The majestic Baobab – a legend in its time
Africa is not called the ‘dark continent’ for nothing. It is a continent of dark secrets and legends. The legends cover not only the people, but the animals, rivers and trees. And the tree...
Bird of the week – Week 7 : African fish-eagle
Bird of the week – Week 7 : African fish-eagle Picture this. Reclining on a sofa-bed in the open air pub at Oddballs Camp in the Okavango Delta, beer in hand, looking out over...
On the edge of the Namib
We arrived at our campsite in the late afternoon, with the January sun still high in the sky and settled down with a cup of coffee before setting up camp. We were drinking in...
Bird of the week – Week 6 : Kori bustard
The most impressive thing about the Kori bustard is its size. It is big. Really big. Not as big as a Common ostrich, admittedly, but the difference is that the Kori can fly; in...
Canoeing on the Orange River
I’ve always suspected that our family has a number of adrenalin junkies hidden in the closet and so it was no surprise when we unanimously decided to try white water rafting on the Orange...
Bird of the week – Week 5 : African black oystercatcher
Bird of the week – Week 5 : African black oystercatcher The “Red List” records the African black oystercatcher as “Near threatened”, which means that it could be threatened with extinction fairly soon if...
The Heroic Mongoose
“He was a mongoose, rather like a little cat in his fur and his tail, but quite like a weasel in his head and his habits. His eyes and the end of his restless...
African Wild Dogs – a rare treat
Encountering African wild dogs on a game drive is about as exciting as coming across a lion or a leopard. These animals are endangered and it is a rare privilege to see them. They...
Bird of the week – Week 3 : Southern red bishop
During the hot summer months the reed beds around Windhoek are spotted with small bright red birds with black masks and black bellies that buzz around looking like giant bumblebees, calling in a sizzling...
Aussenkehr & Norotshama
We have just returned from the most amazing visit to Norotshama, a resort in southern Namibia on the banks of the Orange River. Amazing because it was a long-overdue family reunion (more about that...
Bird of the week – Week 2 : Swallow-tailed bee-eater
Visit almost any of the acacia bushveld areas of Namibia at almost any time of the year and you will almost certainly see the beautifully coloured, distinctively slender shape of a Swallow-tailed bee-eater as...
Mantras – pathways to joy
I first became aware of and interested in mantras after visiting the Himalayas in 2002. I wanted a Tibetan meditation cd and stumbled upon the famous Om Mani Padme Hum mantra whilst visiting a...
Bird of the week – Week 1 : Pied Avocet
Take a walk along the beachfront at Walvis Bay and one of the most distinctive and easily recognizable birds to be seen wading in the shallow water is the black-and-white Pied Avocet. Appropriately named...
A Namibian Christmas Tale
He was known throughout the bulbul kingdom of Khorixas as “The Godfather”. Wise beyond his years, he was the acknowledged guardian of the tribes folklore; he alone had access to the collective wisdom of...
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