Nelson Mandela Tourist Guides
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Constitution * Code of Conduct * Favourite Links * Members * Contact Us * Educationals ARTICLES MORE THAN JUST GUIDING – IT REALLY DID HAPPEN More Than Just Guiding - Swaziland Border Crossing MORE THAN JUST GUIDING – RIDING A SEDGEWAY MORE THAN JUST GUIDING - FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD MORE THAN JUST GUIDING - NEVER DOWN GRADE SACRAMENTO TRAIL OUTING LED BY MARIANNE LEAR Websites and Social media MORE THAN JUST GUIDING - MASS EVERY DAY ON TOUR More than Just Guiding - Tips for Tour Guiding on a Coach More Than Just Guiding - Unexpected Bonus More Than Just Guiding - Spare Elephant Trunk MORE THAN JUST GUIDING - ANXIOUS MOMENTS MORE THAN JUST GUIDING - THE LEFT BEHIND JACKET More Than Just Guiding - Suitcase Hops The Border VISIT TO KOFFYLAAGTE GAME LODGE
ST GEORGE'S PARK CELEBRATES 150 YEARS
THE STORY OF MOOIFONTEIN What's in a name? Lucky Ernest A TOWN CALLED ALICE THE STORY OF PLETT LEGEND BILLY JONES OUDTSHOORN DEMANDS IT'S MERMAID Searching for mermaids in the Karoo A trip on the mythological side of life... TEDx – GRAHAMSTOWN MORE THAN JUST GUIDING - ITS A LONG LONG ROAD Moving Forward More Than Just Guiding - Bus Breakdown Resulting in an African Experience Security - Donkin, Western Road, Market Square and surrounding areas Planning a Tour by Coach Ravelskloof Kings court More Than Just Guiding - N’ Boer Maak n’ Plan. INTERNATIONAL TOURIST GUIDE DAY More Than Just Guiding - The Wrong Pill MORE THAN JUST GUIDING - Suitecase Identity Crises. SOUTH AFRICAN SCENARIOS  August 2013 - Willy de Jong When travelling with a tour group you very often find an outgoing person who is full of fun and does unusual things. On this occasion we were crossing into Swaziland and our friend (shall we call him Joe) was taking photographs in the Swaziland customs building. The Swazi people did not like this and he was told off. A day or two later we were at the Hippo Hollow Resort near Hazyview where they have a helicopter. His family saw this and asked if I could arrange a helicopter flight for him the next day as it would be his birthday. No sooner said than done but the thought crossed my mind to make matters a bit more interesting so I spoke to the resort manager who was well connected with the local police. We came up with the wicked idea of having him arrested by the police and having him deported for taking pictures in the customs house. All this in fun, of course. So I spoke to his family who were all for the idea.
The next day just before lunch the police arrived and arrested him. He was made to stand with his hands up against the wall and was duly frisked and his passport and wallet confiscated. This was a bit more than what I expected to happen and all the other guests in the resort stood looking on in disbelief. Anyway the helicopter was standing by ready to have him board and he was told that he was to be deported. The police marched him off to the helicopter and as he was about to board we all burst out in song “Happy birthday to you”. He boarded with a big smile and afterwards he came to thank me as I had made his day. When I think back I still find it hard to believe, but it all happened on the spur of the moment.
More Than Just Guiding - Swaziland Border Crossing During the many of the National tours which I have done it involved a border crossing to and from Swaziland in and out of South Africa. First of all make sure your guests have multi re entry visas for South Africa. The coach has to apply for a border crossing permit and must fill in a passenger list with all the names, nationalities and passport numbers .Get copies of the list as it comes in handy on the Swaziland side of things. One exits South Africa with each one filling in a little form and then the emigration officer scans the bar code in the passport and processes the little form. The coach driver takes the passenger form with the passport numbers to the vehicle permit office and gets clearance.
Once this is all done on the South African side you proceed to the Swaziland border post. The guide goes in front and presents the passenger list to the emigration officer and tells him this is our tour group. All going well he will accept this and keep the form for his records. Then it is just a matter your group presenting their passport to be stamped. (This avoids each one having to fill in a form and saves a lot of time.) Take note you must have a guiding permit for Swaziland. On leaving Swaziland the same procedure is followed in reverse.
May 2013- Willy de JongLast month when my son was here from New Zealand we travelled the garden route and came across the Sedgeways at the Tsitsikamma Backpackers. We decided we were going to go for it. The cost for an hour was R280 each which consists of a 20 minute lesson and a forty minute ride. I had my reservations stepping on the unit the very first time but soon learn’t the machine does it all for you. All you have to do is to trust the machine which is not easy as you tend to do your own balancing act. Once mastered you pick up some confidence and lean forward and there you go. To stop you lean back. To turn you pull the handle bars to the left or right. It reminds me of the way they ride the ostriches at the show farms. You are then put on a training course and once mastered you are on your way for a ride through the forest. We travelled through the village at the snails pace speed setting and once we reached the forest the guide set our units to normal speed. What a delight whizzing through the forest with the breeze passing through your hair as it were. At the end of the forest we took a break and admired the view while we drank some of our water supplied for the trip before doing the return trip. Our guide was very helpful and had a lot of patience and a good knowledge of the area. Will I go again? THAT’S FOR SURE.
Finally it is quite a while ago since I have been through Swaziland so procedures may have changed but I doubt if it has happened. April 2013 - Willy de JongThe department of foreign affairs has a reward program for local staff working for our S African Embassies and Trade missions. After 15 years of service they get a 2 week tour of S Africa as a reward. This also gives them the opportunity of getting to know S Africa. On one of these tours where I was guiding some of the group members asked to go to church on a Sunday morning. Now one must realize they come from different countries all over the world. I duly took them to mass at the little Catholic Church in Seapoint. After the service the priest was at the door to great those who had attended the service especially visitors. When he greeted the first one of our group who came from London he got to the next one and said “Do you also come from London” No Father was the reply I am from Washington which rather confusing for the poor priest. So it went on from Ireland, Brazil, Argentina, Netherlands and so on. This became most confusing and the final straw was when we had one from Russia.
March 2013 - Willy de JongOn one of my coach tours we had a problem with our coach and the company sent a replacement coach far better than the one we had. Everyone was very pleased but it did not last long for two days later they came up with the coach we had in the first place saying it was now fixed. We were told the better coach we had was only a temporary measure and this old coach was to be our replacement coach. We did not accept this and insisted on keeping the better coach which eventually they let us have. This all went very well until we had another breakdown. The old coach came to our rescue and was accepted by all as it turned out to be more relaiable in the end. Moral of the story keep up your standards and make sure things are in good working order. SACRAMENTO TRAIL OUTING LED BY MARIANNE LEAR
March 2013 - Willy de JongOn the morning of the 5th of March eight of us met at the cannon in Schoenmakerskop village. Armed with our water and hats we set off to do the walk with lots of stops where Marianne explained the flora to us. AS far as I was concerned it’s just bush but now after Marianne’s explanations it’s another story. Little does one realize there are so many species in such a small area.
After the walk we all went to the Sacramento Restaurant for some well deserved refreshment. They sponsored us with the tea and coffee and deserve our support. It is also a lovely venue with the choice of sitting outside or inside.
After this we went to visit the art studio of Talbot Cox at 116 Marine Drive. We saw some great paintings done by him. I enjoyed his sketches most of all but then I am not an art fundie. What did impress me are the double bass musical instruments in the entrance foyer. Talbot is also an accomplished musician and me being keen on music appreciated this very much. The studio is in a refurbished cottage used in the past by Athol Fughard for rehearsals. Visitors are welcome just phone in advance. 041 366 2157.and 082 496 9622.
After this we went next door to Rob Brown custom knife maker. It is quite fascinating to see how he produces a beautiful knife out of a strip of stainless steel. He has all sorts of tools such as grinders and sanders, a milling machine and a metal working lathe. Despite all this it is mostly hand work taking hours of dedicated work. Rob is also open to visitors and can be phoned at 041 366 1086.
 Robert Lourens, February 2013Many people have the misguided notion that a website will bring in tons of business. They set up a page and then try to get this page on to the first page of Google with no idea of SEO or how everything works. Then the belief is to just sit back and the business will roll in.
I have found that a website is just a glorified flyer, brochure and/or pamphlet. All the information about your company and yourself is there for anyone to see. You can expand on ideas and products much more than the printed media but it is still the same. However, when I meet someone I do not have to carry around 100 brochures, all I need is my website address and I can point the person to that. This also helps a lot with clients far away where postage and time constraints would slow things down. Now with a click of a button my customer can see everything I have to offer.
A website is of paramount importance in today’s world of commerce. There is something wrong with you or your company if you don’t have one – or so people think. Your email address also says a lot about you. If you have a domain name why are you not using that as your email address eg info@highwinds.co.za instead of promoting another company’s domain name eg highwinds@telkomsa.net.
Newsletters are old hat and if you are not engaging your customers in the Social Media arena you are losing out on tons of business. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc take time, but the results can be satisfying. If you have news to get out to everyone do you keep it back until your newsletter comes out once a month or do you send it out today? If you want a response from your customers do you ask a question in the newsletter at the end of the month or do you send it out today via Social media and get and answer back in the next 15 minutes?
Think about it. Instant communication is the name of the game and whether you like it or hate it your business needs it.
What do you think?
Back to Top February 2013 - Willy de JongIn the past I did several tours for a Netherlands farmers organization called the KNBTB (Katolieke Nederlansche Boere Tuiners Bond) This was a National tour starting in Pretoria and ending in Capetown.
On one of these tours we had a Dutch Priest with us who looked just like a pastor with beard and all. As some of you may be aware a Catholic Priest is obliged to say Mass every day. They carry a little suite case with all the necessary equipment to say the Mass.
The priest soon got to hear that I am a Catholic and I was called upon to be his altar boy and do the readings from the scriptures. I was presented with a Missal in high Dutch and was called upon to read the lessons .This was not an easy task as I struggled with some of the words but in the end I was successful. One morning outside his rondavel we were saying Mass and some of our group walked past. He stopped abruptly and said to them “ Komen gij niet naar de kerk?” Meaning aren’t you coming to church.
This went on every morning all the way to Capetown and I was pleased to be able to arrange for him to concelebrate Mass with the other Priests at Seapoint.
Back to Top January 2013 - Willy de JongThe other day driving to Kwandwe doing a transfer brought to mind the following story.As you know it is an awful long drive with some bad dirt road thrown in. On this occasion it was a group from a cruise ship. They were to be transferred from the harbor to the airport and flown to Kwandwe. Then after their two day visit to be flown back to PE airport and on to Capetown, with SAA to join up with their ship. At the time there were also road works in progress on the Grahamstown road so the flying idea was a good one.
This all sounded simple enough but the agent did not let me know who the airline company was all they could tell me that they were to fly out of PE airport. On enquiring at the airport about such a flight they had no record of the intended flight. Eventually after several phone calls I found out it was an air charter company operating from Grahamstown airfield. As boarding could not be accommodated via the passenger terminal we arranged to board our guests at the flying club. All went well and we sent their baggage by road. It took quite a time for it to get to Kwandwe so no problem at all they put on a separate aircraft on the return journey just for our baggage. This worked out very well as the baggage plane left first and by the time we got to PE airport the pilot had all the bags ready for us at the SAA check in. Moral of the story check in advance and make sure you know how things are going to work. Imagine arriving at the airport with your group and you cannot find your flight.
Back to Top December 2012 - Willy de JongThere are subtle differences between Afrikaans and Dutch.(Nederlands). An amusing incident or perhaps a rather embarrassing incident happened on one of my Dutch tours. We were visiting an angora rabbit farm with a Dutch agricultural group. The lady of the farm being a prim and proper lady was holding one of the rabbits and explaining how they breed the rabbits. Suddenly one of the Dutch farmers asked “Vok jy hulle?” I had to quickly jump in and explain the word “Vok” in Dutch means breeding and the gentleman wanted to know if they were breeding the rabbits on the farm. I must say the lady looked most embarrassed for a while. There are other words which perhaps one should know about between Afrikaans and Dutch and I list some below.
Verskoon My = Changing a baby’s nappie.
Neuk (as in verneuk) = Having sex.
Poes or Poesje = Not what you think but it means a Cat in Dutch.
Vokkerij = A Stud Farm.
Hoer meisies skool = A school for haws. ( Dutch word is HOGER with the G.)
So if you are Afrikaans and speaking to Dutch people be warned and do not say verskoon my rather say ek bied my ekskuus aan.
Back to Top November 2012 - Willy de JongWith the touring season soon to be in full swing and cruising ships visiting our shores I feel it to be a good idea to publish my tips for guiding on a coach with this issue of our tour guiding news letter. It was the intention of doing a practical course on a Blunden coach which they so kindly offered. This is still planned for the future but in the meantime I feel these notes will be of use to you all. Finally may I wish you a blessed Christmas Season and a very prosperous New Year.
Copyright - This document is intended to help guides doing coach work and may not be used or sold for gain without the writers permission.
The purpose of these notes are to enable a registered tour guide to conduct a tour on a tourist coach. Boarding the Coach. The first thing you do is to introduce yourself to the driver. Once you have done this ask him/her to check the coach with you and to explain the workings of the Public Address system and any other points the driver may consider to be of importance.
Points to Check. Cleanliness, Seat Belts, Fridge, Microphone, (any good guide will have their own microphone.) Air conditioner, door operation and the toilet. Is bottled water on board if supplied by the tour operator? Should you have to work at night check the interior lights and the reading lights.
Doing the Sound Check. This is of utmost importance for without a decent sound system you are going to have a problem. Plug in your microphone and ask the driver to switch on the p/ a system. Do not touch any of the controls yourself, ask the driver to do it for you after all it is his coach and he is in charge of the workings of the systems on the coach. Make sure the system is loud enough bearing in mind a running engine can be noisy at the back of a rear engine coach. Should the system howl or whistle you have too much volume or you are too near to one of the speakers. Move away and if not successful turn the volume down. Remember the hot spot and avoid it on tour. Speak directly into the microphone with a clear voice and don’t shout into it, or you will cause distortion. Blowing into the mike is also a bad idea, rather tap it gently to see if it is working. Treat the microphone cord with care. Do not roll the cord up tightly or kink it as the interior is a screened cable and is easily damaged. If you have to, roll it up loosely or fan fold it which is best. In some instances a whining noise can be heard as the coach engine revs up, this is a feed- back which happens when you are in contact with metal parts of the coach while holding the microphone. Keep your hands off metal parts such as handrails to avoid the noise.
Plan Your Route. Sit down with the driver and go through the tour route so that you both know what is going on. Confusion between the driver and the guide gives a very bad impression. Do not add extras or leave out items on your tour list as it could lead to comebacks and dissatisfied clients. Consult with your tour operator if there is a problem. Stick to your own tour and do not get others involved in your tour nor you in theirs, this is the tour operators job, they have the bigger picture.
Departing to go on Tour. Have you got the correct group on board? Yes it has happened with the wrong group boarding the coach. If there is no tour leader call out the names and check. Count your passengers and make a note. I find it easier to walk to the back and count as I walk to the front. This way you will pick up the late comers. Once everyone is seated and you have the go ahead of the tour leader tell the driver you are ready to move off.
IMPORTANT. The first thing you do is to introduce the driver and then yourself. Give an outline of the tour you are going on and then carry on with your presentation. Judge your audience, look for reaction and work accordingly. Don’t talk too much, people need some quiet moments to digest what you have said and to admire the scenery. It may seem familiar to you but they are seeing it for the first time.
Using the Toilet on the Coach. The toilet has a holding tank and chemicals are used which are detrimental to the environment. Discourage the use of it, people will understand, but certainly allow its use in times of need. Explain this to your clients.
On the Long Road When travelling long distances you will run out of things to say, don’t worry about this. You may have said too much already. Have you dished out the water supplied for the tour? Another trick is to walk slowly to the back of the coach and make some conversation with your clients. You will be asked questions, remember them and when you get back to the microphone repeat the questions for all to hear and follow up with the answers. If you don’t know the answer admit it, you will be respected for your honesty, but try and find out and give the answers before the tour ends. Don’t get upset if people ask the same question on what you have just told them, it is not that they were not listening but may not have fully understood in the first place. It |
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