DEPARTURE LOUNGE // WINTER 2017
Travel
Photographers
YOU SHOULD FOLLOW
Obie Oberholzer is a legend in photography circles , both for his trademark colour-saturated images and his renowned lack of political correctness – or honesty , as he calls it . His work has taken him around the world , while his loose tongue has had him demoted at the Natal Technikon and banned from Zimbabwe for insulting President Robert Mugabe with a profanity or two . Since 1975 he ’ s produced 12 coffee table books , had 34 solo exhibitions in South Africa and 10 in Europe . He headed up the Photography Section at Rhodes University from 1984 to his retirement from academia in 2002 and now spends much of his time travelling and shooting for international publications with his wife of 40 years , Lynn . As Obie says , “ I photograph to travel and travel to photograph . Looking visually and photographically intensifies the whole travel experience .” Here he shares some photos and thoughts from a trip to Cuba .
VIÑALES . CUBA , 2015 . It ’ s still morning dark when we leave on a horse cart , with José , a campesino ( peasant farmer ), on a tour of the landscape . He speaks no English and I speak no Spanish , so the conversation bristles . ¡ Hola ¡ Hola ¡ Hola . We gallop into the Valley of the Mogotes , into the growing light , José , the Cuban cowboy and me the Gringo , with beard stubble and a dirty Ché Guevara T-Shirt . My eyes circle and soar , like the black vultures around the sugar loaf pinnacles high above us . The morning sun blasts out from behind a mountain , ripples over ploughed fields , red earthed . The light zings and sings its melody to the land and campesino ’ s of the Valle de Viñales . Our simple horse cart is a chariot on fire .
Meet our
Partners
Stacey Rampersadh , Inspirations Travel & Tours – Head of outbound contracting and reservations manager
Stacey Rampersadh has had a few jobs in travel , but there ’ s only ever been one company for her : Inspirations Travel & Tours ( ITT ). She started working for the experience-based tour company as a student in training in 1998 , moving on to be the personal assistant to Rung Button , the managing director of what was then International Travel & Tours ( the company merged with Caraville Travel & Tours in 2011 to form ITT ). “ I have not looked back ,” says Rampersadh , 38 , who has worked her way up to her current position and is still learning on the job . “ I learn every day . Aside from travel , most of our
Q destination knowledge comes from research and the unique knowledge we get from our expert ground handlers in each destination .” ITT offers a diverse range of destinations , from Arctic adventures to Mediterranean islands , which Rampersadh says are each handpicked for their ability to offer lifetime memories : “ We understand that each traveller is unique , so we ’ re committed to ensuring that their itineraries are well researched , affordable and tailored for the enjoyment of the individual .”
BOOK AN INSPIRATIONAL HOLIDAY
To see what Inspirations Travel & Tours has to offer this winter , visit suretravel . co . za / call 0861 47 48 49 .
12 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE