Blog

(photo of a New York hotel courtesy of wallyg)

This week, Australia's The Daily Telegraph reported that hotel rates around the world have been "slashed" because of the global economic downturn, making 2009 a great time to take advantage of deals. 

St Patrick's day festivities at Montecasino was quite a bit of fun. The Blarney Brothers, The South African Irish Pipe band, Irish dancers and many other performers entertained the festival goers.

Discover Ireland made sure that the day was green and full of clovers.

I got a great guide to Irish guesthouses, with prices and locations from Discover Ireland. This will definitely come in handy on my next trip to Ireland.

Good Food Ireland also had a selection of delicacies to sample.

Links:

• Discover Ireland
• Good Food Ireland
• If you are Irish and living in South Africa, you may want to join the Irish Club
• Article

After six hours of driving from Nairobi, in which the last two were run on the road bumps in the bush, my driver and guide parked the van in Maasai Mara Base Camp where I would stay over the weekend. The camp have an ecological mindset and won in 2005 "the Responsible Tourism Awards" in the category of "Protected Areas" in competition with 700 nominated hotels, lodges and camps around the world.

For example, the lights in the tents come from solar panels. However, if you need to charge the batteries for your camera there is electricity in the reception. Shower water is re-used for watering of the area and the toilet is ecologically friendly.

The tents, by the way - they look like small cottages and mine were right by the river where I could spot crocs. On the other side of the river the wild animals walk around. I had my own veranda and ensuite bathroom with a hot shower (heated by solar panels, of course) open to the sky. The camp is part of the nature reserve and is not surrounded by fence.

Maasai men are working in Maasai Mara Base Camp and to see these long, beautifully ornate maasai is like opening a history book. Imagine the traditions and stories they carry. In the evenings I sat down with them by the campfire and heard them tell stories about the savannah and the wild animals they´d met eye to eye.

Website: http://www.basecampexplorer.com/masaimara/ 

I will tell you about the game drives, the maasai village I visited and the Maasai bead handicraft centre for women a little later.

If you haven't booked your April holidays yet... you can still get away with putting in some leave days for an extra long holiday somewhere exotic!

• 10 April Good Friday
• 13 April Easter Monday
• 22 April South African Elections
• 27 April Freedom Day
• 1 May Labour Day
• To top it off, school holidays are from 3 - 15 April - giving you ample time to use the beach or holiday venues out of school holiday time!
• Remember that if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday is a holiday too here in South Africa!

Unfortunately all these extra holidays mean that prices will rise for these (unplanned) public holidays.

It appears that Kylie Minogue, the pint-sized Aussie singer, has been overlooked by Britain's National Portrait Gallery as a Gay icon, but bizarrely our very own Nelson Mandela has made the list.

Many of the normal suspects are also not included such as; Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli or Barbara Streisand, but instead some enormously important characters who helped shaped our vision on society, are quite rightly included. Which goes to show that it takes more than a little glitz & glamour, or a tragedy queen to be every Gay man's icon.

No need to worry Kylie, I still love you.

For more information click here

Bungee jumping is possibly the ultimate thrill of a lifetime, even better if you could say you jumped off Bloukrans. (They say it's the highest commercially operated bungee in the world, 216m above sea level.)

If you are 14 or older and weigh less than 180kg they will put you in a full body harness where you will go to the catwalk that is suspended beneath the road surface of the bridge.

For the adrenalin junky that is not quite ready to jump, there is a 200 m cable slide out onto the archway of the bridge.

The view from up there is spectacular - or so I heard (I'm afraid of heights). To book your bungee jump at Bloukrans, click here.

Photo: Gravitywave

Have you ever wondered how you can make a difference? Now you can!

Join up and be part of Earth Hour an initiative from
WWF (World Wildlife Fund), where you can help take
a stand against Climate Change. To take part in Earth
Hour you commit to switching off your lights for one
hour - simple huh? In South Africa Earth Hour will take
place this Saturday, 28 March at 20:30.

Earth Hour's ambition is to unite the world with a common goal; to save our
precious planet against climate change. By adding your name to the cause
you will help in pushing a Climate Control legislation passed at the Climate
Change Conference in Copenhagen at the end of 2009.

This year 37 national capitals will take part in this global drive against climate
change, including London, Sydney & Hong Kong with South Africa being
represented by Johannesburg, Cape Town & Durban.

Our local celebrities are also involved. Big names such as; March Lottering,
The Parlotones, Leon Schuster, Freshly Ground & Ryk Neetling, to name
but a few. Even our president, Kgalema Motlanthe along with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu have joined up in support. To check out other participants
please visit www.earthhour.org.za/participants.php

The world's most famous landmarks will be dropped into darkness as a
show of support for Earth Hour: Table Mountain, Christ the Redeemer (in
Rio de Janeiro), Sydney's Opera House, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff
& even the world's current tallest building, the Taipei 101.

Travelstart feels very strongly with issues relating to our environment & has
signed up to support this important issue. It's easy & will only take a minute.
Go out and spread the word. Ensure your friends are aware of Earth Hour - 
it's all our responsibility to protect our precious Earth.

Take the Travelstart challenge & sign up today.
Together we can make a difference.

Sign-up HERE