "I have attached ...", and GMail picked it up, and asked whether I wanted to attach file to the email. Which obviosuly leads to the question - what combinations of the word attach does GMail understand? Investigation is warranted ...
22 March 2010
Juggernaught, The Mean Streets, Half Price and Pestroy
Public holidays are good excuses to have a party, and Back 2 Basix hosted Half Price's album launch last night. Since I hadn't been to a rock gig since Thornfest, I decided to check this out.
Juggernaught looks like a hard core rock band; but they mumbled through a 40 minute set; with some pretty mediocre music accompanying the mumbling. The potential was there - the combination of blues and rock can be really good (like Death Valley Blues Band), but this really requires very strong vocals in both ability and clarity. Neither the vocalist, nor the backing vocalist demontstrated such ability. Maybe they were drunk; who knows - their music was rather uninspiring and, in my opinion, not very good.
The Mean Streets doesn't seem to have a website (well there is a band from Philadelphia with the same name); and while they did not look like hippie rockers, they played a lot better rock music when compared to Juggernaught (they do seem to have a facebook page). The music was not particularly memorable, but they had a good stage presence, and good rapport with the crowd. They claim to be "not afraid to take on Government and authority and proud to admit that they hate both", but their lyrics seemed to be pretty simple and not very confrontational.
Half Price is a punk band based in Cape Town, and I was very impressed with their show. The music was great, very good stage show with some decent lyrics. There is quite a bit of Ska influence, and their songs generally have a good party vibe. They seem to have a lot of supporters in Johannesburg, and the club was packed.
Pestroy was the main motivation for going to the gig, and like Thornfest, a large portion of the crowd had all left by the time they came on stage. Despite the smaller crowd, Pestroy played a great 45 minute set with quite a few older songs; and was a great gig. The fact that they have a fairly big repertoire helps, and many of the songs didn't feature on their original set list.
Juggernaught looks like a hard core rock band; but they mumbled through a 40 minute set; with some pretty mediocre music accompanying the mumbling. The potential was there - the combination of blues and rock can be really good (like Death Valley Blues Band), but this really requires very strong vocals in both ability and clarity. Neither the vocalist, nor the backing vocalist demontstrated such ability. Maybe they were drunk; who knows - their music was rather uninspiring and, in my opinion, not very good.
The Mean Streets doesn't seem to have a website (well there is a band from Philadelphia with the same name); and while they did not look like hippie rockers, they played a lot better rock music when compared to Juggernaught (they do seem to have a facebook page). The music was not particularly memorable, but they had a good stage presence, and good rapport with the crowd. They claim to be "not afraid to take on Government and authority and proud to admit that they hate both", but their lyrics seemed to be pretty simple and not very confrontational.
Half Price is a punk band based in Cape Town, and I was very impressed with their show. The music was great, very good stage show with some decent lyrics. There is quite a bit of Ska influence, and their songs generally have a good party vibe. They seem to have a lot of supporters in Johannesburg, and the club was packed.
Pestroy was the main motivation for going to the gig, and like Thornfest, a large portion of the crowd had all left by the time they came on stage. Despite the smaller crowd, Pestroy played a great 45 minute set with quite a few older songs; and was a great gig. The fact that they have a fairly big repertoire helps, and many of the songs didn't feature on their original set list.
20 March 2010
Bulls vs The Hurricanes
Went to see the Bulls vs The Hurricanes, courtesy of one of the vendors I deal with at work (in their shared box). I had always heard of the great atmosphere in Loftus; and even though it wasn't full house; it was a very supportive crowd. The rugby itself was rather uninspiring for most of the game - with a few flashes of individual brilliance here and there. It wasn't a great game to be honest; and the Bulls struggled a lot with basic errors throughout the game.
What was really interesting was the allowance of letting the crowd onto the field after the game (and ceremonial duties were concluded). Small games of touch rugby started all over the ground, and this is perhaps one of the reasons the Bulls have such a fanatical home support. After about 20 - 30 minutes, the security staff slowly cleared the field; and the stadium slowly emptied.
What was really interesting was the allowance of letting the crowd onto the field after the game (and ceremonial duties were concluded). Small games of touch rugby started all over the ground, and this is perhaps one of the reasons the Bulls have such a fanatical home support. After about 20 - 30 minutes, the security staff slowly cleared the field; and the stadium slowly emptied.
20 February 2010
Second Test: India vs South Africa
Test cricket is apparently dead. Yet, within the last few months we have seen some matches that have been better than any 20-20 or ODI; not only in the manner of scoring runs, but in the tension and skill exhibited. There was the Pakistan-New Zealand match where Bond showed what Test cricket has missed out on and the emergence of Umar Akmal. There was Shewag's 290 odd runs in one day of battin against Sri Lanka, and then there was South Africa vs India, in the recently concluded test match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where I am currently.
Eden Gardens is trully a different atmosphere for test cricket - both to what I have seen and experienced in Durban or Cape Town. While the (current temporary) capacity of 70 000 was never reached on any of the 5 days, there was still a sizable crowd; with each day's crowd probably exceeding 5 day combined crowd numbers at most other grounds, and if nothing else Eden Gardens showed that there is a paying public willing to watch test cricket (and makes a good case for why certain cities should just not get test cricket matches). The atmosphere was electric featuring a few interesting characters - especially the man painted in the Indian flag, carrying a massive flag and blowing a conch shell (used mostly for Hindu prayers) for either showering blessings on a 4, 6 or wicket, or to usher wishes to the bowler or batsmen.
But the noise and the crowd would be meaningless without good cricket - and there was tons of it. Amla and Petersen provided great batting on Day 1. Khan and Harbhajan caused one of the biggest collapses, also on Day 1. Shewag, Tendulkar, Dhoni and Laxman showed their respective skills while Amla stole all the glory and praise for his technique and patience as he almost single handedly saw South Africa home.
I had tickets for all 5 days; but I only went to days 1, 2 and 5 - and I wished I was there for all 5. It was definitely one of the best matches in recent history; and a great showcase for test cricket.
10 February 2010
Movie: Mou Gaan Dou (Internal Affairs)
The Departed, was based on this earlier movie; filmed entirely in Hong Kong. While there are certain differences in the storyline, it is easily recognisable. There is a subtle plot change between the Departed and Internal Affairs towards the end; and I think that, not only does Internal Affairs pull it off better, it makes the overall storyline much better than that of The Departed. The movie is engrossing and features superb acting as well as superb cintematography of Hong Kong (especially the city scapes from the rooftops).
09 February 2010
Four Seasons
Vanessa Mae playing Vivaldi's four seasons was my first real introduction to western classical music; and it is still one of my favourite pieces. Sunday evening featured a chamber concert with Vivaldi's Four Seasons in the first half, and Piazolla's Four Seasons (inspired buy Vivaldi) in the second half. I am not too sure I like the Piazolla version, although the Bandoneon is an interesting instrument (and was put to really great effect in the very first piece of the evening - Piazolla's Buenos Aires Hora Cero).
02 February 2010
Rock me, Amadeus
Inspired by the movie, "Rock Me, Amadeus" focussed on some modern interpretations of classics. The concert featured the Imperial College Symphony Orchestra, whose members seemed a lot younger than the average college student. But musical prodigies are often quite young; so it is not that surprising.
The first part of the concert was completely classical - two Mozart symphonies (5 and 37), and was quite short. The second part started off with Mozart's Violin Concerto no 4, with the solo played by the beautiful Lidia Baich, and it was a stunning performance. The second piece was a classical piece, Massenet's Meditation from Thais, but performed not only by the orchestra but also accompanied by a rock band (drums, guitars) and piano. An awesome performance with brilliant piano playing.
But it was the last piece, that was truly amazing. Vanessa Mae popularised the merger of classical and modern musical pieces; and Lidia Baich did something similar with Saint-Saƫns' Rondo capriccioso. She performed the violin solo, accompanied by the orchestra and the band; and it was an amazing performance and a great arrangement; thoroughly deserving a standing ovation.
The first part of the concert was completely classical - two Mozart symphonies (5 and 37), and was quite short. The second part started off with Mozart's Violin Concerto no 4, with the solo played by the beautiful Lidia Baich, and it was a stunning performance. The second piece was a classical piece, Massenet's Meditation from Thais, but performed not only by the orchestra but also accompanied by a rock band (drums, guitars) and piano. An awesome performance with brilliant piano playing.
But it was the last piece, that was truly amazing. Vanessa Mae popularised the merger of classical and modern musical pieces; and Lidia Baich did something similar with Saint-Saƫns' Rondo capriccioso. She performed the violin solo, accompanied by the orchestra and the band; and it was an amazing performance and a great arrangement; thoroughly deserving a standing ovation.
31 January 2010
Thornfest
Thornfest, is a new rock festival, held over the past three days at a farm about 70Km south of Jo'burg. The festival was with camping facilities etc. but I only went on the Saturday; and even then only got there around 5:30.
It was a very well organised festival - lots of space, lot of food and merchandise stands and 3 stages. The only complaint is possibly the lack of rubbish bins; which made the grounds seem like a dumping ground at times. But beyond that, it was well organised, with seemingly no problems.
I think the festival tried to do too much at the same time. I think there were just too many bands and not enough people. I think in future, two big stages may make more sense than three. I am also not sure of the rationalle of smaller bands playing during the headline acts on the main stage. Unlike festivals where the bands cover different genres of music; larger bands would tend to draw most of the audience away from the smaller bands.
Second Guess'd
Apparently, Second Guess'd had got the billing after winning a battle of the bands competition. For a new band; they were quite impressive - with some humorous lyrics and generally good performance.
Knave
For me, Knave was the best band of the evening - with the best combination of great music, lyrics, stage presence and performance. I even ended up buying their latest CD. They first came into prominence last year (or year before) with their single "Taunt and Tether", but their other songs are also worth listening to. The promo girls from Jagermeister did use the opportunity to throw out a lot of freebies; but somehow dancing girls do not seem to tie to metal bands - well their type of dancing anyway.
Fuzigish
Fuzigish should have been a main stage attraction - and the Stand Firm stage was not only filled to capacity inside; it had a rather large number of people outside craning to see some of the action inside. I have seen Fuzigish a number of times, so after their first song; I decided to head outside to see the visiting band from the UK.
Seven Year Kismet
They were one of two international acts, and at first look they certainly did not fit the stereotype of a metal band. With Fuzigish drawing the large majority of the crowd; they played to a rather small audience. Dressed in white T-Shirts and shorts; they don't seem to have any visible tattoos or piercings. The vocalist had good stage presence; but to be honest they were nothing remarkable.
Agro
I had not heard of Agro before, but they have an impressive CV. Easily the oldest band on show last night, they had a really impressive stage show and their instrumental pieces were simply amazing.
I met the vocalist (Cliff) and Bass Guitarist (Robbie) and their roadie (whose name I forget) just before their show while waiting for a pizza. The conversation started around my Nightwish t-shirt; but while I simply watched them; they had played in a festival alongside Nightwish and a few other major bands.
They are also very proud of their metal music, with Cliff commenting that there were too many "jocks with long hair" who don't actually appreciate metal music. He was rather verbose about defending metal on stage too, proclaiming that agro "was not core-metal but metal to the core"; and wanting to proclaim metal as a religion (that should give the bible-belt something to talk about).
All said, although their first song was rather crap; their show just got better and better - with some really interesting lyrics and music. Definitely worth going to see again.
Cutting Jade
Cutting Jade has been one of the "big" South African rock bands; but somehow they haven't been as successful as some of their contemporaries. I am not such a big fan of Cutting Jade - they have a few good songs; and a generally good performance; but somehow I never come away really impressed with the band.
Fokofpolisiekar
Fokofpolisiekar was the biggest attraction of the festival, and attracted by far the biggest crowd of the evening. The band certainly lived up to their billing as one of the foremost South African bands; and can be enjoyed even without understanding Afrikaans. Incredible stage presence; great music and great performance. In many respects, they were the headline act of the festival.
Pestroy
Pestroy has long been South Africa's leading metal group; and they were worthy headliners, although the crowd had thinned dramatically after Fokofpolisiekar's show. Similar to Limp Bizkit, Pestry features a rapper/singer as the main vocalist, with a very energetic (almost frantic) show. I have only heard their music on radio; and I was quite impressed with both the performance and the music.
It was a very well organised festival - lots of space, lot of food and merchandise stands and 3 stages. The only complaint is possibly the lack of rubbish bins; which made the grounds seem like a dumping ground at times. But beyond that, it was well organised, with seemingly no problems.
I think the festival tried to do too much at the same time. I think there were just too many bands and not enough people. I think in future, two big stages may make more sense than three. I am also not sure of the rationalle of smaller bands playing during the headline acts on the main stage. Unlike festivals where the bands cover different genres of music; larger bands would tend to draw most of the audience away from the smaller bands.
Second Guess'd
Apparently, Second Guess'd had got the billing after winning a battle of the bands competition. For a new band; they were quite impressive - with some humorous lyrics and generally good performance.
Knave
For me, Knave was the best band of the evening - with the best combination of great music, lyrics, stage presence and performance. I even ended up buying their latest CD. They first came into prominence last year (or year before) with their single "Taunt and Tether", but their other songs are also worth listening to. The promo girls from Jagermeister did use the opportunity to throw out a lot of freebies; but somehow dancing girls do not seem to tie to metal bands - well their type of dancing anyway.
Fuzigish
Fuzigish should have been a main stage attraction - and the Stand Firm stage was not only filled to capacity inside; it had a rather large number of people outside craning to see some of the action inside. I have seen Fuzigish a number of times, so after their first song; I decided to head outside to see the visiting band from the UK.
Seven Year Kismet
They were one of two international acts, and at first look they certainly did not fit the stereotype of a metal band. With Fuzigish drawing the large majority of the crowd; they played to a rather small audience. Dressed in white T-Shirts and shorts; they don't seem to have any visible tattoos or piercings. The vocalist had good stage presence; but to be honest they were nothing remarkable.
Agro
I had not heard of Agro before, but they have an impressive CV. Easily the oldest band on show last night, they had a really impressive stage show and their instrumental pieces were simply amazing.
I met the vocalist (Cliff) and Bass Guitarist (Robbie) and their roadie (whose name I forget) just before their show while waiting for a pizza. The conversation started around my Nightwish t-shirt; but while I simply watched them; they had played in a festival alongside Nightwish and a few other major bands.
They are also very proud of their metal music, with Cliff commenting that there were too many "jocks with long hair" who don't actually appreciate metal music. He was rather verbose about defending metal on stage too, proclaiming that agro "was not core-metal but metal to the core"; and wanting to proclaim metal as a religion (that should give the bible-belt something to talk about).
All said, although their first song was rather crap; their show just got better and better - with some really interesting lyrics and music. Definitely worth going to see again.
Cutting Jade
Cutting Jade has been one of the "big" South African rock bands; but somehow they haven't been as successful as some of their contemporaries. I am not such a big fan of Cutting Jade - they have a few good songs; and a generally good performance; but somehow I never come away really impressed with the band.
Fokofpolisiekar
Fokofpolisiekar was the biggest attraction of the festival, and attracted by far the biggest crowd of the evening. The band certainly lived up to their billing as one of the foremost South African bands; and can be enjoyed even without understanding Afrikaans. Incredible stage presence; great music and great performance. In many respects, they were the headline act of the festival.
Pestroy
Pestroy has long been South Africa's leading metal group; and they were worthy headliners, although the crowd had thinned dramatically after Fokofpolisiekar's show. Similar to Limp Bizkit, Pestry features a rapper/singer as the main vocalist, with a very energetic (almost frantic) show. I have only heard their music on radio; and I was quite impressed with both the performance and the music.
30 January 2010
Mozart's Anniversary Concert
Wednesday (27 Jan) was Mozart's birthday, and the Mozart Anniversary Concert was held at Linder Auditorium as part of the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival, the second such festival held in Jo'burg. While the program did feature Mozart's Piano Concerto in D minor K 466 (featuring Florian Uhlig, who is also the festival's artistic director), the majority of the program featured South African based/influenced composers.
The first piece "Fatse la Heso" (My Country), by Michael Moerane,started of slowly before finishing with a very impressive flourish. It is supposedly based on African traditional music - but without the drums that would accompany such music - I am not sure where the relation lies.
The final piece, which was also the longest, was "Song of Four Winds" featuring an orchestra, a soprano and a baritone. The background to the piece is quite interesting; and overall, the music itself was also quite impressive - using a variety of musical instruments to great effect. However, the singers and the song itself was rather ordinary - and in my opinion rather detracted from the music.
The festival carries on until the 9th of Feb, with a concert almost every night. However, the Linder Auditorium was hardly half full - and while there are some very interesting pieces to llok forward to (I am quite keen for at least 3 more concerts), I am not sure if the festival will be a commercial success of anysorts.
The first piece "Fatse la Heso" (My Country), by Michael Moerane,started of slowly before finishing with a very impressive flourish. It is supposedly based on African traditional music - but without the drums that would accompany such music - I am not sure where the relation lies.
The final piece, which was also the longest, was "Song of Four Winds" featuring an orchestra, a soprano and a baritone. The background to the piece is quite interesting; and overall, the music itself was also quite impressive - using a variety of musical instruments to great effect. However, the singers and the song itself was rather ordinary - and in my opinion rather detracted from the music.
The festival carries on until the 9th of Feb, with a concert almost every night. However, the Linder Auditorium was hardly half full - and while there are some very interesting pieces to llok forward to (I am quite keen for at least 3 more concerts), I am not sure if the festival will be a commercial success of anysorts.
21 January 2010
Chrome and GMail
I have had lots of problems with Chrome and Gmail in the past, especially when the earlier releases seemed to be buggy for proxies. But this error message takes the top prize! For the record, I was not using a proxy, and am on a direct connection to a Tier 1 ISP.
For those who are not inclined to click on the pic, the error states "It seems there is a problem. Please try using Gmail with a supported browser".
09 January 2010
Music: To Bring a Gun to a Shark Fight, Sesling and Enmity
It has been a few months since I last went to a gig at a club, and Back 2 Basix was the only place I could find gigs at. I suppose, people are still recovering from the festive season. Last night's line-up was all metal bands
To Bring a Gun to a Shark Fight
They are probably the worst band I have seen in a long time. It is not only the fact that their vocals are entirely composed of screaming (there seems to be no change in tone to what they were screaming, so I assume there were no lyrics); but there was also no change in the music itself. In fact, I think there was a song in which none of the guitarists moved their hands for the entire song - they seemed to be plucking the same chords, over and over again. Now repeat that for 30 minutes. The testament to how bad they were, was how much of the audience just left (even the club) while they were still playing!
Sesling
The warm-up and sound check for Sesling was more interesting than the full set of the previous band. Sesling, a 5-piece, Afrikaans band comprising of band-members from a number of a other well known metal bands. While they sing in Afrikaans, so I cannot say much about their lyrics, they have a very interesting sound - and the two vocalists combine well on stage. It was unfortunately a very short set; but definitely enjoyable.
Enmity
A young six piece band, I think also from Cape Town, they have a really good combination of vocalists with their keyboard player Chloe providing melodic backing and their vocalist Alainite providing the usual angry screaming. Their lyrics are also interesting, although they are deffinitely the type that gets bands labeled Satanic. After-all, Alainite described every song being about serial killers. They have a great presence, and they play very well together. I think they still have to get set-up correct, as their mixing could have been a lot better - but it's a band that could do well. Their cover of the Beatle's Eleanor Rigbby, was also quite good - and different.
To Bring a Gun to a Shark Fight
They are probably the worst band I have seen in a long time. It is not only the fact that their vocals are entirely composed of screaming (there seems to be no change in tone to what they were screaming, so I assume there were no lyrics); but there was also no change in the music itself. In fact, I think there was a song in which none of the guitarists moved their hands for the entire song - they seemed to be plucking the same chords, over and over again. Now repeat that for 30 minutes. The testament to how bad they were, was how much of the audience just left (even the club) while they were still playing!
Sesling
The warm-up and sound check for Sesling was more interesting than the full set of the previous band. Sesling, a 5-piece, Afrikaans band comprising of band-members from a number of a other well known metal bands. While they sing in Afrikaans, so I cannot say much about their lyrics, they have a very interesting sound - and the two vocalists combine well on stage. It was unfortunately a very short set; but definitely enjoyable.
Enmity
A young six piece band, I think also from Cape Town, they have a really good combination of vocalists with their keyboard player Chloe providing melodic backing and their vocalist Alainite providing the usual angry screaming. Their lyrics are also interesting, although they are deffinitely the type that gets bands labeled Satanic. After-all, Alainite described every song being about serial killers. They have a great presence, and they play very well together. I think they still have to get set-up correct, as their mixing could have been a lot better - but it's a band that could do well. Their cover of the Beatle's Eleanor Rigbby, was also quite good - and different.
04 January 2010
Fuel price regulation
South Africa has in theory, regulated fuel price. In theory, there is a set price per region - and this should have both a stabilising effect on the price of energy in the country; as well as reduce the effect of distance/low population density areas on the price of fuel. In theory at least.
The following table gives the fuel price in the towns I filled up in.
This table is skewed slightly by the fact that Unleaded 93 Octane fuel is the only fuel available in North West and Northern Cape (and unavailable in the Western Cape). That said, there is a massive difference of 59c per litre, between the fuel price in Pofadder and the price in Cape Town! What is also quite perplexing is the difference between Pofadder, Vryburg and Warrenton - especially as they are almost equidistant from each other!
I am not sure how the regions are broken up with regards to the fuel price; but there is certainly a big fluctuation in the price. I am not sure if this is the outcome of regulatory intent; or the bad policing of regulation.
All the data in a few graphs (click for a larger version):
The following table gives the fuel price in the towns I filled up in.
| Town | Octane | Price per litre |
|---|---|---|
| Kempton Park | U 95 | R 7.92 |
| Vryburg | U 93 | R 8.04 |
| Pofadder | U 93 | R 8.28 |
| Lamberts Bay | U 95 | R 7.79 |
| Bellville | U 95 | R 7.69 |
| Three Sisters | U 95 | R 7.90 |
| Warrenton | U 93 | R 7.97 |
| Midrand | U 95 | R 7.92 |
This table is skewed slightly by the fact that Unleaded 93 Octane fuel is the only fuel available in North West and Northern Cape (and unavailable in the Western Cape). That said, there is a massive difference of 59c per litre, between the fuel price in Pofadder and the price in Cape Town! What is also quite perplexing is the difference between Pofadder, Vryburg and Warrenton - especially as they are almost equidistant from each other!
I am not sure how the regions are broken up with regards to the fuel price; but there is certainly a big fluctuation in the price. I am not sure if this is the outcome of regulatory intent; or the bad policing of regulation.
All the data in a few graphs (click for a larger version):
03 January 2010
Roadtrip: Three Sisters to Midrand, via Kimberley
Until Potchefstroom, the road to Midrand was largely uninteresting and boring. That was not unexpected, but that does not detract from the boredom. Furthermore, the horde of cars I saw at the Three Sisters Ultra City (almost all with Gauteng plates, and all seemingly heading northwards); all seemed to take the N1. Thus, this road was rather quiet on the traffic front too.
It all changed in Potchefstroom - not because the scenery got more pleasant, but because of a massive thunderstorm which reduced visibility and thus at least made the driving a lot more interesting. The storm passed, just past Carletonville, but by then it was a slow merge into the N1 and then Jo'burg traffic shortly thereafter.
Including the driving around in Cape Town, it was a fairly long trip in total - almost 4300 Km, and about R3000 in expenses such as accomodation, fuel, food etc. Not bad for what ammounted to two weekends away (since I did work during the week in Cape Town).
It all changed in Potchefstroom - not because the scenery got more pleasant, but because of a massive thunderstorm which reduced visibility and thus at least made the driving a lot more interesting. The storm passed, just past Carletonville, but by then it was a slow merge into the N1 and then Jo'burg traffic shortly thereafter.
Including the driving around in Cape Town, it was a fairly long trip in total - almost 4300 Km, and about R3000 in expenses such as accomodation, fuel, food etc. Not bad for what ammounted to two weekends away (since I did work during the week in Cape Town).
Kimberley
Kimberley, is one of the main towns in South Africa. In some respects, it is known only for its diamond heritage; which has not only fueled the South African economy, but had an impact on other South African life; as the plaque by the Big Hole suggests. I was surprised how big the city was, but I shouldn't have been. It is not mentioned as one of the major cities in South Africa, but it clearly is.
Kimberley has also played a major role in the history of the ANC, and was Sol Plaatjie's (one of the core founders of the ANC) home towards the end of his life. His house is apparently a museum and a national monument, but the signs in Kimberley are confusing, and do not lead anywhere (one sign says left, then the next sign makes no mention etc). I did go to another museum (McGregor Museum, which documents the siege of Kimberley); but did not get any help their either.
As it was getting late; I decided to carry on to Jo'burg instead.
The Big Hole
It is probably the world's most famous hole, and also probably the richest. The Big Hole, in Kimberley is now also a proper tourist attraction, converted to a proper museum. There is a recreation of the old town, an ampitheatre that plays a 20 minute documentary on this history of Kimberley, a fake trip down the mine (you have to experience it to understand what I mean), a display on the formation of diamonds, a display in a massive safe of real diamonds (but the main attraction - Eureka, the first diamond to be discovered was on "leave") and off course the hole itself.
Roadtrip: Bellville to Three Sisters
I deliberately decided on a short first day for the drive back to Johannesburg. Yes, I could do the whole trip in one day; but the intent was to see the country - not get from A to B. If it was the latter, I would have flown - it would be cheaper; and faster.
I started in the adternoon, and spent a considerably amount of time on Dutoitskloof pass looking at the view and taking pictures (and trying things out with my camera). The Hex River moountains, which follow directly after, were fun to drive through also. But thereafter, it was a drab drive to Three Sisters, where for the first time in the trip, I had made prior reservations.
There is no town or village called Three Sisters - it is actually a very large sheep farm, named after the three hills. Apparently there are two accounts of the name - stemming from a San tale about three naughtly sisters turned to mountains as punishment and a rival account of being named by an English lady who alighted at the station here.
The farm has been in the same family since inception, 5 generations ago - and the current family also runs a small, cosy guesthouse - set in a great garden that makes you forget that this is the middle of the desert. Dinner was an interesting experience in some respects - myself and three other couples sat around a common dining table for a three course meal of chicken soup, lamb chops and ice cream. Quite a few guesthouse apparently have this, but this is the first time I have experienced it. The conversation was mostly dominated by one old lady, who was returning from Mossel Bay; and talked about the drought and the cost of liquid beverages (of all kinds) in Mossel Bay, and the surrounding area.
I started in the adternoon, and spent a considerably amount of time on Dutoitskloof pass looking at the view and taking pictures (and trying things out with my camera). The Hex River moountains, which follow directly after, were fun to drive through also. But thereafter, it was a drab drive to Three Sisters, where for the first time in the trip, I had made prior reservations.
There is no town or village called Three Sisters - it is actually a very large sheep farm, named after the three hills. Apparently there are two accounts of the name - stemming from a San tale about three naughtly sisters turned to mountains as punishment and a rival account of being named by an English lady who alighted at the station here.
The farm has been in the same family since inception, 5 generations ago - and the current family also runs a small, cosy guesthouse - set in a great garden that makes you forget that this is the middle of the desert. Dinner was an interesting experience in some respects - myself and three other couples sat around a common dining table for a three course meal of chicken soup, lamb chops and ice cream. Quite a few guesthouse apparently have this, but this is the first time I have experienced it. The conversation was mostly dominated by one old lady, who was returning from Mossel Bay; and talked about the drought and the cost of liquid beverages (of all kinds) in Mossel Bay, and the surrounding area.
Dutoitskloof Pass
In the seemingly mad dash between Jo'burg and Cape Town, the Huguenot Tunnel (part of the N1), is the popular course; with few people taking the slightly longer time to travel over the mountain on the stunning Dutoitskloof Pass. Absolutely stunning views of Cape Town and a brilliant road - why would anyone travel through the tunnel?
Ken jy die see?
The only poem I remember from matric (now over 10 years ago!) is in Afrikaans - a subject I was not good at, and still do not comfortably converse in. Uys Krige's "Ken jy die see", for whaetver reason, sticks to my mind (I had to Google the poet's name though).
Cape Town understandably has a strong fishing community and the poem is really about the difficult work entailed by fishing - especially the small fishing enterprises making up much of the Cape coast.
Kalk bay harbour is one of the freshest sources of fish - both ready made in the surrounding restaurants and takeaways; and for sale. It is a facinating place to walk around; and great place for pictures in my opinion. And the harbour, catches a lot of the emotion and context of the poem ...
Cape Town understandably has a strong fishing community and the poem is really about the difficult work entailed by fishing - especially the small fishing enterprises making up much of the Cape coast.
Kalk bay harbour is one of the freshest sources of fish - both ready made in the surrounding restaurants and takeaways; and for sale. It is a facinating place to walk around; and great place for pictures in my opinion. And the harbour, catches a lot of the emotion and context of the poem ...
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