Category: News

Sports injuries are fairly common. With a football to the face, boot to the crotch and face planting into a balance beam, you thought you'd seen it all, until now… Mountain biker, Evan van der Spuy of Team Jeep South Africa, was trampled by a galloping red hartebees while participating in a mountain bike race in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal.

A 17-year-old's “collision” with the hartebees became one of the most searched topics on the internet. More than 5 million people have searched this collision. Evan said he is still overwhelmed by the attention he is suddenly getting. He attended a mountain bike race at Albert Falls Dam when the buck went for him. “Its taking time to sink in and I'm trying to process it. Our phones are ringing non-stop for interviews” he told Die Burger.

The young mountain biker said he is still suffering from a stiff neck. “It hasn't put me off whatsoever.” Both Evan and the buck have escaped unhurt.

Meanwhile, Trish Wilson, who also attended the race at Albert Falls Dam, complained about the representation of a “defenceless animal”, Die Burger reports. She said it looked like the animals were alarmed because “the park were full of people”.

The organiser of the race, Max Cluer, referred to the incident as a freak accident and unique of its kind. It was a question of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. “It was against nature in nature.” Cluer said 99,9% of the reaction on YouTube is positive. 

The TV channel National Geographic is also interested in the video for Caught in the act, a new TV series which focuses on the bizarre footage of the wild.

“They are speechless and say they have never seen something like this before. They also want to use it for research,” Cluer said.

Photo of Evan van der Spuy from The Witness

To celebrate the brilliant entrepreneurship and inventive genius of Steve Jobs, we dedicate this post to him by showing our tech savvy traveller how having an iPhone in your pocket can save the day. Rest in Peace Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011)

“3 Apples changed the world: One seduced Eve, the second awakened Newton and the third was in the hands of Steve Jobs.” – Daniel Neville

Top 5 Best Travel Apps for iPhone

1.  Skype

Skype, Skype, Skype. What would we do without you? This is the cheapest way to contact the house-sitter and check whether you remembered to turn the stove off when you’re 8 000 km across the country fraternising with Berbers. 

2.  World Customs

You don’t want to tick anyone off so after enjoying a meal in a foreign country, you can now browse your iPhone and find out whether you should be burping or farting to show your appreciation for the meal.

This travel app allows you to browse through various cultural customs and make sure you’re in the know with all the cultural do’s and don’ts of the company you find yourself in. Definitely one of the best travel apps for iPhone.

3. UrbanSpoon

So, the idea of sitting on the loo for three quarters of your trip or at your new job, because you picked a bad restaurant, doesn’t sound so great. I hear you. With UrbanSpoon you can avoid the dodgy restaurants and with a simple shake of your headset the best local restaurant guide is at your fingertips.

Note to traveller: If you opt for certain Thai or Indian dishes, you’re going to end up on the loo anyway. Not even the best travel apps can save you from that. #FoodThatBurnsTwice

*This application works in selected cities in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Sydney.

4.  Next Flight

Okay, so you get halfway to the airport and realize you’ve left grandma behind. So you make a U-turn, pick Gam-Gam and her zimmer frame up, and arrive back at the airport too late. You just missed your flight. Doh!

Next Flight tracks scheduled departures from over 4,200 airports and 1,100 airlines so you can easily find the next available flight so that you don't miss that amazing African sunset, making Next Flight one of the best travel apps.

5.  HearPlanet

No doubt, out of utter excitement, you’ve researched your travel destination to the ends of the earth before your departure, but when you get there you’ll find that there may be an area that you pass through you don’t know much about. HearPlanet to the rescue! Once you’ve installed the app, its like you have your own personal tour guide in your pocket. HearPlanet tells you about nearby attractions and then plays the Wikipedia location description aloud. Awesome! Come to think of it, this is also a great application for travellers with bad vision, but I think their guide dog would probably have trouble navigating their way around the iPhone without opposable thumbs.

I recently heard Rob Caskie speak at a charity event at Westerford High School and was uttery enthralled by his amazing ability to talk you through history as if you’re a fly on the wall.

A senior lecturer at Fugitives’ Drift, Rob Caskie conducts many talks for charities, corporations and educational institutes around South Africa.

With a background in agriculture, Rob spent most of his early years on the farms of the Natal Midlands and went on to study at the University of Natal. Rob travelled Africa with Kingsley Holgate as the expedition’s photographer and has provided a couple photographic gems to National Geographic.

His travels and subsequent experiences have proved invaluable not only on the battlefields, but in all elements of the management of Fugitives’ Drift.

Rob’s talk on ‘Scott and Shackleton’s expeditions to the Antarctic’ will be showcased by the Royal Geographic Society in 2012.