Continuing Mandela's legacy!

I was still in bed on Monday morning when I heard the sad news of former president, Nelson Mandela’s passing. Most of you probably read it on Twitter or Facebook, or heard the news from family or friends. Upon hearing of his death, I felt as though one of my own family members had passed away. I am just one of millions of South African’s, who never got the chance to meet this wonderful man. 

The good he did for our country and his kind heart, filled with positivity about our future, has inspired many of us in so many different ways. Mandela’s memorial service was held at the FNB Stadium in Soweto today. The memorial left millions of people glued to their screens as international leaders, high profile global figures and celebrities, joined 95, 000 South Africans to celebrate the life of such a remarkable man. The president of the United States, Barack Obama addressed the memorial for former president, Nelson Mandela. The emotive speech left the stadium cheering and left me feeling proud to be a South African. 

As Obama mentioned, our country still has a long road ahead of us, there is still injustice, violence and hatred towards others of different races and religions. All I can hope for is that as a nation we unite as one, to honour the man who never gave up on freedom and democracy. If one man can change a country and even the world, imagine what we can do together. So for just one minute, take the time to reflect upon how you can be the change you want to see in this beautiful country of ours. Mandela once said: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”  

Understanding China Travel Services South Africa as a brand.

Very few South Africans have heard of China Travel Services South Africa (Pty) LTD or  (CTSSA), so I thought I would give a quick rundown of the company. CTSSA was established in 1991,  by Dabing Chen, who has a passion for travel and culture. His vision was to bring small groups to experience exclusive and cultural tours of South Africa. He wished to step away from the commercial, bulk group tours that tourists are accustomed to. Since then CTSSA has grown tremendously with offices in Cape Town, Cameroon, Uganda, Wuhan, Beijing and Shenzen in China.

Our name has in the past created confusion for people, who often think we only deal with travel to Asia. We do deal with clients from China/Asia who wish to travel to South Africa,  but we also assist clients who want to travel to China. However, we are not only limited to this type of service, we also offer local travel packages, including flights, accommodation, transport and any other additional services.

We are committed to making travelling as easy and stress free as possible for our clients. Our travel team consists of young professionals, who are constantly thinking of new ways to market CTSSA. We may not be a big company with a well known name, but we do offer the best service and value for money. So whether you want to travel Overseas or just to Hermanus, our team promises an unforgettable experience.

Visit our website for more information.

South Africa: The good, the bad and the ugly of 2013.

2013 has been quite a year and somehow it seems to have gone by in a flash. Yesterday felt like January to me. There have been so many ups and downs this year for South Africans. However I like to think we are resilient people, who have big hearts and have learnt valuable life lessons.

Our beloved former President Nelson Mandela became gravely ill and spent months in and out of hospital. As South African’s we all prayed he would recover and return home. Although he is now unable to speak and very weak, he is home surrounded by his family.

We heard tragic news about our Olympic sports hero, Oscar Pistorius who allegedly shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. South Africans all have varying opinions of his guilt. His much awaited trial will resume in March next year.

Violence against women and children has been on the rise, with South African’s reeling in shock of the rape of a six week old baby. The end of November and early December is the month to raise awareness against this kind of violence, with the 16 days of activism campaign.You can show support by wearing a white ribbon as it symbolises peace. Look at the website for more ways to help end the violence-16 days of activism.

Gautengers have had to fight against the dreaded e-tolls, which were put into effect yesterday. The increase in petrol price has not helped the situation. Many people are refusing to buy e-toll tags, even though the ANC is promising discounted rates and other benefits to those who register.

South Africans have spent so much time and energy on un-marketing Rhino Horns abroad. Much awareness has been raised about poaching these majestic creatures. The international ban on rhino trade however has not been enough of a deterrent. A solution for the poaching and near extinction of the rhino has been to inject the horn with poison, this does not affect the rhino but anyone who drinks the ground up horn will become gravely ill. We continue to fight the battle against poaching and many South Africans have become involved in projects like #iam4rhinos on social media platforms.  

Cape Town has been voted by the Telegraph Travel Awards, as the favourite city in the world for 2013. We also have an exciting year ahead in 2014, as we take on the title of World Design Capital for 2014. South Africa will also celebrate twenty years of democracy and freedom next year. The much anticipated movie, Mandela Long walk to freedom has also just been released in cinemas this week. It comes at such a fitting time for us as South Africans; to not only reflect on our turbulent past but to look at how far, we as a country have come since apartheid. May 2014, be a year of peace, happiness and personal growth for everyone.

What historic events in South Africa, good or bad stand out for you in 2013?

What to do in Cape Town this weekend!

It’s downhill to the weekend from here, so if you have no plans check out these cool things to do in Cape Town.

The Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne festival.

 If you are champagne drinker then this bubbly festival is the perfect weekend treat for you. Tickets for the festival can be purchased via webticket.co.za and cost R200 per person. This includes a tasting glass and tasting coupons.  Gates are open from 12-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

The Da Vinci Genius Exhibition at the V&A Waterfront.

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday you can learn about Leonardo Da Vinci, a master painter,

sculptor, mathematician, writer and anatomist. Pascal Cotte, a scientific engineer also reveals

secrets about the Mona Lisa. You can buy tickets at webtickets.co.za and they cost R140. The

museum is open every day from nine am to nine pm.

The Dave Matthews Band Concert.

The Dave Matthews Band will be touring South Africa for the first time. Their first performance will be in Cape Town this Saturday and Sunday night at Grand West arena. They will also be performing in Johannesburg at the Coca Cola Velodrome on the 3^rd of December. There are still some tickets available at bigconcerts.com or Computicket. 

 

Bubbly anyone?

Dave Matthews himself. 

Mona Lisa with her perfect smile. 

Foreigners recommend township tours!

As South Africans few of us have actually been to the townships, where the large majority of our population lives. The 2010 Fifa World Cup, made township tours popular with tourists and according to Solomon’s article Foreigners loving SA’s township tours, 'seventy-three percent of tourists felt safe on a township tour, eight percent said they felt unsafe and 19 percent were neutral. Eighty- three percent would recommend a township tour to other and 41 percent said they would be willing to spend a night in a township.’

Township tourism is said to be growing steadily, despite a bad rap about violence and crime. The South African townships were placed in a negative light, after the murder of Anni Dewani in 2010 and the recent mob justice killings, particularly in the Western Cape. Despite the perception of crime and violence, international tourists still find the township tours uplifting and recommend it highly to others.This type of tourism will hopefully continue to grow, as it offers fantastic opportunities for those looking to make a living. 

Airlines celebrate Movember!

Many men around the world are participating in Movember, in the hope to draw attention to men's health issues. However it's not only men who are supporting this cause, but airlines too. 

Last year several airlines decided to take the Mo to the sky in November and get on board to show their support.This year the tradition has continued, with various aeroplanes from British Airways, Qantas, Virgin America and Brussels Airlines, all sporting fun moustaches. 

Many of the male staff, particularly those with British Airways are also growing out their facial hair. British Airways are even offering prizes to those that donate money and  pose with the giant moustache figure in the London. To win spot prizes you must  add your photos to social media and hashtag it . Happy Movember all and remember if you are growing a moustache, even if it is just to horrify your girlfriend, make sure you are at the very least donating to the cause!

It's hard to tell whose Moustache is the winner. 

Virgin Airlines supports the cause.

It's the weekend baby!

The weekend is finally here and if you're stuck for things to do, check out this list of great activities.

For the fit and adventurous-  The Colour me Crazy Run:

If you didn’t make it to the Holi One festival  this year or the colour run last weekend and you are suffering from FOMO because of your friends epic paint bomb effect photos on facebook , now’s your chance. This Saturday, the Colour Me Crazy Run and colour festival will take place at the West Coast Ostrich Ranch. Live bands such as Locnville, Goodluck and Roger Goode will all be performing. The 5-km run is for all ages and all fitness levels. All you need to do is where white and bring protection for your eyes. You can purchase tickets via quicknet.co.za and costs R290 a person. Colour packets can be bought at the venue.

 For the Foodies- The Secret Festival at Spier:

Indulge in good food and wine at the Spier secret festival in Stellenbosch, on Friday and Saturday. Master chefs spill their best kept secrets, family recipes and discuss farming. This not to miss event explores the latest trends in the culinary sphere and honours South Africa’s best wine the Chenin Blanc. If you can’t attend the food seminar on the Friday by top chefs, you can enjoy the secret market on Saturday from nine until three.

For the die hard Rugby Fans:

The Currie Cup is played between August and October and is South Africa's foremost provincial rugby competition and the oldest of its kind in the world, it was first played in 1889. The Sharks take on Western Province at five pm at Newlands Stadium. Tickets are unfortunately all sold out, so if you're heading to a pub or bar, especially in the Newlands area, get there early to avoid disappointment. 

For the art lovers:

Head to Casa Labia in Muizenberg to see the Irma Stern Exhibition By The Sea. The exhibition includes several studies from her first trip to Madeira in 1931. Cate Wood Hunter, the curator describes this exhibition as a ‘contemporary group exhibition featuring seascapes in a variety of mediums that supersede the representation of the sea, beach or harbour as a picturesque scene: but pose questions as to how we see, explore, experience and disrupt this fragile environment.'  The By the Sea Exhibition  is on until the 24^th November from Tuesday to Sunday, 10h00-1600.

Add a bit of colour to your life this weekend with the Colour Run.

Indulge in great food and wine at the Spier secret market.

Have a few beers and watch the Sharks take on Western Province.

Add a bit of culture to your life with the By The Sea Exhibition by Irma Stern.

WDC2014.

                                         

Cape Town has been nominated with the prestigious title of World Design Capital 2014. A variety of signature events are going to take place over the year, one of which is the Design Indaba. This takes place from the 28^th of February until the 2^nd of March next year. The expo which has been held at the CTICC for the past ten years, displays the best in local design. It is also described as a ‘dynamic platform for designers and creative businesses to showcase their wares and market themselves to the general public, as well as industry buyers.’

The Design Indaba is even offering a new idea whereby exhibitors who wish to unveil a design

concept, can do so with the presence of thousands of visitors. The ‘First Editions’ will be

displayed in a high visibility area, which will mean that designers don’t necessarily need a 

stand, lighting and other costly items. The design can be from any sector but must be new and 

unique, participants will also need to go through an online curation process. 

Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Marketing, Councillor Grant 

Pascoe reminds us that “design is not just about pretty things. Rather, it can fundamentally 

change the way people live in this city, and can address the challenges we have in a 

sustainable and innovative way.” Cape Town has been given a wonderful opportunity to apply 

creative design innovations which can confront our challenges as a city.

Travel the Louis Vuitton way!

We all want to travel in style but can't necessarily afford one of Louis Vuitton’s luxury travel bags.  Fortunately we can learn how to travel and explore cities in style, with the Louis Vuitton City Guide 2014. 

This year Cape Town is featured in one of the stylish colourful guides, amongst 14 other exciting cities namely, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Moscow, New York, Paris, Beijing ,Sao Paulo, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo and Venice.

 Beezy Bailey, a well know Capetonian artist contributed to the  Cape Town guide and gave his own distinguished views on interesting hidden gems around the mother city. The brightly coloured city guides come in a specially crafted wooden case, which would impress your friends and look great on your coffee table. They will be available to purchase in November from local Louis Vuitton stores.

This year's special 15th anniversary edition includes Cape Town amongst other exciting cities.

World Food Day- October 16th!

How many times have you said to someone I’m starving or I haven’t eaten all day, unfortunately this is a sad reality for millions of people, who literally don’t have enough food to eat. Food is so often taken for granted, I know personally I often think about what I will have for lunch or dinner in advance, or I won’t feel like eating what’s in my fridge. However the reality for millions of people, is wondering if they will find another meal. Today is World Food Day, which offers ‘ the opportunity to strengthen national and international solidarity in the struggle against hunger.’ 

This year’s theme is sustainable food systems for food security and nutrition. The world population continues to rise, which means production of basic staple foods will need to increase rapidly to keep up with the demand. There are currently around 842 million people who are hungry and don’t have access to regular meals. Staple foods are important but nutrient dense foods are also needed for great health. The food we eat also needs to be sustainable as the environment is suffering with global warming, overfishing and other factors. Everyone can play a role in improving these food systems, starting in their homes by choosing to only purchase sustainably sourced food items, particularly with fish and choosing to eat only seasonal  and responsibly sourced products. 

Food waste is another way in which we can help the environment; so much food goes to waste on a daily basis. It’s better to do a weekly shop and go through the items in your fridge before you go shopping to see what is expiring and what food items you already have. In these tech savvy days, there’s no excuse to throw food out, as there’s even an app called fridgIT, which allows you to load food items and their expiry dates. You then simply check the app to see when the food will expire.

Let’s take a minute to think about all those people who are starving today and not because they are on a diet!

For more information and how to get involved visit their website. 

Escaping the Silly Season!

Have you ever wondered why the call December the 'silly season'? I reckon it’s because the stress from the past year finally makes people crack. Everywhere you go there are thousands of people, restaurants are fully booked, the traffic is heavy, it’s hot and people get grumpy very quickly.

 Don’t even dream of heading to the beach to cool off, as every person from Johannesburg and Europe are out parading and tanning. The beautiful once white sand beaches now resemble a colourful sea of people. Christmas seems to add to the craziness of December, who doesn't do last minute present shopping?

 The day before I usually find myself in a panic at some packed shopping centre, where I have to wait two hours just to find parking. This is why I am convinced that people love to go away in December and January. This is also probably why flights are so expensive as all the locals just wants to get out of Cape Town and head somewhere sunny but potentially less crowded. Hot spots include, Mauritius, Mozambique,Thailand and there are of course those lucky people who decide to forget the beaches altogether and go skiing.

I usually spend my December holiday wishing I was somewhere exotic, sipping a cocktail on a remote beach. In reality I am lying on Clifton fourth beach with hundreds of other people, reading a magazine and trying to avoid the vendors on the beach shouting things like '  lolly to make you jolly' every minute.  This December I am heading to Zimbabwe and while there will be no beach, we will be on a house boat with no crowds in sight , I cannot wait!

Where will you be this December? If you too want to escape the 'silly season', then take a look at these great CTSSA December specials.

On a hot sweltering day, the beach is packed with locals and tourists alike. 

Life's a beach!

Summer is almost here and what better way to celebrate than to head to the beach. I’ve rounded up some top beach spots in Cape Town and Thailand for a bit of Friday summer sun inspiration. Where's your favourite beach spot?

Camps Bay beach is always buzzing with locals and tourists.

Clifton fourth is the beach to be seen at, catch a tan and watch the beautiful people walk by. 

Llandudno beach is known for it's chilled surfer vibe.
This is a fun spot to play frisbee and hang out with friends.

Nai Yang beach in Phuket is just a five minute drive south from the airport
and is very popular with the Thai locals.

Salad beach in Koh Phangan is a beautiful beach ideal for swimming.


China Travel Services are going to be offering some fantastic specials to Thailand in their next newsletter.  Visit their  Facebook page next week for details. 

World Tourism Day 2013

World Tourism Day (WTD) is held annually on the 27^th of September. This event seeks to address pertinent global issues to an international community.

 “The timing of World Tourism Day is particularly appropriate in that it comes at the end of the high season in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of the season in the southern hemisphere, when tourism is on the minds of millions of people worldwide.”

The UNWTO(United Nations World Travel Organisation) General Assembly decided to establish World Tourism Day in 1980. Each year a specific UNWTO country is chosen according to its geographic location. 

The chosen country then organises the celebrations, a particular theme is also addressed and people of all ages and backgrounds are invited to take part. UNWTO members and people from around the world can also celebrate this big day.

This year the North West Province in South Africa, is fortunate enough to have been chosen to represent World Tourism Day. The underlying theme for 2013 is Tourism and Water(protecting our common future.)

You can get involved and see what’s happening this World Tourism Day by visiting their website, North West Province.

Monday Blues

Monday's are always tough, in fact I don't know a single person that says 'I'm so excited it's Monday'. That being said there are easy ways to escape the Monday blues, such as a good cup of coffee, chatting to a friend or my personal favourite- googling my next dream travel destination. 

My travel pick for this week is Thailand, with it's white sand beaches and warm turquoise water who could not dream of being there, rather than in the office. Thailand has a lot on offer and it's so reasonably priced that many people are holidaying there instead of Europe.

 Phuket is Thailand’s largest island and is one of the most popular beach resorts in all of Asia. It provides an unbeatable combination of perfect white sand beaches, superb hospitality and great value accommodation. China Travel Services South Africa are offering great  Thailand packages  that are definitely worth browsing through on this Monday afternoon.