South Africa
10 red flags to look for when booking a hotel | Atlas & Boots
I’ve stayed in some ungodly hotels, from a roach-infested room in Sri Lanka to a Fiji campsite with toads in the bathroom. I have cried, despaired and quietly raged on holiday because of poor accommodation. Thankfully, after a decade of travel, I have finessed a list of pitfalls to avoid and red flags to look for when booking a hotel. The post 10 red flags to look for when booking a hotel appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Best road trips in the world (and how to stay online en route)
When it comes to road trips, we’ve had our fair share of mishaps. We’ve battled a total whiteout in Iceland, got stuck in a ditch in Turkey, broken down in Chile and changed a flat tyre in lion territory (in Namibia’s Etosha National Park, constituting one of the most stressful events of our travels). Despite all this, we’re irrevocably drawn to the open road. There’s a very specific freedom in being able to rent a car wherever you land and set your own course. More importantly, you can veer from the course when you want to: spend extra days in a national park or depart a tourist town earlier than planned. You are the masters of your time. The post Best road trips in the world (and how to stay online en route) appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
The travel that changed me: Adam Hart
From big cats to army ants, Adam Hart knows about animals. After completing a PhD in Zoology, he's been involved in numerous research projects from the rainforests of Panama to the savannahs of South Africa. He is Professor of Science Communication at the University of Gloucestershire where he teaches animal behaviour, behavioural ecology, evolution, statistics, mathematical modelling, citizen science, science communication, African savannah ecology and field skills. Phew! The post The travel that changed me: Adam Hart appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
The travel that changed me: Stanley Trollip
From an unplanned landing in the Namib desert to hyenas attacking wildebeest, author Stanley Trollip tells us about the travel that changed him It’s fair to say that Stanley Trollip has had an eclectic career. At various points in his life, he has been a professor, a psychologist, a pilot and an author – each a consuming role in its own right. This professional pluralism started early in life; Stanley’s time as an undergraduate took twice as long as usual due to his participation in a range of sports (cricket, rugby and field hockey) as well as his involvement in the anti-apartheid movement. Stanley Trollip Born in Johannesburg, Stanley saw first-hand the changes that swept through South Africa – a place, he says, that still feels like home though he has spent more time outside it than he ...
Ultra Worldwide Now Has Music Festivals On All 6 Inhabited Continents
The team behind Ultra Music Festival have secured their spot as the most international music festival brand. After expanding to Peru and Abu Dhabi, Ultra Worldwide now has festivals on all six inhabited continents. The inaugural Ultra Abu Dhabi was postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, but it’s now been confirmed to take place March 4-5, 2023. Ultra’s booming beats and coruscating laser beams will debut at the largest open-air venue in the Middle East, Etihad Park. Ultra South Africa. Ultra Worldwide After the Abu Dhabi fest wraps up, the Ultra tour will make its way to South Africa for its eighth edition, hosting back-to-back events in Cape Town and Johannesburg on Friday, March 10th and Saturday, March 11th. Africa’s largest electronic music festiva...
The travel that changed me: Mark Vanhoenacker
As a commercial pilot and best-selling author, Mark Vanhoenacker has seen the world from a rare perspective. Here, he tells us about life in cockpit Growing up in the small town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Mark Vanhoenacker spun the illuminated globe in his bedroom and dreamt of distant cities. Streets unspooled, towers shone and anonymous crowds bustled in cities where Mark could be anyone – perhaps even himself. Now, as a commercial airline pilot, Mark has spent nearly two decades criss-crossing the planet, touching down in the cities he imagined as a child. Mark revisits these cities month after month and year after year, and has seen them grow and change in a way few of us ever will. Mark first wrote about his experiences in the best-selling Skyfaring, followed by How to Land a...
Don’t look down: the world’s most dangerous hikes
With bandits, molten lava and wild animals posing a threat, blisters are the least of your worries on the world’s most dangerous hikes From trekking across the treacherous windswept mountains of South Georgia to picking your way along the rickety walkways of Mount Hua Shan in China, these hikes are not for the fainthearted. 11 of the world’s most dangerous hikes Dizzying heights may be the least of your worries on the world’s most dangerous hikes. Instead, you have to prepare for extreme weather, erupting volcanoes and ferocious wildlife among other threats on these hair-raising trails. 1. Shackleton’s Route, South Georgia Island Biggest danger: Exposure, crevasses and a very remote location On 20th May 1916, Sir Ernest Shackleton and two others stumbled into the whaling station ...
Black Coffee and Ami Faku Celebrate South African Heritage With Rework of Apartheid-Era Protest Anthem
“This song symbolizes the gift of music.” That’s how Black Coffee referred to Letta Mbulu and Caiphus Semenya’s “There’s Music In The Air,” a protest anthem for the anti-apartheid movement written by the South African musicians in 1976. Today, alongside fellow South African artist Ami Faku, the Grammy-winning DJ and dance music producer has released his own rework of the historic single via Gallo Record Company. Marked by a spirit-stirring afro-soul arrangement of laid-back percussion rhythms and retro synths, the song is ready-made for sun-drenched strolls and afternoon unwinds. “There’s music in the air / It makes the sorrow go / Let the music take you there / Far from the world you know,” Faku angelically ha...
South African Reserve Bank encourages friendly behavior with crypto
The Prudential Authority of the Reserve Bank of South Africa sent out guidelines to its subsidiaries in an effort to prevent illicit activities, encouraging banks not to cut all ties with cryptocurrency. It suggested that such an act could cause greater risk in the long run. The official notice was signed by Prudential Authority CEO Fundi Tshazibana. In the past, certain South African banks had cut ties with crypto asset service providers (CASPs) — as they are called in the document — due to unclear regulations or a high-risk factor. However, the notice highlights that risk assessment doesn’t mean dropping crypto entirely: “Risk assessment does not necessarily imply that institutions should seek to avoid risk entirely (also referred to as de-risking), for example, through wholesale t...
South African exchanges welcome the new ‘crypto is financial asset’ ruling
South Africa’s Reserve Bank is set to begin regulating cryptocurrencies as financial assets in the next 18 months, with exchanges expecting the move to drive adoption in the country. The move to classify cryptocurrencies as financial assets and not currency, has been talked about for some time by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). Deputy governor Kuben Chetty confirmed that the new regulations would take effect over the next year, speaking in an online dialogue on July 11. The cryptocurrency space has been left to develop organically in South Africa, with no clear-cut regulations issued by the SARB until recently. The country has become a leader in cryptocurrency adoption, with more than 6 million South Africans estimated to own some cryptocurrency. Now that the SARB has finally t...
Bitcoin not a currency? South Africa to regulate crypto as financial asset
The South African Reserve Bank is set to introduce regulations next year that will see cryptocurrencies classed and treated as financial assets to balance investor protection and innovation. Cryptocurrency use in South Africa is in a healthy space, with around 13% of the population estimated to own some form of cryptocurrency, according to research from global exchange Luno. With more than six million people in the country having cryptocurrency exposure, regulation of the space has long been a talking point. Companies or individuals looking to provide advice or intermediary services involving cryptocurrencies are currently required to be recognized as financial services providers. This involves meeting a number of checkboxes to comply with global guidelines set out by the Financial Action ...
South African Netflix Star Busisiwe “Busi” Lurayi Has Died
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Busi Lurayi / @busi_lurayi Busi Lurayi, a South African movie and stage actor, suddenly died over the weekend according to a statement from the agency that repped her. Lurayi might be best known to American audiences for her star turn in the Netflix comedy series, How To Ruin Christmas. As reported via Sowetan Live, a South African outlet, reported on Lurayi’s passing after the actor’s talent agency, Eye Media Artists, issued a statement on behalf of the Lurayi family. From Eye Media Artists: Busisiwe passed away suddenly and was pronounced dead at her residence on Sunday by medical personnel. The reason for her death is still unknown as we await the results of the autopsy report. “We humbly request that you allow us as the family to come to terms with th...
