Worsening problems in Egypt spark security warnings from Canadian govt.

Not a good situation in Egypt for travel. Maybe good for democracy, sure, but for anyone poor folks slated to head to Cairo or other major cities, it's a terrible time to visit.

Riots continue in Egypt today, similar to those that recently engulfed Tunisia, and one has to wonder where it will end. As The Star reports in our front page headline the situation is "absolute chaos" in parts of Egypt.

Two hours ago I checked and didn't see a Canadian government warning for Egypt. That changed around 4:30 p.m. EST or so, when a flag went up on the Canadian government web site.

The Foreign Affairs Department in Ottawa is saying that "Canadians travelling to Egypt should exercise a high degree of caution due to demonstrations and protests, high levels of criminal activity and violence throughout the country, and the threat of terrorist attacks."

"Civil unrest has been occurring in many parts of Egypt since January 23, 2011. Telecommunication services may be disrupted and a nationwide curfew has been imposed. Access to some areas may be restricted due to increased security measures and police and military presence on the streets. Canadians should avoid all demonstrations and stay away from areas where they are expected to take place, as they may turn violent without warning."

Word is that many flights on Lufthansa, British Airways and others have been delayed or cancelled.

I feel badly for anyone who, a month or so ago, had no idea there might be problems on the way and booked a ticket for a once-in-a-lifetime visit to Egypt. How terrible would you feel to have your flight cancelled and not be able to rebook?

Wow.

Of course, the situation for people on the ground is much worse than that, as some folks appear to be fighting for their lives. Or at least for more security and/or freedom.

It just goes to show that, as someone once said in a movie, you never know what's going to happen once you start walking out that front door. It DOES go to show, of course, that travel can never be taken lightly and that one has to do one's homework.

If you're headed to Russia, you have to be prepared for strange things to happen. Not necessarily an airport bombing, but perhaps something sinister. Ditto for, say, Veneuzuela or parts of Africa or, certainly, Pakistan.

What's hard for some to accept, I'm sure, is that nobody thought twice about visiting Tunisia a couple months ago, at least not because of security/safety issues. But things change fast these days, faster than ever given things like Facebook, which is hugely popular in Egypt and seems to have fanned the waves of discontent that erupted in Tunisia after a fruit seller lit himself on fire as a protest against a government he felt didn't care about the little guy.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada's website says it's advising against non-essential travel to Tunisia due to the unpredictable security and political situation in the country.

Scary times.

 

Top travel bargains include Mexico, Ireland...Golden Globes travel deals!

Max out your cash in Mexico. Invest in Indonesia. And get your way to Greece.

Tim Leffel, who wrote a book called The World's Cheapest Destinations: 21 Countries Where Your Money is Worth a Fortune, is echoing a point I've made in the past (and many, many others have made, of course), which is to say that so-called "trouble spots" are often some of the best travel deals around.

Leffel singles out Mexico, saying that many folks have avoided the entire country because of drug and crime issues along the border. Not to cover up the country's troubles, but avoiding Cancun because of problems in Tijuana is kinda like skipping Seattle because of gang trouble in Reno, Nevada.

There have been isolated problems in tourist areas, but the point Leffel is making is that there are great bargains to be had in Cancun or Cabo San Lucas. Probably Cozumel and Mazatlan, too. "There are so many rooms they are trying to fill, so every week there are unbelievable deals." Look for interior cities, too, he says. www.visitmexico.com

Also on Leffel's list:

NEPAL - "fascinating cultural tours out of Kathmandu...(with) fully outfitted whitewater rafting trips...at less than $50 a day." www.welcomenepal.com

 

GREECE - The protests and strikes, compounded with the recession that has cut the number of European visitors, means there's excess capacity now, USA Today reports in a story on Leffel's advice. He's quoted as saying that Greece is "hurting for business and rolling out the discounts." www.visitgreece.gr

INDONESIA - "It's a whole chain of islands and it's got everything; beaches, diving, mountains and culture." http://www.indonesia.travel/

HONDURAS - "First-class diving and Mayay ruins," Leffel says. www.letsgohonduras.com

HUNGARY - "All the charm of its western neighbors at lower costs." They haven't adopted the Euro, and the currency has dropped against the American dollar. Leffel suggests skipping Budapest and trying cheaper digs in Hungary's wine country. www.gotohungary.com

ETHIOPIA - "Incredible ruins and scenery" and a currency that dropped nearly 30 per cent against the U.S. dollar in 2010. www.tourismethiopia.org

THE USA - Leffel says to look for deals in cities hit by a drop in convention business, such as Orlando and Las Vegas. Good advice, for sure, in places that normally have pretty competitive rates. Good for Canadians, too, given the fact our dollar IS ABOVE PAR AGAINST THE AMERICAN GREENBACK, and how often do we get to say that? www.discoveramerica.com

VIETNAM - Once again, somewhere where the American dollar - and presuming the Canadian with it - gained value last year. "Whether you're a backpacker looking for a $5-a-night flophouse or a high-end visitor seeking a luxury hotel, you'll find bargains here," Leffel advises. www.vietnamtourism.com

IRELAND - Economic troubles and a slew of new hotels means travel deals for 2011, Leffel advises. I made my first trip there in April of last year (see photo of right of the lovely coast of Donegal) and fell in love with the people, the scenery, the castles and the overall atmosphere. The cities also are awesome; Dublin, sure, but also Belfast in Northern Ireland with great restaurants, wonderful architecture and, yeah, a couple of nice pubs. www.discoverireland.com

UNUSUAL CRUISE DESTINATIONS? YOU CAN ADD LIBYA TO THE LIST

Here's a cruise you can write home about. Crystal Cruises, according to USA Today, is going to begin stops in Tripoli, Libya; a first for the 22-year-old company.

"The luxury line says the 1,080-passenger Crystal Serenity will visit the Libyan port of Tripoli during the vessel's 11-night "Italian Splendor" voyage from Venice to Barcelona that begins Nov. 16. The voyage also includes calls in several Italian ports including Naples, Civitavecchia (for Rome) and Livorno (for Florence) as well as Dubrovnik, Croatia," Gene Sloan wrote on the USA Today travel site.

The city was founded by the Phoenicians back in the 7th century and has some cool architecture and wonderful archaeological sites.

READY FOR SOME HOLLYWOOD? CHECK THESE L.A. BARGAINS FOR THE GOLDEN GLOBES

Yeah, it's probably hard to find a cheap hotel in LA when the Oscars are on. But apparently it's not bad for the Golden Globe Awards. CheapOair.com says they found a slew of good spots in western LA, in or near Hollywood, for reasonable prices. Among their recommendations are the W Hotel Los Angeles in Westwood Village (my former home when I was at UCLA way back when, and still a great part of LA for stargazing, a little bit of space and, wait for it, actual places to walk and shop and eat without needing a car!), for $188 a night, the Omni Los Angeles Hotel California Plaza (downtown) for $135 and the Grafton on Sunset (West Hollywood) for a very good price of $177 per night.

Downtown LA has come a long way, with plenty of good restaurants and shops and lots to do, even if you are a good half hour from the beach. West Hollywood is known as the gay capital of southern California and probably is more in line with what Canadians would want to see and experience in a trip to so-Cal, with tons of nightclubs and restaurants and funky shops and colourful characters. Like Scarlett here. I'm not saying you'll run into Scarlett Johansson, pictured here at left in a rather modest dress from the 2006 Golden Globe Awards, I do believe. But there's a chance you might see that guy who was the third dude from the left in line at the grocery store in some really horrible episode of Three And A Half Men (as opposed to the funny, intelligent, well-written episodes, I mean).

 

 

 

Star's Grand Tour travels to Cape Town, South Africa...And a brief taste of Maui

The Star is profiling ten top world destinations as part of our Grand Tour series. Check Saturday's Toronto Star Travel section for Adrian Brijbassi's report on Cape Town. In the meantime, here's a blog posting from him to get you in the mood. I'll have a note about Maui right after Adrian's posting.

Cape Town, South Africa — It’s been nearly four months since the World Cup ended and while the games themselves may have left soccer fans underwhelmed (where were the goals, what happened to the Brazilians, why did the vuvuzela steal the show?) one sure winner was the city of Cape Town. South  
Africa’s most popular tourist destination was already recognized as one of the world’s great cities and it only built on that reputation during the tournament. The party atmosphere that took over the streets on gamedays impressed visitors, many of whom were media members.

We predicted prior to the World Cup that Cape Town would wow the planet. Not only does it reside in some of the most glorious scenery there is, its tourist industry also has a lot of marketing savvy — a rare thing in South Africa. The city was ready to host games in May, a month before the tournament started and well ahead of the rest of the country.

What I learned during my few days in the city is there’s a lot more to see than the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Robben Island and the soccer stadium. Cape Town has a mix of cultures, beautiful beaches and affluent neighbourhoods. Even more, it’s outlying areas are gorgeous and not to be missed.

That’s why Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula are the focus of this week’s edition of The Grand Tour, Star Travel’s weekly look this fall at the finest destinations on earth. I looped around the peninsula in a car, enjoying vistas from the M4 Highway that included the colourful town of Muizenberg, the fishing village of Kalk Bay, antiquated Simon’s Town, spectacular Houts Bay and a suburb called Camps Bay that makes Yorkville seem low key and homey. The Chapman Peak’s toll road is the highlight of the drive with more than 100 curves over a stretch that lasts about 20 minutes. It’s like taking a slalom-course test while driving California’s Pacific Coast Highway.

Also not to be overlooked (because it’s impossible to do so) are the baboons. Loads of them crowd around the highway and amble up driveways. They’re not the friendliest primates, but they are a sight. You’ll catch a few photos of them in Saturday’s edition of the Star and online at thestar.com/travel.

Travel Editor Jim Byers has already spotlighted Rome and Tokyo on the Grand Tour, which wraps up December 18 in a destination to be determined by you. Send an email to travel@thestar.ca to tell Jim where he should go on the last Grand Tour trip. Your choices are Paris, Mumbai and Bangkok.

Here are some more articles we’ve published on Cape Town this year:

Grace and grandeur in Cape Town
http://www.thestar.com/travel/africamideast/article/812188--2010-world-cup-travel-grace-and-grandeur-in-cape-town

Visiting Robben Island on South Africa’s national holiday
http://thestar.blogs.com/travel/2010/04/a-visit-to-robben-island-for-freedom-dayadrian-brijbassi-in-south-africa.html

South African tourism still counting on Nelson Mandela
http://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/worldcup/article/818581--world-cup-2010-counting-on-nelson-mandela

FIRST NIGHT IN MAUI

Back to Jim here. I landed late in the afternoon on another lovely day in Maui and high-tailed it to Mama's Fish House, a renowned spot on the coast just south of the town of Paia. I'd heard of it for years but never made it.

Big mistake. The place is awesome; right on the beach with lovely tiki torches and a giant outrigger canoe out front, and a very open and inviting decor with lots of wood and great photos and knickknacks. The food is to die for, with an incredible poisson cru (raw fish marinated in coconut milk with spices and garlic and cilantro; a vast improvement over what I've had in Tahiti), not to mention a baked Ono with caramelized Maui onions. Yum.

It's easily one of the best restaurants in all of Hawaii, with a tremendous setting and food to match. Great people, too.

Stayed the night at the small Paia Inn, which is in the considerably funky/charming town of the same name. Didn't see much last night but there were some colourful characters playing a guitar in the doorway of a closed shop and lots of folks milling about eating pizza or ice cream in a town that seems to have forgotten that the hippie era is dead. Definitely a great little town, and more on that when the Grand Tour gets to Maui in a few weeks.

 

Toronto Star Travel's Grand Tour of the World...a modest proposal!

Not as easy as it sounds.

The boss asked me recently to come up with a series of ten great spots we could feature in the paper between now and roughly Christmas. They had to be a mix of places around the world, with some ancient and some newer cities, some northern and some southern spots, and a nice mixture of cultures.

Check my column on the front page of today's Travel section for more, but suffice to say it was a lot of work to come up with the places we'll be profiling over the next couple months, starting this Saturday.

We kick things off Saturday with a look at Rome, the Eternal City, where I was blown away by an outdoor concert in August at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. It was just incredible.

From there, we'll tackle Tokyo and, in no particular order, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, Sydney, Maui, Dubai, St. Petersburg and Cape Town.

Anyone with a keen eye for copy editing will notice that I named nine destinations in the last two paragraphs. But I also said the boss asked me to come up with ten places in the world. The discrepancy is that I came up with nine spots, but we want to get readers involved by asking them what should be our tenth and final destination.

In other words, you get to tell me where to go; likely a tempting thought for many of you out there, mostly my family. We thought about leaving it open-ended and letting folks choose from any place in the world, but it would've been too hard to tally up all the votes. So, in the interest of brevity, we're asking readers to choose from the following three spots: Paris, Bangkok and Mumbai. They're all great places, but only can be my final destination.

If you want to cast your ballot, just drop us a line at travel@thestar.ca and put the words "Grand Tour" in the subject line of the email so we know what you're writing about. Then you can tell me where to go.

Sound like a plan? We'll look things over and announce the "winning destination" in a few weeks, and I'll drop in for a few days later this fall and write up a story for the final Grand Tour episode.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to cast a vote.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....THE LATEST FROM THE CARIBBEAN

If you're heading to the Caribbean this winter, and many of you are, you won't want to miss the update that freelancer Jo Matyas provided yesterday. So, in the interests of keeping her information out there, I'm re-publishing Jo's blog from Wednesday. Thanks again for the file, Jo; it's greatly appreciated.

Regular contributor to the Toronto Star travel pages, Josephine Matyas, gave up a weekend of turkey and cranberry to attend a Caribbean Tourism Organization conference on the island of Barbados. In addition to an island tour, a stop at the excellent Barbados Museum and some time bobbing in the water with a mask and snorkel, she got the scoop on what’s new for visitors to the Caribbean this winter.

Every winter-shocked Canadian knows that the Caribbean is a place with a “kick back and chill” vibe. Every island is different – a good starting place to plan, and find deals is www.caribbeantravel.com. The site has information on hot deals, festivals and events and you can search by your area of interest.

As for some specifics about what’s new for the winter 2010/11 (yes, the snow is almost here) . . .

Barbados wants visitors to come for the food, as well as the sun and the turquoise waters. From November 19-22, 2010 the island is holding the first annual Food & Wine and Rum Festival. A number of celebrated chefs will be on island to show off their skills, including Canadian Ricardo Larrivee, host of Ricardo and Friends on the Food Network. Local Barbadian chefs will be doing a few cooking demos themselves, holding tasting events and interactive sessions. Drinks will be flowing as a part of the festival (how could they not be, on the island that is home to the world’s oldest rum, Mount Gay) – wine experts and mixologists will produce demonstrations and tastings around the island. www.foodwinerum.com

A few Bajan food facts:

• There are 3,000 rum shops (think very tiny, local bars) on the island. And next door there is often a church (although the island has substantially fewer of those – just over 300). The locals like to say that they aim to “keep all the spirits in one place.”
• The national dish is flying fish, rice and peas, and a side dish called “pie” which is an oven-baked macaroni and cheese.
• Another traditional favourite is callaloo soup, a delicious dark green, iron-packed soup made with callaloo leaves (much like spinach).

St. Lucia is well known as a destination for romance and honeymoons (ABC filmed The Bachelor on island) but it’s also a popular cruise stop and full of activities for families. The lush, hilly island is full of history, and fruit and vegetable plantations that the tourism people would like to open up to visitors. St. Lucia lies in the “cocoa belt” (a zone plus or minus 20 degrees latitude from the Equator). On December 29, 2010, Hotel Chocolat opens a new property on the historic Rabot Estate, an operating cocoa tree plantation (yes, the air does smell like cocoa) with a killer-view of the island’s stunning twin Piton Peaks. www.thehotelchocolat.com. The popular summertime Go Bananas program will probably run again in 2011 (for those who like to plan ahead) – room upgrades, complimentary babysitting, free meals and stays for kids under age 17. www.stlucianow.com. More in the adult realm, a new casino is scheduled to open by November 2010 in the Baywalk Mall in the Rodney Bay area at the north part of the island (the marina here makes Rodney Bay very popular with the boating set).

The sister islands of St. Kitts and Nevis (I am coming clean with a bias – these are two of my favourite Caribbean destinations) claim that studies show visitors come for the beaches (well, yeah) and for the rainforest tours and ecoadventures. There’s no hiding that these are two of the pricier islands in the Caribbean. St. Kitts is starting construction on a private air terminal (service should be up and running at the end of 2012), so if you’ve got a private jet, you’ve now got a place to park it. The Four Seasons Nevis will be re-opening on December 15, 2010 offering special package rates – the island’s premier property has been closed for a two-year refurbishment. www.fourseasons.com/nevis. If horseracing interests you, the new Beaumont Park on St. Kitts hosts races on a ¾ mile oval track. The new Silver Reef Resort on St. Kitts has completed 36 of the planned 62 units – built eco-sensitively the sale/rental units recycle grey water, employ solar power and use local building materials to reduce the carbon footprint. The Beach Club at Sandy Bank Bay is set to open in early 2011 – it’s the first stage of a luxury development called Christophe Harbour on St. Kitts (mega yacht harbour, marina, Tom Fazio championship golf course, boutique shopping and five-star hotels). The open-air Beach Club will have private dining patios, a natural-edged pool, waterfall showers and direct access to Sandy Bank Bay beach and the Atlantic Ocean. www.christopheharbour.com

Bermuda is even closer for Torontonians since WestJet launched service in May 2010. This November through March has been branded Bermuda’s Golf & Spa Season, with eight courses participating and spa specials for the golf widows. Eighteen of the island’s largest hotels have signed on for The Compliments of Bermuda promotion – every two-night stay gets you a third night free for travel between November 15, 2010 and March 15, 2011. www.bermudatourism.com. The Reefs Hotel & Club – voted Bermuda’s Best Hotel by Travel & Leisure and inducted onto the 2010 Conde Nast Traveler Gold List – recently doubled their size with a new fractional wing, www.thereefs.com.

And finally, tiny Anguilla, where the focus is on celebrity and stylish living will once again host the popular Moonsplash Music Festival, timed to coordinate with the full moon in March 2011. The festival is four days of reggae talent, ranging from cutting edge sounds to founding legends. www.bankieban.net 

Josephine Matyas is a Canadian travel journalist who often writes about ecotourism and the Caribbean. You can find her at www.writerwithoutborders.com.

 

 

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Toronto Olympic bid for 2020 just got tougher...Less tarmac wait times in U.S.

There's been the odd talk that Toronto's Pan Am Games work for 2015 is part of a desire to once again try for an elusive Olympic bid. The Big Smoke has been toasted twice before in Olympics competition, being humbled by Atlanta for 1996 and by Beijing in the voting for 2008.

It looked a while back as if a 2020 bid for North America would be a good bet, the Summer Games having last been here in Atlanta way back before the age of the Internet. But with the success of the World Cup in South Africa, there's renewed interest in the Olympics making a touchdown in the African continent for the first time ever.

I personally think South Africa should wait and see how the dust settles; maybe save a little money (how's THAT for a thought) and bid for 2024. But International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge today told Around the Rings, a very solid Olympics website, that he thinks South Africa should wade into the 2020 Summer Games battle.

Now, when an IOC president says he'd consider a bid from a certain city that carries a reasonable amount of weight. But when he more or less starts soliciting a bid, that's something else entirely.

"We would be delighted to receive a strong bid coming from Africa in general but from South Africa in particular," Rogge told ATR. "They already made a good bid with Cape Town in 1997 when they came a commendable third behind Athens and Rome. But they have the potential there's no doubt about that."

I don't think Toronto should try for the Olympics at all given the horrendous costs for these things, especially the security. We just had a rather nasty experience with securing a big event, and I sense little appetite to do anything remotely similar anytime soon. But if you ARE someone who wants to see the five-ring circus come to T.O., you might want to start thinking about something way off in 2024 cuz I think the fix already might be in for South Africa for 2020.

A vote on the 2020 Games should be held by the IOC in 2013, which means bid cities need to start organizing soon. It'll be interesting to see if any U.S. cities jump in.

Don't forget the Canadian Olympic Committee and its now Quebec-oriented management team is already kicking the ties for another Winter Olympic bid, possibly in 2022 for Quebec City.

U.S. PASSENGER PROTECTION RULES WORKING...TOO BAD ABOUT CANADA

May was the first full month that new U.S. government rules were in place to protect passengers from being stuck on airport tarmacs for too long. And, wouldn't you know it, flight delays were WAY down.

A new federal law down south says airlines have to let passengers off a plane if it's been stuck for more than three hours, or face a fine of up to $27,500 per passenger. Airlines cried about it, but figures show there were only FIVE such delays in May; the second-lowest monthly total in several years.  There were 268 such delays in June of 2009, said USA Today.

The airlines say good weather helped, but people who pushed for the law aren't buying it.

"This rule is a resounding success," said Kate Hanni of a group called FlyersRights.org.

Isn't it great to see a powerful government taking on the airlines in order to protect its citizens. Isn't that a concept? Well, don't expect it in Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has shown ZERO interest in jumping out of the collective laps of the Canadian airline industry, and I get absolutely NO indication that's about to change.

Too bad there's no opposition leader who could point this out to ordinary Canadians....

 

Crazy - guns could be allowed at Georgia airports...S. Africa/World Cup wrap

I got a lot of grief - tons, actually - when I told civil libertarians to shut up and quit whining about body scans at airports. So I expect this won't make them feel better, but I have to think that a Georgia legislature proposal to ALLOW PEOPLE TO CARRY LICENSED FIREARMS AT AIRPORTS IS UTTERLY, COMPLETELY, HOPELESSLY AND OH-SO-REMARKABLY STUPID THAT I CAN HARDLY FIND WORDS.

Obviously this is not to allow guns on airplanes. Apparently any space controlled by the federal government is exempt from this. But the Atlanta Journal Constitution  reports folks could carry their guns in non-secure areas of the airport.

USA Today's Roger Yu reports guns would be allowed in terminals and parking lots.

"It expands on a state law passed in 2008 that allows Georgia residents with firearm licenses to bring concealed weapons onto public transportation, in parks and recreational areas and into restaurants that serve alcohol," Yu wrote in his airport check-in column/blog. "Gun advocates have since been lobbying to expand the law to include the airport."

The case is being closely watched by airport officials nationwide, Yu wrote, and I would hope so.

The Journal-Constitution said the National Rifle Association supports the bill, and isn't that a shock? Can't you just see Charlton Heston riding through Hartsfield, bare-chested on a horse, taking on all the commies and hardened felons?

Before anyone gets all "you hate Americans" on me, let the record state that I grew up in the U.S.A. and still carry American citizenship. And Canadian. I'm very proud of most of what the U.S. stands for and represents, and I feel equally strongly about my adopted country of 29 years - and three days if you want to be precise. My father used to have a gun in the house for protection - he needed it in the law enforcement-related job he had, or he felt he needed it. I grew up owning BB guns and have fired rifles and shotguns. I don't hate guns. They're quite useful for friends of mine who lived in the wilds of Idaho and shoot elk and deer for food. I have no problem with people in Ontario or anywhere else hunting animals in season. I eat venison when I see it; I can hardly moan about someone killing a deer themselves if they're going to eat it. My old neighbour in north Toronto taught hunting safety and, I believe, was a regular user of his rifle. Fine and dandy.

But me and handguns simply don't get along. There's no need for almost anyone to have one. They almost always lead to death and destruction of innocent people. And to allow people to carry them at airports? I'm stunned that even conservative lawmakers in Georgia could be this stupid.

How much security do we have at airports these days? Quite a damned lot from what I've seen. But apparently that's not enough. All those federal marshals and regular cops, God love them, and all those TSA people, they clearly can't cope with the hardened felons and evil-doers traipsing about at Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport and holding up innocent folks from Savannah waiting in line at the Budget rental car counter. So what the state legislators wanna do is allow everyone with a licensed firearm to be allowed to carry it at the airport.

Most people who own guns are responsible; I'm not going to categorize them all as yahoos. I have no idea why most of them carry one, and I suspect maybe 99.9999 per cent of them have no need for one, but that's their right under the U.S. Constitution. Fine. Carry it on the street if you feel you have to. But why at an airport? What makes anyone feel we need more guns in what might be the most secure parts of the entire country? I just don't understand.

That's my take. And now something a little more travel-related; Adrian Brijbassi's final thoughts on his trip to South Africa to check out preparations for the World Cup. Check out his previous postings for excellent, interesting and colourful reporting...

OUT OF AFRICA - SAFE AND SOUND

Adrian Brijbassi
Toronto Star

It’s safe to travel to South Africa.

I can say that after 10 days in the country’s three biggest cities and its largest game-viewing region. Eight flights, many kilometres on the road, a few late nights out, a visit to one of the nation’s poorest regions, four lodging stays, and nothing was stolen or lost.

Sure, anyone in the media is going to be well-informed, if not protected, by the hotels we visit and tour operators we enlist. But there were instances, particularly in Cape Town, where no liaison or guide was with me, and I had heavy-duty camera equipment in tow. In fact, I made it a point to go out to a late dinner away from the famed Victoria & Alfred Waterfront to see what the place was like at night.

Was it edgy? Absolutely. And I wouldn’t advise anyone to venture away from the waterfront unless they had pre-arranged for a driver who they could trust to drop them off and pick them up.

But the trendy restaurant, HQ (or Headquarters), was near full and young people of all sorts were coming into the bar area when I was leaving around midnight. The manager, Darren Richards, said drinks would be served until 3 a.m. or later. (FYI, the mojitos at HQ are really good.)

During the day, I wandered from the new Cape Town Stadium, past the waterfront, got a little off track before finding my way to the marina. I met a kind retired gentleman named Lex Wysocki who – as he was walking me back to my hotel – noted what everyone else does when the inevitable crime question comes up: “You know to stay away from dark alleys no matter where you go in the world.”

The statistics, though, are frightening: 50 murders a day and more carjackings and assaults than police can handle. And police are part of the problem. In Johannesburg, the former police commissioner is currently on trial for corruption-related charges, and more than 10,000 police officers throughout the country are either in jail or awaiting prosecution.

In Umhlanga, the ritzy suburb north of Durban, bed-and-breakfast host Monica Blomefield keeps a sunny disposition despite the fact she’s been hijacked eight times and shot at twice in her life (when she worked as a sales representative). Her advice is to always be cautious and to not rely on a GPS if you’re driving, because the devices direct you through the most efficient routes to your destination, not the safest.

If I was to recommend one thing for tourists to do, it’s to not drive at all. One wrong turn in any of the cities could steer you into some dire straits. South Africa’s metropolises are home to some of the worst neighbourhoods in the world for violence and crime; partly because there are more than 4.5 million firearms, including 2.8 million handguns, registered in the country, and an additional 500,000 to 1 million unregistered firearms, according to government data.

To keep tourists safe, the hotels and bed and breakfasts will often provide car service to and from the airport, as well as around town. Five-star Cape Grace in Cape Town offers to drive guests in one of its two BMWs anywhere within a 20-kilometre radius of the hotel, and at Umhlanga’s Tega Tata Lodge, Monica will drive you herself wherever you need to go.

Of course, any tours you sign up for will take you to and from your hotel, and if you want to venture outside of town, spring for a driver. A two-hour tour around Cape Town will cost you 1,000 rand tops (about $135). With the favorable exchange rate ($1 Canadian equals 7.38 rand), you will save a lot on food and lodging, so paying for transportation shouldn’t bust your budget.

Other travel safety tips include: not walking outside with a lot of cash, keeping your hotel room locked at all times, being aware of your surroundings and, perhaps most importantly, listening to the locals.

Is it worth going to a place where you need to use such caution? Why not just keep going to Florida or Hawaii like we’ve done for decades?

Well, besides the fact that South Africa will be hosting the World Cup, the best reason to visit is the inspiring beauty of the country and the warm disposition of the people. South Africa possesses six biosphere reserves, one of the world’s largest safari destinations in Greater Kruger Park, clean drinking water, Nelson Mandela and his overwhelmingly powerful life story, fantastic wines, great food, beaches galore and sing-song place names that make you smile.

South Africans are proud of their fledgling nation and they want to shout that it’s not as bad as its reputation insists. They’re accommodating people whose colloquialism for “thank you” is “pleasure”, but pronounced “pleshaaaah”, as if to provide service is a means of quenching their own thirst.

“I wish I could tell everyone to come, it is safe here,” said Sebastien Qweshe, the first person I met on my trip. He was my driver from the airport to Michelangelo Towers in Johannesburg.

Sebastien proved to be right. It is safe to visit South Africa – as long as you keep your wits about you, prepare yourself each day for where you will be going and how you will get there, and use the resources available to research the areas you will visit before you go.

That said, it’s great to be home. Like many Canadians, whenever I travel anywhere outside of the country it always strikes me how amazingly well we have it here. One of the first things I did when I got back to Toronto was go for a walk downtown, care-free and without worry.

More World Cup colour..And just what the Gulf coast of the U.S. did NOT need...

Star Travel writer Adrian Brijbassi continues his look at what's happening in South Africa for the World Cup. Today it's 70,000 seats and 550 steps.

Adrian Brijbassi
Toronto Star

DURBAN, South Africa – The sight of the U.S. flag making its way to the top of Moses Mabhida Stadium caught everyone’s curiosity on Saturday. Turns out CNN was here filming the new stadium and staking out territory for the U.S. soccer team, which a lot of people (me included) think could make some noise at the World Cup.

Moses Mabhida Stadium is a beauty. It’s visible for dozens of kilometres along the coastline in Durban and its suburban areas. The venue, named after a late labour rights leader, holds 70,000 for soccer and can reach a capacity of 85,000 for athletics (whispers of a future Summer Olympics can actually be heard in town).

The stadium features an arch that spans 350 metres and rises 106 metres. A cable car will take visitors to the top, but it isn’t operational until May 17. In the meantime, the arch has 550 steps and a warning to climb at your own risk. Figuring if CNN can hike it, so should the Star, I fought back my fear of heights and made the trek. Because of the potential for windy conditions, you have to wear a harness. No handrails are on the route, so a tour guide tethers your harness to a cable using a steel chain. You walk up concentrating on not tripping over the chain or the steep incline.

Halfway up there’s a bungee jumping platform. CNN producers suckered someone into taking the plunge – with the Stars and Stripes in hand. Luckily for me, Travel Editor Jim Byers isn’t so ruthless (Hey, Adrian, if I'd known about it you'd have been dangling but good - Jim) I took one look at the big drop and climbed on.

At the top, the view of the Indian Ocean is impressive. You can see beyond the tankers in the harbour out to where the vast ocean meets the horizon. Looking south, the crowds at Ushaka Marine World, a wonderful attraction that wouldn’t seem out of place in Orlando, are visible and so are the city’s beachgoers.

You don’t get much of a view of the stadium, though. To get a decent shot of the field, I had to attach my videocamera to a monopod and extent it as far as I could. The soccer pitch is lush, green and ready for action. Although Cape Town Stadium probably has the edge in terms of the quality of the playing surface, Moses Mabhida Stadium comes out on top for attractiveness.

It also will host the game of the first round. On June 25, Brazil and Portugal meet in Durban in what could be the most watched soccer game ever.

You’ll see video of the stadium and its pitch on thestar.com/travel before the 64-game tournament kicks off on June 11.

Other World Cup news from the weekend in Durban:

- FIFA continues to take a beating in the press and on the streets. People are truly excited to have the World Cup here but everyone is concerned about who’s going to pay for all the billions of dollars spent on infrastructure and the new stadiums in the country. In North America, when a new stadium goes up, whatever team is the primary tenant usually pays for the vast majority of the cost. That’s not the case in South Africa. In fact, in small cities like Polokwane and Nelspruit, there’s not even a team that could draw 5,000 fans to a game. Even in Durban, where rugby is the favoured sport, South African Football Association soccer games aren’t a huge draw.

- Another quarrel with FIFA has to do with its relocation and shutting out of local vendors. In Cape Town, a weekly farmer’s market was forced to move from outside the new stadium so FIFA can set up a party zone where only its sponsors – Budweiser, McDonald’s, Coca Cola and their affiliates – can sell products. In Durban, an excellent sports bar called the Keg and Spear won’t be allowed to open on game days even though it’s at the foot of the main entrance to Moses Mabhida Stadium. It’s being shuttered for the same reason the farmer’s market in Cape Town was moved: so the World Cup’s title sponsors can have a monopoly on food and drinks sold around the venue. Think if the bars on Front Street like Jack Astor’s or the Loose Moose couldn’t cash in on an Olympic hockey game at Air Canada Centre and you’ll understand how devastating the FIFA rule is for local vendors in South Africa.

- How soccer crazy is South Africa? There’s a shortage of Bafana Bafana soccer jerseys. Fans are seriously fired up about the chances of the national team (whose nickname means “boys boys” in Nguni, or “our boys” if you use one “Bafana”). A new set of jerseys is due out in a couple of weeks, in time to feed the frenzied demand prior to the opening game between the home team and Mexico. South Africa is one of the lowest-ranked squads in the World Cup, but the fans seem to be ignoring the long odds and are predicting victory. To help their cause, they’ve got a secret weapon called the vuvuzela. It’s a trumpet-like instrument that plays one dull, monotone note and does it very, very loudly. There’s already worries over the havoc vuvuzelas will cause when 70,000 people start blowing them at once during Bafana games.

- Each of the 32 teams in the tournament are staying at designated hotels around the country for the duration of their stays in the World Cup. Greece has one of the choice spots, with its flag hanging outside the beautiful Beverly Hills Hotel in Umhlanga. You’ll be hearing a lot more about Umhlanga (pronounced Ooom-shlang-a) in the coming weeks in Star Travel. It’s one awesome beach town that’s capitalizing on the flight from Durban of businesses and tourists, and the World Cup should turn international eyes onto this place.

- The new King Shaka International Airport opened on Saturday to rave reviews. It’s a well-planned facility with lots of parking, a lengthy drop-off zone and, yes, free baggage carts.

Back to Travel Editor Jim Byers for a look at what's happening with the big oil spill.

You gotta feel for folks down in New Orleans and people who live in and around the Gulf of Mexico.

They were just getting over the pain and destruction of Hurricane Katrina, and now they get whacked upside the head by the folks at British Petroleum. We all know, of course, about the oil well explosion that has sent clouds of grade--A gunk into the waters that many folks depend on to make their living.

It won't physically damage the city of New Orleans itself, you'd think. But anything that harms the regional economy will almost certainly hurt tourism, as it's hard to spend a weekend in the Big Easy if you can't put your shrimp boat out in the water and make a living.

So far, the impact has been minimal. Cruise ships say they might have to do a bit of rerouting in the gulf, but it doesn't sound particularly difficult for ships coming and going in the region.

A Carnival Cruise Lines spokeswoman told Cruise Critic that "captains navigating our ships sailing from Mobile and New Orleans may opt to deviate course slightly to sail around the affected area. However, we do not anticipate any changes to the scheduled itineraries and associated ports of call as a result."

BP officials have said they'll pay for the clean-up. No kidding. They probably didn't mean that they'll pay for it with bad public relations, but I'd hate to own any of their stock let's put it that way. More to the point is, sure, maybe they'll pay for the oil clean-up itself. But are they going to pay that shrimper in Biloxi who's out of work? What about the folks running kayak tours of the bayou? And what about the guy at Cafe Du Monde, home of the legendary beignets, who loses his job because the customers they rely on from the Gulf states can't afford a trip?

Yeah, they're not paying for that.

Like I said, you have to feel for the people of the area. I keep expecting to hear that a plague of locusts is headed for the French Quarter, or perhaps the ash cloud from Iceland will suddenly descend upon Lake Pontchartrain.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson today said the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could be an environmental and economic disaster for Florida because the state's tourism industry depends on having the beautiful beaches.

"We have an ecological and environmental disaster in the making," he said, adding that people in Florida's panhandle are panicked.

They have every reason to be.

Meanwhile, the smart folks at Visit Florida have set up a couple websites for people looking for information:

Here are two links to key websites you may wish to follow directly:

www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/

www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

MEANWHILE, OVER IN GREECE

It's good for the Greek economy that the powers that be in Europe are helping the Greeks with their massive debt. The p.r. fallout from the strikes and protests in the street can't be helping things, but I kinda doubt anyone who's headed for Mykonos or Santorini (see photo) will care.

A friend of mine from Athens told me some friends were trying to travel to the Greek islands on May 1 but couldn't find a place as all the rooms were taken. (On all islands, I suspect not, but at least on the ones they wanted). He told me the Ministry of Tourism predicts larger numbers than last year and that he suspects prices will be down because a lot of folks will have less disposable income.

Which could mean it'll be a great summer to take that cruise of the Greek islands, or just find a cozy place to drink Mythos and nibble on olives at the beach. They sell Mythos at the LCBO on occasion, and it's terrific beer. Reminds me of hanging out in Athens for the 2004 Olympics, which were a ton of fun.

I've sadly only been to two Greek islands. I stopped in Paros for a day and a bit in, oh, 1989 or so. And I had a few hours in Hydra the day afer the Olympics ended six years ago.

Paros was great; I had a small but just fine place right by the water and a lovely beach was maybe 20 minutes away. I remember some lovely, 20-something girls stripping down to their birthday suits and rubbing suntan oil all over themselves. It happened 21 years ago and it's an image I still can't shake from my head, not that I've tried. I rented a moped and went all over the island. As I recall, I had problems with my camera and stopped in a small shop in town and the owner kindly fixed it for me on the spot.

Hydra wasn't as colourful as Paros, but it was good and easily reached from Athens by hydrofoil and we had wonderful, fresh yogurt with honey at breakfast at a place overlooking the sea, and then tremendous, fresh octopus for lunch at a small, sidewalk cafe in the main town. If you're ever in Athens and have only a day to get out of town, I strongly recommend Hydra for a quick getaway.

 

 

 

Durban, S.A. in transition as new airport opens near wealthy suburban areas

Star Travel writer Adrian Brijbassi continues his South African adventure, checking out preparations for the World Cup. Today he looks at the air transportation situation and Durban's new airport.

Adrian Brijbassi

Toronto Star

UHMLANGA, South Africa – I flew into Durban at 7 p.m. local time on Friday and three hours later the last flight into the airport touched the tarmac. Minutes afterwards, a curtain came down in the lobby and desks and trolleys were removed.

The King Shaka International airport opened Saturday with South African Airways flight A340-600 making the first arrival at 6:30 a.m. from Johannesburg. The $950-million facility replaces Durban International, which served South Africa’s second largest city for 55 years. King Shaka International is located north of the city’s core; Durban International was to the south.

Durban sits on the Indian Ocean, a warm blue expanse of water that stretches island-free to the horizon. The sand is golden brown, the vegetation is green, the temperature is 25 Celsius and it’s late fall here. It’s one of the more beautiful settings you can see, but on land the story is different.

Crime is high and there are stretches within the city where you’re advised to stay clear of. One reason the airport was located north, in the area called La Mercy, is because that’s where many of the wealthy and middle-class in this part of KwaZulu-Natal province live.

One of the safer areas is Uhmlanga (pronounced Ooom-schlang-uh). It is like a ritzy California suburb, with large houses painted in sunny colours and situated on small hills that slope down to the ocean. It’s got a hopping nightlife scene on Chartwell Drive, which will be closed during the 2010 World Cup to create the atmosphere of a street party.

More than 70 bed and breakfasts are in Uhmlanga. I’m at Tega Tata Lodge, owned by a former South African rugby player. It’s a six-room B&B that has openings for most days during the World Cup, which runs from June 11-July 11. Property manager Monica Blomefield is a wonderful host with a sunny personality who took the time to show me around Durban and Uhmlanga. On a hot day with the ocean breeze blowing in off the water, it was easy to see why people rave about the potential of this area.

The biggest draw to Uhmlanga is the Gateway Theatre of Shopping, marketed as the largest mall in the Southern Hemisphere. Yorkdale Mall has nothing on this place. Gateway features 380 stores, loads of restaurants and a massive cinema complex. There’s also a mountain-climbing area, an indoor soccer stadium, hotels and a fashion institute. More than 1.8 million visited the mall last year.

During the World Cup, a shuttle service will take ticketholders to new Moses Mabhida Stadium and back. There are Park & Ride facilities at Gateway.

Moses Mabhida Stadium will host some key matches in the World Cup, including a semifinal game. Along with having the largest non-resident Indian population in the world, Durban also has a large Portuguese community. That’s one reason the game of the Group Stage was slated for Moses Mabhida Stadium. Brazil will face Portugal on June 25 in a match that could determine which of the two soccer powers – both are in the top five of the world rankings – advances to the Round of 16.

It is already among the hottest sports tickets in the world.

Terror and exhilaration on a South African night safari

Star Travel writer Adrian Brijbassi continues his exploration of South Africa in advance of the World Cup, which starts June 11. Today he takes a bit of a sidetrack to check out some African wildlife, as many visitors to the World Cup no doubt hope to do.

 

Adrian Brijbassi

Toronto Star

 

SABI SANDS RESERVE, GREATER KRUGER PARK, South Africa – It’s night in the jungle. Night means night here. No glow from a lamp on Yonge Street or the neon digits of a microwave or alarm clock. Your eyes adjust from black to black.

We’ve been in this position for a half an hour, long enough for the light to disappear and mayhem to creep close. To the left, rhinos lurk. Before the dark blanketed the plains of switchgrass and acacia trees, we had seen two of them knocking horns, a sign of aggression that would make any tourist uneasy. Behind us elephants stand and grumble: a six pack of them who could stampede over our Land Rover if they felt the urge. Ahead, a herd of wildebeest grazes unaware of what predator stares from beneath the tall reeds and bush. Directly to our right, is a stark-still impala who seems to know what we know: That somewhere close a pride of lions caterpillars toward this scene.

 

It’s been an hour since we first spotted the jungle kings. Our ranger, Brett du Bois of the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, could tell they were on the hunt. Their posture gave it away: the slow swivel of the neck; the head butts exchanged between the group’s lead hunter and her followers. Then the slow, stealthy walk toward the wildebeest.

 

Brett moved us into position, settling the Land Rover in the middle of the action. When the sun’s glow was present and you could see all around you, Africa kept you riveted with nature that’s as primordial as it gets. But when the dark came and you were told to shut up (so the ranger could hear the sounds out there) and not move (in case we spooked the nocturnal animals that can see us), the realization that you are in a place nowhere at all like the Toronto Zoo strikes you hard.

 

You go to a zoo to see animals. You come to a safari to see animals fight to survive.

 

Terror is finding yourself parked in an open plain encircled by wild animals that can see in the dark and must kill every day to live. You have no vision except for when the tracker flashes a spotlight so Brett can see what’s happened in the last few minutes. Call it the “Blair Witch Project: South Africa.”

 

Amid the grumbles of the beast, the crackle of crickets and our own breaths, Moses the tracker hears something that makes him throw a burst from the spotlight he holds. In that blink, Brett’s eyes catch sight of a movement — a twitch or a gallop, or any motion in between — that makes him say, “Okay, something’s going to get killed tonight.”

 

Your hand grips the rail of the uncovered Land Rover and your heart smacks your lungs with the beat of a tribal drum as you wonder to whose death he refers.

 

The lions start. They leap forward and you can follow them because their eyes, which were merely glints like fireflies moments ago, have become lanterns. Chasing toward the herd, they vault over fallen branches and bushes as they speed toward a potential feast. Forget the World Cup, you think, this is the game humans should be coming to South Africa to see.

 

A wildebeest fires a snort, a warning sound for him and his brothers to flee for tomorrow. The impala spots the lions and runs too. The rhinos and elephants are still in the dark, left behind by the Land Rover as Brett puts it in gear and rumbles ahead over terrain as unsteady as everyone’s nerves. Our safari group of six, all from big cities, hangs on as we keep pace with the chase.

 

The only witness I can see is a full moon, too far away to help should any creature need it on this African night.

 

 

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.