Day 6 – Drifters South Africa 18-day Tour

Zululand

4 September 2011

After an 8 o’clock breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, we climbed into the open-sided jeep and headed off for our walk. False Bay joins the St Lucia Wetlands Park to form… Read full post »

Day 5– Drifters South Africa 18-day Tour

Kruger National Park to Zululand

3 September 2011

Breakfast was served by 5:45 and by 6:15 we were ready to leave, the park gates opened at 6 and our lazy path the southernmost exit of the park… Read full post »

Day 4– Drifters South Africa 18-day Tour

Kruger National Park

2 September 2011  

After a light breakfast of toast, cereal, and little heart-shaped waffles, we left Caroline and the Drifters Lodge and headed for the Phabeni Gate into Kruger National Park. The gate is only 30 kilometer… Read full post »

Day 3 – Drifters South Africa 18-day Tour

Andy’s Camp to Hazyview

1 September 2011  

We packed up our bags and said farewell to Matisse and our tent. Our two nights at the game lodge were over and we would be heading south to Hazyview for a night at the Drifters… Read full post »

Day 2 – Afternoon - Drifters South Africa 18-day Tour

Andy’s Camp

31 August 2011   

We met for snacks at 2:30 before settling into our open air 4x4 safari vehicle. Joostie took the roll of spotter, sitting on a chair at the front of the hood. Once he was belted… Read full post »

Day 2 – Morning – Drifters South Africa 18-day Tour

Andy’s Camp

31 August 2011  

Matisse, the name given to our gecko by Kirsty, was still there when we woke up and got ready for our hike. Coffee, tea, fruit, and rusks awaited us before we set off on a 3-hour… Read full post »

Day 1 Drifters South Africa 18-day Tour

30 August 2011

Johannesburg to Balule Game Reserve  

Milton Mpache knocked on our door at 5:30 to make sure we were up. We were. I think Kirsty thought it was Christmas and woke up several times during the night and again at 5 so… Read full post »

Dammam to Johannesburg

Pre-tour of Africa

End of August 29, 2011

18-Day South Africa Overland Explorer   

Kirsty and I broke from our normal routine of flying from Bahrain and opted to fly from Dammam, Saudi Arabia instead. In all of my trips since I’ve arrived in Sau… Read full post »

And we’re back. The holidays are over and we’ve been at work for two weeks, but a big part of me is still in Africa enjoying all the wonderful things that we encountered there. Don’t worry; I kept a journal of what happened. 

We arrived back in Saudi on Thursday afternoon… Read full post »

Kirsty and I go on vacation to South Africa tomorrow. It’s our last vacation for a while so we better enjoy it. Like not enjoying is even a possibility. I’m really looking forward to this trip; more so than any of the other vacations we’ve been on. 

We’ve both been flaggi… Read full post »

I’m 1 week past my 40th birthday and I’m going over all the things I’m certain about. There aren’t many. But one of them does relate to my upcoming trip to South Africa so I thought I would share it with you all. Why? Because I can. Feel free to tune… Read full post »

Today I’m not just another day older; I’m not just another year older either. I’ve entered a new decade. But I don’t feel any different today than I did yesterday. Or the day before yesterday for that matter. Actually, I don’t feel any different to any other day in the p… Read full post »

I've written about 30,000 words over the last 6 weeks but none of them have been fit for sharing. Mostly just random thoughts and shopping lists of the rich and famous. I finally started writing something that I thought I could possibly share.

Kirsty and I go to South Africa for… Read full post »

Sitting at my desk yesterday I conjured up an excellent idea, or series of ideas for a novel. Well, ultimately, it could be a series of novels all interrelated but standing on their own. While I won’t divulge the topic (just in case you more talented writers with more desire to put… Read full post »

I heard some news the other day and I don’t know if I should be disturbed by it or not. JK Rowling, inventor of someone called Harry Potter, apparently a boy wizard and money spinning 7 book series (did that sound right with my tongue planted firmly in cheek?), has a… Read full post »

He was always a quiet man when I was growing up. He was always there, but he was always quiet. At times it felt like he was on the perimeter of my life, watching from the shadows not fully capable or wanting to get involved. But like many things I thought… Read full post »

It’s been a quiet couple of weeks over here for both Kirsty and I but I thought I’d finally get around to blogging again. Seriously, I’m slacking big-time at this again. I have every intention to blog, but I end up getting caught up in other things. Lately, and I’m not… Read full post »

A stunned silence fills the blogosphere, the hallowed halls of Open Salon suddenly erupt with murmurs and rumors.  “Is it really him?” someone asks. There is no response. People are too afraid to comment. “He’s been gone forever, it’s been months. Surely he won&rsqu… Read full post »

Another weekend has come and gone and the gross output by yours truly is nothing. Okay, I did play a soccer game, helped Kirsty prepare dinner for four of our friends, and spent more time sitting on the couch watching DVDs of How I Met your Mother. If you’ve never seen… Read full post »

Friday was my anniversary. And yes, I remembered it. We hit the one-year mark as a happily married couple, and our married friends tell us we can no longer be referred to as still being in the Honeymoon period. Whether or not this is true, I have no idea. I’m not… Read full post »

My miracle little book, The Writer’s Block, offered up another challenge for me today. I will go back and start crafting stories out of these ideas as well, as is the purpose of the book, but since I blog, and since some people out there enjoy my blog, I thought I… Read full post »

When I was England, Kirsty and I stopped in every bookstore we could (trust me, you miss a real bookstore when you live in Saudi), looking for writing magazines and books. As you know, I’ve been struggling with writer’s block over the past several months. One of the three writing books… Read full post »

My mind works in very mysterious ways. Don’t get me wrong, I like that it usually takes a path all its own. And that path is usually down a slippery slope of depravity and wild imagination – but that’s a good thing when you’re trying to rescue your creativity from the… Read full post »

And I’m back. It has been an interesting, yet somehow, unimpressive month since I last penned anything to post on OS. I don’t know what is more depressing – the fact it’s been a month since my last entry and I wanted to blog every second day; or that I don’t… Read full post »

I’ve decided to take advantage of some free time I have these days to actually sit down and blog for the first time in months. I cannot be held accountable for the drivel that will make up my latest post; although I should. As someone who loves the blog format as… Read full post »