AND GO!
SouthernGauteng
GET ON THE WATER
AND GO!
Iga Motylska heads to the Vaal River for a long weekend of water sports, sundowner cruises and picnics along the river.
No matter what day of the week you visit the Vaal River in Southern Gauteng, it gives off that laid-back vibe that comes with water sports, a round of golf, fishing and sundowner cruises from waterfront hotels. Here on the Vaal, Klip and Suikerbos rivers, life is always in holiday mode and your swimming costume barely has time to dry.
JET BOARDING Here I am in my neon-orange lifejacket, bobbing about in the waters of the Vaal River, with my friends cheering me on from the bank, wondering why it is that I overenthusiastically volunteered to go jet boarding first. I think my friends are secretly cheering because it’s me going first and not them. Sure, I’ve seen all those scenes in Hollywood films and it looks easy enough as they take off and swirl upwards with two pressurised streams of water jetting out below. But once I’ve strapped on the heavy hoverboard and I’m struggling to stand upright, I realise they were all professional stuntmen who do this kind of thing for a living. At this point I’m not even 20
travelsmart
Water skills Hoverboard
worried about making a fool of myself – and it’s too late to back out. The instructor starts the engine of the jet ski that will propel me into the air – if I can keep my balance and stay standing.
Fancy tricks Surprisingly, my first attempt is my best. I only rise about two metres from the water’s surface. If I had more time to practise perhaps I’d rise to about 10 metres like those stuntmen and learn how to do all those fancy tricks and overhead flips. I even manage to change direction by steering with my legs as I shift my weight from one to the other and bend my knees.
I belly-flop into the water a few times, but the adrenalin rush makes me forget how much water I’ve snorted on impact. My friends are now waving from the shore and I give them a thumbs-up and a sheepish grin. Then I realise they’re actually signalling for me to come back. They want their turns, too. I wave back, pretending not to understand, and give it one last try – my version of an interpretative ‘Vaal Dance’.
With so many sports on offer, it’s easy to spend a whole day on the water WATER SPORTS From here on, it gets much more relaxing. Our captain narrates the journey as our boat glides along the smooth surface of the Vaal to the river mouths that feed into the main channel. The banks are fringed with luscious vegetation and there is a wavy reflection of raffia palms in the ripples that chase the tail of our boat. We pass waterfront hotels and restaurants interspersed with the manicured lawns of private holiday homes and golf courses. You can hardly believe you’re only a 45-minute drive from the centre of Johannesburg. Later, we take to the rubber tubes. The adventurous thrill-seekers among us ask our captain to crank it up a notch. He accelerates and purposefully makes large waves that we can ramp and launch into the air. Others with a greater need for speed take to jet skis or wakeboards or go water-skiing. With so many sports on offer, it’s easy to spend a whole day on the water.
fastjet.com
21
SouthernGauteng
SUNSET CRUISE
Enjoy a drink On a sundowner cruise
PICNIC By the late afternoon we’re all tired out and a picnic by the water’s edge is the perfect way to wind down. We clink our glasses and indulge in salad, fruit, freshly baked bread and barbecued meat prepared by BON Hotel Riviera on Vaal. You can pre-order your picnic with whichever goodies you like best. Barges float lazily by while a few of us catnap on blankets and cushions in the shade of oak trees to the sound of birds chirping.
The best way to end a day on the Vaal is with a sundowner cruise on the ‘Liquid Lounge’ with your cocktail of choice in hand. It’s quite something to watch the sun melt into the shimmering waters to the sound of smooth lounge tunes as things begin to slow down and the last jet skis make their way to the jetties. Enjoy a delicious buffet dinner below, where you can watch the sunset through the large windows, and then have your dessert on the alfresco balcony.
GOLF AND SPA You can hire golf clubs and go round the 18-hole, par 72 course at Riviera on Vaal Country Club, set between the Vaal and Klip rivers. Enjoy a drink afterwards at the club bar, which was designed by renowned British architect Sir Herbert Baker. Otherwise, you can opt for a full body massage or use the sauna at the adjoining Zorgvliet Spa.
KEY INFORMATION BON Hotel Riviera on Vaal www.bonhotels.com/bon-hotel-riviera-vaal Hint: Ask for an east-facing room on the top floor
Water sports Darryl: +27(0)82-4955-044 Riviera on Vaal Country Club www.rovcountryclub.co.za Zorgvliet Spa www.zorgvlietspa.co.za Liquid Lounge www.liquidlounge.co.za
fastjet.com
23
GET ON THE WATER
AND GO!
Iga Motylska heads to the Vaal River for a long weekend of water sports, sundowner cruises and picnics along the river.
No matter what day of the week you visit the Vaal River in Southern Gauteng, it gives off that laid-back vibe that comes with water sports, a round of golf, fishing and sundowner cruises from waterfront hotels. Here on the Vaal, Klip and Suikerbos rivers, life is always in holiday mode and your swimming costume barely has time to dry.
JET BOARDING Here I am in my neon-orange lifejacket, bobbing about in the waters of the Vaal River, with my friends cheering me on from the bank, wondering why it is that I overenthusiastically volunteered to go jet boarding first. I think my friends are secretly cheering because it’s me going first and not them. Sure, I’ve seen all those scenes in Hollywood films and it looks easy enough as they take off and swirl upwards with two pressurised streams of water jetting out below. But once I’ve strapped on the heavy hoverboard and I’m struggling to stand upright, I realise they were all professional stuntmen who do this kind of thing for a living. At this point I’m not even 20
travelsmart
Water skills Hoverboard
worried about making a fool of myself – and it’s too late to back out. The instructor starts the engine of the jet ski that will propel me into the air – if I can keep my balance and stay standing.
Fancy tricks Surprisingly, my first attempt is my best. I only rise about two metres from the water’s surface. If I had more time to practise perhaps I’d rise to about 10 metres like those stuntmen and learn how to do all those fancy tricks and overhead flips. I even manage to change direction by steering with my legs as I shift my weight from one to the other and bend my knees.
I belly-flop into the water a few times, but the adrenalin rush makes me forget how much water I’ve snorted on impact. My friends are now waving from the shore and I give them a thumbs-up and a sheepish grin. Then I realise they’re actually signalling for me to come back. They want their turns, too. I wave back, pretending not to understand, and give it one last try – my version of an interpretative ‘Vaal Dance’.
With so many sports on offer, it’s easy to spend a whole day on the water WATER SPORTS From here on, it gets much more relaxing. Our captain narrates the journey as our boat glides along the smooth surface of the Vaal to the river mouths that feed into the main channel. The banks are fringed with luscious vegetation and there is a wavy reflection of raffia palms in the ripples that chase the tail of our boat. We pass waterfront hotels and restaurants interspersed with the manicured lawns of private holiday homes and golf courses. You can hardly believe you’re only a 45-minute drive from the centre of Johannesburg. Later, we take to the rubber tubes. The adventurous thrill-seekers among us ask our captain to crank it up a notch. He accelerates and purposefully makes large waves that we can ramp and launch into the air. Others with a greater need for speed take to jet skis or wakeboards or go water-skiing. With so many sports on offer, it’s easy to spend a whole day on the water.
fastjet.com
21
SouthernGauteng
SUNSET CRUISE
Enjoy a drink On a sundowner cruise
PICNIC By the late afternoon we’re all tired out and a picnic by the water’s edge is the perfect way to wind down. We clink our glasses and indulge in salad, fruit, freshly baked bread and barbecued meat prepared by BON Hotel Riviera on Vaal. You can pre-order your picnic with whichever goodies you like best. Barges float lazily by while a few of us catnap on blankets and cushions in the shade of oak trees to the sound of birds chirping.
The best way to end a day on the Vaal is with a sundowner cruise on the ‘Liquid Lounge’ with your cocktail of choice in hand. It’s quite something to watch the sun melt into the shimmering waters to the sound of smooth lounge tunes as things begin to slow down and the last jet skis make their way to the jetties. Enjoy a delicious buffet dinner below, where you can watch the sunset through the large windows, and then have your dessert on the alfresco balcony.
GOLF AND SPA You can hire golf clubs and go round the 18-hole, par 72 course at Riviera on Vaal Country Club, set between the Vaal and Klip rivers. Enjoy a drink afterwards at the club bar, which was designed by renowned British architect Sir Herbert Baker. Otherwise, you can opt for a full body massage or use the sauna at the adjoining Zorgvliet Spa.
KEY INFORMATION BON Hotel Riviera on Vaal www.bonhotels.com/bon-hotel-riviera-vaal Hint: Ask for an east-facing room on the top floor
Water sports Darryl: +27(0)82-4955-044 Riviera on Vaal Country Club www.rovcountryclub.co.za Zorgvliet Spa www.zorgvlietspa.co.za Liquid Lounge www.liquidlounge.co.za
fastjet.com
23
