Even after relatively mild experiences on roller coasters and other vague elevations, it took a long time for me to feel comfortable with being up really, really high. I finally had a breakthrough when I decided to attempt my first bungee jump at the age of 18, in late 1996, in Kuranda, Queensland, Australia. The adrenaline hit, and, of course, I loved it immediately.

A suspension bridge connects the colourful Orlando Towers of Soweto, South Africa. The bridge was built for high-intensity vertical sports such as bungee jumping. Photo courtesy of Jen Campbell

The instructor had advised that I focus on a spot on the horizon, avoid looking down and lean forward until my balance reached the point of no return, at which time I was to bend my knees, push off and yell, “Bungee!” Rather embarrassingly, not only did I follow the latter instruction, but have continued to do so during most of my six bungee jumps since: three on the Gold Coast in Australia during 1997, two in Bali in 2008 and the Macau Tower jump in 2008 – a massive 233-metre plunge.

In 2009, I moved from London to Johannesburg to work on the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Given this was my first experience visiting Africa, let alone living there, I compiled a list of experiences I wanted to tick off before my contract ended in August 2010.

This list included a proper safari – something I never got around to doing – and, after spying the Orlando Cooling Towers during a work visit to the Soweto Derby in late 2009, another bungee jump.

A Vertical Vision

Orlando Towers was opened to adrenaline excitement in 2009 by Skyriders, a South African company established in 1988 and specialising in rope access for work, inspection and maintenance in very high or hard-to-reach areas. While Skyriders began in window-cleaning and progressed to industrial access in the 1990s, Orlando Towers was their first foray into the world of extreme sports.

The anxiety builds as adrenaline thrill-seekers are swept into a cage elevator that propels them to the top of the Orlando Towers Vertical Adventure Centre in Soweto, South Africa. Photo courtesy of Jen Campbell

Long before that, the hulking structures were the cooling towers for the Soweto Power Station from 1942 to 1998, when the coal-burning facility closed. Then, Bob Woods, a rope-access specialist and director at Skyriders, was fortunate enough to experience the stunning view from the top of the towers while conducting maintenance work. Believing that more people should be able to take part in this amazing experience, a brainwave that struck Woods in 2001 compelled him to developed the decommissioned Orlando Towers into a ‘vertical adventure centre’.

The years that followed were filled with discussions and negotiations with the people of Soweto, as well as local councils, engineers, builders and the Johannesburg Property Company. In 2005, preliminary plans for the Orlando Ekhava Precinct were presented, with the comprehensive Orlando Towers Vertical Adventure Centre project approved in 2007.

At the end of 2007, a lease was signed; development began soon after. By July 2008, a lift tower was installed and the site officially opened. In order to develop the vertical adventure component, a bridging platform between the two towers was raised 100 metres from the ground (three metres from the top of the towers) and secured in place for the ‘World’s First Bungee Jump Between Two Cooling Towers’. Fittingly, the first leap was made by Bob Woods.

Hanging around at the Orlando Towers of Soweto, South Africa, bungee jumpers and giant swingers wait to be lifted to a launch platform 100 metres above the ground. Photo courtesy of Jen Campbell

Today, Orlando Towers offers a number of adrenaline-pumping experiences, including the 100-metre bungee, a swing from the centre of the suspension bridge resulting in a 40-metre free fall, and a swing into one of the cooling towers. Beyond these thrills there are also rap jumping, base jumping, abseiling and a zip line. The centre even offers rock climbing and paint balling, and the suspension bridge itself is an excellent viewing platform from which to take in the seemingly endless panorama of Soweto.

A Flying Leap

In August 2010, only weeks before I was due to head back to London, I realised I’d ticked very few things off my to-do list. No safari. No bungee jump. Then, two people I had met at the Soweto Derby back in 2009 suggested we tackle Orlando Towers as a celebratory wrap-up after the World Cup.

When I arrived, I was surprised at how simple and laid-back the setup was. Despite being very professionally qualified and approved, the staff were all very relaxed about the experience. Instead of my usual bungee experience, I therefore elected to try something new to me – the giant swing – and was outfitted with a harness, something specific to the swing experience.

At first we waited at the foot of the tower, watching the group before us throw themselves into gravity’s embrace from 100 metres above. This increased the anticipation, and perhaps the apprehension too, but given past experiences and my love of bungee I was desperate to give it my go.

In Soweto, South Africa, the swing at Orlando Towers is an adrenaline-packed alternative to bungee, which is also available. Choose your thrill. Photo courtesy of Jen Campbell

When it was our turn we were given a quick briefing and bundled into the open-air rickety-feeling lift riveted to the exterior of one of the towers. The staff played on this fact by tweaking the speed of the elevator halfway up the tower (50 metres above the ground) to make the entire lift shudder. It also didn’t help that the lift hugged the shape of the tower, meaning you began by leaning slightly against it, and finished by dangling off it.

At the top, the walkways to the suspension bridge allowed us to look into the massive tower. We worked our way around to the launch platform and waited for the first of our group to bungee. It took a lot of coaxing, and a few moments of considering turning back, but she eventually leapt. The second group member completed her bungee jump too, and then I was strapped on to the swing rope.

The swing does not involve walking out onto the bridge, as with the bungee, but instead begins on a platform attached to one of the towers from where you try to fly from one tower to the other. Once you’re attached to the rope, the weight of the rope itself practically drags you to the edge. Unlike a bungee, where you’re told to lean into it and fall headfirst, the swing involves taking a long stride off the 100-metre-high platform and then free-falling for 40 metres before the rope pulls taught and drags you into a massive swing toward the other tower.

Free-falling 40 metres from a 100-metre platform between the Orlando Towers in Soweto, South Africa, is a powerful swing experience. Photo courtesy of Jen Campbell

It was far more stomach-churning than a bungee jump, feeling much more like the floor had been removed from under my feet and I was simply falling to the ground below. I’d certainly recommend it to anyone who has previously bungeed and is interested in putting a new spin on it.

Although I missed out on a few things while I lived in South Africa, I certainly do intend to go back and take part in a safari. I also hope to experience the world’s highest bridge bungee: 216 metres from Bloukrans Bridge!

A common sight in Thailand's Bangkok markets, this deep-fried insect food stall sells locusts, bamboo worms, moth larvae, crickets, scorpions, diving beetles and giant water beetles. Photos courtest of Wikimedia/Takoradee

We’ve rounded up a collection of some of the world’s most uncanny edibles, from fried spiders to local lizards and great big mouthwatering worms! Adventurous eaters beware: not everything tastes like chicken and one man’s pet may be another man’s delicacy.

Crunchy Crickets, Thailand

Visit the street markets in Thailand and you are certain to find all manner of ready-to-eat fried insects like locusts, dragonflies and even giant water bugs! In the northeast of the country, though, small crickets are the local delicacy, considered the perfect beer munchies and often compared to popcorn for their “buttery” taste and crispy texture.

Caught using light traps in the rice fields of Chiang Rai, the crickets are cleaned, dehydrated and seasoned to taste. Yum! Cricket husbandry is even catching on as a means for farmers to supplement their incomes. Of course breeding them means having to contend with the constant chirping, but luckily, these little guys only need to be fed twice a day. Cricket breeders can make up to 20,000 Thai baht (over US$600) per month!

Chicken feet and heads (affectionately known as walkie talkies) are a popular street food in South Africa, particularly in Durban and Soweto. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Maqi

Yummy Walkie-Talkies, South Africa

Don’t play fowl! Chicken thighs and breasts are positively tasty, but why throw away the rest of this otherwise appetising poultry? As any good cook from China, Jamaica or Peru will happily explain, some of the best bits of this bird include the liver, gizzard and feet!

In South Africa, “Walkie-Talkies” are a common traditional township delicacy. To prepare it, the feet – the “walkies” – and head – the “talkie” – are boiled to remove the tough outer layer of skin; they are then covered with seasonings and grilled. Explore the local food markets in Durban or Soweto and you are likely to stumble upon this classic savoury snack. Other regional specialities include mngqusho – a dish made from samp (cracked corn) and beans – and “smileys,” which are whole roasted sheep’s heads, each still bearing a gruesome toothy grin.

A bag of mopane worms - harvested and sun-dried and ready to eat! The dried worms tastes like dried fish and have surprisingly more protein than beef. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Hsuepfle

Mouthwatering Mopani Worms, South Africa and Botswana

In hot, dry, low-lying areas throughout Southern Africa, the Mopani worm (a type of caterpillar that metamorphoses into an Emperor moth, one of the world’s largest) lives on the Mopani tree. There it is hunted down by hungry locals!

Considered a tribal delicacy in many countries and a staple snack in northern Botswana, the harvesting and sale of Mopani worms is a multi-million rand industry in Southern Africa. South Africa alone does annual trade of roughly 1.6 million kilograms of Mopani worms, which are plucked off the trees by locals two times each year. Like long tubes of slimy green toothpaste, the worms are squeezed, gutted and then laid in the sun to dry. Southern Africans just can’t seem to get enough of this grub, whether eaten raw like crispy potato chips, or canned and packaged in tomato or chilli sauce.

Peruvians eat approximately 22 million of these cuddly guinea pigs each year. High in protein and low in fat, the healthy meat apparently tastes a bit like rabbit.

Guinea Pig Picante, Peru

The Andean delicacy of cuy, or guinea pig, has been a popular traditional food staple in Peru for literally thousands of years, even before the rise of the mighty Incan empire. Domestication of the cuy in the Peruvian Altiplano can be traced back to 5000 BCE, but it wasn’t until Queen Elizabeth I took one as a pet that these little critters became popular household animals. Today, though, while guinea pigs may be the “first pet” of choice for many European and Northern American kids, these tasty little fur balls continue to make mouths water in many Andean communities.

Peruvians consume more than 22 million guinea pigs per year – a number that might be startling were it not for the fact that cuy are, after all, rather lean and bony. Picante de cuy, a dish in which the guinea pig is fried and doused in spicy peanut sauce, is perhaps the most traditional recipe. Other variations include cuasa de cuy (guinea-pig stuffed potatoes), aguadita de cuy (a type of guinea pig soup) and escabeche de cuy, which is guinea pig served in a vinegar sauce with plenty of onions and potatoes.

A spiny sea urchin being dissected to get to the tasty orange roe inside. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Portum

Spiny Sea Urchins, Corfu

At first glance, ricci di mare, or sea urchins, don’t really resemble an edible treat. As any experienced scuba diver will explain, you certainly wouldn’t want to step on one of these small, spiky underwater animals that often inhabit the ocean’s rocky regions. Catching and eating them therefore requires some care, although when urchins pull across your palm, their spines merely tickle.

Considered a delicacy on the Greek island of Corfu and many other regions around the world, urchins are in fact rather meagre reward for the effort taken to catch and prepare them! With urchin in hand, take a seat right on the sand and begin: snip off those spines (carefully), split the urchin in half and then scoop out the raw insides. Urchin roe has a light consistency and complex salty taste. We’re told it’s best served raw with a nice glass of ouzo!

Barbecued green iguana (or bamboo chicken, as it's known) is a popular dish in Belize. Just season with salt and pepper, garlic, soy sauce and pepper sauce et voilà!

Braised Bamboo Chicken, Belize

Rest assured that you won’t be eating poultry if a local from Belize invites to dinner of bamboo chicken. This delicacy is none other than the great big green iguana, an animal commonly found throughout Central and South America. Catching these fellows is not always easy business, as some grow as large as two metres in length and have sharp tails (used for whipping) and an occasionally nasty bite. Nevertheless, this particular reptile does appear as bush meat on local menus, usually grilled or sautéed with seasonings such as garlic, pepper and teriyaki sauce.

While hunting green iguanas for food and sale as pets has unfortunately left their numbers rather sparse in certain areas, the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Centre manages to maintain a captive green iguana-breeding program to increase their populations.

Fried tarantula sellers on a street in Skuon, Cambodia. This market town is sometimes known as 'Spiderville' in the local lingo on account of its penchant for this unusual delicacy. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Thomas Schoch

Crispy Fried Tarantulas, Cambodia

Ever wondered what would be the scariest job in the world? If you’re afraid of arachnids, then being a spider-catcher in Cambodia would top that list! The spiders are dug out of their holes in the ground with a shovel and then collected by hand. Cambodian “tarantulas” (unrelated to the Western variety and by no means poisonous) are extremely slow and do not run quickly like their relatives on the other side of the world. This makes it relatively “easy” for the catcher to pick up the spider and prepare it for consumption.

For the bold, fried spiders are available at street stalls throughout Cambodia, especially around the town of Skuon (75 kilometres north of Phnom Penh. Jam-packed with protein – and flavoured with salt, sugar and garlic, these a-ping are the healthy snack food of choice for local Cambodians on the go! Many Khmer women also believe the furry arthropods have cosmetic properties which can enhance one’s natural beauty. Crunch and munch on the legs first, ladies, and feel your hair grow long and lustrous!

This African Gospel Church - a structure like many in the townships - is in the Langa Township in the Flats outside Cape Town

So what are you to do? Are there reasonably priced accommodation options anywhere in South Africa? How can one find exciting and responsible travel options beyond the pomp of a month of games? And, as we’ve written about already, is there any way of ensuring that some of the money spent will be fairly distributed, so that the inflated profits benefit as wide a cross-section of people as possible, not just the already rich and powerful?

Opportunism and Exploitation

We’ve seen a growing number of articles decrying the avarice of accommodation owners in South Africa as they set special room rates to laughably outrageous levels. “Research this week on Hotels.com UK website showed that the four-star, centrally located Cape Town Lodge Hotel, which from May 28 to June 5 charges £68 per room per night, is raising its rate on June 11, when the tournament gets under way, to £395,” reported Travelmole in mid-December 2009. “Hotel rates always rise during big sporting events: during the Olympic Games in Athens (2004) and Sydney (2000) they were three times the usual level. But the increases in South Africa almost match those made during the Beijing Olympics, when hoteliers were accused of exploitation.”

The lion is one of the Big Five found in Kruger National Park, the country’s largest game reserve and a superb place for a safari (photo courtesy of South African Tourism)

“The World Cup has brought out the worst in some sectors of the tourism industry both in South Africa and abroad, but it seems that this is a phenomenon that follows every big event of this sort,” added Martin Hatchuel, the South African travel writer who publishes www.thistourismweek.co.za. “I have had quite a bit of contact with people in Australia who tell me that Sydney suffered a decline in tourism in the three years following its Olympics – and the reason most people seemed to have for avoiding the city as a destination was ‘greed.’ So South Africa is not alone.”

Given the price gouging and apparent absence of reasonable oversight, one real fear is that not only will little of any profits actually reach the local level, but that any backlash suffered as a result of unfair market practices will hurt locals the most.

Finding a Fair Room

One way of helping to make a small difference – and help redress some of the possible imbalances – is to book accommodation and tours with locally run, small-scale lodges and tour operators, especially those committed to bringing opportunity to the townships. This is not only in keeping with FIFA’s social development policy of providing support to community-based organisations, it also provides alternative lodging options in World Cup host cities where exploitative pricing is now evident.

In fact, continued Hatchuel, “It seems to me that the people who are being most sensible about this World Cup are those who own the smaller accommodation establishments and other small tourism businesses.”

To help the price-daunted World Cup fan, below is a list of off-the-beaten-track lodging options on offer through whl.travel, in some cases the only online booking service available for these properties. While other hotels are charging outlandish rates, these B&Bs promise not to bamboozle their customers. Their rates will be higher than usual, but still most definitely a bargain, especially considering the unbeatable cultural experience of life in a South African township (especially during the World Cup) and the assurance that the money spent is actually reaching the people.

Cape Town

• Kopanong
• Liziwe’s Guest House
• Majoro’s B&B
• Malebo’s Bed and Breakfast
• Ma Neo’s
• Ndibovayo Bed and Breakfast
• Radebe’s B&B
• Vicky’s Bed and Breakfast

Mossel Bay (on the Garden Route, midway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth)

• Polani’s Xhosa Homestay
• Yonwaba Sesotho Homestay

Meeting the People

Whether or not alternative accommodation is key, meeting the people and experiencing the country should be. In a previous blog post, we’ve already proposed community or nature tours and activities in or near the World Cup host cities. What follows is a more targeted list to help zero in.

Traditional Xhosa dancers in South Africa perform for guests at a Mossel Bay township's first non-alcoholic shabeen and day-care centre

Cape Town
whl.travel offers access to a variety of community-based cultural and volunteer experiences, including:

• half-day, full-day and three-day township tours, and
• extended (28-day) volunteer adventures involving cheetahs, lions, monkeys, surfing and outreach to children.

Nelspruit
Nelspruit is quite close to Kruger National Park and the Panorama Route, as well as within several hour’s drive of the Mpumalanga Highlands.

All three are superb destinations with a broad offering of nature-oriented and outdoor activities, like river rafting, geckoiing, mountain biking, zip-line flying, rock abseiling, mountain boarding and following an aerial cable trail over a forest.

Animal enthusiasts will find satisfaction in visits to the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre for abandoned, injured and poisoned wildlife or to an elephant sanctuary.

Geckoiing is the use of a small raft steered using webbed gloves. It is one of the best ways to have fun with family and friends.

Port Elizabeth and the Garden Route
In Port Elizabeth, both a Shebeen Tour and a Real City Tour bring travellers to the heart of township life, while the Addo Tour spends a day at the famous Addo Elephant National Park.

Further west, along the Garden Route, a Meet the People Tour out of Mossel Bay is an absolute must, although a coastal cliff hike, game drive in Fynbos or horseback ride through a private game preserve are also a treat.

The Day After It’s Over

Not long after Sepp Blatter, FIFA president, declared “This World Cup belongs to Africa!” on the day of the World Cup 2010 draw, Nelson Mandela, appearing via video link, closed a short speech by saying that “The people of Africa have learned the lessons of patience and endurance in their long struggle for freedom. May the reward brought by the World Cup prove that the long wait for its arrival on African soil has been worth it.”

It’s time to wonder if the reward, so promising in principle, is still out of reach in practice because of misguided expectations about who is coming to the World Cup, how much they can afford and how widely they will travel after it’s all over.

“I think that the organisers of the World Cup and the tourism authorities in South Africa have missed – or failed to communicate – one important piece of intelligence: the demographics of the average soccer traveller,” said Hatchuel. “I have a suspicion that most of them will be males in the 24-32 year bracket, and if that’s the case, I expect they’ll be sticking to the host cities, and looking for the parties rather than travelling round the country.”

If that does turn out to be true, then it’s even more important that the mindful minority shows genuine interest in more than just sport and partying, both during the World Cup and after it’s over. South Africa can’t afford to suffer as Sydney did for its greed.