Travel shows and slide nights

Great to meet everyone who showed up at the Africa Safari Co's stand at the Travel Xpo (their spelling not mine) over the weekend.

The travel show, at Sydney's number-one tourist trap, Darling Harbour, was heaving with people. Interesting, I thought, given the so-called Global Financial Criss (if Kerry O'Brien can call the war I served in, "so-called", then I can call the GFC s0-called). Perhaps people were wandering around the show picking up brochures in lieu of actually going on holiday - a virtual vacaction, as it were, though with more brochures and less sunburn.

One of the funniest sights I saw was a person dressed in a monkey suit with a sign hanging around his neck saying "I am a snow monkey". He was obviously tired of people mistaking him for a snow leopard.

A few years ago I worked for a PR company that had a client involved in the gaming (ie gambling) industry, so I got to visit the Gaming Expo at Darling Harbour.

I remember showing up one morning to find an attractive young blonde lady wearing hot pants and a tight tank top engaged in a heated debate with a burly security guard of Middle-Eastern appearnce. She had apparently left her show exhibitor's pass at home and the guard wasn't going to let her in unless she bought a ticket to enter.

"But I told you," she said, "I'm, like working here."

"What are you working as?" he asked.

She stamped a stilleto. "I'm a model!"

"Prove it," the guard said.

She rasied her hands and said: "Look at this HAIR!"

At the travel Xpo I met Grommit the Land Rover's mum and dad for the first time and it was refreshing to encounter two people as crazy and Mrs Blog and me. (Grommit is our Land Rover, Tonka's internet friend. He even sent him a get well card when our Land Rover, Tonka, was in hospital getting his heart rebuilt).

Now... grab the beverage of your choice, sit back, and suffer in silence at a little slide show. I've finally moved some more of the pics from our last six-month safari from Mrs Blog's laptop on to mine. If the GFC's got you housebound for the next little while, then join me on a little armchair safari.......

We saw this kitty kat (above) drinking early one morning in Makalali Game Reserve

These antsy antelope are actually worthy of a spot on the blog as they are rare-ish Lichtenstein's Hartebeests. There are very few of them in the Kruger National Park (where this pic was taken). They've been re-introduced into the park. I love how the lady on the ground is so unimpressed by the chaps fighting over her. Boys.

Helloooo, breakfast. This lion (it's a young male - see the bum fluff under the chin?) was sitting with three of his brothers about 200 metres from the Paul Kruger entrance gate to the Kruger National Park, watching the tourists coming and going.

Look familiar? I call this pic "The real Silent Predator". This is a big ol' male leopard who hangs around Malelane Camp in the Kruger National Park. We found him in this tree early one morning 700 metres up the road from where we were staying. With just the teeniest bit of photo-shopping I was able to (kinda) match the colours with the cover of my last book, Silent Predator. (How's that - shameless self promotion dressed up as art!).

If we weren't in the grip of a GFC where would you go on holiday, Legion of Fans?