NAMA 2012

In a hurry? pack your bags and head for Namibia.

What a beautiful country! I was expecting flat, dry, hot and dusty conditions. And I was disappointed in a way but pleasantly surprised. Instead I saw amazing countryside and scenery. Windhoek was the port of call for the 2012 NAMA music awards held at the now abandoned Ramatex textile factory. Ample space made for a spectacular affair and it was a joy working with everyone there.

The Namibians are sooper friendly and will go out of their way to help. Afrikaans is also widely spoken, probably more so than English, which was very surprising. Currency is on par with South Africa and they even accept our Rands in their shops.

Namibia's population borders on 2 147 585 for the entire country. Compare that to Kwa-Zulu Natal which sits at 10 819 130 or Gauteng which is 11 328 203 leaving our total country population at 50 586 757.

I'll gladly move there if it wasn't for the fact that Windhoek is not near the ocean. The streets are clean and the places we went to, uncluttered, letting Windhoek's natural beauty shine through. I wonder if Swakopmund and Walvis Bay are the same?

Canada next, should be cold!

Catch the 2012 NAMA wrap video here

Well, here is wishing and hoping that you all had a fantastic Easter week-end.

It's amazing the things you just happen to 'see'. I arrived at Durban International airport early for a flight so I thought a newspaper and cup of coffee would be in order. Stopping in at Exclusive Books for a newspaper, I noticed another newspaper and it's headline, as per the scanned image, at the counter while paying for The Mercury. Anyway I think it makes for interesting reading and am quite amused that probably not a single word was said in protest, neither was there anything actioned by Exclusive Books to reject the sale and display of this particular edition. I wonder what would have happened had the headlines been reversed. What are your thoughts?

Cyclone Irina brought so much rain, and superb surf to the Durban basin. Plenty of standouts in the big surf so check out the upcoming editions of our local surfing magazines for more on that. The wave of Llewellyn Whittaker at Tiffanys Reef in the wrap video is about half the size of some of the sets that came through that day. So solid!

Flying back into Durban from another production had us all on a flight with a group of people who were flying in to join one of the shipping cruises to our nearby islands. Boy did I envy them. The stills image in the beginning of the wrap video gives you a good idea on the conditions around the Tinley Manor area and those same conditions that they would sail through. H.D. Ackerman was flying back with us and got a serious briefing on how to operate the emergency exit. Really, one of the most serious briefings I have ever seen.  He was so concerned about the flight that he just had to immerse himself in RED by Gary Neville.

The UCI World Downhill Mountain bike event held in Pietermaritzburg recently was another cool production to work on and as with such events, there are always spectacular crashes and jumps. Sometimes it looks like the guys were breaking the sound barrier. Not as many crashes as last year though, people were losing teeth and all sorts. Ouch! Check out some of the scenes in the wrap video.

Please feel free to check out http://richimagesproductions.co.za/ for the latest and final film of Dimity EcoBride. This is a wonderful culmination and brilliant video of the Dimity EcoBride range.

See richimages in action in this article with Ryan Logie. Images by richimages.

This is the wrap video.

Three Cities, One Destination.

It's amazing how you can wake up in the morning in Durban, wash your face, have breakfast and be on a plane at 08h40 to Johannesburg and end up in your hotel room by about 10am.

In case of an emergency, which exit should I use? Left or right, left or right, left or right...

A bumpy flight on the way up to JHB on Friday morning with quite a few 'weightless' moments in the approach to ORT. The guy in the seat next to me was gripping his armrests extra tight, just in case the emergency exit door blew open and tried to suck him out.

The hotel check in at Barbara road City Lodge was no mess, no fuss and I was impressed that they allowed such an early check in. Not all rooms are created equal.

Neither are all stadiums. Call time at the Willomore Park stadium in Benoni was 13h00. Back at the hotel by 23h00 so all good in the hood.

Saturday morning, us jetsetters flew on down to Cape Town on the 09h00. We checked into the City Lodge at the Grand West Casino with call time at Newlands for the Stormers vs Hurricanes game, 13h00.

I was nervous as hell working on this game as it was my first rugby game of the season. Twenty minutes into our half hour build up, the entire ob van tripped. Off air we go. It's amazing that in a multi-million rand van it's still a basic thing like power that can rule the roost. Thankfully this was the only hiccup of the day. The de-rig was fairly painless and we were back at the hotel by 22h30.

We stayed on in Cape Town to cover the T20 game between the Dolphins and the Cobras in Paarl on Sunday. Go the Dolphins!

With near 40 degree, temperatures being a cameraman is dangerous work!

Cameraman Alex Grist has the evidence to prove it and to those of you who think skin cancer is a myth check out the before and after pictures posted. Bear in mind this is the second dig at getting cancer out of his system. The first go was on his face and shoulder. We wish you luck big fella.

So three cities later I have only one final destination, home.

X-PLORING

What a great way to spend an hour of your morning!

We left at 06h00 this fine morning, 21st February.
Objective, to discover a warm water left hand reef break.
Mission, get there by any means possible in our Nissan X-Trail.

Obstacle, the only patch of beach sand on the entire sugar cane farm which happened to bog us down!

We armed ourselves with sticks and boy, did we show that beach sand!

Are we there yet?

You said you wanted which oil?

Kev, you can come out, all the hard work is done!

Victorious at last! Check that mound of sand! The one I'm standing on isn't to bad either.