Dear Friends,
Charles Darwin, he of the “Theory of Evolution” fame, wrote this in a letter to his sister Catherine in 1836 :-
This is a pretty and singular town; it lies at the foot of an enormous wall, which reaches into the clouds, and makes a most imposing barrier. Cape Town is a great inn, on the great highway to the east.
What a wonderful way to describe Table Mountain !
Did you know that at the World Travel Awards this year, Table Mountain won the award for Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction for 2019 – and it’s just around the corner from Jambo !
According to the U.K.’s Telegraph, Cape Town has been chosen as the world’s top tourist city for the seventh time in the 2019 Telegraph Awards.
With over 39 000 Telegraph readers casting their votes for their favourite holiday destination, Cape Town trumped Vancouver which came in second as well as Kyoto, Japan in third place.
There are two interesting tennis matches due to be played here in Cape Town’s Green Point stadium in February. The first is a charity match to benefit children in the region called “Match in Africa 6” with professionals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Although these tennis greats have played charity matches before, this will be the first in Africa. The second is a celebrity/pro doubles match with Federer partnering with Microsoft founder Bill Gates versus Nadal and South African comedian Trevor Noah. Sounds like fun !
The stadium has a capacity in excess of 50 000 spectators which will probably set a new world record for a charity match.
I have been following for a few years now the latest attempt on the World Land Speed record, Bloodhound LSR and which almost foundered due to lack of funds but is now firmly back on track after being rescued by businessman Ian Warhurst in 2018.
The Haksteen Pan in the Northern Cape, the site that has been prepared for the attempts, was a hive of activity in November when driver Andy Green and the team arrived to put the car through its’ paces. After a few runs the car achieved a top speed of 628mph or 1010kph, so well done. Mission accomplished ! They have now gone back to their base in the UK to further improve the car, fit a rocket engine and come back to atttempt to break the current LSR within a year to 18 months.
In a new report by travel experts Trailfinders, varied destinations which have come top in 2019 as offering the best value for money show South Africa being in the top three and because of the value of the Rand, about 10 percent cheaper than last year.
To make it easier to get here Virgin Atlantic Airlines has announced plans for a vastly expanded route network out of London Heathrow – including Cape Town.
American carrier United Airlines has just launched a non-stop flight serviced by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The flight will depart Newark Liberty International at 20h00, arriving in Cape Town at 18h00, cutting travel time between the two destinations by eight hours in total.
Austrian Airlines have also added an extra flight from Vienna to Cape Town.
The Lufthansa Group has partnered with local airline Mango Airlines, introducing an interline agreement which will create seamless travel for passengers connecting between Germany and South Africa. The two airlines flights can now be booked on one through-ticket.
Lufthansa passengers can now connect on Mango services from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and George. Those flying to or from Cape Town International Airport, can use Mango connections to Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Durban.
According to travel company Big 7 Travel, 33% of people surveyed say they research their upcoming holiday destination via their Instagram feed.
Big 7 Travel described South Africa’s status in relation to Instagram saying: “South Africa has dramatic scenery, fantastic hiking trails and deserted beaches that boast spectacular ocean views. What more could you ask for?“
Cape Town is an Instagrammer’s dream location to visit: endless natural beauty and clifftop views, pastel pink neighbourhoods and turquoise waters.”
You can find our Jambo on Instagram too – jambo_guesthouse – take a look.
We have recently celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary. I surprised Mina with four vases of roses, each one representing a decade.
We have had good rains this past Winter. Our rainwater storage tanks are full and we have learnt how to be more waterwise plus we are actively recycling, especially all our plastic.
We took up our lawn and replaced it with colourful stone paving slabs. In Springtime our garden at Jambo was beautiful. Our old favourites didn’t let us down. The purple Wisteria, the Bougainvillea, the scent of the Port Wine Magnolia, the Jasmine, Roses…
Green Point actually had great weather in Springtime with balmy evenings and we were sitting in the garden with our guests.
November – South Africans were ecstatic when against all odds, the Springboks triumphed at the Rugby World Cup in Japan and became the best in the World!
December – our own Zozibini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe in a glittering pageant held in Atlanta. She certainly stood out from the rest, portraying calm self-confidence and elegance.
When it’s time to holiday – you need Cape Town!
We, Mina and Barry, often cross the road, walk into the Urban Park which is a delight in itself, exit on the other side by the Mouille Point lighthouse and take a long stroll along the beachfront promenade, watching the seabirds, joggers, skateboarders, dog-walkers, cyclists, parasails flying off Signal Hill to land on the beachfront. We feel very safe and all is good with the World!
The air you smell, the sights you see, the food you taste, the language you hear, and the feeling you get…….
and one of our local airlines has this to say:-
…..after that smooth landing we’d like to welcome you to Cape Town, where the mountain is flat, the trees are flat and the people are wonderful . . !
So wait no longer ! Book your holiday here with us right now.…..
It is certainly a great time to visit SA again.
– A pound is worth approximately R19.50,
– A Euro is worth approximately R16.50,
– A US Dollar is worth approximately R14.50 today,
and that means a South African trip is better value for money than ever before.
In addition, we now have a loyalty program in operation. If you have stayed with us before then you get 10% off of your next stay, and the next etc. Better still, if you refer someone to us you will qualify for a further 5%.
We are looking forward to welcoming you when you next visit.
We hope you have a wonderful festive season and we wish you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2020.
Love, Barry and Mina, Mandy and Meagan.