Travelling with Twakkie

Published Jan 28, 2013

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Cape Town - Actor and comedian Rob van Vuuren is best known for his role as Twakkie in the SABC2 comedy series The Most Amazing Show, which ran from 2006 to 2007. He has appeared in numerous stage productions and received various award nominations for his roles.

In 2008, he and his coach and partner, Mary Martin, won the fifth season of SABC 2’s Strictly Come Dancing reality competition. He can currently be seen in The Three Little Pigs – a political thriller – at the Baxter Theatre.

Here, he talks travel...

How widely have you travelled?

I went to Taiwan for about two months after my first one-man show did well at the Hilton Arts Festival many years ago. I stayed with friends and explored the island extensively. It was awesome. I have also been lucky in that my work takes me overseas.

I’ve been to France about three or four times for work, and on one of those occasions I toured the country for about three-and-a-half months. I’ve also performed in Belgium.

Where was your favourite holiday or time spent abroad?

My wife, Dani, my daughter, Bijou, and I hit the road over the Christmas/New Year holiday period and spent three glorious weeks visiting some of our favourite towns and hamlets in the country – Harkerville, Nature’s Valley, Vermaaklikheid, Jonkershoek and Citrusdal.

I really enjoyed our brief visit to Amsterdam in 2009 and I’m looking forward to an extended stay there on our Three Little Pigs tour later this year.

What was your worst experience on a holiday?

I don’t want to go into too much detail but let me just say that when you arrive in Paris for the first time and you desperately need the loo and can’t speak the language and no one wants to help you, things can get ugly.

Your funniest experience?

I once did a gig with Louw Venter (Corné from the Most Amazing Show) for some obscenely rich Saudi royal in the Seychelles where our actual gig got canned while we were on stage.

We ended up standing behind Alan Committie still dressed in gold unitards for 45 minutes. Alan chatted away and we just stood there like perverse human-size Oscar statuettes. We spent the rest of our time there snorkelling to avoid heat stroke.

What do you avoid during a holiday?

French toilets, Saudi royals and golden unitards.

Best meal abroad?

Nothing beats a steak tartare in a tiny little restaurant in the back avenues of Avignon.

Your favourite place to have sundowners on your travels?

I once had a glass of white wine with the most magnificent snowy mountain vista after taking a cable car up into the French Alps in Grenoble. That was pretty cool.

What have you learnt from your travels?

You can never travel enough.

Ideal travelling companion?

My wife and child. They are the most important people in my life and travelling without them somehow makes the experience seem empty.

I’m trying to figure out a plan to take them to New York and Europe in August and September for the Three Little Pigs tour.

Culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?

Definitely a culture vulture – I love seeing as many plays, galleries and museums as I can when I’m abroad.

If cycling through the streets of Paris and Toulouse in the middle of the night after you’ve had a few too many counts as an adrenalin sport, then I’d have to say that I’m an adrenalin junkie too.

Greatest travel luxury?

Business class. That, however, is yet to happen to me.

Holiday reading?

Anything and everything – I devour books when I travel.

Favourite drive?

I once went on a road trip with my wife and mother-in-law from Oxford through the Cotswolds in England. It was quite lovely.

Dream trip?

It has always been a dream of mine to perform in New York and The Three Little Pigs is making that possible – I can’t wait to soak up the atmosphere in the Big Apple.

As a seasoned traveller and flyer, can you share some tips?

Duty-free is your friend.

Where next?

The Three Little Pigs will also be going to the Edinburgh Festival next year. It has always been a dream to go to that festival, so I’m pretty excited about all the travelling ahead. We kick off our world tour in Cape Town and then go directly to Perth. Thereafter, we take the show to Stellenbosch, Oudtshoorn, Grahamstown, New York, London, Dublin, Amsterdam and Potchefstroom. I’ve always wanted to end a world tour in Potch. - Weekend Argus

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