CAPE CRUSADER
First published in Hemispheres Magazine.
“I guess I just thought it would be a cool day in the mountains. A micro-adventure. An epic day out.”
This is how Ryan Sandes, South Africa’s most accomplished trail runner, explains the genesis for his 13 Peaks Challenge, which has enthralled outdoorsy locals and is fast putting Table Mountain on the global trail-running map.
We’re sitting in the warm summer sunshine on a mountainside above Cape Town, the city he calls home, as he breaks down the route, which traverses a little more than 62 miles, with nearly 20,000 feet of vertical ascent, across 13 of the most famous peaks in Table Mountain National Park.
Sandes’s rules for the challenge are pleasingly simple: start and end at Signal Hill, above the city center, and tag all 13 summits in order. Beyond those guidelines, there’s no strict route, and runners can opt to complete the challenge within 48 hours or spread it out over multiple days.
Solar safaris
First published in Bloomberg.
For Sipps Maswanganyi, a safari guide with 20 years of experience in the African bush, it was one memorable sighting that sold him on electric safari vehicles.
“I could hear this buffalo panting heavily deep in the bushes,” recalls Maswanganyi, head guide at Cheetah Plains, a luxury outfit in South Africa’s Sabi Sands Game Reserve. Following those faint sounds, he found a 1,500-pound bovine on its last breaths being taken down by seven stealthy lionesses. “If I was in a noisy diesel vehicle I would have driven right past, not hearing a thing, and we would have missed it all.”
Though the diesel-hungry Land Rover chugging noisily across the African savannah is a time-honored trope of the industry, it’s an image steadily being replaced by eco-friendly whisper-quiet vehicles powered by pure sunshine.
Taking it slow on italy’s salt road
First published in the Independent (UK).
Walking holidays are, no pun intended, all about the ups and downs. And it was somewhere near the village of Castellaro that I first began to question my decision.
With rain coming in sideways, my muddy path turning rapidly into a muddy stream, I began to wonder why I had thought it such a fine idea to walk just shy of 100 kilometres through Liguria, from the heart of Oltrepò Pavese to the sea.
from ocean to table
First published in Travel+Leisure (US).
There’s something about the quality of light on the west coast of South Africa. It’s harsh and pure; a brightness that’ll make you narrow your eyes as you gaze down the miles of lonely beach. It’s this raw beauty that attracts travelers, mostly locals, to the windswept stretch of shoreline two hours’ drive north of Cape Town.
With its whitewashed houses and blue seas comparisons to the Greek islands come easily, and the village of Paternoster has long been a popular spot for weekend escapes and second-homes. But a gastronomic destination with global cachet? Hell no.
Burmese days
First published in Taste magazine (SA).
Her hands worked as quickly as the traffic speeding past my plastic stool on the pavement. Snip-snip-snip, and the cubes of samosa, crisp and golden from the bubbling oil, dropped into the colourful plastic bowl.
On top went a scattering of fried chickpeas. Next, a spoonful of fried shallots, a sprinkle of grated cabbage, and a few slices of turmeric-stained potatoes. A flick of the wrist to mix it all, and the dish was done. A samosa salad to remember. This wasn’t in one of the city’s buzzing noodle bars or charming teashops. Rather, a makeshift kitchen on Merchant Road; one of the innumerable anonymous food stalls that sprout on almost every street corner in downtown Yangon.
The land of ice & fire
First published in Taste magazine (SA).
“This is our bible,” says Steinar Sveinsson, thumping a copy of ‘Matur og Drykkur’ down onto the oak table. The tome of traditional Icelandic recipes – the title translates simply as ‘Food and Drink’ – was first published in 1947, but nearly 80 years on authentic Icelandic cooking is fast seeing a revival in Reykjavik.
“We take the old recipes and prepare them in a new costume,” explains the head chef of the restaurant named in honour of the book. Matur og Drykkur opened just 18 months ago and has quickly blazed a trail in offering a modern take on traditional Icelandic cuisine. “There are some dishes where we keep things in the old style, but we usually try to give them a twist and make them our own.”
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
First published in Travel+Leisure (US).
A wall of static hissed at us from the telemetry receiver. As the sun dipped, the sandstone of the Waterberg massif lit up in shades of ochre and orange. But we were running short on time. As we strained our ears for the telltale blip of a radio collar, Arie Swiegers, my field guide at Marataba Conservation Camps, swung the aerial south towards a copse of acacia. Suddenly, the signal from collar #250, a young male cheetah, leapt from the static. Shouldering his rifle, Swiegers shot me a wide grin: “Let’s go.”
We were tracking cheetah on foot not for the thrill of a great sighting, or a perfect shot for the ‘Gram, but in the name of conservation. Responsible predator management is fundamental to conserving Africa’s wild spaces, and regular monitoring allows Marataba’s conservation team to ensure no cats have strayed into surrounding farmland, and to plan interventions needed for genetic diversity.
