Canadian Naturalist and Grizzly Bears
My passion is the wonders of wildlife. One of my life’s highlights was a several-week photographic course with a National Geographic wildlife photographer. Growing up in South Africa, I was comfortable with African wildlife, but in Canada, my acceptance of bears is low due to my unfamiliarity with their behavior.
Egypt
EGYPT We required Egyptian number plates. We needed 54 documents to obtain permission to bring the vehicle into Egypt. Aswan is a pretty fishing village and a popular tourist town. We are finally safely in Egypt after a gruelling drive across the Sahara. The Old Cataract Hotel, where Agatha Christie stayed while writing Death on […]
Sudan
SUDAN In the first Sudan town we looked for help to repair the Land Cruiser’s leaking oil. Passing under the banner Boycott Denmark Products after a Danish cartoonist posted a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, which outraged many Muslims worldwide. Meeting up with fellow travellers in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Setting off to drive […]
Ethiopia
ETHIOPIA Border crossing in Ethiopia, note the different script on the sign. A young man was carrying hay alongside the road. We were captivated by a woman’s voice echoing through the tin shack as she sang her heart out on Ethiopian Idol. The scene was a testament to the power of music, transcending the humble […]
Kenya
KENYA Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain and the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world. It’s actually a dormant volcano. Flamingoes at Lake Nakuru are known for their light pink plumage and long necks. Thousands of lesser flamingos—known for their light pink plumage and long necks. Marabou storks are the most […]
Uganda
UGANDA We crossed the equator from the northern to the southern hemisphere in Uganda. Isaac, who offered to teach Tom how to cook local food Jimmy at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre feeding two white rhinos. Big Mamma is a Nile crocodile. Shoebill birds are large, docile birds. Some reaching heights of 1.52 m (5 […]
Rwanda
RWANDA Sign at the border crossing with a flag, welcome and mileage to the main towns. The Kagera River that we crossed into Rwanda. Children were watching us with their little arms tightly closed, unlike other children we met on our journey from Cape Town to Rwanda. It’s a beautiful country with landscaped and farms […]
Tanzania
TANZANIA This is the view from our hotel window in Dar es Salaam, overlooking the warm Indian Ocean on the east coast of Africa. Waiting in the lineup for the ferry. Men and women were separated. The old Anglican Church was built by the British in 1873 over the site of the slave quarters. Monument […]
Malawi
MALAWI Market, where we bought our fruit and vegetables. They call this a bend-and-buy market, as everything is laid out on the ground. Warning of hippos in Lake Malawi that come on shore at night. Fisherman in the same lake during the day Fishermen were mending fishing nets at the lake edge. A woman […]