After unpacking the four of us headed to the deck overlooking the Crocodile River and into the Kruger Park where we were greeted by beautiful views of the river and Park. Two elephant were drinking at the river and two water monitor lizards were lying in the sun below the deck

Saturday, 17 June, at 06:00, the four of us headed for Crocodile Gate only to sit in a queue for two and a half hours to get into the Park – it was a long weekend so a lot of people had come down from Johannesburg and Pretoria to enjoy the magnificent wild life Kruger has to offer. Once we were inside the Park it was all there for us to see and enjoy, impala, wildebeest – gnu – and zebra were our first sightings before we saw elephant and of course crocodile. The treat of the day however was seeing wild dog, these magnificent creatures are not easy to find so it was a real thrill when we stumbled across them

After chilling out on Sunday we went back into Kruger on Monday. This time it was a breeze, no queues so we were in the Park by 06:30. We were again treated to some fantastic sightings which included fish eagles, giraffe, zebra, warthog, hippo, elephant and the king of the jungle

My partner in the golf academy, Neil, who visits Ngwenya Lodge every year, said we’ve got to play golf at Kambaku, in fact every time he and his family came back from Ngwenya he’d tell me we have to play at Kambaku. Well, he was right, what an absolute treat to play this magnificent golf course situated in Komatipoort at the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati Rivers. We were giving a really warm welcome by the team in the pro shop, our caddy, Sam, was brilliant and the course is absolutely world class with stunning views of the two rivers. Beautiful tight fairways with beautiful quick greens and a few strategically placed trees, you need to plot your way carefully around this great layout. After a most enjoyable round with lots of good conversation with our caddy Sam, we sat on the balcony overlooking the Crocodile River and enjoyed a few refreshments and here again the hospitality was top drawer. Thank you for a great day Kambaku Golf Club, we will be back

Wednesday we were back in the Park and what an entrance. As we crossed the Crocodile River and were driving up the hill toward the main gate the car in front of us suddenly stopped and away to our left was a magnificent male lion with a huge black mane. Unfortunately it was quite a brief sighting and we weren’t able to get any photos. At the gate the Park staff told us there were actually five lion where we had seen the big male. This was another day where we were treated to some spectacular sightings including lions mating in a dry river bed

Thursday was unfortunately our last day in the Park so we got off to an early start only to miss two cheetah by a few minutes although we did see lion pretty much straight away but the best was still to come – a young leopard. Toward the end of our time in the Park we decided to take a more round about route, two cars were in front of us when suddenly a young leopard crossed the road in front of the first car. The three cars stopped immediately and the leopard, seemingly unfazed, turned left and walked just off the road next to the cars. We were also extremely fortunate to see two Southern ground hornbill, which are are the endangered species list

After we bade “Farewell” to the Park we sat in the hide at the Lodge for a few hours watching the sun set with two elephant eating contentedly about fifty meters from while a pod of hippo frolicked in the river. Suddenly we heard lions calling across the river and in the failing light Robin and Charles with help of binoculars saw a lioness walking in the sand on the other side of the river. A perfect end to an awesome week

Here are a few random pics

Robin and I at the entrance to Thanda

After an excellent buffet lunch we chilled for and hour or so before being met again by Janice and Khaya for our evening game drive which was superb. It was amazing to sit on the game viewing vehicle and listen to Janice and Khaya, their knowledge of wildlife, birds and the bush is world class and Khaya’s tracking skills blew our mind. We saw elephant, several species of antelope and a few raptors. After our game drive we and the other guests who were from America, England and Scandinavia were treated to a fantastic display of traditional Zulu dancing in the boma before enjoying a real South African braai – barbecue

Khaya, Robin, Brad, Janice and Denise

Our morning game drive was absolutely brilliant. At 05:30 we set out to see what we could find and it wasn’t long before we came across a sub adult lioness. We sat with her for a while, then suddenly she stood up and started walking up the road so we followed her and she led us to and amazing sight. After the game drive Robin, Denise and Brad went for a massage which they raved about. During their massages they were treated to the sounds of the African bush with warthogs grunting, monkeys chattering and birds calling.

Setting off at 15:30 our afternoon game drive was just as awesome as our morning game drive and again we were treated to wonderful tales of the bush by Janice and Khaya. After our game drive we sat around the fire with a Scotch and discussed the day, what we had seen and our favorite moments before enjoying another wonderful buffet dinner. There is great saying and it is absolutely true, “Nothing clears the African dust from your throat like a Scotch”

On our final game drive with Janice and Khaya it was here where Khaya really showed what an amazing tracker he is. We driving along quite happily on a jeep track when he suddenly told Janice to stop the vehicle. He jumped down and picked up lion hair, he then looked around and saw the tracks in some sand about twenty metres away and said the lion had been in the area about half a hour before we got there. We as a group decided not to follow the tracks but head off in search of other game. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to camp for breakfast, say farewell to our wonderful hosts and come home

Thanda Private Reserve is a wonderful wildlife reserve, only three hours from Durban and well worth visiting

On Saturday, 01 July 2017 five mates, Ian, Colin, Peter – John, Dinesh and Ant set out for the second edition of shopping up a storm in Durban’s world famous Grey Street area. Ian, who is a pro at fixing Irish coffees suggested Irish’s were a great way to start the day and who were we to argue. Okay, I know there are only three Irish coffee glasses but Dinesh was running late and Peter – John was meeting us in Grey St. Ian chauffeured us into Grey St, we parked at Nichol Square, met Peter – John and the adventure began.

Our first port of call was the legendary Soli Omar tailors who have been around for over 60 years and who regaled us with stories of a bygone era even giving us privy to some old ads and invoices. Soli Omar is also where Dinesh started the days purchases with a smart black belt

After Soli Omar we went literally two doors up the road to Omars where had a good chat about how little the area has changed over the years. The only well known store no longer there was Reg Wright Sports where many of us bought our soccer boots back in the day. Time to move on, Omars will feature more prominently in this adventure a bit later

Across the road is Kaljees where Ian bought a beautiful pair of brogues on our last foray into this vibrant part of Durban and the guys remembered us. Ian was on a mission for a pair of ostrich skin shoes and Kaljees had the answer. The question was, did they have his size, the answer, sadly not. “Don’t worry” our friends at Kaljees said, “We’ll order you a pair, give us your contact details and we’ll call you when they arrive, should take about six weeks”.

We bade Kaljees farewell and started our meander, popping into a few shops on the way to brunch at Little Gujurat. The guys looked at shoes and tried on a pair of trousers here and there all the while comparing prices however Dinesh’s solitary purchase was what accompanied us to brunch. Things were going to change a bit later. Brunch at Little Gujurat was brilliant, we had an assortment of the restaurants finest samosas, puri patta, chilli bites, veda, masala dosa, bhaja and pakoras

After satisfying our hunger we continued our stroll and saw some vehicles that prove this area is still in a bit of a time warp. The good old bull nose Bedford – middle photo – brought back a few memories of doing national service

We drifted through a few side streets and were amazed at the all shops and more importantly the value for money until finding ourselves back at Omars

After three years of trying to find my size Omars came up trumps and those Crockett and Jones suede brogues came into my possession

I’m not sure whether finally finding my size was the catalyst or the beautiful Pringle jersey Colin had seen during our first visit there earlier but the boys started to shop, shoes, shirts, jerseys, it was great fun.

“I don’t wear brogues” Colin said more than once and it was not only he who succumbed to this beautiful classic style of shoe, Peter – John also succumbed.

Colin tried his black Crockett and Jones brogues on and was immediately sold, Peter – John took a bit longer as can be seen in the photos above before deciding, both men very happy with their purchases. Dinesh broke the trend preferring to go the casual route

Suddenly it was all over, Ian’s order was in and the guys had made their purchases. Thanks to the staff at Omars for their great service, we’ll see you same place, same time next year

Although we said cheers to Peter – John, we were not quite finished, it was back to yours truly’s house for a closing Irish coffee made by the master and to check out and admire our new purchases

The flight from Jozie to Abu Dhabi was pretty quiet and event free but the day flight from Abu Dhabi was very interesting for me, I sat next to a Swiss farmer on his way home to Bern from Nepal. This fine gentleman travels several times a year to the Philippines, Central Africa and Asia to assist the local people with sustainability projects. It was also his idea to take a few photos from the aircraft

After a 2 1/2 hour drive from Geneva via Grenoble and seeing the turn to Alp D’ Huez of Tour De France fame – even more respect for those Tour riders now – we arrived at Les Deux Alpes. As we arrived the resort was hit by a mild snow storm and yours truly, clearly from warmer climes and clad only in shorts and a tee shirt had to forsake his luggage in the car park and make a wild dash for the warm surrounds of the hotel reception area. After we checked in, got our ski passes and put our luggage in our rooms we headed for the ski equipment room to get our ski boots, skis, ski poles and ski groups. Denise and Robin who had skied before were put in the intermediate group while Ann – Marie and I were put in the beginner or debutant group. Brad and Jo were snow boarding so Brad, who has done the black slopes, was in the advanced group while Jo was put in the beginners group.

After a hearty buffet dinner we repaired to our rooms to enjoy the view and for those of us hadn’t skied or snow boarded before a chance to think about this new adventure. We all put our kit out for the morning in an order that we wouldn’t forget anything. Good snow fall overnight ensured we’d have some fun on the slopes although that was never in doubt.

Monday morning dawned crisp with a fresh dusting of snow and much apprehension among the three debutants. The six of us all kitted out in our new ski clobber enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and then headed to the kit room to put on our boots, get our skis and join our groups. Between the kit room and our respective meeting places the hotel staff were there to help us on our way with a shot of Genepi. This rather pleasant but fiery liquid is made from a local flower found on the slopes around Les Deux Alpes

At 09:30 Ann – Marie, Jo and I made our way rather slowly in our ski boots to the yellow lollipop which told everyone we were beginners to meet our instructors Jean – Marie and Pierre, and the rest of our group while Denise, Brad and Robin confidently headed toward their groups. Jean – Marie and Pierre escorted us to the ski lifts and a few minutes later we were all standing in the snow with our skis on listening to our instructors. Our first runs were about 25 metres and almost flat and it here that I was christened Robocop by Pierre. “No, no Robocop, you must relax, you’re too stiff Robocop.” Suddenly Denise joined us, “Hey what are you doing here Big Sis”, I asked. “They told me I was backward and have to join your group,” was my sister in law’s reply. Backward in this sense meant that although Denise can ski, the instructor thought it better that she spend some time “Refreshing with the debutants.” After 45 minutes we were “walked” off toward a slightly longer and steeper slope where we were shown how to stop properly. “Snow plough, snow plough” was a regular call from Jean – Marie and Pierre as one of us got out of control and couldn’t stop. This slope had a pulley system so when we got to the bottom  we’d shuffle toward the pulley, grab onto it and get pulled back to the top of the slope to start the run again.

The afternoon session was a bit more exciting, we were taken to an even longer and steeper slope where we were taught to to turn. After a few relatively straight runs Jean – Marie put cones in the snow and we had to ski around them. That was fun and we’d hardly settled in there when we were whisked off to the “Magic Carpet”. The “Magic Carpet” was at the bottom of an even steeper slope. Jean – Marie and Pierre put out cones which we had to ski around at greater speed and here some of us like yours truly had a few tumbles. Then it was in the queue for the five minute ride on the “Magic Carpet” back to the top of the slope to do it all again.

Meanwhile Robin and Brad were skiing and snowboarding up a storm on the red and black slopes and over dinner regaled us with stories of flying down slopes, sharp turns spraying snow and being real skiers.

Then came the acid test, we were on our way to being real skiers. Jean – Marie and Pierre took us down the slope to a “new” ski lift which took us a lot higher to a “proper ” ski run. Ann – Marie and I failed dismally, while the rest of our group skied off down the run and disappeared with Pierre, Jean – Marie guided Anne – Marie and I along at snails pace occasionally having to pick one of us up after a fall, some of which were rather spectacular. Robin and I did the same run a few days later with Denise and Ann – Marie and although we were a bit faster there were still had some anxious moments

The days really whizzed by, a couple of walks into the village of Les Deux Alpes on afternoons “off” to have a look at the shops and get a few curios, and an afternoon spent riding the ski lifts, and funicular railway to enjoy the views from the top and suddenly it was time to go home.

One of the big things for us were the awesome people we met in our ski and snowboarding groups, our instructors and the fun time we spent with them on the slopes and having a drink or meal with them. Guys, thank you for helping make our holiday that much more special

In November 2014 one of our mountain biking buddies, Don Hunter invited some friends to join him in celebrating a significant birthday by cycling in Mashatu during August 2015. Don organized the trip through Cycle Mashatu who were superb, but first things first.

The invite from Don read as follows: “You are hereby cordially invited to my birthday party on Saturday night the 22nd August to be held wherever we happen to be in the wilderness of Botswana. To make sure that you all make it, there is going to be a luxury coach laid on to take you most of the way and bring you back home again. Unfortunately there will be some cycling involved, under your own steam, to get all the way there, but that is your own affair.”

As always, there were a few rules, 22 to be precise but no 13 was the one I think that made our trip so successful and so special. It went like this: “The following will not be tolerated: whining, complaining, grumping, sulking, glaring, huffing, puffing, fighting, spitting, hitting, hair pulling, causing bodily harm, tantrums, feet stamping, wailing, shrieking, teeth gnashing or head banging. You are required to play nicely with each other.” And that is how it was.

On 19 August 2015, at 21:00 our luxury bus with 22 party revelers on board with their mountain bikes, kit and passports pulled out of the La Lucia Mall parking lot and headed to Mapungubwe Game Reserve in Limpopo where we spent our first night

Here are a few photos of Mapungubwe which include our very comfortable chalet, the view from our chalet and from the view site looking over the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers where South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe meet. In Mapungubwe amongst other animals we saw elephant, zebra and klip springer and some magnificent birdlife

On the morning of 21 August 2015 our luxury bus took us to the Pont Drift border post where we met Claire, our host from Cycle Mashatu, assembled our bikes, went through customs and crossed a very dry Limpopo River once described by Rudyard Kipling in the Elephants Child as, “the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees”, and into Botswana

After going through customs we were taken by our host, Claire, a qualified game ranger, to meet our guides, Joe and Max, also qualified game rangers with immense knowledge of the bush, wildlife and bird life, have lunch and a briefing of what the next four days were going to be all about.

After our briefing we were split into two groups for the 25 kilometer cycle to Mashatu Camp on the Botswana bank of the mighty Limpopo River. It was a quiet ride with a few sightings of zebra, elephant, black backed jackal and some beautiful bird life

The first day’s riding started out beautifully with the first group following Joe and the second group behind Max with Claire doing the sweeping should anyone of us fall behind or decide to wander off on our own into the Mopani forest. It was all going well, some great sightings of elephant, zebra, impala, black backed jackal, giraffe, wildebeest(gnu), hyena and baboon coupled with some beautiful birdlife – khori bustards and lilac breasted rollers to name a few, Joe also pointed out leopard spoor quite close to the camp. Then it all happened, we were cruising through a rather rocky patch of single track when Nigel decided it was time to have a proper wipe out, didn’t quite get the corner right with a not so spectacular result and a buckled front wheel and a few roasties for his efforts. He was duly rewarded with the monkey but yours truly was to be recipient of the self same monkey when he did a not so elegant dismount in a pile of elephant dung a day later

Day 2 was epic. It started out gently enough and as we rounded a corner we were greeted by congress of baboons and a herd of impala running around madly. Suddenly they all scattered except for one impala which suddenly dropped. Joe, our guide, went to inspect the stricken animal to find it had been caught in a snare. We all gathered around while Joe removed the snare and Mark suggested pumping its heart and in a matter of two or three minutes of Joe pumping the impala kicked out, got up and bolted into the undergrowth. Joe, you are a legend

After the impala was rescued we continued on our way and were riding through some dense Mopani forest when Joe signaled to turn back and fast, we were about to cross paths with a rather unhappy jumbo

Jumbos seemed to be the order of the day, we had some great sightings and a rather hairy few minutes in our camp after the ride. We were all relaxing with a cold one, Mark had gone for a shower when one of the group called us to the have a look at large bull elephant who had wandered near the kitchen. It all looked pretty harmless, most of us got our cameras and were taking photos, then he started getting closer, despite the kitchen staff’s best efforts to send him on his way by banging on lids. About this time Mark finished his shower and started back towards the safety and camaraderie of camp, we shouted for him to stay in the shower but he heard “Change showers” and ran barefoot through the thorns for the “safety” of the other shower. Suddenly the elephant saw Mark and decided to take an interest in him and Joe, who had earlier received legendary status enhanced his reputation even further when he came to rescue again and a rather disgruntled elephant lumbered off into the bushes while Mark full of thorns scuttled back into the camp.

Then it was party time. We all enjoyed a few sundowners around the fire listening to three great speeches by Dave Bristow, Don’s best mate of 53 years, Don’s wife Shirley and Don himself before getting stuck into a magnificent dinner prepared by the appropriately named Baker, Sadie and the kitchen crew. They had also secretly made two delicious chocolate cakes.

Day three dawned bright and beautiful and after a hearty breakfast headed off into the bush toward Mmamagwe We saw a lot of game on the ride including a giraffe which had just given birth, unfortunately we did not get to see the baby.

At Mmamagwe we were given a wonderful history lesson from Joe about the ancient civilisations that had lived in the area and the fact that you can still find artefacts from those bygone eras and then Piet and Dave gave us a great overview of the geology of the area.

From Mmamagwe we rode to the camp where we would spend our last night to find we would be sleeping in a boma under the stars – awesome. Baker and Sadie prepared a magnificent dinner which included two whole fillets braaied – barbecued – on the open coals.

After some great fireside conversation it was time to climb into our sleeping bags and enjoy a good kip under the stars. During the night we were woken several times by lions calling, hyenas laughing and baboons foraging. Over breakfast our guides said the lions were probably 500 metres to a kilometre away so there was no need to feel concerned.

After breakfast it was time to head to the border post and say farewell to our wonderful hosts. On the ride Joe pointed out the lion tracks which were about a kilometre from the boma and near the border post we had a had a great sighting of a large herd of elephant with their young close to the road.

Back in South Africa our luxury bus was there to meet us and take us back to Mapungubwe for the night before the drive back to Durban. Around the fire it was said more than once how awesome our cycle trip was and that we’d all do it again soon.

About three months ago one of our mountain biking mates, Ian, reminded us of how when we were teenagers in the 1970’s we used to go into Grey Street to buy our Levi’s and Jarman’s. We all had a good laugh reminiscing how we used to bargain with the shop owners. “Is that your best price”, “That’s my best price”, “We’ll go next door then”, “No, wait” was a typical conversation.

Ian said “Okay, let’s set a date” which we duly did.

The day finally dawned and after a good cappuccino we headed off to Grey Street and a great morning shopping for Jarman’s. Ian was looking for a burgundy pair and I was looking for a brown suede pair and a navy and white two tone pair to convert into golf shoes.

We parked at Pine Parkade, took a stroll up Pine Street past the pissoire to begin our search. Our first stop was Soli Omar who has always been a great outfitter and nothing has changed, his shoe selection was excellent but there was lots to see and do so after a chat to the guys there we headed on.

We crossed the road, popped into Karida’s where Ian found his burgundy brogues and then headed deep into Grey Street, now Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street, where there was lots more to see including informal traders hawking their wares

After visiting a few more shops and checking out the shoes the boys were getting hungry which called for a visit to Little Gujurat. Little Gujurat was superb, all sorts of wonderful delicacies were on offer including samosas, puri patha, veda, bhaja and a wide variety of veg curries

After an excellent meal we walked down Victoria Street, now Bertha Mkhize Street, and really just browsed, I guess we just wanted to cover all bases and make sure we didn’t miss anything. Then it was back to Grey Street via a couple of arcades and a few more shops where Ian found a great black pair of Johnson and Murphy’s who we were told on great authority had taken over from Jarman’s. I found a navy and white pair of Crockett and Jones but wanted to speak to a cobbler about putting spikes on the soles and using them for golf. The guy we were referred to said it could be done but wasn’t too sure about what it would cost and I didn’t want to spend the money not feeling confident about the end result – more research will be done

We did find brown suede brogues for me at a “good price” and despite the owners best efforts to source a pair from his one of his other branches no size 11’s were in stock so we will have to wait for our next visit which rest assured won’t take another 35 odd years.

After 4 hours of great entertainment we had to call time on our adventure and head back to the suburbs. It was a successful morning and while we didn’t break the bank, Ian emerged with two great pairs of shoes and although I didn’t buy anything watch this space for our next foray into Grey Street.

To celebrate Ann- Marie’s birthday she and Robin have gone on bicycle ride in Croatia

A few pics before riding on the Island of Hvar

Robin getting ready to ride

Robin’s bike – the hired one

Hvar Harbour

Views of the island of Hvar while riding

Local speciality for lunch on Hvar – octopus, potatoes, courgettes, onion,, tomato, eggplant and carrots. Looks delicious

Robin and Ann – Marie in Dubrovnik

Looking across the rooftops of old Dubrovnik to the Adriatic

One of the seven natural wonders of the world and one of my favourite places to visit. There is so much to see and do in this beautiful place from high tea at the magnificent Victoria Falls Hotel, sedate cruises on the mighty Zambezi above the Falls to white water rafting in the Gorge and bungi jumping