{"id":19827,"date":"2024-06-20T15:03:29","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T13:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/?p=19827"},"modified":"2024-06-20T15:03:29","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T13:03:29","slug":"lights-camera-explore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2024\/06\/20\/lights-camera-explore\/","title":{"rendered":"Lights. Camera. Explore!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anesu Mbizvo and Fez Mkhize, intrepid hosts of Top Travel, are uncovering a world of wonder.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

You\u2019re travelling between Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The road is, shall we say, challenging, and at times it feels as if there are more potholes than actual tar. The car has already broken down more than once and, with the sun setting, you can\u2019t wait to settle in at your next destination. Then it happens. The car breaks down once more, and this time it\u2019s going to need a pair of expert hands to fix it.<\/p>\n

What do you do? If you\u2019re Anesu Mbizvo, co-presenter of S3\u2019s Top Travel, you wait until your sound engineer has rigged up his speaker, blare some hip hop and start dancing \u2013 oh, and you capture a few behind-the-scenes shots while you\u2019re at it. \u201cWhen you travel, you have to be open to new experiences \u2013 often, they\u2019re opportunities to learn,\u201d she says sunnily, adding that since the Top Travel team is just that \u2013 a tightly knit team \u2013 every misadventure is a chance to grow together.<\/p>\n

Fez Mkhize, her partner on the show -and in life – has an even more sanguine attitude. \u201cI grew up as the child of a single mother in Port Shepstone. My dad passed away when I was very young, so I had anxiety around life shifting. I thought that getting on an aeroplane would be the biggest milestone in the world. My biggest dream was to visit Durban, so I think it\u2019s crazy that I get to see what I\u2019m seeing now. If a car breaks down, I think that\u2019s a small price to pay for what we get to experience. You have to take the good with the bad, otherwise you don\u2019t deserve the good.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Fez came to travel incidentally, through his work as a television presenter, Anesu has been something of a nomad since childhood. Born to a Zimbabwean father and South African mother who loved exploring, she moved between countries while still very young. \u201cThat planted a seed,\u201d she says. \u201cIt sparked my interest in seeing how other people lived and took away the fear of the new that can be inhibiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The love affair continued long after Anesu completed her medical studies at the University of Cape Town, where she met Fez \u2013 their mutual interest in healing a forerunner to their shared love of exploring. Travel is a great refresher, she explains. It keeps you curious and excited.<\/p>\n

This is the first time she has travelled with Fez, she continues \u2013 and it\u2019s every bit as much fun as the couple expected. \u201cIf ever there was a person who deserved adventure, it\u2019s Anesu. I love being able to do this with her,\u201d Fez says. Not that Anesu welcomes every single adventure: She admits that while Fez likes to get his pulse racing, she\u2019s happy to visit an unspoiled vista and soak up the magic in peace. \u201cThat said, there\u2019s no denying that it can be thrilling when your adrenalin starts pumping. One of my favourite moments when shooting this series was cliff jumping off the Big Swing at Graskop Gorge in Mpumalanga. I was completely freaking out, and of course I had to talk through my fear so that I could bring viewers on the journey with me, which made it that much more scary. But afterwards, when you get to see that panoramic Mpumalanga view and you are completely at peace after the adrenalin has been coursing through your body, you feel really at peace. It\u2019s as if you\u2019ve gone through the range of human emotions and you can finally be still.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Fez\u2019s most magical moments while shooting was spending time with the Maasai warriors in Kenya. \u201cThis is a culture that holds on to the traditions that have been in place for centuries \u2013 and I love that. There\u2019s a beauty to the fact that the pragmatic elements of this culture are still being passed down at a time when expediency is everything. What I find even more amazing is the fact that this knowledge is shared by an elder whose job is to reveal everything he has learned throughout his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visiting his hometown was another highlight for Fez \u2013 but it\u2019s the Drakensberg amphitheatre that has his heart. \u201cOn the day we filmed there, I woke up to a landscape that was nothing but clouds. You could imagine pearly gates … it was enough to make me want to write up my list of good deeds! But as the sun came up, the clouds slowly disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Anesu\u2019s favorite spot? \u201cPeople always ask that \u2013 but I don\u2019t think there can ever be a single answer to that question. It\u2019s all about how you approach your travels. If you\u2019re curious enough, every place has magical spots. It\u2019s just about setting an intention to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s next on the itinerary for these two intrepid explorers? Anesu and Fez are both very excited for the upcoming episodes of the series. \u201cWe\u2019ve been privileged to highlight everything that\u2019s special about southern Africa, in Namibia, Botswana and of course South Africa, but I\u2019m especially pleased to be shedding a spotlight in East Africa, with its unique Arab influence making for amazing food and architecture,\u201d Anesu says. Fez, meanwhile, says that while it\u2019s likely their schedules may keep them apart for some of the year, they\u2019re not about to turn their backs on something that brings them joy. Time to get packing for some road trips!<\/p>\n

Details: Top Travel flights on S3 every Saturday at 8.30pm. Follow @toptraveltv on Instagram.<\/em><\/p>\n

Anesu and Fez\u2019s tips for surviving misadventures<\/strong><\/p>\n