Cape Town South Africa

This weekend the skies above Cape Town-based Ysterplaat Air Force Base will be abuzz as hundreds of pilots take off to display and show off their aerobatics skills during a spectacular air show.

It all forms part of Africa’s Aerospace and Defence 2008 (AAD 2008) Exhibition. Although the Exhibition kicked off on Wednesday already, the event will only be open to the general public tomorrow and Sunday.

Thousands of foreign delegates and exhibitors from over 30 countries, including all the major suppliers of civil and military aerospace, defence and security equipment to the government - such as arms manufacturers and national defence departments – are exhibiting at the show.

More than 90, 000 people are expected to flood to the event to view the air show and the exhibitions featuring the state-of-the-art helicopters that were recently acquired by the South African Department of Defence. The helicopters include Gripen, Hawk, Agusta A109 and the South African Navy’s ship-borne Super Lynx helicopters, as well as the Rooivalk and Oryx.

Since so many people are expected to attend, the City of Cape Town’s traffic department has warned motorists to expect heavily congested traffic, particularly on the M5 (especially from the Southern Suburbs), N1 and Koeberg Road. Those not attending the air show are warned to avoid those roads.

Attendees will be able to avoid long queues by purchasing pre-paid tickets from all Cape Town Tourism and National Sea Rescue Institute offices.

For more information about routes and parking, visit www.aadexpo.co.za

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Mother City fans of beloved Belgian crooner Helmut Lotti are in for a treat.

On Sunday, 2 November 2008, at 18h00, the singer will bring his latest concert, Time to Swing, to Sun International’s Grand West Casino (at the Grand Arena) in Goodwood for a special, one-night-only performance.

This visit to Cape Town will only be his second in ten years and comes in response to many requests.

The first half of the two-hour-plus concert will feature songs from his latest swinging CD and will feature standards like Fly Me to the Moon, Bad Bad Leroy Brown, Mack the Knife and That’s Life.

The second set will be devoted to a selection of some of Lotti’s best loved renditions of other classic songs spanning various musical genres. That set will also apparently include Lotti’s masterful tribute to Elvis Presley.

Since this show promises to undoubtedly enjoy the same sell-out success as all his other South African shows over the years, fans are urged to book their tickets now through either www.computicket.com or by calling 083 915 8000.

Most savvy, self-respecting travellers recoil with horror from travel itineraries containing phrases such as ‘must-see-tourist destination’.

Like rebel explorers, they tend to veer off the well-worn beaten track, striking out on their own in search of an authentic local experience.

However, sometimes it does pay to take the touristy, scenic road, since that is exactly the path that will lead you to the most hidden local treasures.

One such well worthwhile tourist track is the fabled Cape Route 62. Meandering for 850km through South Africa’s mountainous Western and Eastern Cape provinces, R62 is a historic link between Cape Town, Oudtshoorn, the Garden Route and Port Elizabeth, offering travellers remarkable beauty and excellent facilities. R62 also holds the distinction of forming part of the longest wine route in the Western Cape, and possibly the world.

Connoisseurs are in for another treat, because R62 also plays home to a Brandy Route – only the second of these routes to be launched in South Africa by the SA Brandy Foundation. The R62 Brandy Route aims to introduce the broader public and travellers to the region’s deep history of brandy distillation, offering a taste of the many superb brandies that can be found there.

Although it offers the shorter, and far more scenic alternative to the N2 highway, the drive takes somewhat longer since it boasts and winds through numerous mountain passes (which is why it is also commonly known as the Mountain Route). Hugging the jagged rock edges of the mountains to one side, with plunging cliffs falling away from the road on the other side, and peppered with harrowing hairpin turns, the mountain passes demand even the most skilled drivers to slow down.

But traversing the twists and turns of those nerve-wracking passes is not the only reason why the drive could potentially take considerably longer. Providing easy access to some of South Africa’s most historic and charming small towns, R62 constantly seduces even the most hurried travellers to take temptingly irresistible detours of lingering exploration and discovery.

Weary travellers seeking a restful respite from the road can soak in some of the region’s hot-springs. The more restless and energetic of travellers won’t be disappointed either. R62 offers ample opportunity to stimulate the adrenalin glands with various hiking trails, safaris, mountain climbing, 4x4 routes, canoeing, horse riding, ostrich riding, fishing and caving.

As the Route’s own website promises: “The ever changing colours of the majestic mountains, scenic passes, rivers, vineyards and orchards, as well as the multitude of attractions, will offer [the traveller] an unforgettable adventure - whether this is in the physical sense or simply a kaleidoscope of scenic tranquility.”