The Serenade

Check this out. The Serenade of the Seas, the cruise ship brought to Port of Spain for extra accomodation during the Commonwealth summit.

It's like Las Vegas on the high seas,... in the 70s. And so kitsch!!

SAA

At least with aircrew on board SAA flights you can have a nice chat or a quick joke. And they will also smile and be overall friendly. Having just had the BA experience where everybody is robottic cold and seem to avoid any conversation with passengers.
The difference with SAA air staff really feels amazing.

A smile and friendly chat really goes a long way for customers.

Cabin 538

World gathering in a small town on a small island leads to not enough hotel rooms. And thus the organisers brought in a cruise ship into Port of Spain to increase pillow capacity.

I'm in cabin 538 on 2nd deck.

Terminal 5

The little screen on the back of 54G showed the progress through the night and into dawn: Lusaka, Kinshasa, Kano, Tunis, Cannes, Lyon, Paris, London. Like a smooth bird from the African continent into Europe.

And then facing reality as an autumn London is warmer than a spring Johannesburg. Strange but true. Maybe for some it's all about global cooling instead of global warming.

And then, after the admittingly good-looking Terminal 5 at Heathrow, encountering an unhappy bus driver enroute to Gatwick. The price, as it does in London for most things, a shocker. And then another bus, this time for a quick drive to the hotel. Just passing by, awaiting to catch BA2159. Another 11-hour journey with what the e-ticket calls a "technical stop".

Globetrotting.

Cruising earth

The global village. A friend's in Peru. One is soon of to Mexico. Family is watching wildlife in South Africa. Then there is the BA054 flight to catch and to connect onto BA2159. Then another friend is hitting Cape Town to be at the world cup draw.

It's like the whole world is around the corner.



France's qualification for the worldcup has re-opened the debate about using TV footage when the referee is in doubt or plainly wrong. Henry's handball that directly lead to France's qualifying goal last Wednesday evening is a black spot on the world cup fever. Henry himself admitted afterwards he played the ball with his hand and all the TV footage and photos were so obvious that the referee has really comitted a mortal sin that moment. The Irish feel betrayed by the blind referee. Rightly so. It's a human error but a serious one.

Countdown to December 4

So, that's done. All the qualifiers for next year's world cup are done and dusted. It's now all eyes on the draw in Cape Town on December 4.

The last games were nailbiting. The war of northern Africa between Algeria and Egypt was fought out in the desert of Khartoum and won by Algeria: 1-0. So the almighty African champs of Cairo wont come down to South Africa. The Sudanese government had put 400 doctors on alert last night in case the fans would go nuts.

And European giants Russia will also not come south. They lost 1-0 to and in tiny Slovenia. That hurts! France just made it against Ireland. I mean, just! And the world's most expensive player, Ronaldo, will be here as Portugal got through. Amazing come back because some months ago they looked set to stay home.

So now just Bafana Bafana needs to get the exact GPS coordinates to find the goal. The real countdown has begun....

Some more birdeye views

Some more from that lovely chopper flight from last Saturday....

From the sky

Took a chopper in Cape Town last weekend to go to Robben Island because the normal ferry to the prison-island didn't go out because of rough seas. The start of the short flight gave a great view from the Greenpoint Stadium.

Amani encounter

Smooth. The Amani Jordan Meyers 2006. A Cabernet Sauvignon - Shiraz mix from Amani Wines, near Stellenbosch.

Tasted some wines at Amani today and very nice. Especially the one mentioned above and their Merlot. Both won several awards worldwide.

Amani is also the home of the first non-white, female winemaker of South Africa: Carmen Stevens. A friendly, no-nonsense lady who knows the art of winemaking to the bone and knows what she wants.

Oh here's how the Amani site (www.amani.co.za) describes the Amani Jordan Myers 2006 vintage. The Jordan Myers Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon has a clear menthol element on the nose mixed with mocha, white pepper, toffee and licoric. The entrance on the palate is elegant yet concentrated with a fine tannin structure. The menthol aromas and white pepper follow through onto the palate and linger with a mixture of licorice and coffee. The wine's acid, alcohol and fruit is well balanced with the oak use. There is a lingering lime finish on the mid and back palate.

Euh.... I couldn't say it better.
Try and enjoy and appreciate.

Oh and Amani means.... Place of Peace in Swahili. And why a Swahili name ended up on a South African vintage is for you to discover.

95 Keerom

Still in Cape Town.

Heard about it from 2 friends earlier this year, so I had to try it out. 95 Keerom. A great restaurant in a great setting near well-known Long Street. It's at the end of Keerom Street, which is also the street with the High Court.

It's in former stables dating back to 1682. The menu is based on traditional Milanese cuisine. And I've never seen such a quality winelist together.

Hit it!!

Belgian style @ the Waterfront

Been there, done that,... and liked it. And somebody called me from there tonight.

Speaking about Den Anker, the Belgian restaurant in the Waterfront in Cape Town. Good food, great beer, nice setting. And regularly the seals are basking just along the side.

Being a Belgian establishment beer plays a fundamental role. there is no escaping to that! Be it white beer or the adventurous Kwak. And the food is simply delicious. Meat and seafood, and of course perfect chips with mayonaise. There are still guarantees in life.

Oh, and finish the meal of with some Belgian chocolates. The real thing!

Show time

Still rollercoasting on. Oh, and what a typical Joburg weather show. Thunder and lightning show last night. Summer's truly here.

And this morning that 5 minutes of storm madness with buckets of water coming out of the sky like there is no tomorrow. Traffic will be worse this morning.

And today is exactly 20 years that the Berlin Wall started to come down. People power! Revolution against insanity. Celebrations and commemorations in the German capital all week.

Rollercoasting on

Rollercoastin'. Aliens arrival. AF990. N1 nightmares, but I guess it's for a good cause (2010 and beyond).

Standing in OR Tambo's arrival hall I must admit it looks nice and big and full of light. Compared to many other airports around the world, even in top cities like Paris or London, the new ORT looks very welcoming.

Rollercoasting on. Bell Gables resto. Still great. And they are upgrading Beyers Naude at the Zandspruit township. Good!

On we go. Rosebank Market. Some things are just obligatory alien territory.

Meanwhile keeping an eye on the Berlin Wall festivities in the German capital. It's been 20 years now that it was pulled down, hammered down, bulldozed down. And the world changed.

Rollercoasting on. Cold front for Cape Town expected, while Jozi wakes up to a sunny sky.

Benni

So Benni McCarthy has been called up again for Bafana Bafana. The new/old coach made his first new move. We’ll see if Benni comes because he’s a bit of a rocky character. All eyes are now on SA’s friendly game against Japan. A new start. But with a deadline ticking closer and closer.

The big test game against Japan, qualified for the world cup, will be played in PE on November 14. And then 3 days later in Bloemfontein, Bafana Bafana will play its last game of 2009 against Jamaica (not qualified for the world cup).

These are crucial games for the spirit of the nation. The bad vibe of Santana needs to be outlawed and a new dawn needs to rise.

Not that Benni is making big waves at his English club Blackburn Rovers these days, but Bafana Bafana’s goal scoring has been the biggest headache and thus all help is welcome. We live in hope. The (expected) return of Benni feels abit like the return of the lost, wild son. If Benni's for real he just needs to prove it on the pitch. That's all. It's up to him now!

And not that Perreira was a miracle man either when he coached Bafana Bafana in his first visit to SA. We didn’t qualify for the Africa Cup in Angola as a starter. But South Africa has this thing about expectations and a brighter future. So we live in hope. Indeed.

Dreamfields

Was thinking about it this week as a colleague was looking for some nice football story angle.

Some (most) of radio listeners across SA will know John Perlman from his morning radio show on SAFM (no more) and his current afternoon gig on Kaya FM.
What probably and unfortunately fewer people know is that John is a passionate football fan. And has a big heart.

He is the man behind the Dreamfields Project. The aim is to invest in township and rural schools so they can join the world cup dream. So these kids too can feel the 2010 passion. So John and his Project try to provide better football pitches and football kit to these forgotten corners of the nation. It really brings a smile on these kids and let them really enjoy the love of the football game in decent conditions and with real balls and real outfits.

Dreamfields’ long-term goal is to get a school football league running across South Africa. A great idea!!! Thumbs up for John and his project!

For more check out www.dreamfieldsproject.org



...and did you see that goal from Liverpool's Babel in and against Lyon last night. WOW!

The Dec. 4 buzz

In 1 month’s time, on December 4, we will know in what group Bafana Bafana will be during the World Cup’s first round. Exciting.

Still several qualifying games to be played in Europe, Africa and the Americas but all spotlights are moving steadily towards the draw at the ICC in the Mother City on Dec 4.

It makes a hell of a difference if you end up in a tough group or in an easier one. At least, perceived easier, because there are often some serious surprises at world cups.

So in the coming 2 weeks, Bafana Bafana will play friendly games against Japan and Jamaica. And this while Bafana is under old/new management. See what happens! And then also the final qualifying games across the globe. Especially looking forward to the Ireland-France clash on the 14th (and return game on the 18th). And also Portugal vs Bosnia-Herzegovina of course, as a world cup without the world’s most expensive player (aka Ronaldo) would be a bit sad.

Memories while @ Picobello

Had a nice lunch yesterday with some oversees documentary makers. The lunch was at Picobello on 4th Avenue in Melville. Nice and relax.

And as we were talking about Afrikaners and some perceived stereotypes people have of other people, I remembered a funny event some years ago in a desolate area in northern South Africa close to the border with Botswana.

Me and my 2 colleagues had car trouble. It was my fault. I was driving too fast with a rental, hi-tech Range Rover over dirt roads. The computer on board the 4x4 that constantly recalculates the suspension couldn't cope anymore and gave up. Result of that ‘surrender’ was that it lowered the car to its maximum and thus we were scrapping the dirt track and thus some red lights started to flash on the dashboard. And thus we were forced to stop.

In the middle of nowhere as it goes and without cell phone signal. We looked a bit around and saw a farm in the distance. The Range Rover stopped flashing warning signs but was still very low to the ground. We drove very slowly to the farmhouse. A young Afrikaner couple came out. Very friendly. We explained them our conflict with high-tech car technology. They saw our TV equipment in the car and a brief chat erupted about media. And to our surprise they said they were regular viewers of the international news channel Al Jazeera English, which you can catch through the DSTV decorder (channel 406). We were really taken by (positive) surprise.

Here we were in the middle of nowhere, without cell phone signal and on an Afrikaner farm,... but they were watching Al Jazeera English. How preconceived ideas can be easily forced out of the window!

The 4x4 started to lift itself (and by itself) to normality and of we went. Slower than before, but without hassle we reached Joburg some hours later.

Leftovers

Saturday afternoon. Discovered Avondale Shiraz. Nice. And the lamb leftovers for the 2 original gangsters below: L.U. & T.F.