Luxury hotel rooms available for World Cup in South Africa.

Star Travel writer Adrian Brijbassi continues his blog posts from South Africa with a look at a terrific hotel you can use if you feel like taking in the World Cup, which starts in just a few weeks.

Adiran Brijbassi
Toronto Star

Want to catch the World Cup while staying in a world-class environment?

If so, Cape Grace may be the answer for you. One of South Africa’s finest hotels still has rooms available during the Group Stage of the World Cup, which begins June 11. Cape Grace, which has hosted luminaries such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Matt Damon, sits on the waterfront of South Africa’s most popular tourist city and is a 10-minute drive or 25-minute walk to newly built, 69,000-seat Cape Town Stadium.

General manager Nigel Pace said the hotel is booked during the first week of July when the tournament’s quarterfinal and semifinal games will be played. But rooms are available, starting at around 6,000 rand ($818 Canadian), for games that will be held in the first round of the tournament. Cape Town will host games featuring England and the Netherlands, among other European powers.

Although the Group Stage games are sold out, they are available through online resellers and packages may be purchased that include tickets and accommodation to a choice of hotels. 

More than 900 five-star hotel rooms have been added in Cape Town in the lead-up to the world’s most watched sporting event. Pace said there may have been over-enthusiasm for the tournament from property owners who rushed to build on the waterfront.

You’ll be reading more about Cape Grace and Cape Town in the Toronto Star in the coming weeks as we really ramp up our World Cup coverage.

In the meantime, with six weeks to go before the kickoff on June 11, anticipation is building and nerves are twitching. Here’s a look at what else is making World Cup news:

Reports: No Mandela at World Cup

Nelson Mandela’s grandson said on Thursday that the father of the new South Africa will not be on hand during the opening ceremonies of the World Cup. The 91-year-old Mandela is having health issues because of old age and has made only rare public appearances in recent years.

“My grandfather at this age is very elderly and we are not trying to intensify his program. He’s said he would prefer to be at home,” Mandla Mandela said.

Nelson Mandela may indeed end up watching the games at home, but South Africans will still cling to hope of an appearance by their former president during the tournament. An avid sports fan, Mandela lent his support to bringing the World Cup to Africa for the first time.

Bryan Adams among music stars

Vancouver rocker Bryan Adams, who was part of the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies, will perform at the closing concert of the World Cup on July 9 – two days before the final match – in Johannesburg. Adams and Andrea Botecelli were confirmed as the musical stars.

On June 10, Alicia Keys, Shakira and the Black Eyed Peas will perform at Orlando Stadium in Soweto during the opening ceremony on the eve of the games.

Airports: out with old, in with new

One of the amazing achievements of the World Cup preparations has been the renovation and construction of airports. About $1 billion has been spent on King Shaka International alone. The new airport that serves the Durban area will open Sunday and its official unveiling, with South African President Jacob Zuma presiding, will take place a week later. Durban International Airport will be used during the World Cup before being decommissioned.

Bafana relief

The South African national team, nicknamed Bafana Bafana (or “boys, boys” in Nguni), did what it had to do against Jamaica, winning 2-0 in an exhibition game on Wednesday night in Offenbach Am Main, Germany. The victory near Frankfurt eased concerns after a disappointing scoreless draw against North Korea last week. South Africa (No. 88) and North Korea (No. 105) are the two lowest-ranked teams in the World Cup.

 

Top signs the World Cup is almost here...(good and bad)...Jim's deals of the day

Adrian Brijbassi of the Star's Travel department is wrapping up a visit to South Africa to check on preparations for the World Cup, which starts in just over a month. Here's his latest report:

CAPE TOWN - Six weeks to go to the World Cup and South Africa is gearing up to welcome the globe. More than 40,000 police officers will be deployed during the 64-game tournament that runs June 11 to July 11 with games in nine cities. Much work remains; however, South Africa is well along in some areas. Here’s a look at what it’s doing right.

Mandela’s “Cup:” Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to change the world.” South Africans are hoping the presence of the world’s game in their country will be enough to bring their national icon back into the spotlight. But Mandela is 91 and health issues could keep him from opening the tournament. Nevertheless, FIFA president Sepp Blatter recently confirmed, “It will be his World Cup.” That means FIFA, international soccer’s governing organization, intends to repeatedly recognize Mandela’s struggles and triumphs to lift the country out of apartheid following his release from prison in 1990.

“Little England:” Astute planners equipped Cape Town Stadium with three jail cells and dubbed the lock-up zone “Little England.” Fans whose rowdiness goes too far will be taken from their seats and put in the cells that are beneath the spectacular $610-million stadium, which sits between the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain. A court will be set up outside to process any cases. Cape Town hosts eight games, including the England-Algeria match on June 18.

The Diski: The dance combines moves from the night club and the soccer field. Scores of people show off their Diski steps each “Football Friday” in public squares. “Diski” is the name used for “soccer” in many of the black townships.

Bafana Republic: Despite a shameful 0-0 tie last week against North Korea, optimism remains high for Bafana — this being the nickname of South Africa’s team. Their three games were the first to sell out. “Bafana” means “boys” in Nguni.

Airports: More than $2 billion has been spent on airport construction in preparation for the World Cup. O.R. Tambo International in Johannesburg and Cape Town International spent about $400 million each on renovations. In Durban, the $950-million King Shaka International opens on May 1. Left out of the renovations for the big three airports were rental stations for luggage carts. They’re all lined up near the baggage carousel. Just grab one and go. No nickel, no dime.

On the other hand, there are a number of illustrations of why they're not ready just yet. Here are five areas that need improvement prior to June 11:

Public transportation: Johannesburg’s train and bus stations are far from complete, and the city is counting on them to get people to Soccer City Stadium and Coca Cola Park, the venues that will host World Cup games in South Africa’s largest city.

Prince of petulance: You can’t go anywhere in this country without hearing the name Julius Malema. The abrasive leader of the African National Congress Youth League has made headlines in the past week for shouting down a British journalist. The BBC reporter had suggested Malema was being hypocritical for flaunting a lavish lifestyle while promoting the nationalism of key industries.

Racial tensions rising: The murder of white supremacist Eugene Terre’Blanche on April 3 followed Malema’s endorsement of a song whose lyrics include “kill the boer”. That situation has caused an escalation in provocative language and fears of retribution from supporters of Terre’Blanche.

Unsold tickets: Danny Jordaan, head of the World Cup’s organizing committee, said this week that about 120,000 tickets remain unsold. Several of the tournament’s 64 matches have seats available.

Porter scamming: North Americans and Europeans are not going to be impressed when they get out of a cab at an airport and have their bags seized by opportunists who wear “porter” uniforms and promise to get you to the front of the line. They may drop your bags on a luggage cart and wheel it for you to a self-serve check-in counter that doesn’t recognize your e-ticket code issued from out of the country. By that point, you should decide to hand over a few dollars (50 rand, or $7, in my case) and move on alone through the regular queue.

And now, back to Jim Byers daily travel blog

 

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HAWAII NO KA OI

Sorry, that means Hawaii is the best. Well, it's my favourite spot on earth, anyway. And it seems things are picking up on the tourism front.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority this week said visitor arrivals in March were 9.3 per cent higher than the same month last year, with nearly 608,000 visitors. Total spending was up 12.7 per cent.

Maui, again my personal favourite but they're all great, saw the biggest growth, with visitor spending up a very solid 25 per cent.

There have been some great deals for Hawaii. It might be a good time to book, especially with Ontario's new HST about to slap more taxes on our airline bookings.

 

STARWOOD HOTELS PROMOTION

USA Today reports Starwood on Thursday will announce a new promotion where in members of their loyalty/points program can make three stays at Starwood properties and get a weekend night free. Sounds like a pretty good deal.

Starwood includes Sheraton, W hotels, Westin, Aloft hotels and more.

Top 100 "fun cities" in the U.S. - You gotta be kidding with this chart, folks

New York City tops the list of "most fun" cities in the US of A, according to a report by Portfolio.com/biz journals. The publication gave New York top ratings in three of seven categories; shopping, food/drink and culture. It was runner-up in three others, which is pretty impressive.

The story I saw said the New York City area has 431 museums and historical sities, compared to a combined total of 349 in Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas. I don't know about that. If you say the "New York City area," wouldn't you also have to include the Los Angeles and Chicago and Dallas areas, which would encompass areas such as Orange County, the suburbs of Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas?

Anyway, there's no doubt New York has it all for visitors. Second place in the study for most fun town USA was Chicago, which was third in food/drink and fourth in popular entertainment. The next cities, in order, were Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland (Maine, not Oregon), Philadelphia and Minneapolis.

Looking down the full list, I believe that this ranking is, to be blunt, insane.

No offence, but Portland, Maine is in the top 10? A nice town, I'm sure, but ahead of New Orleans? And what on earth is Poughkeepsie, New York doing in there at 21, ahead of Portland, Oregon and, um, Las Vegas? Are these people serious? Are there 25 cities in the U.S. more fun than Las Vegas? And 51 cities more fun than country-music capital Nashville?

The more I looked, the more I began to suspect a wee problem with the methodology. I found that the study folks had seven categories: gambling, shopping, food/drink, popular entertainment, low-impact sports, high-impact sports and culture. Personally, I think it's nuts to rank those the same. I mean, who goes to a city for high-impact sports, which they listed as things like skiing or fitness centres. How many CITIES have great ski facilities?

And how do you put food and drink on the same level as low-impact sports like golf or bowling? If you want to play golf, you don't necessarily head to a metropolitan area but to a golf resort like Myrtle Beach.
Then you get the bizarre, utterly bizarre, rankings within those individual areas. New York tops for culture, of course. But Detroit comes in at #2 in low-impact sports, while San Francisco, with great walking and cycling and hiking trails and fabulous golf courses as good or better than Detroit, is at 47. A joke.

Maybe this is meant as a city for people to live in, versus a list for travel purposes. But I still find it goofy as heck. Austin, Texas, was ranked 44th in popular entertainment, notwithstanding all the great music clubs. New Orleans? It was 61st! I guess they dont' count people watching or Mardi Gras parades, which makes me think this whole thing is rather silly and poorly executed. It's all a matter of taste, of course. We all have different ideas of what makes a great city, which is why they have menus in restaurants, right? But it drives me batty to see a city like Honolulu with marvellous food, a killer beach and a wonderful environment, not to mention surfing and Pearl Harbour and museums and being the one-time home of the president of the United States, come in ranked 77th while Akron is 56th and Toledo is 49th. Did Jamie Farr (Corporal Max Klinger on M*A*S*H) sit on this panel or something?

Anyway, here's the goofy list they came up. Love to hear any thoughts you might have, so feel free to drop me a line at jbyers@thestar.ca

1. New York, 17.88
2. Chicago, 11.99
3. Boston, 11.95
4. Miami, 11.74
5. Los Angeles, 11.61
6. San Francisco, 8.07
7. Seattle, 7.84
8. Portland (Maine), 7.78
9. Philadelphia, 7.56
10. Minneapolis, 6.42
11. Providence, R.I., 6.05
12. Pittsburgh, 5.81
13. New Orleans, 4.42
14. Detroit, 4.42
15. Bridgeport, Conn., 3.75
16. Dallas, 3.61
17. Syracuse, 3.56
18. Rochester, 3.55
19. Madison, Wi., 3.47
20. Denver, 3.12
21. Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 2.88
22. Albany, 2.83
23. Cleveland, 2.55
24. Portland, Or., 2.34
25. Milwaukee, 2.15
26. Las Vegas, 2.04
27. Washington D.C., 1.97
28. Youngstown, Oh., 1.95
29. Buffalo, 1.80
30. Baltimore, 1.77
31. Omaha, 1.71
32. St. Louis, 1.63
33. Hartford, 1.57
34. Atlanta, 1.46
35. San Diego, 1.43
36. Des Moines, 1.38
37. Cape Coral, Fl., 1.20
38. Scranton, Pa., 1.01
39. Springfield, Ma., 0.88
40. Charleston, S.C., 0.85
41. Harrisburg, Pa., 0.79
42. Orlando, 0.70
43. Houston, 0.41
44. Cincinnati, 0.36
45. Tampa, 0.07
46. Indianapolis, 0.02
47. Greensboro, N.C., -0.09
48. Sacramento, -0.21
49. Toledo, -0.25
50. Louisville, -0.30
51. Charlotte, -0.31
52. Nashville, -0.32
53. Oklahoma City, -0.37
54. Allentown, Pa., -0.58
55. Bradenton, Fl., -0.65
56. Akron, Oh., -0.92
57. Phoenix, -1.12
58. Worcester, Ma.,-1.16
59. Salt Lake City, -1.25
60. Greenville, S.C., -1.30
61. Jacksonville, -1.51
62. Virginia Beach, -1.68
63. Austin, -1.70
64. Kansas City, -1.77
65. Grand Rapids, Mi., -1.82
66. Palm Bay, Fl., -1.94
67. Columbus, -1.95
68. Wichita, -1.98
69. New Haven, Cn., -2.00
70. Tulsa, -2.07
71. Colorado Springs, -2.34
72. Raleigh, -2.35
73. Little Rock, -2.69
74. Boise, -2.77
75. Richmond, -2.83
76. Birmingham, -2.87
77. Honolulu, -3.02
78. Oxnard, Ca., –3.03
79. Columbia, S.C., -3.04
80. Albuquerque, -3.06
81. Riverside, Ca., -3.10
82. San Antonio, -3.79
83. Knoxville, Tn., -3.82
84. Baton Rouge, -3.82
85. Chattanooga, -3.96
86. San Jose, -3.97
87. Tucson, -4.16
88. Dayton, Oh, -4.21
89. Augusta, Ga., -4.43
90. Memphis, -6.25
91. Lakeland, Fl., -7.28
92. Jackson, Ms., -7.32
93. Fresno, Ca., -7.47
94. Stockton, Ca., -7.52
95. Ogden, Ut., -8.15
96. El Paso, -8.66
97. Bakersfield, Ca., -9.35
98. Modesto, Ca., -9.42
99. McAllen, Tx., -9.71
100. Provo, Ut., -10.67

 

Visiting Robben Island S. Africa for Freedom Day, Hugh Hefner saves Hollywood

Star Travel writer Adrian Brijbassi continues his visit to the home of the World Cup 2010. Here's his latest report. Stay tuned for more, and be sure to check coming issues of Star Travel for more on how things are shaping up for the big event, which starts in June.

Adrian Brijbassi
Toronto Star

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – South Africa is a nation of easy smiles. Perhaps that’s because the icon of their country can’t cry.

One of the fascinating things you will learn on Robben Island is Nelson Mandela’s tear ducts were so damaged from dust while he broke rocks on a limestone quarry that he can no longer shed tears. Others will do it for him today, the 16th anniversary of the culmination of the first democratic elections in South Africa.

More than 20 million people went to the polls over a two-day period in 1994 and Mandela’s ANC party won 62 per cent of the votes. He was 75 when he was elected president four years after being released from prison.

The first 18 years of his 27-year incarceration were served on Robben Island, the 574-hectare speck of land where the totality of apartheid will water your eyes when you hear the grim facts. Mandela’s oppressors covered every detail in their attempt to degrade the prisoners on the island that’s three kilometres from Cape Town and for many years was miles from humanity.

“The history here just hits you in the gut,” says Ntombomzi Mlonyeni, a young woman who conducts bus tours of Robben Island. Hundreds come each day and tickets, which cost 400 rand (about $54), sell out fast for the 15-minute ferry sailings that depart from Cape Town’s waterfront.

Former prisoners talk about their experiences in riveting detail. Michael Ntando was imprisoned on Robben Island from 1984-91 on terrorism-related charges. Remarkably, he is one of the 200 residents who now live on the island, along with a few hundred penguins. Ntando and other former prisoners reside alongside men who used to be their wardens. Together, they keep alive the deplorable history that is important for many reasons, not the least of which is Mandela.

When a tour group approaches his prison cell, the crowd clamours to get a peek. In no other jail cell in the world would you see people eager to go in. Mandela’s cell is locked, but there is one in the prison where people can enter.

As you might expect, Mandela is so revered here some consider him to be divine.

“It was a gift from God,” Gloria Pikitsha, a former Soweto resident, says of Mandela’s struggles and triumphs. “He was blessed with a great mind, wisdom and humility. He was meant to lead South Africa to freedom.”

Pikitsha was 16 when the Soweto uprising of 1976 took place. She was a student at Orlando West High School, the starting point of the black school children’s protest march. Security forces opened fire on the children, killing more than 600 on June 16-17. Pikitsha’s neighbour at the time, an 18-year-old named Mbuyisa Makhuba, was photographed carrying 12-year-old Hector Pieterson, the youngest victim of the violence. The boy died at a clinic and Pikitsha says she never saw Makhuba again. Like many who took part in the uprising, he disappeared. The photograph has become a symbol of the struggle against apartheid and a large print of it is outside of the Hector Pieterson Museum in Soweto.

“We recall we didn’t get this easily,” Pikitsha said over the weekend in Soweto when asked about her feelings on Freedom Day. “We didn’t get it for free. We paid a price for it, and that price was paid by kids.”

And now for something completely different...Jim Byers' regular travel blog

THANKS, HEF

Word out of L.A. is that Playboy magazine Hugh Hefner donated $900,000 to help the Hollywood Sign Trust people buy enough land around the iconic "Hollywood" sign in the hills above Los Angeles and save the sign from a redevelopment scheme.

The fund is now said to have $12.5 million U.S. for the sign saving effort. The 138 acres of land around the sign will now become part of Griffith Park.

You probably already knew this, but the sign originally was to advertise a housing development and it used to say "Hollywoodland."

Anyway, it's nice of Hef to get out of his pajamas long enough to sign a few cheques. Guess all those magazines I bought as a kid had a good influence on tourism, if nothing else. (Just kidding, honey).

ARIZONA DINNER

Thanks to the folks at the Arizona Office of Tourism for a fine meal at Buca on King St. W. on Monday night. They took a half dozen or so media types out to chat a bit about what's happening in their state.

There were some 514,000 Canadians who visited the state last year, and they're hoping/expecting that will increase to something like 530,000 or 540,000 this year. The strength of the Canadian dollar against the American greenback no doubt helps a lot, as does the continuous additions of new hotels, golf courses and spas in Arizona.

Ontario used to be the biggest contributor to Canadian tourism in Arizona, but officials say that's slipped a bit. Not because Ontario folks have lost interest, but because Alberta has grown so much.

It's certainly a lovely state, with lots of sunshine and plenty of outdoor activities to keep you busy.

The meal at Buca was delicious, too. I had a nice pasta with testa (like a salami) and wild ramps (spicy leeks) and chili and garlic, but the pizza I sampled was divine; a great crust topped with homemade prosciutto. They make their own salami's on site and there's also a terrific wine list and wonderful cheeses.

Also thanks to Vincor for some fun wine-tasting at Origin: Hardy's, Kim Crawford, Mondavi and Ravenswood. Nice way to spend a Monday evening!

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Canadian company grabs World Cup business/headlines - Adrian Brijbassi in SA

With this report, Star Travel writer Adrian Brijbassi continues his look at what's happening in South Africa as they prepare for the coming World Cup.

By Adrian Brijbassi

Toronto Star

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Canadians are making news in the South African newspapers. Sunday’s edition of the Cape Times included a story about the Toronto-based travel website iStopOver.com, which has succeeded where many South African agents have failed. Run by Mark Skapinker, iStopOver.com has matched World Cup ticketholders from across the globe with homeowners in South Africa who are offering low-priced alternatives to hotels and resorts for the June 11-July 11 tournament.

Skapinker’s company is keen on the term “hometel” to describe the accommodations listed on its website. A room rate in most of those homes runs about 500-700 rand ($67-$94 Canadian) and iStopOver.com has matched 1,500 of its 3,000 clients with South African homeowners, the Times reports. The ticketholders are from South America, Mexico and the Far East, and Skapinker cited the company’s Facebook site as one reason for its success. 

“Our soccer visitors are telling us that hotels still have space, but it’s expensive space – so well-priced accommodation is the key,” he said.

Meanwhile, two days in Johannesburg and I’ve met a range of people who live here. Several of them are now friends. Johannesburg (or Joburg for short) is full of gracious, hospitable people who are unabashedly proud of where they live. They want to change the perception that South Africa and its largest city are lawless and frightening. The South Africans I met do so by telling their stories.

You’ll read about them more in the next month or so as Star Travel previews the 2010 World Cup. Here’s a quick snapshot of some of these kind people.

Brian Green and Carla Pienaar – Brian is from New Brunswick and works for McCain Foods here. Carla is his girlfriend from South Africa and a former restaurant owner. They toured me around the city and to the fascinating Cradle of Humankind, located in the historic Sterkfontein Caves about an hour outside of town. The museum announced another monumental archeological find earlier this year and will be a major attraction for tourists, regardless of the World Cup.

Maria Sekwane and Gloria Pikitsha – Both are women who grew up in the black townships and they give tours of Soweto. The most famous of South Africa’s townships, Soweto was central to the anti-apartheid movement. Maria and Gloria showed me several important buildings and places where history was made, and where the world was changed. Nelson Mandela’s footprints are all over Soweto, including the house he lived in prior to his arrest more than 50 years ago. Visiting Soweto for three hours will impact my life forever.

Wayne Cutting and Eugene Williams – I relied on Wayne and Eugene to show me Johannesburg’s hot spots for nightlife and bars. They did their job very well. Wayne, a former police officer, works for ABSA bank and investigates financial crimes while Eugene is a businessman.

Chris and Jane van Melle Kamp – Chris is a former diplomat who worked under Nelson Mandela while stationed in Paris and elsewhere. Jane, his wife, is a former television producer. They provided marvelous insight into what the World Cup will mean for the country.

More about them and others soon.

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South Africa dances to the World Cup - Star Travel writer Adrian Brijbassi

 

Adrian Brijbassi
Toronto Star

 

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Brian Green greets me at Nelson Mandela’s foot wearing a bright yellow football jersey and the cheerful admission that he looks like a giant bumblebee. We’re standing beneath the six-metre bronze statue of Mandela that presides over the square that bears his name.

 

Brian is from Florenceville, New Brunswick, the headquarters of McCain Foods. He’s graciously agreed to show me around Johannesburg because “I love introducing Canadians to South Africa.” And for no other reason. Talk about class.

 

We meet on Football Friday at the square, where three women are working the Diski. They dance on stage, teaching the moves to a chorus line of three dozen enthusiastic participants eager to learn. We call the game soccer, South Africans from Johannesburg’s townships know it as “diski”, thus the name for this dance that incorporates moves you’d expect from the Brazilian national team.

 

It ends with a Rockettes-style kick and a wide grin that’s clearly meant to signal “goal”.

 

The Diski is the “official dance” of the 2010 World Cup and everyone in the country is encouraged to learn it in time for the tournament’s kickoff on June 11. No one seems shy about giving it a try – except for the two Canadians in the group.

 

Maybe if our country had a team in the tournament…

 

Instead, Brian and I take a seat and order baby kingklip, a long whitefish shaped like an eel. Served grilled, its tasty, silky flesh falls off the bone. It costs 120 rand, about $16, at Montego Bay, one of many cafes and restaurants that bracket the stage where the Diski dancers bounce.

 

Nelson Mandela Square is in Sandton City, the fast-developing area in north of Johannesburg’s central district. Many of the city’s main banks and retailers are beating it out of a beat-up downtown, relocating to this spot that’s called “the Beverly Hills of South Africa,” Brian says.

 

He works for McCain Foods as an IT manager and has been living in South Africa since 2006. Like many others in Johannesburg, he wears a soccer shirt with his company’s logo on Football Fridays (and has kindly given one to me).

 

How does he find living here?

 

“I have a hard time seeing myself going back to Canada.”

 

He basks about the weather, even as a storm cloud creeps over our heads, and says fears about the crime rate are exaggerated. “You have to be careful and there are places where you don’t go out at night, but it’s not at all like what people outside the country might think.”

 

On Saturday, Brian will arrange for us to visit Soweto and the Cradle of Humankind, as well as some places where Canadians will feel at home when they visit.

 

That’s a day away. In the meantime, it’s Football Friday and there’s more of the soccer frenzy to take in before the heavy rain falls.

 

Star Travel writer Adrian Brijbassi heads to South Africa...Win a Chicago trip!

Toronto Star Travel writer Adrian Brijbassi is on his way to South Africa to check out preparations for the World Cup, which stars in June. He'll be blogging regularly during his trip, so look for his postings here. Also, check out Star Travel both in print and on-line as folks all over the globe get ready for the World Cup.

By Adrian Brijbassi

Toronto Star

NEW YORK – Leon Raubenheimer beams and says, “You’ll love South Africa. Everyone who goes comes back and tells me it’s the best time of their life.” He waves a finger and adds, “Just watch your back.”

It’s a caveat anyone familiar with the country throws in. South Africa’s reputation for beauty is matched by the perception of its lawlessness. Its crime statistics – including 18,148 murders last year and about 250,000 assaults annually – are gory details.

That hasn’t deterred FIFA from putting the 2010 World Cup there, or Torontonians familiar with the country from feeling affection for it.

Leon, the CEO of Zed Financial on Bay Street, was born in South Africa and moved to Canada in 1995. He and his business partner, Barry O’Neill, a Canadian who lived in Johannesburg in the 1990s, filled me in on local gems to see during my trip and connected me with several people who they promise will provide excellent insight into the nation’s character and spirit once I’m on the ground.

“They’ll show you a good time too,” Leon said, still smiling.

Turns out South Africa has another reputation: one for being wickedly fun.

“There’s so much tension in the country, people are just happy to let loose and they know how to do it,” Barry says.

Letting loose and partying will be daily business in the coming months. Nine cities will host World Cup games starting June 11 and no volcanic ash or any other obstacle would faze Europe’s soccer crazies from attending. Plenty of North Americans are coming too. Prior to the release of an additional 500,000 tickets last week, Americans had purchased 118,945, the most of any nation. Meanwhile, Canadians had bought 16,001 tickets to soccer’s biggest showcase.

The story, though, is about those who are staying away. The expected number of visitors has dropped sharply since last year’s estimate of 450,000. Last month, the tournament’s organizers said it expected 350,000 tourists and that number was revised to “maybe 200,000” last week.

As such, tickets are still available for more than half the games. Good seats can still be had for the U.S. vs. Slovenia match in Johannesburg on Friday, June 18, and several tickets are available for all four games scheduled for Nelspruit, the closest city to famed Kruger Park.

Organizers blame the recession and the cost of flights for the low turnout from the not-so-serious fans. The media in Europe has blamed South Africa’s crime rate as the No. 1 reason why no one wants to go. Brit tabloids have even said people would be risking their lives if they attend the first World Cup held in Africa.

If that’s the case, I’ll find out soon enough.

In the next 11 days I will be writing from the three big cities: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. And keeping in mind what I’ve been told.

“You have to be careful and use street sense,” Leon warns again. “But as far as beauty, there’s nowhere like where you’re going.”

“South Africa will change how you look at life,” Barry says. “You can even eat zebra.”

Uhmmm ... we’ll see….

Now, back to Jim's blog and a look at various issues in the world of travel...

WONDERLIST OFFERS FREE TRIP TO CHICAGO

Wonderlist is giving away another trip; this time to the Windy City!  One winner will be sent to Chicago the weekend of May 7^th – May 9^th courtesy of Wonderlist (with Porter and the Hilton) with $500 and a night out!  For information, go to ww.wonderlist.ca.

If you've never been to Chicago, you're missing out. There's great food and music, wonderful architecture, terrific shopping and tons of sports, most notably at this time of year the Chicago Cubs at venerably Wrigley Field.

BAD NEWS IN BANGKOK

The street riots and deaths in Bangkok aren't helping tourism in Thailand, of course. Authorities blame terrorists for explosions that killed one person and injured 86, and that's not going to help make anyone feel better.

The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs is warning Canadians to avoid "non-essential travel to central Bangkok's commercial business district" because of the ongoing protests and the "significant risk of violent clashes and further unrest" in the area.

SYDNEY RE-BRANDED

New South Wales has launched new tourism marketing campaigns for Sydney and Regional New South Wales.

The NSW Government is working with a range of well-known Sydneysiders and tourism industry partners to ramp up efforts to attract more international and domestic tourists to Sydney. Report say they want to get beyond the iconic stuff like the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

"We know that Sydney is seen around the world as Australia’s only global city, it’s up there with Paris, Rome, London and New York,” tourism minister Jodi McKay said.

 “We want to capture all the extraordinary aspects of Sydney – its ethnicity, diversity, audacity - under the Sydnicity banner, to describe the city’s unique energy and to build on visitors’ positive perceptions of Sydney, in Australia and around the world.

I loved it when I was there for the Olympics, WAY back in 2000. Hoping to make a return trip later this year and it'll be interesting to see what's changed in an even ten years. Oddly enough, one of the things I DIDN'T Do was the Harbour Bridge, which is on my list!

It's important for tourism folks to change things up now and then. But they should never lose sight of the basics. I was in London this week and had a couple hours before heading to Heathrow to do a news story. I didn't have time for a big, new cultural place so the British tourism folks set me up for a quick tour of the Tower of London, and I loved it. So keep that in mind...

Home sweet home; thanks Air Canada!...Jim's deals of the day

TORONTO - Bit of a long trip, but on the whole that was quite painless.

Up at 4:30 a.m. in London (11:30 p.m. Wednesday night, Toronto time), then a short jaunt to Heathrow. Arrived at 5:30 and thought, "Uh, oh." There were a couple thousand folks milling about outside Terminal 3, where Air Canada flies out of. It looked dicey, but Air Canada had passengers lining up for three flights: Toronto, Halifax and Vancouver.

At first, they put me inside the terminal with another couple, but they quickly said it was a mistake and we'd have to go back out in line. Naturally, I said fine, but I wasn't going to lose my spot in line because they made a mistake and sent me indoors for two minutes.

Not a problem, as it turned out. They had lineups for people who had booked and confirmed tickets for today's flights, and they formed a small pool of folks over in another area; folks that had tickets for other day. Made sense. They were quite pleasant and as reassuring as they could be without making promises.

There were some nervous moments leading to the 8:30 a.m. departure, but around 7:15 or 7:30 they told us it was fine and we could go check in. Great stuff.

It was a touch chilly outside; about 6 degrees for a couple hours of waiting. But in the scheme of things no trouble at all.

They got me a good seat, I watched a couple movies (quite enjoyed Sherlock Holmes, as well as Crazy Heart), and that was it. No sweat. There were at least four or five empty seats on the plane as far as I could tell.

So it's lovely to be home. I can only hope other travellers have similarly good experiences. I suspect not.

A guy who works for Air Canada in London had been stranded in Dubai. He couldn't get from Paris to London directly, so he took an Air Canada flight the other day from Paris to Toronto, then wanted to fly back to London.

Canada Customs and Immigration smelled something funny, and hauled into the private room for some quick interrogation, he said. They found it hard to believe his story, but he ultimately won out and made a very, very long trip for a journey that should've been an hour or less.

What some guys will do to get to work!

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Hope at Heathrow, Tower of London, Rimowa suitcase test, G'bye Samaranch

LONDON - No offence to my friends in London and Britain tourism, but I'm hoping to get outta here on Thursday.

I was supposed to fly Belfast to London last Sunday and then be home for Sunday dinner. Alas, volcano ash did me - and a lot of others - in. But things were better at Heathrow today - see our story at thestar.com - so I'm hoping to get out Thursday morning.

It's been a fun, if unexpected couple days. The hotel the tourism folks got me, City Inn Westminster, more than did the trick. Nice room, good location, and a nice pub nearby; the White Swan on Vauxhall Bridge Road. Good and spicy Indonesian prawn curry for dinner tonight, plus a pint of Staropramen beer from the Czech Republic. It's a cozy but also elegant kinda spot; the sort of pub I wish I had in my neighborhood near Yonge and Lawrence.

Anyway, I AM hoping to be home so we'll see.

Things were calm at Heathrow today and most of the Canucks waiting to get on the 6 p.m. departure for Pearson were able to sneak on board. They all praised Air Canada for the job they did in London, so let's give them some credit, just like this pair of guys pictured here from Peterborough.

 
Spent the morning at the Tower of London. I expected schlock for some reason. The Beefeater guy who gave us tour had a couple cheesy lines but he made it a lot of fun, actually, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Tower. Great history, lots of blood and gore, fascinating if overly gaudy Crown Jewels and some great armour from old kings and lots of military stuff to keep guys fascinated. And plenty of dark corridors and winding staircases for kids. Quite good, actually.

There are so many delights in London; small, neighbourhood parks with lovely flowers, perfect Victorian buildings, wonderful pubs (see above) and tons of energy. The tube has its breakdown issues but the sheer breadth of the underground rail system is astonishing - and a lesson to the Ontario government if you don't mind my wearing my old Toronto City Hall correspondent's cap.

Anyway, it'll be sad to leave London. But I can't wait to get home.

RIMOWA SUITCASE

The good folks at Rimowa gave me a chance to try one of their suitcases for my trip. And I gotta say they're wonderful. Mine is a good-sized but not large carry-on case; silvery grey and sleek and about light as a proverbial feather. The best things is how it goes on four wheels and really slides over surfaces. It's almost effortless to pull.

One small criticism: the handle is a bit thick and slightly uncomfortable. But if you adjust your fingers it's pretty good, and the thing is so light and nimble that it's a joy to take on an airplane. I think they make them in all sizes, and I should look into it sometime.

When I was in Vancouver for the Olympics I bought myself a big, monster case that also have four wheels and moves quite well. Almost too well; when I got to London I put it in the middle of the mini-bus that took me to my hotel and it kept sliding up and down the main compartment of the bus. A nice British guy kept jumping up and pushing it back to its place, but it was a wee bit embarrassing. It's also fluorescent/mustard yellow-orange. Ugly, I guess, but it's easy to see which bag is mine at the airport.

SAMARANCH SAYS SAYONARA

Not really a travel item, but kinda: I see that old Sammy died today, that being former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch. A very conniving, cold, ruthless leader he was. He got his own way most often, but many people paid the price. And he hardly cared about most of the causes he espoused; fairness for athletes, equal opportunities for women in the IOC, etc... Full of crap on those issues; all hat and no cattle as they say in Texas.

The Salt Lake scandal took place under his watch, as did the doping scandals, as Star amateur sports columnist Randy Starkman rightly points out. Good stuff, Starks.

Anyway, my favourite memory of him was one day when I was in Atlanta for something and the Atlanta 1996 Olympic folks took him on a tour of the Coca-Cola museum. I was there, but I don't recall why. They showed the original soda fountains where they used to serve it and talked about the secret recipe and all that. Samaranch was, for all his faults, a man of culture. He served for quite some time as the Spanish ambassador to the Soviet Union. He probably didn't lack for tickets to the Bolshoi. But here he was down in Gooberville, listening to Billy Bob someone or other blather on about the miracle of Coca-Cola. Yeah, Coke was a big IOC sponsor but Samaranch had this glazed look in his eye that said, "My God, my organization gave the Olympics to these people." It was great stuff; just priceless.

 

"Stranded" in London not all that bad...Jim's deals of the day

LONDON - It's not so bad. Yet.

I'm quite lucky to be  stranded (temporarily located) in such a great city. I'd love to get home and help put out the Star's Travel section, but there are other folks who can pick up the slack. And I have great neighbours to look after the house. So all's fine. Still, nobody who's supposed to finish a vacation on a certain day, or not many of us, wants to be forced to extend their stay.

I've got a great room at a nice hotel called the City Inn Westminster. It's in the Pimlico area; a fairly quiet
spot maybe five minutes walk from the Houses of Parliament. Nice folks here and a good set up, with a Mac computer in the bedroom and another in the living room area, plus free CD's and DVD's and free wi-fi and a comfortable bed. There's no clock radio, which is common anywhere I've travelled outside North America, so it's impossible to know what time it is without turning on a light and checking your watch. Bizarre. On the other hand, once you wake up there's a great breakfast.

Others, of course, aren't so fortunate. People have babies or loved ones at home. People are missing valuable work. One guy I spoke with today at Canada House (see photo of one fellow looking for help there today) was supposed to help perform surgery in India on people with cleft lips and palettes. It's possible nobody was able to fill in for him, which means someone in India might be continuing to suffer.

It's frustrating, one woman told me. "I'd try to get a train to Paris but maybe by the time I got there the ash would be flying over France and not at Heathrow. So I think I'll just stay here."

One guy who walked into Canada House, a lovely building next to Trafalgar Square, started talking loudly about his relatives having lived in Canada for 400 years. "I've been paying taxes 78 years," he said. As he walked toward the metal detector he joked, "Hey, where I do
put my gun? Ha, ha."

Not funny, pal. Especially not these days, and not in London. He's lucky he's Canadian; I bet the
Americans wouldn't have laughed it off.

There were reports late Tuesday about air restrictions being lifted in the UK. I'll believe it when I see it. And fly it.

I attended a Visit Britain function Tuesday night at the fashionable Rubens Hotel, not far from Buckingham Palace. They felt obliged to hold a dinner to thank media and tourism operators from such far-flung places as Brazil, Mexico, China and Japan, as many officials from those countries attended a Scotland Expo tourism event last week in Glasgow and ended up getting stuck in the U.K.

Sandie Dawe, chief executive for Visit Britain, told me the European delegates to the event got home fine.
"The Norwegians, I'm told, had a Shell oil supply vessel take them from Aberdeen. The Hungarians got buses from Luton Airport."

Dawe said the delay in getting folks home had some advantages.

"The Koreans and Japanese went to the Cotswolds and Stratford, and they really loved it."

Dawe, echoing the thoughts of a woman I spoke with outside Canada House on Tuesday, said some folks undoubtedly will think about taking trains in the future instead of trains. But I don't know; we all respond with a knee-jerk reaction to high-profile incidents, but inevitably move to our old habits. Some folks might opt for trains from London to Glasgow or Paris instead of the train, but for those of us in North America intent on visiting Europe there's no "chunnel" to get from St. John's to Southampton, so air service will have to suffice.

Anyway, if you have to be "stranded" anywhere in the world this is a pretty fine place for it to happen. London has so many great attractions and so many small pleasures: the look of a great pub, a small park near Bond St., a wonderful deli, the plays of the west end, the free museums. It's all a bit much at times.

I remember being here a year and-a-bit ago, after a major snowstorm. It was quiet and wonderful. It's kinda quiet this time, too, but for a different reason. I enjoyed taking a photo of a snowman in front of the Houses of Parliament when I was here in the winter of 2009, and I couldn't resist taking a similar shot in the lovely spring-time weather today.

Quite the contrast, isn't it? A year ago, things were grey and cold but quite pretty. 14 months later there are daffodils in bloom and buds on the trees and people wearing shirt sleeves - or no shirt at all - as they lie on the grass.

The first time I came here was 1979. It was a warm, sunny day and I remember seeing women in Green Park lying in their pants and a bra, seeking a little sun on their chests. I thought that wasn't bad, actually. I didn't see anything like that today, but it was nice to see folks enjoying themselves at Trafalgar Square, sitting in the sun and soaking up the rays. Similarly, they were playing soccer/football in front of Houses of Parliament today and lying on the grass and necking. Nice.

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