Our little 16-month old toddler, Aidan, just loves looking at the animals in his wildlife book, so for my birthday this year we treated him (and ourselves) with a trip to the Pretoria Zoo. Our route through the park was a little haphazard, since we only arrived at 10 am (parents with toddlers will understand […]
Continue ReadingJust Keep Rolling: Walking With Dung Beetles
It’s not every day when you go for a game walk and the only animal you see is an insect. It’s also not everyone who can get excited about pile after pile of dung. So granted, our field guide did an excellent job in a difficult situation. With the region experiencing its worst […]
Continue ReadingA Toddler’s Morning Out at the Irene Dairy Farm
The Irene Dairy Farm is a little pastoral haven in the middle of the bustling city. Make no mistake, it’s a popular destination for parents with young children, so don’t expect to come here if you’re looking for solitude and the quiet contemplation of nature. However, should you have your own little gaggle of little […]
Continue ReadingBook Review: Neither Here Nor There – Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is one of the best-known (and best-selling) travel writers of our time, so it’s actually a little embarrassing to admit that I’ve never read any of his books before. I thought it was about high time I rectified this sorry state of affairs and picked up his third travel memoir, Neither Here Nor […]
Continue ReadingCruising for Hippos in St Lucia
St Lucia is a laid-back holiday town off the north coast of the KwaZulu-Natal region. It’s part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and famous for South Africa’s largest hippo population. You may be surprised to hear that hippos are considered the most dangerous land animals in Africa, and we saw a number of signs all […]
Continue ReadingFlashback Friday: Comrades Marathon
Hundreds of sweating, aching, tired bodies are crossing the line. Only a few minutes left until the final gunshot will break thousands of hearts. Already, some people need help to make it to the finish line, arm-in-arm with complete strangers they exemplify the spirit of this marathon. I cheer along with the crowd of spectators, urging […]
Continue ReadingSt Lucia’s Isiphaphalazi Butterfly Dome
It’s stifling hot inside the dome and sweat runs freely down our faces, but we hardly notice. We listen enraptured as our guide tells us the story of butterflies: how they each have a special tree that they lay their eggs on, how the little caterpillars develop and then pupate in a chrysalis, and then […]
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