28/09 :: Walk on the “Wilds”side – Joburg’s Central Park?
UPDATE!! We went along on one of these walks a couple of weeks ago – we’re pretty brave, independent people so for us in a sense it’s a pity that one has to go in a big group but the bonus is that you can find out all about the history, the stories and the birdlife from the guides! It’s a mind-blowing place and we were delighted to see some magic hidden corners that no-one knows about. …The views of the city are outstanding. Go on the group walk. It’s worth it. But then make sure to go back yourself (in a small group!) UPDATE! A walk in The Wilds this Sunday August 28 2005. The coral trees are ablaze, the bottle brush is a vivid red, the African daisies are painting the ground with orange and gold. Spring is here early, but there is still one last official winter walk in The Wilds in Houghton/Killarney/Parktown this Sunday (August 28) at 8:30am. Secure parking at the end of St Patrick Rd cnr Houghton Drive (M31S). Children and dogs (with leads) are welcome. Good walking shoes. Donations. Tel TJ 082 554 9972, or see www.wildswalk.co.za for details. ——————————————————– UPDATE! August 9th walk. There’s a walk this Woman’s day to check out the rich winter colours of the park. Join a group walk (approx hour and half) on Tuesday, August 9 at 09:00. Come and see the winter colours in The Wilds in Houghton/Killarney/Parktown. Secure parking at the end of St Patrick Rd cnr Houghton Drive (M31S). Children and dogs (with leads) are welcome. Good walking shoes and a water bottle. Donations welcome. *********************************************** The one criticism about living in Joburg that I can agree to without vehement debate is the fact that Joburgers DO NOT WALK ENOUGH… in fact some Joburgers DO NOT WALK AT ALL. Well, there’s a great big urban space filled with indigenous plants and flowers and trees and amazing nature…so close to the city, Hillbrow and Yeoville – THE WILDS. And you can do a walk around them every second Sunday as part of the thousands of people that are taking back the WILDS. Let’s make the Wilds our Central Park.: TJ de Klerk is someone that’s very passionate about the area known as “The Wilds” in Joburg -it’s that tree-filled greenbelt next to the M1South (Harrow rd/houghton turnoff) that borders on the glorious old suburbs of Killarney, Parktown and Houghton. Since March this year he has been encouraging Joburgers to walk through the beautiful 18 hectares of The Wilds every second Sunday morning. You can get amazing views of Hillbrow and the Northern Suburbs and...
BLOOM 01 – Oh what a Spring night!
CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS If you were lucky enough to get invited to the underground event BLOOM 01 that took place at Nino’s in the city, you must have had a sore head on Saturday morning. This event rocked. BLOOM 01 is the start of a series of events with a very serious aim – they want to g…et people into the city at night for after-work drinks. The first session took place at NINO’s in the gorgeous Hollard Square… with smooth sounds, a diverse range of people and great vibes. NINO’s must have one of the best locations in the city. It is surely THE PLACE to be this spr/ummer…. especially on Friday nights! BLOOM 01 is a viral event, with a small group of city-slicking friends that emailed their friends that emailed theirs…And they intend for it to continue to grow organically. As the flyer said – it’s not a party, it’s not a jol – it’s good Joburg people getting together in the sexy city for after-work drinks…. That may have held true – with the tables over-flowing with people chatting and networking… and flirting… but by midnight when there was not a bum in a seat – it was definitely one sexy party in the city. Looking around at everybody dancing in the lap of the city centre at 1am, one could just imagine how awesome the city centre will be when we’re there every night getting down and dirty. If you would like to hear about future Bloom events, email that devious Editorista. Nice one Sista’s! Stunning flyer by the...
Review: Cell C Sounds in Durban
Durban D-Va went along to the Durban Cell C Sounds of the City party – sounds like the party hit it’s target – letting people know just who Durban’s musical legends are… Good on you Cell C for helping us cross the cultural musical divide…. I’m reclining on an oversized white, fluffy couch-like shape, eating strawberries from a never-ending supply and drinking as many G&T…s as I like, while I watch the crowds milling about down below& Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I see a familiar face surrounded by white light. Flash to reality: The familiar face is Randall Abrahams and he is surrounded by the SABC TV crew who are interviewing him. This is clearly NOT heaven, it is in fact the VIP lounge at the Cell C (in association with Edgars) Sound of the City Durban gig. The concept behind the Cell C concerts is in keeping with the Cell C brand: celebrate South Africa’s urban creative spirit in a genre-blending concert that pays tribute to the music that generates from and encapsulates the city in question. (And, since all proceeds go to music-related development projects, this is a good way for Cell C and Edgars to spend their CSR budget.) All the media hype had me revved up to see what Durban might sound like, especially since the line-up included maskanda, rockabilly, mbaqanga, kwaito and rock, with musicians ranging in age from their late-teens to their sixties, all said to be woven seamlessly into one show by DJs Sox and Tira. The venue, part of Durban’s ICC, was perfect; large enough to give a sense of space, small enough to get close to the stage, and well laid out. The 20-metre LED backdrop screen and Cell C red-and-white theme completed the picture. Unfortunately, the turnout was obviously less than expected. Of the apparantly 2 000 tickets on sale to the public, it looked like a crowd of roughly 1 000 turned up. Perhaps the R70 ticket price was a little steep for people earning Durban salaries… But the view from the top was getting a little stale, so we headed down to the stage to get amongst the crowd… First up was Phuzekemisi. As I hang my head in shame, I must admit I never knew about this “wandering minstrel” (I know… it’s appalling). But by the time I actually heard his music I’d read enough to feel tremendous admiration for him. This is a man who spoke for the people during KZN’s turbulent 90’s, a man who got into trouble with chiefs and politicians alike for raising controversial community issues through...
Review: TAPDOGS – sounds like it’s worth it!
UPDATE – Megs went to see the show – It’s not often that I head south unless I’m flying somewhere, so it felt weird heading towards the airport last night and not hopping on a plane. I was off to see the show TAP DOGS at Emperor’s Palace and actually quite looking forward to it because secretly I spent much of my youth tap-dancing my parents to past crazy point. I would tap i…n the shower, tap under the dinner table, tap on the kitchen floor whilst my mom was preparing dinner and well it’s certainly not for anyone that can’t handle some hectic noise levels. It really is a great outlet for someone who gets a cathartic boost from creating chaos and cacophony wherever they go. And I imagine that the performers in the show were once a handful of youths eager to vent their excess energy by doing just that. The show was about 2 hours long but it certainly didn’t feel like a 2-hour stint in a hard chair. The ‘tappers’ (which is how I prefer to refer to them as it seems wrong to refer to such burly men as ‘tap dancers’) appeared in character as a group of construction workers and all the sets were steel beams and scaffolding. They appeared comfortable in this environment – probably inspired by real life. They gave a whole new slant on what can be done on a construction site in jeans, t-shirts and Blundstones (the popular Ozzie boot which makes them recongisable anywhere in the world). The show in my opinion was very creative and entertaining! Their tap boots (not shoes) weren’t the only things synchronised to the beat as they used lighting, gumboots on water, basketballs, microphones strapped to legs and even welders. The effects were suprising and unique. I loved it – the person that came with me just liked it! I guess I liked the speed, it’s distinctiveness, their humour (lets face it – you have to be able to laugh at yourself if you as an Ozzie are facing a South African audience who only days before thrashed you in the tri-nations), the masculinity, the noise, their casual unaffectedness and their cute butts in jeans (am I allowed to say that?). And they appeared to be enjoying it as much as the audience were – the tap that is, although I got the impression they quite like their butts in jeans too. It was a pity about the lady sitting in front of me wearing the mile-high turban and my recommendation is that if you’re lucky enough to get seats in the front...
LET DOWN: Global African HIP-HOP concert
CLICK HERE FOR PICS OF THE GLOBAL AFRICAN HIP-HOP CONCERT We were so excited about the Hip-Hop summit afterparty that we recruited a whole bunch of party people to come along with us. So when you read our criticisms of this event, know that the words emanate from a whole bunch of people with different …levels of expectations, taste and tolerance. We were very disappointed at the organisation of the event. You guys could have done better than that – seems like the logistics let down what could have been a great night. But that said, we still enjoyed ourselves. Here it is from the mouths of babes: “Do you think if we walk a bit further we’ll hit the Mandela Bridge” “My feet are killing me and we haven’t even found an entry that us plebs can go in yet!” “What happens if you didn’t buy your tickets beforehand? There’s no ‘box pffice’ or welcome desk or anything.” “Why is there this huge fence?” “Imagine how hard it is going to be to get out of here.” “Is someone taking note of the route we are taking to get in this place so we can find out way back to the car?” “You have to be kidding me.” “Should we just go home?” “Thank God.” “Nice stage! So good to be outside in the city air.” “Sorry do you know where the bar is?” “Who’s this on stage?” Who?” “How come Skwatta Kamp aren’t here if we’re representing on a global scale?” “I am so bored” “I am so thirsty” “i am so hungry” “Is that Prokid or Proverb?” “He rocks” “Proverb is incredible…” “I walked all around and I think the only place to get drinks is down there inside the Bassline. There’s no food on sale either” “Damn” “This feels like a seriously third world event” “Kind of empty hey” “They couldn’t have marketed very well if there’s only about 200 people here at 8:30pm” “I only heard about it today” “Ok shut up Breeze, you suck” “I think Breeze’s album just lost a whole lot of potential buyers” “Have they not heard of music in between acts – what is this babble?” “WHO is that chick and when is she going away?” “Quick changeover time, almost quicker than the bands themselves” “Let’s get out of here, I don’t think I can hide my drink in my jacket one more time” {in the bassline} “Do you think that barman sitting checking his sms’s while we stand and wait for drinks is the ‘baas’, because there’s a q and he doesn’t seem to care” “The savannahs are...
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