My Kind of Holiday: Mike Sutcliffe

Mike Sutcliffe is eThekwini municipal manager

Where did you spend your last holiday?

Argentina.

What was the best thing you did while there?

Hiked on the Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia. Having a whisky with 300-year-old ice at the end of the hike was really special.

Your favourite city abroad and why?

Barcelona, for the history, art, culture, urban regeneration and the wonderful La Rambla, where residents show that they really own their city.

What must a first-time visitor see there?

The Olympic stadium, La Rambla, Gaudi architecture, the old city.

What should they not bother with?

Looking at the time.

What was your best holiday ever?

The Masai Mara in Kenya, one of Africa's most amazing wildlife experiences and one of the world's greatest migrations. The Masai are a people of incredible dignity and tradition, divided by colonial boundaries.

What was your worst holiday ever? What happened?

Timeshare in Hungary at a place built during the Soviet era as a holiday camp. It was drab and boring with boring food and masses of people looking bored in the hot springs.

Your favourite SA destination and why?

Mapungubwe. It is a beautiful reserve and a special place in Africa's recorded cultural history, but also a place caught up in the conflicts of colonialism, capitalism and racism.

Your favourite restaurant anywhere?

Spice in Durban.

What is the most exotic dish you have ever eaten on holiday?

Blood sausage in Argentina.

One place you want to see before you die?

I want to drive from Durban to Cairo.

What do you avoid on holiday?

South Africans and commercial tours.

What's your best piece of travel advice?

Use local city companies and public transport.

One travel destination you would call "never again"?

Zagreb, Croatia. The Soviet-style architecture doesn't reflect the incredible creativity of the people of Eastern Europe.