Back from the Wilderness

I've just had a fantastic couple of weeks in the wilds of Zambia and Zimbabwe and have now returned to the land of tar roads, airconditioning and Wimpy - The Republic of South Africa (that, incidentally was how a South African expat living in Uganda disparagingly referred to his homeland to me a few years ago. Myself, I see nothing wrong with tar roads, air conditioning and Wimpy bars).

Anyway, down to business first. I will be shamelessly spruiking the South African release of my latest book AFRICAN DAWN at a few bookstore events in Johannesburg and Nelspruit in the next couple of weeks. Sorry for the short notice, but hope you can make it to one of the following (oh, and please check timings with the stores concerned as I've been known to get these wrong in the past!!)

Wednesday, 2 November 6pm for 6.30pm

Exclusive Books The Glen
Shop M13 Fountain Court
The Glen Shopping Centre
Cnr Orpen & Letaba Road Oakdene
RSVP: theglen@exclusivebooks.co.za


Thursday, 3 November 6.30pm for 7pm

Novel Books
Shop F8a, Hobart Grove Shopping Centre,
Cnr. Hobart and Grosvenor Roads
Bryanstan
RSVP: 011 463 9320 or novelbooks@vodamail.co.za

Thursday, 10 November 6pm for 6.30pm

Exclusive Books Nelspruit
Riverside Mall, White River Road
RSVP: nelspruit@exclusivebooks.co.za

I'm madly catching up with emails and have just sent out a new newsletter and I'm trying to get back into blogging (hence this quick post).

I have, in fact, just posted a fairly lengthy blog on our recent travels in Zambia which you can read on my Getaway Blog here

I'll catch up with all the news soon, but in the meantime I thought I'd share just a very few pics from our recent travels, in no particular order...




Snapped this fleet footed impala and rhino at the marvellous Marakele National Park in South Africa. Amazingly (for a South African park) the camping ground is unfenced and the rhinos here wander into the camping ground - as do ostrich, wildebeest and various other critters.

We saw this magnificent male lion in Madikwe Game Reserve while staying with our friends Paul and Julia who work in the very agreeable Jaci's Lodge

As in previous years I'll be blogging soon about this year's annual game census in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. This lioness (above) and her sister killed a Zebra during the night while we were counting animals. We came across her the next morning and she charged our Land Rover twice before dragging her kill deeper into the bush. Great to see lions in the Robins area and our friends who accompanied us later had three separate lion sightings in Hwange's Main Camp area. Who said there were no animals left in Hwange? (Not me).

Moon rising over Hwange National Park during the game census (above).

Here's a little taste of some of the great game viewing we had at The Hide private
game lodge in Hwange after the game census. I'll save it for a future blog, but suffice it to say I had one of the most amazing game viewing experiences of my life at The Hide. A fantastic place.

Well, that's it for now, but I promise I will be back.