My Cape Town

I’m ridiculously overexcited to be able to announce the launch of the all-new, all-singing and all-dancing version of the Cape Concierge website.  It’s been nearly a year now since Neill and I set up Cape Concierge and throughout that time we have been assessing what it is that you, our lovely clients, want from a Cape Town-based agent. 

The first, interestingly, is an idea of the geography of the area and so we have based our new ‘Villas and Hotels’ section on some rather groovy aerial photos of the Cape, with close-up photos of the areas we recommend.  The relative positions of the accommodation we recommend are clearly shown, and clicking on the appropriate icons will give you a whole load of information about each property as well as lots of tantalising photos.  We have also included some links to places of interest in the vicinity, and have endeavoured to summarize the overall character and attractions of each area.

Our ‘Things to Do’ page focuses on those activities that we believe make a holiday particularly memorable.  Some of the original ones are still there – flying a fighter jet or gliding across the winelands in a hot air balloon for example – but they have been supplemented by such treats as 4x4 guided trips or an exquisite dinner in the home of SA’s most charming hosts. There are of course myriads of things to do in Cape Town, but run your eye down our list and my bet is you’ll be salivating by the end.

When to come is always a dilemma, so we have included a page with seasonal details, weather statistics and a general overview of annual events, as well as a page on car hire with what we reckon are pretty unbeatable rates.

But needless to say you’ll want to check it out for yourself!  Do let us know what you think.  As always we value your feedback.

daisy@capeconcierge.co.za

www.capeconcierge.co.za

Kgalagadi Black-maned Lions Wilderness Expedition

7 DAYS - 6 PLACES AVAILABLE...

A Pinch of SALT

The Southern African Large Telescope is at the cutting edge of space research.  Powerful enough to see a candle flame at the distance of the moon, the facility will be able to access a whopping 70% of the sky. The following is an edited version of an article I came across on www.southafrica.net.

There is a place where nothing happens. Or so it seems. For this place, called Sutherland, is etching South Africa's name in the universe and decoding secrets about the beginning of time.

The source of these unveiled secrets is a silver dome on a hilltop on the outskirts of a secluded hamlet in the Karoo Highlands of the Northern Cape.

Known as SALT (Southern African Large Telescope) the dome and its giant spider-like contents comprise the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere, with the power to change the understanding of life as we know it.

"SALT will position South Africa at the forefront of 21st century astronomical research," says South African astrophysicist Thebe Medupe. It will be able to look back 13-billion light years in time and tackle unsolved questions about the universe and our place in it.

Astrophysicists around the world believe the information gathered from SALT may trigger a revolution more dramatic than the leap from Newtonian to quantum physics.

The reason SALT is in Sutherland is because it is one of a handful of locations in the world that is ideal for stargazing. Its remoteness, high elevation (2 000 metres) the cold and the absence of pollution deliver clear, cloudless skies.

So clear that even with the naked eye, Sutherland's night sky is a spreadsheet of stars. Here the human imagination can soar between spiral galaxies and gamma-ray-bursts towards the dark ages of our universe, before the first galaxies were born.
 
From the Matjesfontein turnoff it's a one-hour drive to Sutherland, winding ever-upwards through the Karoo Highlands towards the star place on the edge of time.

Driving into town, at first glance it appears as if nothing happens here. A couple of fellows are hanging around the bottle store and a truck crammed with sheep is heaving down the main road.

But with SALT's inauguration in November this year, Sutherland is quietly astir.
 
SALT is due to open officially on November 10th, with tours available from 11th.  For more information, go to www.salt.ac.za.

Upcoming Events

NINTH CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL
26 September - 16 October
Top international comedians join their South African counterparts to deliver first-rate, drop-dead hilarious stand-up comedy.

SAA CAPE TOWN FLOWER SHOW
6 - 9 October
Africa's first truly international flower show - a chance to sample the breadth of the African floricultural industry in world-class facilities.

ICE REVUE FROM MOSCOW
22 - 23 October
Champion skaters show off their skills to a selection of favourite songs from musicals and legendary groups such as Queen and Abba.

THREE PEAKS CHALLENGE
5 November 
The annual commemoration of the feat of one C.W. Schneeberger who, in 1897, ascended Devil’s Peak, Table Mountain and Lion’s Head, returning each time to what was then the Johannesburg Hotel in Long Street, Cape Town. The 2005 event will be the ninth in its organized form.

CLASSIC AND WOODEN BOATS RALLY
5 - 7 November
A chance to view boats from another era.

DIANA ROSS IN CONCERT
11 November
The most successful female vocalist of all time (Guinness Book of Records) will perform a one-off concert in Cape Town in aid of some of South Africa's worthiest charities including The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

CAPE TOWN WORLD CINEMA FESTIVAL
11 - 20 November
A festival of world cinema with African film at its heart, which takes place at the same time as the annual Sithengi South African Film & Television Market.

RED BULL CAPE TOWN MAN
19 November
An extreme relay race in and around the city of Cape Town, incorporating speed kite surfing, mountain biking, mountain running and speed paragliding. Seventy teams from around the world will compete against each other over a pre-defined course that covers the natural and man-made elements of the city.

KIRSTENBOSCH SUMMER SUNSET CONCERTS
Every Sunday 26 November to 2 April 2006
A chance to drink wine and picnic in one of the most spectacular concert venues in South Africa, the stage framed by the backdrop of Table Mountain.
 
YSTERPLAAT OPEN DAY AND AIR SHOW
2 - 4 December
This air show regularly attracts thousands of enthusiastic visitors and is fast becoming one of Cape Town's show case events.

ALL- AFRICA OPEN PARAGLIDING CHAMPIONSHIPS
4 - 10 December
A rare opportunity for members of the public to see serious paraglider pilots competing at one of the world's best venues.

SIMONSBERG FINE WINE & FOOD FAIR
10 - 11 December
Celebrating its fifth year of success, the Simonsberg Fine Wine & Food Fair will present a December holiday weekend of gastronomic and vinous feasting.  

THE CAPE ARGUS SANLAM CYCLE TOUR
11 December
Cape Town’s second largest cycle tour offers a choice of 118km and 72km routes through the scenic winelands and wheat fields of Durbanville and the Swartland, and is also the final seeding event for the Cape Argus Pick & Pay Cycle Tour 2006.
Entries close on 20 November.

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT AT KIRSTENBOSCH
14 - 18 December 
 
GOLF - SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS OPEN
15 - 18 December
The Links at Fancourt has established itself as one of the toughest courses in the country and has hosted several major tournaments in recent years, including The Presidents Cup in 2003 and earlier this year, the inaugural Women's World Cup of Golf. 

MOTHER CITY QUEER COSTUME PARTY
17 December
First held in 1994, Cape Town's annual Mother City Queer Costume Party prides itself in bringing together all the various "queer tribes of Cape Town" for a grand summer bash.

GOOD HOPE FM / VODACOM CLIFTON BEACH CHALLENGE
18 December
Clifton’s trendy 4th Beach plays host once more to this challenge featuring strength, speed and fitness contests between celebrity Springbok rugby stars and the Clifton Beach lifesavers.

NEW YEAR'S EVE CONCERT AT KIRSTENBOSCH
31 December
'Under the Stars' with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra and 5000 picnickers. 

SIMON'S TOWN NEW YEAR'S PARTY
31 December
Music, food stalls, and loads of fun.

CAPE TOWN MINSTREL CARNIVAL
31 Dec - 2 January 2006 tbc
Cape Town’s biggest and most raucous carnival sees the city celebrating the advent of the New Year with numerous festivals, competitions and extravagant parades.

SHAKESPEARE AT MAYNARDVILLE OPEN-AIR THEATRE
9 January - 18 February 2006 tbc
An annual event, inspired by the productions in London's Regent Park. On warm summer evenings many theatre-goers begin the evening by picnicking in the park before the show begins.

CAPE FEST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
January 2006 tbc
A five-day musical celebration featuring 36 top South African and international bands performing at the beautiful Mnandi Beach Resort, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet and Table Mountain provides a dramatic backdrop.

J&B MET
28 January 2006 tbc
The Western Cape’s premier horse race.

UMOJA - The Spirit of Togetherness
7 - 19 February 2006
With a cast of 40 of South Africa's brightest and most versatile young performers, singers, dancers, drummers and marimba players this is a joyous celebration of dynamic talent, thrilling energy, great voices and sensual dancing sweeping across the bright and vibrant South African traditional musical landscape.

AQUA OPERA
9 - 11 February 2006
This annual floating opera spectacle features the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, a massed choir and some of Cape Town’s hottest vocal talent and rising opera stars.

CAPE TOWN PRIDE
17 - 26 February 2006 tbc
Nelson Mandela’s new constitution, when he swept away Apartheid and ushered in South African democracy in 1994, included the all important "freedom of sexual orientation" clause.  This 10 day celebration is considered Africa’s Mardi Gras.

ONE DAY INTERNATIONAL: SOUTH AFRICA v AUSTRALIA
3 March 2006
South Africa take on Australia at Newlands in Cape Town in the second ODI match of the Australian cricket tour to South Africa.

5 DAY TEST MATCH: SOUTH AFRICA v AUSTRALIA
16-20 March 2006
South Africa take on Australia at Newlands in Cape Town in the first Test match of the Australian cricket tour.