Campfire story: The Last Outpost

This post is part of  Kalahari  Series II – 2011. The previous post in the series is The Long Road North – Upington to Twee Rivieren and beyond. Also see Kalahari Series I – 2009. Our 2011 trip to the Kalahari was a little different to our previous trips. We found out after we had […]

Podcast: Alan Rabinowitz – Man & Beast

After recommending a science-related podcast yesterday, I decided to recommend something that would be for everyone. The Moth is a storytelling podcast which I’ve been listening to for years now. Some readers in the United States might have already come across their radio hours, or even been to their live events. The organization holds storytelling […]

The Ultimate Treehouse in the World’s Tallest Tree

The other day I had a post on my photoblog called What do Tree Surgeons do on their day off? It was about guys with climbing gear, looking ultra-cool as they climbed to the top of a huge Karri gum tree to measure it. Well, Karri gums are not indigenous to South Africa, they actually […]

Loo with a view

Like everybody, I also got a summary of my 2010 blog stats courtesy of WordPress. Turns out my best day was when I posted a piece titled “Finding a vacant toilet in the bush“. Not only did all my “regulars” (no pun intended) read it, but I had a lot of new visitors to my […]

Finding a vacant toilet in the bush

To most outdoor enthusiasts that is going to sound ridiculous. After all, nature is one big bathroom . . . for everyone and everything. Not so in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Kalahari. There, a very strictly enforced rule states that you may not get out of your vehicle, or dangle any part of […]

Story: The Garden Thief

When the dog and I go walking in the mornings, I often take snapshots of interesting things we see on our walk. Lately, as we’re heading into summer, I’ve been photographing any beautiful plants which I see in the gardens in our neighbourhood. I try not to trespass, but if there’s a flowerbed close to […]

When NOT to run

Well, it appears that when a bear attacks you, it’s a bad time to run. This week there has been a report of a camper in Yellowstone National Park, who woke up to find a bear gnawing on her. When screaming seemed to agitate the bear even more, she decided to play dead.  According to […]