The Intrepid Explorer Winter 2014

Explorer The Intrepid

www.intrepidexplorer.co.za • Winter 2014

Live the life of Adventure

on the road again

The iconic Route 66

from the horse’s mouth The Animal Communicator

zero to hero

brothers on the rope Everest tragedy bonds climbers

Braving Antarctica’s Ice Mile

bok on a bike 28-month journey

hippo love of story Guardian the river horses

to Rugby World Cup

in hein’s sight Tackling world’s harshest marathon – with no vision

grand slammers vaughan and sean: masters of mountains and poles

MORE FROM OUR RECORD-HOLDING CONTRIBUTORS Chris Bertish • Braam Malherbe • Ryan Sandes

• WIN! One reader stands to win a trip for 4 to Mabula Game Lodge,

worth R12 000

• THE LOST PEAK – Attempting to climb Belize’s highest • GABORONE TO CAPE TOWN – Amputee war veteran’s motorbike journey • PARADISE FOUND – Eden to Addo hiking trail • LIFE THROUGH THE LENS – Best of the Wild Shots photography symposium

The official Cape Union Mart magazine

contents 04

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FOREWORD

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Andre Labuschaigne, Cape Union Mart CEO

EDITOR’S NOTE

Taking life by the scruff of the neck

28

08

COMPETITION

40

10

16

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

22

FROM ZERO TO HERO

28

A HIPPO LOVE STORY

Win a trip for four to Mabula Game Lodge, worth R12 000!

Graham Howe takes it easy on a classic road trip on Route 66

A DAZZLING DOUBLE ACT

Sean Disney and Vaughan de la Harpe are the first South Africans to have achieved the Grand Slam: climbing the Seven Summits and skiing to the two Poles

Ryan Stramrood braves below-freezing waters to complete the Antarctica Ice Mile Challenge

Meet Karen Paolillo, the courageous guardian of the river horses of Zimbabwe

22 34

THE LOST PEAK

Matthew Holt attempts to summit Belize’s highest mountain – but first he has to find it…

40

RINGS, RAILS AND RIVERS

Robbie Stammers recounts the first part of his African honeymoon adventure

46

EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE

Paraplegic amputee Dale Collett drove from Gaborone to Cape Town on a specially adapted motorbike and sidecar

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C on ten ts

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66

PARADISE FOUND

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ON A ROLL

56

Angus Begg discovers a gem destination on the Eden to Addo hiking trail

Robbie Stammers chats with intrepid chef and hot dog aficionado, Peter Ayub

74

FORTUNE FAVOURS

52

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH

Anna Breytenbach can communicate with animals – and she’s going to deliver their message

56

THE FAT KID DIARIES

Ron Rutland is on a 28-month, 43 000km biking adventure – Lettie’s Ride – all through mainland Africa, the Middle East and Europe

62

THE BOLD

Chris Bertish set three stand-up paddleboarding world records in five months

IN HEIN’S SIGHT

Visually impaired adventurer Hein Wagner tackled the harshest marathon in the world – in Antarctica

78

BROTHERS ON

THE ROPE

A tragedy on Everest brings Sherpa climbers and the rest of the mountaineering community closer

80

88

THE ULTIMATE HIGH Ryan Sandes improves his climbing abilities – and hallucinates helicopters – on the Drakensberg Grand Traverse

90 96

ON THE WILD SIDE

News from the outdoors

HIT THE ROAD, JACK The Big 5 – catch a sighting of the latest motor vehicles

100

LIFE THROUGH THE LENS

We showcase the works of some of the participants in the 2014 Wild Shots Wildlife Photography Symposium

96

GOING NOWHERE,

SLOWLY

The Tankwa Karoo makes for a serene winter getaway – as long as you remember the essentials

84

BOYS TO MEN The Amy Biehl Leadership Camp helps youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds to realise their dreams

100

108

106 107

CAPE UNION MART STORE LISTINGS THE LAST LAUGH

Out in the Whitsundays, Graham Howe meets the local shaggers, enjoys a pale blonde and tells tall tales about a tall ship

108

THE LAST WORD

We go behind the camera with eco-warrior and TV personality, Michelle Garforth-Venter

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Explorer The Intrepid

Live the life of Adventure

Publishing Editor ROBBIE STAMMERS robbie@intrepidexplorer.co.za Advertising Sales Director KEITH HILL keith@intrepidexplorer.co.za Art Director STACEY STORBECK NEL stacey@insightspublishing.co.za Chief Sub-Editor TANIA GRIFFIN tania@insightspublishing.co.za Office Manager TARYN KERSHAW taryn@insightspublishing.co.za Staff Writer and Social Media Liaison SHAN ROUTLEDGE shan@insightspublishing.co.za Editorial Contributors Graham Howe, Ryan Stramrood, David Bristow, Rachel Lang, Matthew Holt, Roy Watts, Jo Kromberg, Ron Rutland, Angus Begg, Michelle Garforth-Venter, Chris Bertish, Braam Malherbe, Ryan Sandes

foreword Andre Labuschaigne

G

reetings! I hope you’re having a fantastic winter. And by that I mean I hope you’re spending a ton of time outdoors, and that rain and snow do nothing to blunt your enthusiasm for the mountains, rivers and beaches our country enjoys in such abundance. In fact, we hope the winter elements are actually encouraging you to spend even MORE time outside the house!

And that’s the thing, isn’t it? South Africans don’t take well to being housebound. Not with all the things to do and explore. We have never seen Table Mountain as busy as when local weather stations recently reported it would likely snow on top. There were hikers in abundance. The sub-zero temperatures were a reality – but there’s nothing that good gear can’t solve!

And now we start slowly slipping into spring. Electric blankets will soon be turned off. Perhaps you’re favouring a lightweight fleece to your waterproof jacket.

Yes, you’re excited for warmer weather – but you certainly haven’t been resenting winter (we hope)!

Spring brings with it some exciting things. Two Cape Union Mart community members will have the pleasure of going ‘on expedition’ with the legendary Kingsley Holgate. The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour – a showcase of the world’s best adventure films – is just around the corner.

And the South African outdoors will be waiting patiently for your next visit!

This edition of The Intrepid Explorer once again features the top adventurers and explorers that southern Africa has to offer, including record-breakers Chris Bertish (a K-Way ambassador), Ryan Stramrood who swam the Ice Mile in Antarctica, as well as Vaughan de la Harpe and Sean Disney who achieved the Explorer’s Grand Slam. Enjoy!

Yours in adventure – and spending a copious amount of time outdoors,

Photography Cover – Shawn Driman Graham Howe, Fiona McIntosh, Ryan Stramrood, Angus Begg, Karen Paolillo, Anna Breytenbach, Mandy Ramsden, Matthew Holt, Lisa Dauberman, Dale Collett, Andrew King/Nikon, Nick Kruiskamp, Laura Kruiskamp, Myburgh du Plessis, Chris Bertish, Ronnie Muhl, Braam Malherbe, Ryan Sandes, Marsel van Oosten, Greg du Toit, Albie Venter, Isak Pretorius, Morkel Erasmus, Dale Morris, Shutterstock Back Office Support and Accounts Solutions BOSS (PTY) Ltd Managing Director: Rita Sookdeo Account Manager: Lucindi Coetzer Cape Union Mart www.capeunionmart.co.za Group Marketing Manager: Evan Torrence Marketing Manager: Nick Bennett Printer Creda Communications Distribution Cape Union Mart stores and On The Dot Distribution Special thanks to: Rob Cowan, Marina Smithers-Carlaw & Pete Unsworth PUBLISHED BY

Managing Director: Robbie Stammers Physical address: 174A Main Road, Claremont, 7700, Cape Town Postal address: PO Box 23692, Claremont, 7735 Telephone: +27 (0) 21 683 0005 Websites: www.intrepidexplorer.co.za www.insightspublishing.co.za

Andre Labuschaigne Chief Executive Officer Cape Union Mart

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No article or any part of any article may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the publisher. The information provided and opinions expressed in this publication are provided in good faith, but do not necessarily represent the opinions of Cape Union Mart (PTY) Ltd, Insights Publishing or the editor. Neither this magazine, the publisher or Cape Union Mart can be held legally liable in any way for damages of any kind whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from any facts or information provided or omitted in these pages, or from any statements made or withheld by this publication.

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Our Intrepid Explorer

contributors Ryan Stramrood is a Capetonian who adopted open-water swimming as his sport of choice as recently as 2003. He has successfully completed some of the world’s toughest cold water and distance swims – and as a founding member of the International Ice Swimming Association, he has completed ice miles within both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Ryan is a motivational speaker who inspires people to tackle their own ‘impossible’.

David Bristow is an environmental scientist and nature writer, having written more than 20 books and too many magazine stories to consider counting. He’s done a little bit of mountaineering – just enough to get himself into trouble with serious mountaineers, much as with just about every other thing he’s ever done. To prevent having to work, David dreams up escapades such as riding his mountain bike across South Africa, or assessing 175 safari camps around Africa. It’s been working for more than 25 years so far, so he sees no reason to give up the scam.

Rachel Lang is a writer, blogger and environmental educationist.

If she is not adventuring in the African bushveld, she is definitely dreaming about it. Some of her recent adventures include tracking black rhino in Namibia’s Kaokoveld, searching for the elusive Pel’s fishing owl in the Okavango Delta, and quad biking in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Rach has recently become a very keen birder. Her blog, Bush-bound Girl, is a collection of family stories, travels, interviews, poems and inspiring guest posts – all written on an adventure to discover Africa’s wild side.

Matthew Holt is a self-confessed list-ticker. He’s climbed the seven continental summits, skied the last degree to both Poles and, so far, climbed 36 of the world’s 50 most prominent peaks. He’s also chanced his luck at bog snorkelling, cheese rolling, wife carrying and bull running. A freelance writer based in Cape Town, Matthew is the author of two books: The Miles High Club and Life’s Rich Tapestry.

Roy Watts is one of South Africa’s top adventure and travel writers – always seeking the ultimate sunset, the definitive bush experience and the perfect lodge.

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Jo Kromberg has no time for objectives or goals – she’s too busy living. As travel editor and writer, she can usually be found talking to a Himba tribe, swinging from a trapeze in a Malaysian jungle or white-knuckling it on a ‘Dinky Toy’ plane somewhere in Africa. She worked as editor for African Safaris and Family Holiday and Leisure magazine and now edits and writes for Chinese travellers to Africa in the form of www.chinafricatravel.com.cn as well as freelances for Conde Nast Traveller China. Jo likes long walks on a beach, drinking piña coladas… oh yeah, and travelling.

Braam Malherbe is an extreme adventurer, conservationist, youth developer, motivational speaker, television presenter and author of the best-seller, The Great Run. He has been involved in counter-poaching operations as an honorary ranger for SANParks, co-founded the Table Mountain National Park’s Volunteer Firefighting Unit, and is actively involved in numerous non-governmental organisations and conservation groups.

Malherbe has run the length of the Great Wall of China as well as the entire coastline of South Africa, and has taken part in an unassisted ski race to the South Pole.

Originally from KwaZulu-Natal, Ron Rutland believes life should be lived simply, and with passion. Being a seasoned traveller through work and sport, he has come to realise life isn’t necessarily about what you own, but essentially what you experience and create. In this light, and inspired by past and modern-day explorers, Ron decided to make a few changes so that he could live his life according to his beliefs and now finds himself in Africa, midway to England – unassisted and on his bicycle.

Ryan Sandes is a South African trail runner. In 2010, he became the first competitor to win all four of the 4 Deserts races, each a six- to seven-day, 250-kilometre, self-supported footrace through the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Gobi Desert in China, the Sahara Desert in Egypt, and Antarctica. In addition to trail running, he is an active mountain biker, paddler and surfer.

Chris Bertish is world-renowned for surfing waves the size of triple-storey buildings and for taking on extreme challenges such as stand-up paddleboarding across the Atlantic. He likes to say he’s just a normal guy, a regular Joe facing the same life struggles as everyone else. The difference is that Chris is willing to throw himself over the ledge of an ocean wave, paddle unsupported for seven days up treacherous coastlines alone, in extreme winds, battling the elements or paddling across the Atlantic on an SUP. He is now also a prominent speaker, doing talks all around South Africa. Chris is a Cape Union Mart brand ambassador.

Angus Begg likes to giggle, but he is serious about his craft. A CNN award-winning television producer, he was the first South African broadcast journalist to report from the chaos of Somalia in 1992. It was these episodes in Somalia and Rwanda that took Begg the roundabout route to the fields of travel and environment, in which he now writes, produces and photographs. He has gone on to cover every aspect of travel – whether rural communities clashing with wildlife, tracking the Serengeti migration, hiking Table Mountain or searching for that perfect sauvignon blanc.

Graham Howe is one of South Africa’s most experienced lifestyle journalists; he has contributed hundreds of food, wine and travel features to South African and British publications over the last 25 years. When not exploring the Cape Winelands, this adventurous globetrotter reports on exotic destinations around the world as a travel correspondent – and for the weekly travel show on SAfm. Award-winning conservation journalist Michelle GarforthVenter is a household name in South Africa and gained a healthy fan following in the United States. She is synonymous with pioneering educational television productions and newsprint articles that bring sustainable living, wildlife and conservation issues to the fore of the public’s mind.

Ronnie Muhl is the managing director for Adventures Global.

He is an athlete, adventurer, author and inspirational speaker who hold talks both locally and internationally. In recent years, Muhl has climbed Mount Everest thrice, twice leading international teams to the Roof of the World.

In 2007, he became the seventh South African to summit via the northeast ridge.

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editor’s note Taking life by the scruff of the neck

T

he other day I was asked by a dear friend how things were going on the work front, and I replied honestly that things were tough. I’ve just taken on three more massive magazine projects and there simply doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to juggle all the different balls I now find myself holding.

His reply was a quote from a chap called Pierre Wildman, who wisely stated: “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it!” This resonated with me and I immediately felt a lot better. Of course, he was right. I shouldn’t have needed the reminder, as we also have a big sign on our wall at the office that reads: “Good things come to those who wait”, which has been crossed out, and below which has been written: “Good things come to those people who work their asses off and never give up!”

Both these quotes apply perfectly to the intrepid explorers we feature in this magazine. There’s nothing remotely easy about tackling the seven summits and ski hauling to both the North and South Poles as our cover personalities, Vaughan de la Harpe and Sean Disney, have done (see page 10).

There’s a huge amount of personal sacrifice, training, expense, commitment and heart required to complete a marathon in Antarctica, especially when you’re blind (Hein Wagner – page 62) or brave the freezing waters in the same location, swimming a mile (Ryan Stramrood – page 22).

Imagine the effort, stamina and courage it requires to drive a motorbike – lying down, without the use of your legs – from Botswana to Cape Town as Dale Collett has done (page 46) or run for 42 hours straight as Ryan Sandes has just accomplished on the Drakensberg Grand Traverse (page 88).

I’ve realised this is why I love publishing The Intrepid Explorer because when the people you meet and cover in the magazine are taking life by the scruff of the neck, it enables you to push your own limited boundaries. While I’ll never throw myself off the highest commercial bungee jump in the world – as my wife recently did at Bloukrans Bridge – I do take risks and take plunges in many other ways.

So I hope the incredible people and their amazing feats in this edition of The Intrepid Explorer also inspire you; to borrow from the words of Chris Bertish, who has become a regular contributor and who recently set three stand-up paddleboarding world records in five months (page 74): “Dream it, See it, Believe it, Achieve it!”

Until next time, live the life of adventure!

Robbie Stammers Publishing Editor

PS: Please don’t forget to LIKE our Facebook page – The Intrepid Explorer – and visit www.intrepidexplorer.co.za to download the free digital version of this magazine with loads of extras.

Follow Robbie on Twitter at @daStamman

Congratulations to the winners of our last edition’s competitions!

The 3 BIG winners who won a trip for two to Thaba Eco Hotel are: Candice Morgan, Jonathan Levey and Luzaan van Wyk • Adrienne Shall – winner of the Road Tripping South Africa book • Mike Kelly – winner of the Your Bucket List book

Winners of the Three Ships whisky hampers Here are the readers who each have won a hamper of Three Ships Premium Select 5 Year Old for their photographs of themselves in outdoor locations with The Intrepid Explorer magazine.

Estene Bekker This photo was taken of me at Tiffindell Ski Resort right before my dad, husband and I were marshals at the 2014 National Alpine Ski Championships. The ski resort is situated close to the little town of Rhodes in the southern Drakensberg and is situated 2 720m above sea level. Ben Macdhui, the mountain behind me, is the highest mountain in the Eastern Cape at 3 001m above sea level!

Chris Knight I picked up your magazine at Cape Union Mart while on a last-minute shopping trip before heading out to do the Otter Trail. So last-minute that I didn’t get a chance to read anything in it, so I took it along for the hike – even though my bag was overweight already!

My wife (Sarah Leigh pictured on right) and I both read it, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be looking out for it in the future – it’s right up my street!

Bernie Burger This is a photo of me on top of Van Zyl’s Pass in the Kaokoveld, just before we attempted to go down to the Marion Fluss.

Well done! Your prizes are on the way!

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One lucky reader can win a trip for 4 to the Limpopo bushveld, valued at R12 000

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For more information, contact Extraordinary Reservations: Tel: 011 516 4367 Email: res@extraordinary.co.za

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Professional mountain guide Sean Disney and his most loyal rope man, Vaughan de la Harpe – not a real mountaineer, apparently – were the first South Africans to achieve the most extreme of all adventure bucket lists. To notch up the Explorer’s Grand Slam, they had to climb the Seven Summits and ski to the two Poles.

What’s up with these guys?

Da vid Br is tow

double a dazzling

act

David Bristow presents Vaughan and Sean: Masters of Many Mountains

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aughan is not a real mountaineer – not by the reckoning of many recognised mountaineers, at any rate. Even though he’s summited Mount Everest (8 850m), which is more than can be said of many recognised mountaineers.

They tend to say Everest is no longer worth the effort: it’s too commercialised and too many people try to climb it each year. Which is a bit like saying the Olympic Games are too commercialised, and too many people are vying for gold medals.

If they gave out medals for mountaineering, Vaughan would have two golds for Everest: once from the southern, Nepalese side and once from

for Oceana (4 884m) and Kilimanjaro for Africa (5 895m). There also would be two medals for Kili.

And there would be others besides, for Mount Blanc in France (highest peak in western Europe), Mount Mera in the Himalayas, and one for Mount Kosciuszko in Australia – a modest 2 128m. When they finally got to the top of this last one, after a rather shabby night, they had to tell a small girl with pigtails to get out the way so they could get the shot.

Mounts Blanc and Kosciuszko were ‘knocked off’ in the company of real mountaineer Sean Disney, in their quest to notch up the legendary Seven Summits.

It was decided to cover every base – or peak, as it were – on every continent so no

not register.

No, they replied rather curtly.

Oh, holiday then?

No again.

They were here to make logistical arrangements for a skiing trip. Not a skiing holiday exactly, further probing revealed, but skiing to the North Pole. Having completed the Seven Summits, they were now closing in on the ultimate adventure accolade: the Grand Slam. For this you have to have climbed the Seven Summits and have skied the last degree (of latitude) to the South and North Poles. You may think skiing that last degree, a mere 111 kilometres, couldn’t be too hard.

Vaughan reckons that of all the Grand Slam challenges, the South Pole was one

Tibet in the north. That gains him entry into a very small elite club, indeed. Those two medals would be flanked by more than a dozen others and would likely be framed and hanging in his office, along with other paraphernalia and mementos of his adventuring life.

There would be one medal each for the highest peaks on each of the seven continents: Everest for Asia (8 850m), Mount Elbrus for Europe (5 642m), Denali for North America (6 194m), Aconcagua for South America (6 960m), Mount Vinson for Antarctica (4 892m), Carstensz Pyramid

one could dispute their membership of the Seven Summits Club, an even more elite one than the Everest summiteers.

When I told my friends I was going to join Sean and Vaughan on a climb of some icy volcano in Mexico last year, Russell said he would much rather attempt the ascent of the stairs up from Clifton Fourth Beach in midsummer.

I first met the two adventurers at a crowded waterfront pub in Cape Town.

“Down for the Argus?” I asked the two tall, lithe individuals who had offered to share their table, hoping the disdain did

of the hardest. Think of the cold: 0 degrees is cold, minus 10 is really cold. From there to minus 40, which they experienced at the Pole, Sean says each degree is exponentially colder. It’s a kind of coldness you cannot describe, and you don’t want to endure it for very long at all. They nearly expired within sight of the Pole, on one of the coldest days ever recorded there in summer.

Then, while trying to take down the emergency tent put up by the polar support company, ALE, at the start of the season – in a raging gale that threatened

The Intrepid Explorer issue 7

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Real and imaginary mountains While Vaughan is arguably not a real mountaineer, primarily by virtue of having a real day job (he’s a very successful businessman), the same cannot be said of

Sean. At around two metres-something, or six foot and quite a bit more, he is very real in every sense. But he’s supremely laid-back on the surface, which hides a Kevlar resolve.

First, he is a real mountaineer by virtue of being a professional mountaineering guide, one of the world’s most experienced.

He has more imaginary summit medals than just about anyone else alive, including – incredibly – two golds for each of the Seven Summits. He has summited

slouching over a gear rack and was in awe.

But pretty much all he told me was, ‘It’ll be cool’. And that’s pretty much all the advice he’s ever given me,” recounts Vaughan.

Who knew then what would be in store for them over the next decade and some? As Kilimanjaro ascended to Aconcagua, and then Denali, a quest of the Seven Summits slowly started to gain momentum. That wrapped up, they decided they had such a good gig going together – Sean as guide and Vaughan

Da vid Br is tow

to poleaxe them – a Norwegian adventurer strolled over for a chat.

“I bet he couldn’t braai a chop to save his life,” reckoned Vaughan when I asked about what it takes to be a high-latitude and high-altitude conquistador.

The ultimate

adventure accolade is the Grand Slam. For this you have to have climbed the Seven Summits and have skied the last degree (of latitude) to the South and North Poles

previous page: (Top): Everest Base Camp on the north, Tibetan side. The snow plume coming off the summit attests to fierce storms raging up there (Bottom) Sean Disney heads for the South Col on Everest, seemingly unfazed by the brutal surroundings OPPOSITE: Skiing to the North Pole is much more interesting than to the South, because there the ice is broken up by pressure ridges and open sounds that require some deft negotiating ABOVE: The biggest threat in skiing to the South Pole, other than dying, is going nuts. Day after day you are enveloped in a white, waybelow-freezing sphere of nothingness with no discernible horizon, no day or night – just white

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Kilimanjaro more times than most of the rest of us have taken a beach holiday. He’s climbed Aconcagua and Vinson four times each; Elbrus 12 times.

The two met in an outdoor equipment store in Sandton City way back when Vaughan was gearing up for his first Kilimanjaro attempt, and Sean was just hanging out, like a kid in a candy store.

The store assistant suggested Vaughan get some pointers for the fine art of high-altitude adventuring from the man just back from tackling Everest.

“I saw this lanky, long-haired oke

as primary patron – that they knocked off the two Poles and since then have just kept going.

The current quest is to climb the world’s eight highest volcanoes, which overlaps with the highest volcano on each continent. It’s all about taking acceptable risks, says Vaughan. Risk is a thing he knows something about, being one of the country’s most successful insurance purveyors. Sean has learnt his risk analysis the hard way.

He’s tackled Everest four times, summiting twice. In 1996 he was a

The Intrepid Explorer issue 7

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Da vid Br is tow

Right: Sean and Vaughan on the summit of Mexico’s Pico de Orizaba, the third highest peak in North America BELOW: Before you climb Everest, there must be a blessing, or Buddhist puja, ceremony.

Apparently, the lama requires prodigious quantities of alcohol to appease the mountain gods...

member of an underfunded, underequipped amateur North Face expedition where they reached 7 300m before having to retreat (they couldn’t afford the oxygen that might have made the difference). In 2003, on a Discovery Health-sponsored expedition, they reached 8 400m before being nailed by ferocious winds.

That was when the expedition cameraman, Sean Wisedale, sneaked off to summit with another team behind the Discovery party’s backs. He went on to claim the first South African Seven Summits crown, which included Mount Vinson in the Antarctic, by telling Sean and the rest of the team to “just hold it there while I go up to film you stepping onto the summit”.

I suspect this was probably a big factor that led Vaughan and Sean to go for the Grand Slam, to kind of slam-dunk Wisedale’s slippery reputation once and for all. But these are my own thoughts, Vaughan and Sean being way above crying foul – either morally or geographically.

An interesting fact – or statistic, if you like – is that Vaughan has succeeded first time on every climb he has ever attempted.

Not a half-bad record for a part-time mountaineer, and one that would make many a real mountaineer flush with pride.

Not only that, but he has returned from each one with all digits intact.

Not everyone on these expeditions has been as lucky (if it is indeed luck at play).

One of Sean’s other regular climbing

clients, Donald O’Connor, lost part of a finger on Aconcagua, a mountain usually considered not that extreme, even though it is the highest mountain not in the Himalayas.

Ben Swart was even less lucky. He lost part or most of five fingers on Everest.

Sometimes your luck is dependent on others, such as when a party of no-hopers get stuck ahead of you on the Hillary Step on the South Face, or one of the ladders on the North Face. Then you just have to stand around in the Death Zone, using up oxygen and core body heat until the obstacle is cleared. For some it costs fingers, or toes. For others – life.

Above base camp, climbers have very little control of the variables: weather, avalanches, catching colds or, worse, fatigue and general attrition among them.

Vaughan, ever the statistician, has crunched the numbers: “It’s 40% proper equipment, 40% good weather and 40% attention to detail…”

On their trip to climb Mount Vinson, highest peak on Antarctica, Sean had picked up two clients on the Internet from Azerbaijan. Waiting on the ice for the ALE plane to come and evacuate them, things were getting tricky. It could take a week, weather depending, but they had run out of food on day one and the emergency rations stashed by ALE had disappeared on the first night.

“I do feel bad about it now,” Sean

admits, “but I had a serious sugar low that night.”

Vaughan reckons it was lucky they didn’t have the revolver they carried on their later North Pole trip, to ward off polar bears, or Sean might have looked temptingly like a white-furred Ursus maritimus.

On the third day of waiting (there is no nighttime in summer), there came a plaintive call from the Azerbaijanis’ tent: “Sean, Sean!”

“Yeah?”

“Three problems: one, no food; two, snow in tent; three, sleeping bag wet.”

“Whatever, suck it up.”

“Okay.”

To tough it out in these kinds of conditions verges on the superhuman.

However, the final limiting factor to achieving adventuring greatness lies as much in physical prowess as in another kind of ability. Vaughan reckons it has cost him several million rands to achieve the Grand Slam. So this is no poor man’s – or woman’s – game. Many wannabes have given up the quest for want of funding as for other, more natural causes: like death.

David Bristow had to sit through Vaughan and Sean’s tall tales in order to tell their story, Poles Apart: with some pointy bits in between (Pan Macmillan South Africa, 2014).

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The Intrepid Explorer issue 7

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road again

G r a h a m Howe

on the Graham Howe takes it easy on a classic road trip on Route 66 – taking in the sights, songs and scenes of one of the world’s most famous highways

Leaving high-rise Chicago behind, we left the thunder of traffic on the multilane interstate, turning onto historic Route 66. Heading into flat farmland, I watched white picket fences, old wooden homesteads and

P

barns in the corn and soya belt of Illinois flash by.

assing through small towns in midAmerica, I read a sign outside a church in Romeoville, which read: “Praying while driving is always hands-free”.

On the outskirts of the twin town of Joliet (Romeo and misspelled Juliet), we passed the Joliet Correctional Center – the state penitentiary where the movie The Blues Brothers and television series Prison Break were filmed.

A funny sign outside the gates of the old limestone prison – built in 1858 with thick eight-metre high walls – warned, “Do not pick up hitchhikers in the area.” I chuckled, recalling the opening scene of the movie when Jake Blues breaks out of Joliet, hitches a ride and then throws the car cigarette lighter out of the window.

Giant statues of Jake and Elwood Blues (James Belushi and

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Dan Ackroyd) jive on the roof of Rich & Creamy, a legendary ice-cream parlour in Joliet. Frozen custard is a specialty ice-cream in these parts – along with corn dogs, deep-fried chicken dinners and cherry pie.

In the 1920s, Route 66 was the birthplace of the first fast food joints to feed hungry travellers in a hurry to get back on the road – from the first Steak ‘n Shake®, Dairy Queen® and White Castle® to Cozy Dog (home of the corn dog on a stick).

At the Joliet History Museum, I posed for a snapshot with life-size models of the Blues Brothers on a sofa replica of the chrome bumper and wings of a classic car. Even the wayside signs at key landmarks on Route 66 are based on the streamlined Mae West curves of the automobiles and neon signs of the 1940s and 1950s – and every info hub plays the legendary (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 song at the press of a button.

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G r a h a m Howe Out on the open road, I burst into a few bars from the catchy song that helped make Route 66 a legend around the world: “If you ever plan to motor west / travel my way, take the highway that’s the best / Get your kicks on Route 66… / Won’t you get hip to this timely tip / when you make that California trip?”

Ever since songwriter Bobby Troup wrote the song at a gas station in 1946 while driving the route from Chicago to LA, musicians and bands from Nat King Cole and Chuck Berry to the Rolling Stones have belted out versions.

The anthem of the road takes you on the ride of your life: “It winds from Chicago to LA / More than 2 000 miles all the way… / Now it goes through Saint Looey [St. Louis], Joplin, Missouri; / Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty. / You’ll see Amarillo; Gallup, New Mexico; Flagstaff, Arizona; (Don’t forget Winona). / Kingman,

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Barstow, San Bernardino…”

And the landscape changes all the time – from the prairies of the Midwest to the desert of Arizona and New Mexico, taking in the sights of the Grand Canyon to Sante Fe. Opened in 1926 and decommissioned in 1985 – replaced by the new interstate highways of the 1950s and 1960s – Route 66 is known as the mother road, America’s main street, or simply THE road. It is an American symbol of migration, mobility and the automobile.

In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck immortalised the migrants moving west from the drought of the dust bowl of Oklahoma in search of the promised land out West: “They come into 66 from the tributary side roads, from the wagon tracks and the rutted country roads. 66 is the mother road, the road of flight.”

Listing it on the United States National

Register of Historic Places, the US Congress declared: “Route 66 has become a symbol of the American people’s heritage of travel and their legacy of seeking a better life. It is enshrined in American popular culture”.

The quintessential American road trip, Route 66 starts in Chicago and runs southwest for over 3 500km, passing through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The road begins in downtown Chicago on Adams and Michigan streets, at a marker sign bearing the legendary road shield. Enthusiasts who come from all over the world set out from Lou Mitchell’s – a landmark breakfast diner – riding in packs of Harley-Davidson’s.

What’s your rush? You’d need at least a month to amble along Route 66 from beginning to end and see all the sights.

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Previous Page: Clockwise from top left: Jumbo hot dog from one of the giants of Route 66; An old Chevy pickup truck in Litchfield; Route 66 Association Hall of Fame & Museum in Pontiac; The Lauterbach tyre giant in Springfield; Cozy Dog, a 1950s family diner; Lou Mitchell’s, a landmark in Chicago where the road begins Above: Clockwise from top left: Airbrushed bonnet, Pontiac-Oakland Automobile Museum; One of the Route 66 murals painted by the Walldogs in Pontiac, Illinois; the old sixties VW bus of Bob Waldmire, who spent 40 years living on Route 66

Sadly, I didn’t have the time to do it all in one go. Like so many others, I plan to return and drive it state by state over the years.

Route 66 doesn’t even show on any modern road map. You have to pick your way along I55, I44 and I40. Go figure. Part of its appeal lies in its mystery. You have to go looking for it in out-of-the-way places.

Sometimes the old concrete ribbon runs right alongside the highway; in other places it meanders off into the woods.

Route 66 spirits you away from the anonymous freeway and into the heart of small-town America – tempting travellers with original mom ‘n’ pop diners, neon drive-ins and gas stations serving old-fashioned hospitality with lashings of nostalgia on the side.

Godley is a landmark for its BurmaShave® signs. One of the legends of Route 66, these old ads used to keep motorists awake with a series of billboards spaced

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out on long stretches of road in the middle of nowhere. I spotted one of those catchy signs: “Hardly a driver … Is now alive … Who passed … On hills … At 75 (mph)”! Route 66 was the birthplace of those clusters of advertising billboards found along the freeways today.

I kept an eye out for the giants of Route 66: the nine-metre high “Muffler Men” put up by entrepreneurs in the 1950s to divert passing motorists to a pit stop at gas stations and diners. These colourful giants are called “Bunyan statues”, after the Paul Bunyan Café in Flagstaff, Arizona – home of the first giant statue of this well-known lumberjack.

The Gemini Giant, one of the most famous fibreglass men, stands at the Launching Pad Drive-In (opened in 1960) in Wilmington – while a giant holding the world’s biggest hot dog welcomes you to Atlanta, Illinois. At a gas station in

Springfield, we spotted the Lauterbach (tyre) Man, whose head was blown off by a tornado and later found in a cornfield and stuck back on.

Route 66 was built on old wagon trails and Native American routes into the interior. The Illinois stretch was called the Pontiac Trail after Chief Pontiac’s old hunting route through the Midwest.

Pontiac was named one of the best small towns in America by TIME magazine.

Walking the neat streets, we admired the giant wall murals that capture the bygone era of small-town America. Opened in 1926, the Old Log Cabin in Pontiac is as old as Route 66. When the road was realigned by planers, they turned the restaurant around so that it still faced Route 66!

The Walldogs – a global collective of artists – painted these murals in four days.

You can follow a thousand miles of murals along Route 66 from Illinois to New Mexico.

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G r a h a m Howe

LEFT: The Blues Brothers and Graham Howe at the Joliet History Museum on Route 66, Illinois

We stopped to see the fabulous collection of vintage cars in the Pontiac-Oakland Automobile Museum. Curator Tim Dye proudly showed us a few of the 21 classics in his prized collection, including one of only two surviving Pontiac horse buggies from the 19th century, a gleaming 1929 Oakland roadster (straight out of the Al Capone era when he bootlegged whisky down Route 66), as well as a 1959 Bonneville and 1960s Firebird. He told me, “They’re like members of the family; I’d hate to see one of them go!” Petrol-heads will love his wall of over 2 000 vintage oil cans – and airbrushed bonnets.

The Route 66 Association Hall of Fame & Museum in Pontiac attracted more than 25 000 visitors from over 100 countries in 2013. The highlight of all the Route 66 memorabilia – from road signs to petrol pumps – is the old ‘60s bus owned by Bob Waldmire, one of the legends of Route 66. Starting out in 1965, this eccentric artist and cartographer travelled up and down Route 66 for 40 years, living in his eco-friendly ‘road yacht’ (a converted school bus with solar panels, rainwater shower and compost toilet), sketching scenes of life on the road like Jack Kérouac before him. A giant mural pays tribute to the journey of the man who inspired the character Fillmore in the Disney film Cars about Route 66.

Bob reckoned, “You’ve got two choices in life. You can either marry your childhood sweetheart and settle down – or spend your life on the road on Route 66, like me.”

I met Rich Henry, another legend of Route 66, at Henry’s Rabbit Ranch in Staunton – a landmark pit stop in Illinois.

Styled like an old gas station, Henry’s has an amazing collection of old gas pumps, neon signs and Campbell 66 Express

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trailers as well as Waldmire’s first Route 66 car. The Volkswagen Golf, known as a “rabbit” in the US, inspired Henry to start his pet collection of a dozen real rabbits, with names such as Bunny and Clyde!

Burma-Shave signs at Henry’s read: “Wascally wabbits … Get their kicks …

Meeting folks … On 66”.

Henry sells licence plates from all eight states bearing the Route 66 logo, so I bought my own souvenir plate with the credo: “Illinois: Where the road begins”.

simple home and grand tomb – and superstitiously rub the shiny nose of his bronze bust for good luck. Barack Obama announced his presidential nomination from the very same steps of the State Capitol where I posed like Lincoln in the tall man’s top hat.

William Kelly, head of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway in Springfield, talked to me about how the mythology of Route 66 has captured the imagination of generations of travellers. He says, “I had many first experiences on Route 66 – like my first speeding ticket. The open road lies at the heart of Route 66. I remember riding the road in the back seat of my parents’ car, going to visit my grandparents’ farm, watching the signs go by. Route 66 is about a search for childhood, family, nostalgia. The average American lives in a place like Springfield … along a road like Route 66.”

Outside the village of Auburn in Illinois,

“If you ever plan to motor west, travel my way, take the highway that’s the best. Get ” – Bobby your kicks on Troup, “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66”

Route 66!

And at the Litchfield Museum & Route 66 Welcome Center, I met Andy Ritchie who was passing in his old ‘50s black Chevy pickup truck. He pointed out his name set in the Route 66 pavement of fame – winning his place by cycling Route 66 from Chicago to LA in 30 days in 2012.

We had a fabulous tea – cherry pie, key lime pie and chocolate lava cake – at The Ariston Café in Litchfield, the oldest café on Route 66 which opened in 1924 and which has been run by three generations of the Adam family.

Springfield, Abraham Lincoln’s hometown, is the biggest tourist destination on Route 66 in Illinois. Honest Abe worked here for two decades as lawyer and legislator for the state. Today, the patriotic residents still call Illinois “The Land of Lincoln”.

Pilgrims come looking for the meaning of freedom and the spirit of Lincoln at his

we stopped to see the original 2.2km stretch of Route 66 made with hand-lain red brick in 1931. Like many attractions on the road, it is listed in the US National Register of Historic Places. I was presented with a handsome souvenir of a chunk of original brick. It just goes to show you can get your bricks – and your kicks – on Route 66!

My road trip ended in St. Louis after crossing the mighty Mississippi under the landmark Gateway Arch. The next leg of Route 66 will take me from St. Louis to Flagstaff, Arizona. And don’t forget Winona!

Graham Howe was a guest of British Airways, US Travel and Discover Illinois.

For more information, see www.discoveramerica.com, www.illinoisroute66.org and www.discoverillinois.org.

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hero

zero to

Ryan Stramrood and team brave below-freezing waters to complete the Antarctica Ice Mile Challenge

ABOVE: Ryan Stramrood trying to keep his head down and avoid panicking

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I

t is -1°C and it’s as deadly as it is impossible to compute the pain and mental depths we know we’ll have to visit – not just to complete our challenge, but to survive it. How does one end up here, I ask myself, not for the first time in my swimming career!

It was Ram Barkai’s idea, and perhaps the next natural progression in a series of ultra-extreme swimming challenges that our small team has dared to take on in many a distant, inhospitable and remote corner of this planet.

We have pushed ourselves and known human boundaries for some years now, and our confidence and experience in extremely harsh and dangerous conditions have grown.

“Let’s attempt an official Ice Mile south of the Antarctic Circle,” Barkai suggested, “in

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Rya n Str a m r ood Walking down the gangway of the Ocean Diamond anchored in Neko Harbour in Antarctica is nothing short of petrifying. One hundred and eighty cheering passengers look down on us from the decks above in morbid fascination and disbelief as we each remove the final warm jacket covering our Speedo and finally stare the deep, dark, ice-littered Antarctic water directly in its face.

strict accordance to the rules set out by the International Ice Swimming Association.” That is, a one-mile swim (about 1 650 metres) in waters of 5°C or less, wearing only a Speedo-type costume, one neoprene cap and a pair of goggles.

Barkai, Kieron Palframan and I had recently succeeded in completing the world’s first official Ice Mile north of the Arctic Circle. As tough as it was, it was

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conducted under controlled and secure circumstances – vital ingredients, which I did not realise how much I had undervalued until arriving in Antarctica.

It took many years of negotiations before we found an Antarctic expedition company willing to assist us in our endeavour – a tireless process with which Barkai persevered, until one company gave in and agreed to assist. Its agreement

included the arrangement of vital permissions and permits from Antarctica’s strict environmental controlling bodies to make the ship’s medical, Zodiac®, kayak and crew facilities available to us; to schedule a time slot in a busy passenger ship itinerary; and, despite numerous legal indemnities we signed, to accept the inevitable responsibility for what was no doubt to be a very dangerous mission.

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R ya n Str a m r ood The company’s fears lay far beyond the ice water threat to our lives, but also the highly unpredictable and deadly leopard seals and orca that populate these waters.

Soon we were fully committed and our preparations began. A regime of tough physical training to ensure peak fitness followed but, more importantly, a series of cold challenges or ‘ice baths’ to prepare the mind. When human flesh meets ice water, the reaction is intense and panic is the natural reaction. In our case, for this challenge, panic could be deadly. So we needed to subject ourselves to 0°C water to help the mind process this reaction and to figure out how to simultaneously perform at our physical optimum, to remain mentally together and, ultimately, complete the mile distance once we arrived in Antarctica.

There are extremely few existing precedents at this level and even less research out there to help us understand the consequences of what we were undertaking. So our training is both pioneering and a discovery process in itself.

The departure date arrived so quickly.

Leaving families once again to venture into the deep unknown, where only the

TOP LEFT: Ryan Stramrood in mid-air, about to feel the full impact of -1°C water TOP MIDDLE: Barkai and Stramrood in first 50m – 1 600 metres to go!

OPPOSITE RIGHT: Passenger view – Stramrood, Barkai, Palframan reaching halfway mark

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significant risks are a certainty, is not easy for either side to navigate. But now we’re on the plane – Cape Town to Joburg; Joburg to Buenos Aires; Buenos Aires to Ushuaia; Ushuaia to Antarctica by ship.

Usually this is the point when everyone on the team lets down their hair, we crack open the whisky and melt into the fact that we’re away on another incredible adventure. But this time it’s different. There is less obvious excitement, less boyish fooling around and far more reserve. We are nervous. Very nervous.

Aboard the ship for a four-day cruise to reach the Antarctic Circle, immediately the swim’s logistic planning begins. It soon dawns on us that there will be far more to the logistics than we ever could have planned for.

We discover curveball after curveball in the planning, and it is very unsettling.

Recovery facilities are not what we hoped they would be. There’s no sauna, no medical equipment beyond the very basic; the expedition doctor is not well-versed in hypothermic recoveries; no emergency evacuations are possible; there’s no real way to heat the cabins, no hot water bottles, thermals etc. Each revelation impacts on our state of mind which, to be successful in a mile swim attempt in sub-zero waters, simply must stay in a very focused state.

We head to bed early as the ship rolls violently in the Drake Passage – as it would for many nights to come.

Soon we sail past our first massive mountain of ice. It’s a surreal thing to see and quite dramatic in its size. There’s just the one iceberg floating in isolation at first,

but within hours the sea is littered with them. The ambient temperature has plummeted and, again, there’s more than a pang of butterflies as the reality of it all sets in. We are going to be swimming in this – and we are still heading two days further south!

As we cross over to the Antarctic Circle at 66° South, it dawns on me that my perceptions and expectations of the Antarctic conditions are completely misguided. I suppose through naivety and a lifetime of exposure to sales brochures and Discovery Channel footage, the picture of our swim conditions in my head of pristinely flat, majestically tranquil waters, matched by brilliant blue skies, is so far off base. The actual conditions we are to face could change the swim’s difficulty grade tenfold – and this plays significant havoc with our mental preparation. Would the weather conditions ever allow us to make our attempt?

Seven very frustrating days follow.

To remain on permanent standby and constant mental readiness, day in and day out, for this extended period is nothing short of torture. Between very poor weather conditions and a prioritised passenger expedition schedule, we are forced to remain in a state of readiness, mostly huddled in our cabins awaiting the go-ahead, with possible swim windows sometimes twice daily. It is an extended emotional roller coaster.

It’s 05h30 on the morning of 2 March and the swim is finally on! There’s a steady breeze blowing, the water is measured at -1°C, the ambient temperature is 0°C. For an ice mile, flat water is almost essential,

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so this is certainly not ideal and there is fairly strong water chop already. But today is the day!

The course is set. We have decided to start and end at the ship: swim 825m out, then 825m back to recovery. A huge amount of planning and preparation takes place in a small amount of time. We have a recovery room ready with heaters and dry towels. We have five Zodiac® inflatable boats in the water, two kayaks, two doctors, leopard seal and orca spotters, GPS handlers, and photographic and video crews are all prepared and deployed. We are 100% ready to go, sitting in our cabins, dressed in Speedo costume, cap and goggles, covered with a thick

flag displayed loudly and proudly. There’s a quick team handshake after stripping off the final layers to stand almost naked in the harsh elements, the ship horn bellows, we take a last deep breath and… we are off, diving head first into the belowfreezing, deep, dark waters of Antarctica.

Now it’s each man for himself. We have individual support teams and need to focus only on staying compos mentis, keeping the stroke rate high without pushing too hard initially and not making any strategic mistakes. Adrenalin is so heavy that we barely notice the intense bite and we all handle the initial shock well.

When warm flesh meets -1°C water, panic is only a blink away. In a matter of

The effects on the body of below-freezing water are devastating and immediate. I can physically feel the deterioration of my body, stroke and mind and it’s happening at an amazingly rapid pace.

Still swimming away from the ship to the halfway mark, we try to suppress all thoughts of the return journey to the ship.

The first leg seems to take forever. Every stroke counts and every stroke takes concentration. Eye contact with Toks Viviers (my seconder) in the Zodiac® is the only safety I feel. The positive expression on his face and his thumbs-up calm me and confirm the support team is in control and is watching my every move.

As the body shuts down and becomes

As the body shuts down and becomes less and less responsive to the brain’s

slowing messages, while one is facing down

into deep Antarctic waters, it is very easy to be overwhelmed

jacket, awaiting the imminent call from the expedition leaders.

A quick, emotional last-minute video message to Nic and Jesse, my beloved wife and son, and then we’re off.

Heart rate is sky high, nerves pounding, adrenalin is pumping as the final go-ahead comes and we walk down the starboard gangway into the bite of the icy breeze.

Although absolutely focused, we can’t miss the screaming cheers of 180 passengers scattered across the various elevated decks. We spot the South African

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seconds, although we have kayakers allocated to sweep ice from our paths, my head hits a small rock of ice the size of a fist. It’s sore, but a great way to drive home the fact that this is a very real sub-zero ice swim – just in case it wasn’t already more than apparent. Plenty more collisions follow.

Within the first few minutes, we all realise the 825m ‘away’ leg of the swim is taking too long. We are in a current and are swimming against it. I find it very hard to breathe without getting a lungful of water.

less and less responsive to the brain’s slowing messages, while one is facing down into deep Antarctic waters, it is very easy to be overwhelmed. The feeling of losing the mental battle, succumbing to the cold and sinking into the abyss is very real and it takes a great effort to swim through this with a level, positive mind.

A dedicated support crew is an essential umbilical cord – one’s lifeline.

The halfway turn-around point comes too late. It should have been on 12-13 minutes, but has taken 17 minutes for me

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Rya n Str a m r ood

The intrepid Antarctic swimmers

Andrew Chin 1 000m Ram Barkai 1 250m Kieron Palframan 1 550m Ryan Stramrood 1 650m (official Ice Mile) Toks Viviers 1 650m (official Ice Mile) Gavin Pike 1 650m (official Ice Mile) Left to Right: Andrew Chin, Gavin Pike, Ram Barkai, Ryan Stramrood, Kieron Palframan, Toks Viviers

and I’m ahead of the others. The medical team’s cut-off time for immersion was agreed at 35 minutes; thereafter, they will pull us out. It will now be touch and go, as the return leg of the swim would naturally be much slower due to a highly impaired stroke rate.

But there’s some hope, as the current we have just fought against is now at our backs. Inside the swimmer’s head, none of the above must factor – only a singleminded focus on keeping the arms moving at a stroke rate that maintains forward movement to prevent sinking.

A leopard seal arrives – all 400 kilogrammes of it. It causes pandemonium among the ‘spotters’ and crew. The passengers see it too, and we should be immediately extracted from the water.

But, thankfully, the seal observes us only for a while and in the nick of time disappears as quickly as it arrived.

After the 20-minute mark, my mind is dazed and blurred. Still aware of my immediate surroundings, aware that I’m in danger and aware that my body is not responding well, issues such as time, distance swum and leopard seal danger among others have long since faded. The focus becomes very granular and inward.

Viviers is shouting at me. I can see his lips moving and hands gesturing, but I can’t hear him and I can’t expend any energy or even a single second trying to decipher the message. My downward spiral is gaining momentum. The only thing that counts is his giving me the thumbs-up. I gather that I must be looking okay. I must still be moving. It’s hard to tell. I catch a glimpse of the extended turquoise underside of another smallish iceberg as it disappears into the deep waters and am pleased by the pace it passes me by – I’m still moving forward.

I’m inspired once more to push harder and make a monumental effort to give a

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big kick with my legs, which have become dead weights and are dragging me down.

But with no blood supply to them, I get the equivalent of an intense electric shock in the groin. It rattles me. My body is not my own and is in distress.

Time is a blur. If I’d been told I was in the water a total of 15 minutes, I would have believed it. But I have just passed the 30-minute mark and am now in a severely dangerous zone. A small part of me knows this, but all I have left is unwavering determination to finish this challenge.

I see the ship’s hull under the water; I’m alongside her. I vaguely register cheering.

I see Viviers and the Zodiac® crew clapping and screaming. I hear the ship’s loud horn bellow once again. Then I see the gangway stairs – the end point. Twenty metres to go.

Seems so simple, but I’m on the edge. My body is going to stop responding at any given second. Push. Reach out. Just get one hand to that ladder… Done!

Through the haze of my mind, I know I’m out the water. But I know I have only completed 50% of the challenge. Now comes the real hard part and it’s so vital to stay mentally strong. Don’t let go.

The recovery process is hard, frightening, painful and confusing. It can probably be compared to the out-of-body experience that some people report when under sedation on the operating table. You are aware of the frenzy of people and activity around you. Some are talking to you, some shouting, some are rubbing you down, some are trying to move you. But you are not really there – at least, not yet.

The period of time between exiting the water to just before the shivering starts is the real danger zone. And this time its duration is greatly extended. No doubt some serious limits have been pushed.

But soon the all too familiar, clenched jaw shivering begins.

The mind starts to reboot as the

shower’s warm water first brings a level of awareness back. For the first time I see who is helping me and who is reassuring me. I’m sitting on the small cabin-shower floor with 79-year-old Norm, the ship’s geologist, holding the handheld shower over my head. Bizarre. The doctor is there and he’s smiling. But it’ll be another 30 minutes before they’ll allow me to move.

Barkai appears from nowhere, shakes my hand and congratulates me. It is only much later that I learn he and Palframan were both unable to finish the swim. It’s a huge blow. I feel helpless and despondent.

Finishing as a team is as important as the individual achievements, and this news takes so much away.

But it is done. I have turned the corner, am out of danger and the stresses and pressures of the first eight days are left behind as a memento in the icy water. One very real, 31-minute-and-50-second mile completed in -1°C waters in Antarctica!

Why do it? There’s no comprehensive answer to this. I can only wish that everyone finds whatever it is in life that gets them off the couch, voluntarily gets them out of their comfort zone – something that frightens them, pushes them to physical and mental extremes, and forces them to rely on teammates and even strangers. It’s a beautiful thing.

Because succeed or fail, you can only gain extensive richness, knowledge and spirituality from the experience. You’ll somehow love your family just that much more and, one day, when your life eventually does flash before your eyes, you’ll have a damn fine movie to watch.

Visit Ryan’s website at www.ryanstramrood.com or check out his Facebook page: Ryan Stramrood Swimming & Speaking and check out the Seal Open Water Swimming Trust on Facebook too.

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hippo

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love story

Rachel Lang meets Karen Paolillo, courageous guardian of the river horses of Zimbabwe

Ra c h el L a n g Karen Paolillo doesn’t dip her baby toe into life – she plunges in with hippo-sized wholeheartedness. Twenty-three years of remarkable devotion and kinship with a pod of hippos in the Turgwe River in southeastern Zimbabwe have made her one of the foremost authorities on hippo behaviour.

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he petite United Kingdomborn conservationist is also the founder of the Turgwe Hippo Trust and the author of the newly published book, A Hippo Love Story, which documents her gutsy, unconventional life.

“I have found out that courage is not something you think you have; it is something that happens when the situation requires it,” says Karen. She certainly has a knack for inviting unusual situations.

As a child growing up in suburban London, her mum ran a small children’s zoo called Pets Corner at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire. From the age of seven to 12, Karen spent every possible moment with the animals. “If any of them were sick

tells the true story of a British couple who teach their pet lioness, Elsa, to survive in the wild.

“The film showed me that humans, through their devotion to an animal, could give it the chance to return to its natural environment. I looked at the Adamsons, especially (Joy’s husband) George, as hero figures,” she says. “Their incredible bond with Elsa touched my heart.”

After feeling disillusioned with her studies as a journalist, and willing to do almost anything to get to Africa, Karen – through what she terms “a quirk of fate” – left her sheltered English home for an unbridled Africa. She took up a job as a casino croupier at Elephant Hills, near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

madness, she knew that the country would become her home. “Being surrounded by elephants walking along the Zambezi River and families of hippos close to the islands, right next to the main drop of the Victoria Falls, captured every waking moment of my day and it still does.”

In true Karen-style, she wasted no time pursuing her goal to work with wildlife.

In 1983 she became the first female to qualify as a professional safari guide in Zimbabwe. It was a ballsy feat for a 5-foot, young English lass in an industry dominated by testosterone-driven trophy hunters.

“Luckily, I didn’t have to kill a buffalo or elephant to obtain the qualification, which is a requirement nowadays.”

Fortunately, Karen managed to secure

and it was possible for my mother to care for them, they came home with us. For an English child to have woolly monkeys and snakes around the house, and learn how to care for them and be in their company, was wonderful.”

At 15, Karen joined a travelling circus during her school holidays. But she soon discovered this was not to her liking and began dreaming about wildlife in Africa.

Having experienced animals only in cages until then, she found herself captivated by the 1966 film, Born Free, based on Joy Adamson’s book of the same name, which

“It was an artificial life, which is extremely hard as you see people at their very worst and have to remain polite! But it brought me to Africa, so I will never regret that work,” she says.

But was Africa all that she expected?

“Much more,” says Karen. “I came into a country at war, with armed men, tanks and convoys; for an English girl, this was totally out of the box. I had been in Zimbabwe 10 days when Elephant Hills was destroyed by mortar attack. Two weeks later, we were mortared while working.”

Yet, even in the midst of this war-torn

an interview with a safari operator who had given up hunting in favour of photographic safaris.

“On my first interview with him, he walked me a total of 21 kilometres through the bush and shot a warthog to see how I would react. My feet were a mass of blisters and I was sore as heck.

The death of the warthog really hurt me, but I knew I had to appear tougher than I was in order to earn his respect.”

She was offered the job two days later.

In another twist of fate, while Karen and her mother were holidaying in

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Karen began spending every possible moment with the animals in her environment, particularly the hippos.

Devoting up to six hours a day learning their ways, she became intimately involved in the lives of these river horses, particularly a bull that she named Bob. They learnt to recognise her by voice, and even chased away sly crocodiles intent on making her part of their meal.

“Hippos are the guardians of the river,” she says. “I have often witnessed them

R a c h el L a n g

Malindi, Kenya, she met and “instantly” fell in love with Jean-Roger Paolillo, a French geologist. Never the sort of person to do anything halfway, Karen gave up her life in the wild and moved with Jean-Roger to Holland, even turning down a job offer to assist George Adamson with his lions in order to follow her heart.

Fortunately, the couple soon moved back to the Zimbabwean Lowveld, settling beside the Turgwe River, where Jean-Roger managed to secure a job in mining.

If Karen’s life had been unusual up until then, it was now a full-scale adventure. In 1991, drought brought unimaginable devastation to the area, and for the hippos it meant certain death; Karen knew something radical had to be done to save them. She put together a bold plan, which she explains in detail in A Hippo Love Story.

Ironically, because hippos are known as the animals that kill the most humans every year, it was humans who posed the biggest threat to their existence. While

hippos warned me by snorting or even charging at a croc I do not believe “is The coincidental; it is part of their natural ways They also mourn their dead.” .

Opposite: February 2003 – Karen paying her respects to her beautiful boy, Bob, dead at the Majekwe weir Above: The hippos’ pan they built when the Turgwe River dried up. It was big enough for all the hippos to be fully submerged in Right: One minute Blackface would be watching Karen, the next an immensely powerful and angry hippo would be rushing straight at her, often just on the whiff of her scent

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intervene when crocodiles are hunting animals such as monkeys on branches, red-billed queleas by the river’s edge or antelope drinking. The hippos either harass the croc to disturb its hunting pattern, or try to get the victim away once it has been caught.

“Hippos are very aware of what lives in their habitat and what doesn’t. On many, many occasions, especially during the first years, the hippos warned me by snorting or even charging at a croc. I do not believe it is coincidental; it is part of their natural ways. They also mourn their dead.”

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professional hunters were active in the area, their actions in no way compared to those of the so-called war veterans who began systematically annihilating every living creature in the vicinity.

Karen and Jean-Roger promptly shifted their priorities and started patrolling the bush, removing snares and coming face to face with poachers – and death – many times. How did they get the energy to keep going?

“The energy to keep patrolling on our own for five years came from my passion to keep the animals alive – not just the

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Right: Jean-Roger and Karen in the gazebo at their home, Hippo Haven, with the Turgwe River behind them Below: A Hippo Love Story book cover (published by Penguin) Bottom: The small caravan and openfronted bedroom and dining room where Karen and her husband lived for three years

hippos but any of the wildlife in our area.

My husband did not feel the same way, but he loves me and was prepared to accompany me each day. He knew that if he did not, I would go alone and that in itself would have been madness, but I am thankful. Without his help, it would never have worked.

“If I felt like giving up, I would look at the animals around us, and knew I could not let them die. I actually think it was our tenacity that eventually helped to reduce the snaring from over a thousand per year to now about 250. We just never lost hope.”

Now, Karen looks back on the last few years and is able to make peace with what happened. “I have forgiven the people who tried to hurt us; they were just doing what they had been told to do. Humans often act like lemmings and leap over cliffs

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if the masses push them that way. Some of the violent situations that are described in the book are due to that man-made invention called politics. I am totally apolitical and have never wanted to be involved in any kind of politics, and that includes a huge one: ‘wildlife politics’.

“The war vets are still in our area, but we have had no threats for a few years now. The people in the area wave at us as we drive by, instead of putting up roadblocks and throwing rocks at our vehicle. We still have incidents, but they are not like those that took place the first six years of the land invasions.

“Poaching will always exist where people live in a designated wildlife area.

Fortunately, we now have four game scouts to help us patrol and to remove the deadly wire snares set up to kill the animals.

“The future may be a big question mark, but we can definitely say that our lives are never boring,” she adds.

These events, combined with Karen’s wholehearted dedication to her hippo family, put a strain on her marriage. “I think I can speak for all women in saying that if you have a passion for something, be it

being a good mother, having a highprofile job or anything else that diverts your attention from a personal relationship, at some stage you are going to face huge challenges in keeping both commitments – a partner and your passion – away from trauma.

“My main focus has always been to work and live with animals. I have always stressed that animals were my top priority, but that my man was a human being, so what I could offer to him was far more than what I could give to a hippo or any animal. My drive to achieve more and more for the hippos nearly destroyed our marriage, but our love survived.

“What saved our marriage was actually Africa. She threw everything at us in one full blast: the land invasions, the poaching, the violence and the book. But 14 years later, we are still holding hands!

“There are many things that I could never have predicted: I had no idea that a three-tonne hippo bull would one day trust me as one of his family and accept me the way Bob did. Neither did I anticipate having bows and arrows aimed at me and that I would learn how to react.”

Karen’s life is a testament to the strength of the human spirit, the importance of love and understanding between human and animal, the remarkable (often misunderstood) creature that is the hippo, and the continent of Africa which, despite its dark side, has gripped the souls of men and women who wish to call no other place home.

“I have not stopped learning and won’t until I die,” says Karen, “but the most important lesson is this: if you are prepared to believe you can achieve something, whatever it may be and however impossible it seems, then you can. Bob the hippo taught me that.”

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M a tth ew Holt Pondering an atlas over a bottle of wine, I discovered an entire page I’d barely touched: Central America, that slender isthmus linking the square-jawed Yanks to the excitable Latinos. I felt it was time to visit.

Peak the lost

©Mandy Ramsden

Matthew Holt attempts to summit Belize’s highest mountain – but first he has to find it…

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I

n my defence, this region has always featured on the news as a disaster zone of civil wars, death squads and Marxist guerrillas.

In fact, for all I knew, it still was. Nonetheless, needing some focus to prevent my getting waylaid in bars, I resolved to climb the highest peak in each country.

Starting in Mexico, I acclimatised on Iztaccihuatl and red wine, before cramponing up the lofty dome of Pico de Orizaba (5 636 metres).

Then I went to Guatemala, where a group of American aid workers let me tag along on their outing up Volcán Tajumulco (4 220m), in return for a donation and carrying the frying pan.

When I visited Costa Rica, it rained non-stop and I squelched up Cerro Chirripó (3 820m) in shin-deep mud, vainly looking out for jaguars, quetzals and juncos.

I stomped up the jeep track on Panama’s Volcán Barú (3 474m) to watch sunrise illuminate the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, plus scores of cellphone towers adorning the summit.

In Honduras, I risked the world’s highest murder rate and crowded chicken buses to hike through pristine cloud forests on Cerro Las Minas (2 870m).

Ascending El Salvador’s Cerro El Pital (2 730m), I pranged my rental car. And on Nicaragua’s Mogotón (2 107m), I carefully followed in the footsteps of a local guide who claimed he knew his way through the minefields.

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distinctive limestone promontory visible from the coast, but then a botanical expedition in the Maya Mountains stumbled upon a heavily vegetated plateau four metres higher. Christened Doyle’s Delight – after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel, The Lost World, about a remote mountain top inhabited by hostile ape-men and hungry dinosaurs – only a handful of expeditions have summited.

The small Cessna hopped down the coast from Belize City, stopping at small airstrips along the way. I was accompanied by my wife, Fiona, who’d been lured along by the prospect of sunbathing and scuba diving. Below on our left were long sandy beaches, translucent coral reefs and the

I’d arranged my trip through Bruno, a German expat who’d abandoned banking, BMWs and bratwurst for the good life, running an eco-lodge in Belize’s deep south; either that, or he was in hiding.

Bruno had made the second successful expedition to Doyle’s Delight in 2008, and I just had to hope that a decade of living in this remote, sweltering heat hadn’t blunted his Teutonic efficiency.

For my trip, Bruno had procured the services of two highly experienced local guides, Alfredo and Emilino, who had trained the British Army in jungle warfare and reputedly knew the dark interior like the back of their hands.

We were also to be chaperoned by a

four-man unit from the Belize Defence Force (BDF), on account of xateros, illegal harvesters who nip over from Guatemala to collect mahogany wood and xate palms for flower arrangements. They sounded like green-fingered naturalists, but Bruno put me right: they were mean, hardboiled thieves armed with machetes and shotguns, who would gladly kill us for the contents of our packs. Indeed, on their last outing, Alfredo and Emilino had been shot by xateros and left for dead,

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©fiona mcintosh

sparkling Caribbean Sea; while on our right, which was where we were heading, were a few indistinct humps carpeted by rolling dense green jungle.

Disembarking in the sleepy fishing village of Punta Gorda, we cast a longing glance at the glittering sea, before setting off inland by jeep. As we left the coast, the heat descended like a heavy, wet blanket.

Our destination was San José, a hamlet on the fringe of the jungle, where we met up with our team.

©Fiona McIntosh

M a tth ew Holt

After a colourful, illuminating odyssey, there was only Belize outstanding, where the high point was a paltry 1 124m.

However, as any (small) man can tell you, there’s more to it than size. In fact, right from the off, I’d suspected this peak would prove the stiffest test: not in terms of technical difficulties, like hand-jams and laybacks, but from the more practical challenge of finding it.

Until recently, Belizeans thought their national high point was Victoria Peak, a

taking two days to crawl out.

Having made the introductions, Bruno turned to leave. “I wish I were coming, too,” he said unconvincingly, heading back to his lodge.

Leaving San José at dawn, we followed farmers’ paths and jeep tracks as we made our way to Union Camp, a rather grand name for a small clearing that had served as a helicopter landing site until the British Army pulled out – taking the helicopters with them.

Beyond Union Camp, we entered a different world, of murky half-light and strange, shrill sounds, with no sun or sky or horizon for reference.

For a novice like me, the jungle was

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There were neck-high vines to garrotte me; innocuous looking leaves that slashed my exposed forearms, leaving marks like sabre

ticks with the bite of a shark, which unerringly found their way to my groin

©mandy ramsden

cuts; tiny

PREVIOUS PAGE: Holt pondering his quest from Panama’s highest point Opposite page: Stomping up Mexico’s Pico de Orizaba Above middle: Surveying volcanoes from Guatemala’s Volcán Tajumulco ABOVE right: Dawn on Panama’s Volcán Barú

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one continuous, giant booby trap. There were neck-high vines to garrotte me; innocuous looking leaves that slashed my exposed forearms, leaving marks like sabre cuts; tiny ticks with the bite of a shark, which unerringly found their way to my groin; thick creepers with spikes like bear traps, which speared the backs of my calves, temporarily paralysing my legs; and deadly snakes coiled and camouflaged among the leaves, just waiting for me to step on them. The entire flora and fauna seemed on the offensive, except the xate palms and mahogany trees, which were almost extinct.

The deeper we progressed into the jungle, the closer we felt the presence of

xateros. We heard the buzz of their chainsaws and retort of their shotguns.

We found several deserted xatero camps, which the BDF torched – gleefully confiscating freshly shot game for our pot. And every few hundred metres, we would come upon a small clearing with a felled mahogany tree, from which the xateros had taken just a few prime cuts, leaving the rest to rot, surrounded by litter and empty fuel cans. It was a depressing sight, like finding a rhino carcass with the horn missing.

Noon on the fourth day found us lunching on a riverbank, with thin shards of sunlight dappling the water and a serenade of cicadas and frogs. It might

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©matthew holt

©Fiona McIntosh

©Fiona McIntosh

M a tth ew Holt

Top Left: Treading carefully on Nicaragua’s Mogotón Top Middle: The work of illegal loggers in the Belize jungle Top right: Dining on ‘royal rat’

©matthew holt

Left: Watch your step!

have looked idyllic, but it wasn’t to us.

There were xateros all around, causing the BDF to post a sentry and sit with their M16s at the ready, safety catches off; we were covered from head to toe in bites and cuts – and, most depressingly, we were lost.

After Union Camp the trail had died, leaving us to rely on Alfredo and Emilino’s famed jungle skills to find a way through the chaotic maze. Initially, they moved with speed, navigating by machete marks they’d cut into tree trunks on prior visits. As our progress began to stutter, however, it was apparent something was wrong. And by the end of the second day, they had the befuddled look of two elderly gentlemen who’d been dropped in the middle of Beijing. The xateros had chopped down their marked trees.

Disconcertingly, our modern

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navigational aids were also of limited assistance. Even though, courtesy of an ordinance survey map and GPS, we could plot precisely where we were and where we wanted to get to, it proved impossible to join the two dots. With the arrow on the GPS directing us straight ahead, we were confronted by an impenetrable wall of tangled vegetation and limestone krantzes. We found some paths cut by xateros, but they just led from one felled mahogany tree to another and then back to Guatemala. And when we cut our own trail with machetes, we averaged under half a kilometre an hour.

We spent the fourth day stumbling along the Central River, looking for a way through the greasy limestone cliffs on its west bank, but failing to find one.

Although Doyle’s Delight was now only 5km away, based on our current progress it would take at least two more days. We were running low on food and it was time to turn back. To mark the occasion, there was a clap of thunder and the heavens opened.

In my time, I’ve failed on numerous mountains for numerous reasons such as bad weather, injury and incompetence.

But this was the first time I’d failed on a country’s highest peak because I

hadn’t been able to find it, despite having local guides.

That night a ferocious storm bombarded our camp with thunder rolls, lightning flashes and sheets of rain.

Every frond seemed to be an aqueduct channelling water into my hammock.

When the storm finally moved on, I was almost drowned and definitely ready to go.

As it was, leaving the jungle proved even trickier than entering it, and we spent the fifth day blundering around in circles. Our nadir was covering 400m in seven hours. With darkness falling and despair creeping in, we fortuitously stumbled upon the ruins of a xatero camp that the BDF had torched on our way in and from which we could navigate out.

We were saved.

The next afternoon, we reached San José. And that evening, we were at Punta Gorda, dining on curried shrimps and cold beers down by the seafront.

As we loaded our duffels onto the Cessna, I explained to the supervisor that we’d been trying to climb his country’s highest mountain. “Victoria Peak,” he nodded. I didn’t bother correcting him. After all, I’ve never seen Doyle’s Delight.

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An Af r ic a n h on eym oon

The Intrepid Explorer editor Robbie Stammers recently tied the knot, and headed off on honeymoon to secret destinations he had miraculously managed to keep from his bride

rings, rails and rivers After the frenetic and fantastic nuptials had finally all been concluded,

two days later we were being chauffeured off at the crack of dawn by my newly acquired father-in-law to begin the first leg of our journey.

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An Af r ic a n h on eym oon

D ABOVE: The bubble bath and bubbly that awaited us on our private deck right on the Zambezi at the Island Lodge at Royal Chundu

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espite my wife’s (I’m still getting used to saying that without a goofy grin spreading across my face) constant badgering over the last few months, I’d successfully managed to maintain my absolute silence on where we were going for our honeymoon. All she knew was that she needed a passport, summer clothes, a bathing costume, slops and one formal evening dress – if that didn’t confuse her, then nothing would!

My father-in-law and I roared with laughter as Sabrina stopped her excited babbling about where we may be going and her facial expression changed into a

deep frown of confusion as we drove directly past the highway turnoff that would’ve led us to Cape Town International Airport. She really was stumped, as we were now heading straight into the city centre.

A few minutes later, we pulled into the train station and parked. Sabrina was still none the wiser, which we took advantage of by pointing toward the bus terminals to throw her off any potential scent. “Kokstad by bus, my dear wife!” I teased.

After a short walk, however, our destination became all too clear as we approached a red carpet and the concierges from the iconic Blue Train took our luggage and escorted us into

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An Af r ic a n h on eym oon their plush welcoming lounge. Sabrina’s eyes lit up as she realised what we were about to embark on.

We were greeted with cappuccinos and pastries, while given a short introductory talk about the Blue Train and our impending journey. This magnificent moving five-star hotel is one of the most luxurious trains in the world and has been frequented by world presidents and royalty.

We said our goodbyes to ‘Dad’ and were led off to board the train and begin our incredible journey of 1 600 kilometres from Cape Town to Pretoria.

The Blue Train’s origins date back to the Union Limited and Union Express trains which began operating in 1923, taking passengers from Johannesburg to the ships departing from Cape Town to England. The Union Express introduced luxury features such as a dining saloon in 1933 and air-conditioned carriages in 1939. After a break in service during World War 2, it returned in 1946. With its reintroduction, the colloquial ‘blue train’ moniker – a reference to the blue-painted steel carriages introduced in 1937 – was formally adopted as the new name.

In 1997 it was refurbished and relaunched, and this was what we stepped onto through a gold-tinted door where we were introduced to our very own personal butler, who would be at our beck and call for the duration of our rail extravaganza.

Our compartment was absolutely beautiful: fully carpeted, soundproofed

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and with every creature comfort one would expect from a five-star hotel, including a full-sized bathtub with gold taps and a bottle of bubbly chilling on ice at the corner table. It might have been only 8am, but we were too excited not to take advantage of the occasion and popped the cork immediately, poured ourselves a pair of crystal flutes and began reading the meal schedule and an explanation of the layout of the train.

Then we were off to explore and found our way to the observation carriage right at the end, with huge windows that allowed one to view the soon-to-be breathtaking scenery along the way. We were glued to those windows for the rest of the morning while sipping on gin and tonics. There’s something so unique and special about taking in the surrounding landscape as it changes in shape and hue, while listening to the sounds of the train on her tracks.

Lunch at midday was a gastronomical affair, with three courses and a wine pairing. We almost levitated with delight when we saw the extensive wine selection that featured some rare vintages.

After the meal we relocated to the bar carriage, where we met a host of lovely people from all over South Africa and abroad, and watched the incredible montage of different towns and countryside pass by the windows while we chatted away.

Later in the afternoon, the Blue Train

arrived in Matjiesfontein for a 45-minute off-the-train excursion. On arrival, all guests were invited for a glass of sherry at the bar, before we were whisked away on the shortest bus tour ever with the most hysterical and knowledgeable guide who explained the history of this colonial time warp – an oasis suspended in a different age.

We retired to our cabin to refresh and relax until pre-dinner drinks with our new friends in the bar carriage. The evening meal was a very formal affair that required dressing up (the reason I’d told my wife to bring one very formal evening dress).

Again, the food and service could not be faulted. We then joined the crowd in the bar carriage. Absolutely everything is included on the Blue Train, so I must admit that we all had a jolly great evening, drinking 12- and 20-year-old malts that one would usually not be able to afford on any given day.

We retired to our cabin, which had been completely transformed into the most amazing bedroom. I absolutely love falling asleep to the sounds and motion of a train, and highly recommend that everyone should do it at least once in their lives – preferably on the Blue Train, of course.

The next day (after being served tea in bed by our butler) was filled with more of the same: sumptuous food and wine, incredible scenery, wonderful company and first-class service by the staff.

We absolutely loved every minute on

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the Blue Train and finally bid a fond farewell to our butler and new friends the next afternoon as we hurtled toward the Gautrain and onward to OR Tambo International Airport for the next surprise leg of our honeymoon.

While my wife still had no idea where we were off to next, it was obviously going to be a tad difficult keeping our destination from her now, as we needed to check ourselves onto our flight. All she knew was that the boarding pass read “Victoria Falls”, which pleased her immensely – although she had been to Zimbabwe before, she had never seen the Falls. What she didn’t know, however, was that our actual destination was Royal Chundu, a luxury lodge on the Zambian side of the Zambezi.

So with my wife none the wiser but still elated that we were heading in the

OPPOSITE: Watching the world go by from the comfort of the bar carriage of the Blue Train ABOVE: An aerial view of the spectacularly remote Island Lodge at Royal Chundu

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direction of ‘The Smoke that Thunders’, we arrived at Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe. Here we were met by a driver who would take us as far as the Zim border at the Falls.

On arrival, we went through border control with no fuss and walked across the Victoria Falls Bridge to meet our next vehicle on the Zambian side.

The Falls were absolutely magnificent and in full flood. It truly is one of the most incredible sights one will ever see in one’s lifetime, but there wasn’t enough time at that point to stand around in awe – we would be back in a few days to truly soak it all in (literally and figuratively).

My wife now knew we were going to stay somewhere in Zambia, but she still had no clue where exactly so I finally let the cat out the bag and revealed it was Royal Chundu. I had been there a few years ago on a press trip and since then had known it would be my honeymoon destination of choice.

Royal Chundu Zambezi River Lodge, the ‘meeting place of the Chief’, is a destination of absolute solitude and unspoilt beauty. This impressive lodge is situated on the banks of the mighty Zambezi, overlooking the majestic watercourse and surrounding bushveld.

Incredibly, Royal Chundu is positioned on a piece of untamed Africa with rapids protecting it up and downstream; the sights and sounds of Africa serve to invigorate the senses and enhance the

blissful solitude. The lodge is about a half hour’s drive from the hustle and bustle of the tourist mecca, Victoria Falls.

We were met at the entrance of Royal Chundu by our hosts, Hessah and Aggie, who manage the lodge and who both exude such warmth and playful banter with one another, that one instantly loves them. When you walk through and see the lodge nestled right next to the rapidly flowing waters of the massive Zambezi, it completely takes your breath away.

The luxurious suites and lounging areas blend colonial elegance and African charm, offering thatched accommodation in 14 beautiful villas. Of these, 10 are on the banks of the Zambezi and four on Katombora Island, 4km upstream from the main lodge.

The Island Lodge was where we would be accommodated and I’d been told via email a week before our departure that our booking was in between two large groups and we had the entire island to ourselves! I could hardly contain myself and couldn’t wait to see Sabrina’s reaction.

Without further ado and with sunset beckoning, we were whisked off onto the boat and taken for a cruise along the Zambezi before heading to the island. We puttered across to the Zimbabwean side of the river and spotted giraffe and a lone elephant, with loads of birdlife including our most favourite of all – the African fish eagle. I doubt there can be any better place for sipping a gin and tonic than on

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An Af r ic a n h on eym oon

BELOW: The birding and tiger-fishing at Royal Chundu are without comparison RIGHT: Posing in front of a 2 000-year-old baobab tree on a walk around the island

the Zambezi, with fish eagles calling out and circling above you as the sun slowly begins to change the African sky to shades of amber.

The Royal Chundu is honestly like something out of a fairy tale, and as a honeymoon destination it simply cannot be topped. Sabrina squealed in delight when we were shown to our suite following our boat cruise. It was exquisitely laid out with incredible décor, a king-size bed with a mosquito net, and a private deck right on the water. Awaiting us on the deck were loads of lit candles, a bottle of Champagne and a massive hot tub filled with bubbles. We were blown away! We giggled with heady delight, peeled off our clothes and hopped in the tub. And it only got better.

At dinnertime that evening, we were led to the main boma area of our private island, where a lane of lanterns made their way down to a netted gazebo and a table for two.

We were then treated to a sevencourse authentic Zambian cultural tasting menu with different wines with each course. The meal was made even more special with the chef explaining each dish to us, and all the ingredients organically sourced right there from Royal Chundu’s adjacent farming community. We were shown the raw products before each meal, including nshima (Zambian cornmeal), mubilo (a small tree fruit) and mundambi (sour vegetables); this came along with a trio of bream prepared in different ways, impala tarts and sour milk jelly to name but a few. It was a truly remarkable meal.

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Aggie then met us after our meal and gave us a host of options we could decide to do the next day, or we could do very little except relaxing – but there was no way in hell we were going to laze around!

We awoke early to the sounds of fish eagles; I don’t think there can be any more magical sound to rouse one from one’s slumber. After a sumptuous breakfast at the island, we took a mokoro – dugout canoe – 1.5km down the river to visit Edith Mushewa, chief of the Mushekwa Village, who showed us how she makes ecofriendly laundry soap by grinding black bitter berries in a mortar, then adding water to produce foam. We saw her peanut plantation and learnt how to make dye from the bark of a brown ivory tree. Edith cares for the village orphans, who occasionally sing for Royal Chundu guests.

The owners of Royal Chundu are deeply involved in the local community and we found the whole experience absolutely fascinating and enchanting. We purchased a host of presents for everyone back home and some beautiful serving bowls for ourselves.

We were returned to the Island Lodge to freshen up before heading back to the River Lodge where we were met by the river guides. We took a 20-minute drive in the Landie to a designated spot on the river where we were briefed before jumping into inflatable canoes to go river rafting down the rapids of the Zambezi.

This had always been on my bucket list, white-water rafting down the Zambezi, and although the river was far too high for

the rapids to raise any major adrenalin levels, it was spectacular – as was the surrounding birdlife.

Two hours later, the guides pointed to the one bank; we gasped at the sight of the spread that lay before us. There was a chef and two stewards with a ‘picnic’ fit for a king and queen. There were hammocks hanging from the trees, a Persian carpet and pillows laid out on the sand, and enough food and wine to feed an army.

We had a decadent lunch on the banks of the Zambezi, chased down with wine and Pimm’s, before heading off on an Island Walk back to the lodge where we once again were blessed with numerous bird sightings – including the rare Meyer’s parrot – and a 2 000-year-old baobab tree.

We were due to move on to our next destination later that afternoon and, although we did so with some sadness, we knew we would be back at Royal Chundu. Little did we know that we would be back much sooner than we’d expected, due to some unforeseen border issues in a neighbouring country a few days later – but that will have to wait for the second part of my Honeymoon Diaries. (All this writing has made me rather thirsty for a Pimm’s and a CD rendition of the fish eagle call…)

Part 2 of An African Honeymoon will appear in the next edition of The Intrepid Explorer.

For more information on the Blue Train, visit www.bluetrain.co.za. And for details on the Royal Chundu Zambezi Rover Lodge, go to www.royalchundu.com.

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ŠLisa Daubermann

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Roy Wa tts

possible everything is

Roy Watts is inspired by Dale Collett’s courage and perseverance in the face of adversity

On 11 April 2014, Cape Town newspapers featured an article about Dale Collett – a paraplegic amputee who had driven from Gaborone in Botswana to Cape Town on a specially adapted motorbike and sidecar that sported a bed in place of a pillion. Part of his mission was to raise funds for the ‘Ray of Hope’ – a charity that cares for terminally ill kids by fulfilling their dreams and desires.

h

is story starts in 1972 when he drifted up to Salisbury – now Harare – in Rhodesia before it became Zimbabwe. He signed up with the crack Special Air Service parachute regiment – but before his first jump, he was packed off to an officer selection course. This he passed, and was posted to the Rhodesian African Rifles (RAR), an Askari battalion based just outside Bulawayo.

The Rhodesian Bush War was at its height in those days, and the Selous Scouts – a rough, tough unit that lived off the land in the surrounding wilderness – was having much success defeating terrorist incursions. The troops involved were Africans and ‘whites’ who could speak the language and blend into the pseudo-terrorist camps responsible for gathering intelligence from the locals before attacking infiltrators. Endurance depended on being scruffy, unshaven and dishevelled, rather than sartorially resplendent as in the alternative world of starched uniforms, shining buckles, immaculate boots and regimental regime.

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R oy Wa tts Lieutenant Colonel Ron Reid-Daly, the visionary commanding officer and founder of the Selous Scouts, approached the commander of the RAR with a view to recruiting Collett. The CO was only too pleased to let him go, as he had been a disappointment since joining the regiment. (It must be emphasised that Collett was never comfortable within conventional army structures – something he shared with Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia.)

Dale Collett was a duck to a pond in the ‘Scouts’ with his fluency in the local dialect, advanced tracking skills and natural bush survival aptitude. His new environment was tailor-made for

his particular characteristics as he covered great distances undetected through rough terrain, relying on limited resources and great tactical instincts. In 1974 he was awarded the Silver Cross, one of Rhodesia’s highest awards, for his valiant performance in the Bush War. This stellar career was shattered in June 1976 when a bullet ricocheted off a wall, shattering his spinal cord at chest level, during an assault on an enemy arsenal in the Mozambican town of Mapai. Paralysed from the chest down, it is the manner in which he has adjusted to his disability that measures the intrepid spirit of the man.

I arranged to meet Collett a couple of days after his arrival, at Sirocco, the open-air restaurant fronting onto the road in Kalk Bay. I chose this venue because it had a parking space directly in front of some tables on the pavement.

At the appointed hour, he swung onto the sidewalk with great panache on his Chinese Chang Jiang CJ750 replica of a pre-war BMW R71 motorcycle. I got to witness firsthand how he had built up an extraordinary degree of self-sufficiency. His whole existence

PREVIOUS PAGE: Dale relaxes at the Sirocco restaurant on the specially fitted bed TOP: Collett leads a convoy of cars in his approach to Cape Town LEFT: Dale assembles his very portable wheelchair prior to wriggling off the motorbike OPPOSITE: Setting off to Simon’s Town to shoot some video footage

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R oy Wa tts

Paralysed from the chest down, it is the manner in which he has adjusted to his disability that measures the

intrepid spirit of the man.

on this mission was wrapped up in a sidecar that housed a lightweight collapsible wheelchair; a sleeping bag; tea, coffee, sugar and milk; a gas stove; water; and emergency spares. Instead of a pillion, he had mounted a bed from which he navigated his way around the country – this on advice from his surgeon, because sitting for a great length of time gave him pressure sores.

From his driving bed, he swung his wheelchair onto the back end of his motorbike, wriggled into it and then nonchalantly wheeled himself into position at the breakfast table. Following this was a most unusual and fascinating interview – the first of several at the same venue.

Collett had only just started telling me his story when a huge biker and his doll pulled up next to the pavement on a new Triumph Tiger motorcycle. They strolled across to our table, announcing they had seen him featured in the newspaper, and then pressed R500 into his hands. (At that stage, he had already accumulated quite a few thousand rand for his Ray of Hope charity.)

Following this, bursts of dialogue were interrupted by a string

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of people expressing admiration and support. I managed to cobble together more of Collett’s background in further interviews and from chatting to his friends and colleagues.

Motivating and helping people has always been his life force – and even while recuperating from the gunshot that changed his life, he wheeled around the St Giles Medical Rehabilitation Centre, encouraging others who had similar disabilities.

In Gaborone, where he lives on a 14-hectare smallholding on tribal trust land, he took in Phontso Ndlovu, who was born without arms or legs and was living in a cardboard box on the streets. After about 10 months, Phontso went home to his mother.

Life in Botswana hasn’t been without its trials and tribulations, and a collapsed roof sent Collett into hospital with a badly damaged leg. Instead of battling to save it, he told the surgeon to amputate, as he had no further use for it.

He makes his living as a debt collector, and while driving in town one day he was involved in a collision with a large truck transporting bricks. The accident broke his sternum and wrote off his bakkie. The brick company settled and he bought a

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©Lisa Daubermann

R oy Wa tts ABOVE: Dale Collett comfortable on the bed that doubles as a saddle as well as a convenient lounger

Chinese GWM van from a dealer next to a panel shop. He drove out of the showroom and into their workshop, where they managed to reconfigure the cab to accommodate a command mattress similar to the one on his motorbike. So now his transport was completely free from pressure sores.

Although divorced, Collett has two adult sons living in Cape Town and he decided to ride there on his motorcycle to visit them. They heard about this and immediately went to Gaborone, from where they set off along with his friend, Sean, as escorts for the four-day trip. He was fully prepared to sleep on the bike, but at every stop the owners of the hostelries along the way insisted on giving him free board and breakfast.

To date, publicity from his ride has raised the equivalent of R138 000 for the Ray of Hope charity.

Dale Collett has a way of handling everything that life throws at him with a positive attitude and cheerful demeanour. This came to the notice of Debswana Diamond Company in Botswana, where he gave a series of motivational talks at its Jwaneng Diamond Mine – one of the richest in the world. It was hugely successful and has encouraged him to set sail on a career in motivational lecturing.

His credo is, “Everything is possible”. I know my glass has been

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much fuller since meeting him, and I think he will flourish in this new direction.

Dale Collett is available for motivational lectures throughout South Africa. Enquiries via email: dale@dalecollett.co.bw or contact him directly on +267 316 4169 or +267 7131 1619.

Caught on camera

During our interview, we were interrupted by Peter Mann, a passing videographer, who expressed interest in shooting some footage. In a flash we decided to seize the moment and produce a video clip.

I was no longer a journalist, but a gopher and general dog’s body – driving Mann’s car up and down a stretch of road outside Simon’s Town while he shot footage through an open door.

The results of this caper can be seen by logging onto www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsyROMU5JyE.

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Experience the Synergy between Soul and Soil

www.jordanwines.com | 021 8813441 | info@jordanwines.com | Stellenbosch Kloof Road

Shan Routledge chats with ‘The Animal Communicator’ Anna Breytenbach about her life, her experiences and the challenges she faces

whispers of owls in the night, the frantic chattering of monkeys at play, the solemn wisdom of majestic elephants or just the (hopefully) adoring love of our dog. Slowly we lost this yearning to communicate with our environment and allowed the sounds to fade into the background – but Anna Breytenbach can hear them loud and clear, and she’s going to deliver their message.

An n a Br eyten ba c h

Many of us, as children, would’ve wished we could speak to animals: hear and understand the

straight from the

horse’s

B

efore I saw Anna’s documentary, The Animal Communicator, I was sceptical of the idea. How could she have this ability? But as I watched the film, I was slowly won over to the idea that we have simply forgotten our innate connection with the world around us.

Admittedly, I shed a tear or three as sanctuary owner Jurg Olsen, who had asked Anna for help with his black leopard named “Diablo” (“Devil” in Spanish), broke down in sobs when the animal emerged from his shelter to greet him. There was no way Anna could have known beforehand the information she got from Diablo (who was renamed “Spirit”) about his abusive past, and Olsen was astounded by the difference she was able to make.

A professional animal communicator, Anna has dedicated her life to bridging the gap between human and non-human communication. Whether it be through communication, guidance or mentoring, her goal is to create increased awareness, empathy, compassion and mutual understanding. The animals have something to say, and Anna is listening.

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mouth

Did you always have this connection with animals?

I spent my high school holidays volunteering at the local vet or animal shelter, so I always had a care and compassion for animals – but I wasn’t aware of any information passing between us at all. In animal care situations, there was always emotion passing between us, but nothing that would stand out to me as actual data or actual communication.

It was only later in life when I was on a tracking course in America – and because I grew up in South Africa and not in North America, I had no idea what had made the footprints I was looking at. No matter how clear the print was in the mud, I couldn’t identify to which animal it belonged.

So, the tracking guide said: “Just close your eyes and hold your hand over the print.” I didn’t have any better ideas, so that is what I did – and as I did, I got this distinct image of quite a pointy sort of dog face and greyer than our jackal at home, but not as red as a fox. I described this to the guide and he said: “Yes, that is a coyote.” I promptly asked, “What is a coyote?”

What’s more, this happened at about eight in the morning when I saw this face against the backdrop of a hollowed-out hole in a sandbank; after about two hours of actually physically trailing the tracks, we found the exact spot I had seen in this mental image. The expert trackers were able to determine that the tracks were about two hours old, which meant I had been getting real-time information at eight in the morning. I was actually connecting with that coyote where it was at that present moment. That is when I realised it was a real-life connection.

It must have been quite a shock to receive such an image?

Very much so. I had no placing for it in my mind or in my upbringing or in my belief system. If it wasn’t so provable by the actual tracks I was seeing, I might not have had to accept it was real. I honestly would have thought I was going mad and seeing things, but some research proved I wasn’t the only one.

I was then pushed to follow it further and to research telepathic interspecies communication, which led me to study

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Anna and her tracking mentor and colleague, Jon Young, exploring a Cape cave where the first humans lived in harmony with their natural environment. Anna and Jon co-lead nature-based events Below left: Much of an animal’s story can be ‘sensed’ from the tracks and signs they leave behind Below right: Silent communication between Anna and an elephant Opposite left: Telepathic communication has nothing to do with eye contact or body language Opposite right: Anna and Jon in a scene from the documentary, The Animal Communicator

through the Assisi International Animal Institute and follow my intuition and passion.

Why do you think you have developed this ability when the rest of humanity has been left so unaware of the connection?

Everyone can do this. Everyone does do this, normally, in respect to other humans.

The anomaly of telepathy, or intuition, works between people who are very close – best friends or siblings – so we can all do it.

If 10 people had all tried to sense that track, they might not all have gotten the same image or received the information in the same way or strength, but they all would have connected with the coyote in some way.

On the weekend workshops I run around the world, 100% of participants have success in receiving information from an animal telepathically.

So anyone can learn to engage in this manner?

Yes, anyone can do it because it is more about remembering than learning; it is part of the blueprint of our minds; it is how our brains were designed. And it is how all the ancient cultures from which all modern humans derive, have connected with their animals, landscapes and surrounds. It is part of our brain; we just have to place our attention there again and remember to use our skills – or our sixth sense, so to speak.

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You are very involved in conservation – this must be a very rewarding use of your talent. With which organisations do you work?

It is both very rewarding and very challenging. There are no organisations with which I work because conservation managers, wildlife managers and park officials don’t believe in telepathic communication. Because they come from the very biological and scientific study of animals, they do not embrace an energetic communication.

There are some wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centres that are beginning to contact me to assist them, but mostly my pro bono work with conservation is with individuals who, when everything else more ordinary has failed, reach out to the telepathic community to try and solve a very serious issue or better understand an animal’s behaviour.

I’m currently working with a couple of elephants that are trying to break out of various reserves in South Africa – trying to understand what their traumas are and trying to have the humans hear what they need in order to persuade them to stay.

I work with some re-wilding projects where big cats are rescued from the canned breeding and canned hunting industry, and in some cases are given the opportunity to live wild or semi-wild again. It is a long, dedicated effort on the part of their carers to re-wild them, and there we use telecommunication to try

and help educate the lions about how to be safe out in the wild and to manage the process – check in with them about how they are feeling. It is very difficult work.

I also work with baboons that are under serious threat throughout southern Africa. The authorities on the Cape Peninsula are basically exterminating them, with more than 50 having been killed this year alone. It can be very frustrating and challenging when I’m constantly receiving – directly from the baboons – their real feelings of distress and panic and lack of space; that can be challenging because I know nothing is going to change politically or management-wise.

The animals often appeal to me for help, but I have to tell them that help isn’t coming.

Quite often it is a bit of a stalemate situation when I hear how animals are feeling and what they need, but the humans to whom I give the feedback don’t care what the animals need. I then have to go back to the animals and say, “Sorry, it’s not going to happen.”

Part of the journey of being an animal communicator is having to be very clear within myself about what the animals’ emotions are versus what my emotions may be or my reactions to what they are going through. I have to be very clear that I don’t project onto them or anthropomorphise, and to relay only what they are thinking or feeling, without clouding the picture with my own

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opinions on the matter.

Part of the training requires you to do a lot of work on yourself – and always keep working on yourself. I always have to clear the channel I am, so that I can be true to the animals’ authentic message – not even unwittingly clouding it with my judgments and preconceptions.

Do you get much resistance from other professionals such as conservationists?

There is still a lot of resistance from park managers and wildlife reserves, mainly because they objectify animals and see them only as resources on an asset register. Most of southern Africa is an industry of breeding and trading wildlife, so they are not really interested in the emotional wellbeing of the animals or their environmental enrichment. They don’t care that when you have to move adult giraffe off of a reserve, there are no trucks big enough to take the males so they just shoot them and take only the females and the youngsters.

It doesn’t suit wildlife reserves to truly know an animal’s thoughts and feelings, preferences and needs. This would make it more difficult to trade them and treat them purely as resources. It’s what suits the industry, the safaris, sports hunting, human ideas of what would be pleasing to stock a reserve with; it’s what pleases human ideas of rarity such as black springbok and white lions – all based on human aesthetics and human need, with

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appeal to me for help, but I have to tell them that help isn’t coming.”

little regard for the animals.

It is sometimes very difficult to express what animals are thinking or feeling to authorities and people, but I have a moral obligation. If I have heard something from an animal, it is my duty to pass it on unedited. If I’m worried about how I’m going to come across, then it’s me getting in the way of expressing the animal’s authentic truth. If I say less than the full truth to people, then I’m denying the people the opportunity to consider another perspective. Often I’m the ‘messenger who gets shot’, but that is just the fine print of what comes with my job.

How do you deal with critics and naysayers?

I’m not trying to convert anyone to my way of thinking, so I don’t have to deal with criticism; the science of how this works speaks for itself, and I refer people to that if they question it.

I try and invite people to have their own experience, but I’m not out to try and force anyone into it – they either want to connect or they don’t. People are scared because it’s not happening in the realm of their five senses, and people fear what they cannot see.

What is the most interesting thing you have ever been told by an animal?

Quite recently, I was communicating with

An n a Br eyten ba c h

“The animals often

baboons that frequently raid a vegetable garden on a farm, and the humans called me in to ask them please to stop. The baboons conveyed they were confused about the fact that they saw humans coming into the vegetable garden, picking the best and the ripest vegetables when they were not hungry, and then leaving with the produce – which they wouldn’t even eat. The baboons said they followed the humans and saw them taking the produce indoors and putting this wonderful bounty in strange cupboards, leaving it lying around inside. Often, some of that food would go bad before the humans would even eat it, which the baboons thought was very wasteful. I found it very interesting and refreshing to see the baboon perspective on human behaviour.

The cook on the farm admitted to being mildly freaked out by two male baboons watching him as he prepared food for the staff. He would even close the blinds because he was so disturbed, and this sort of corroborated what the baboons had been saying about how they were interested in what was happening to the food.

Animal communication is about finding out what the animals’ needs and desires are, what motivates their behaviour – and then coming up with a compromise so that there can be a peaceful co-existence between animals and humans.

TO WIN A COPY OF THE ANIMAL COMMUNICATOR DVD GO TO PAGE 94

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Ron Rutla n d Ron Rutland looks back on the first 365 days of his biking adventure

the

Fat Kid diaries

Lettie’s Ride is this proud South African’s 28-month, 43 000-kilometre (or so) bicycle expedition through every country on mainland Africa, and through the Middle East and Europe, to the 2015 Rugby World Cup in London. I set off on my journey on 30 June 2013 – celebrating health, vitality, mobility, adventure and life.

Photographs Andrew King/Nikon

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PREVIOUS PAGE: A clean-shaven, unfit yet enthusiastic Ron cycles into Barrydale, a small town roughly 250km outside Cape Town, several days into the journey BELOW LEFT: Not a bad view as Ron drops down the pass from the Ethiopian Highlands at Debre Zebit toward Gondar BELOW RIGHT: Sometimes on an adventure, you have to embrace the cliché and ‘take the road less travelled’. Here Ron takes a detour near Geshena on the road that heads to Lalibela, Ethiopia OPPOSITE: Ron shares the road with market-goers as they near the local town’s Saturday market between Debot and Baltach, Ethiopia

A

s I use a moment of quiet solitude in my tent in the middle of the Congolese jungle to reflect on the first 365 days of the adventure of my life, it seems an opportune time to look back at my original plan and motivations, and compare my expectations with my experiences.

Why?

The question I get asked most frequently is: why? I guess the decision to undertake this journey is an accumulation of years of

My highlights so far

reading stories of great modern and past adventurers, as well as ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and then imagining great adventures of my own.

Ultimately, the motivation to push myself way beyond previous physical and mental limits, to complete a true adventure and, I hope, in some small way inspire others to do the same, are powerful forces that also had a role in justifying this kind of adventure.

People want to know whether it’s risky, asking questions such as: “what about your career?”, “what about being shot by crazed villagers?”, “what about getting sick?”, “what about your pension?”, “what

1. Wildlife: Seeing the mountain gorillas of Uganda; the western lowland gorillas of the Congo; the crocodiles of the Nile in Uganda; whale sharks in Djibouti; elephants in Zimbabwe; camels in Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan and Chad; hyenas in Ethiopia; tigerfish in Zambia; and witnessing the most incredible hippopotamus sighting in Tanzania – there were too many other incredible sightings and interactions, big, small and unusual.

2. Cycling: Riding and traversing the mountains and highlands of Ethiopia; the game parks of Mozambique and Zimbabwe; Golden Gate National Park in the Free State; the Zambezi floodplains in Zambia and Angola; northeast Malawi; the thousand hills and perfect roads of Rwanda; along Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania and Burundi; the desert roads of Djibouti; the forest roads and paths of Cameroon, Central Africa and the Republic of the Congo – and anywhere with a tailwind!

3. Sharing the journey with friends; the welcome at border posts; camping under the stars in the most incredible spots

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about this or that amazing business opportunity?” These are some of the more popular ones. Well, I believe the bigger risk is spending my life not doing what I want on the bet I can buy myself the freedom to do it later.

Now, 365 days, 18 000km and 30 countries later, and approaching the halfway mark of the journey, I’ve never felt more at ease – knowing with absolute certainty that I’m living the life I’m meant to be.

The simplicity of life on the road, waking up without any expectations of the day ahead, pushing myself physically and mentally (which has been much tougher than I’d considered), have all been

imaginable; generous gifts of nights in hotels after weeks of shower-less camping; witnessing hundreds of sunrises and sunsets; sleeping on the streets (and behind and inside hospitals, churches, mosques, mission stations, immigration offices, restaurants, shebeens, schools, huts, trees, bushes etc.); dining with the poorest, the kings, ambassadors and everyone in between.

4. The incredible kindness and generosity of strangers: I have never once been turned down for a place to pitch my tent or water when needed.

5. The incredible support, in every form imaginable, from friends old and new, and via messages online from those I’ve never yet met.

6. The tiny – and possibly seemingly irrelevant to most – interactions with people on a daily basis, which make this journey what it is. 99.9% of human beings are awesome; the rest make the news (or are politicians, or both).

7. Being and remaining healthy enough to undertake this adventure.

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halfway mark of the journey, I’ve never felt more at ease – knowing with absolute certainty

everything and so much more than I’d hoped for. I’ve never once felt threatened by another human being (except occasionally when behind the wheel of a big logging truck), haven’t been seriously ill, and certainly have no regrets about not

Some of my challenges

1. Running out of water, and fearing ‘this may be it’ – the only times of genuine fear so far.

2. The 45°C+ heat of Sudan and Chad; the weeks of endless flat, straight roads, surrounded by nothing other than sand and dust; furnace-like winds; civil wars and paranoid regimes.

3. Various aches and pains relating to previous issues and injuries.

4. The language barrier – going weeks without a proper conversation, and where every basic interaction is hard work, it does become exhausting, especially at the end of a long day in the saddle.

5. The inevitable odd mechanical issues.

6. Sand, mud, headwinds, and pushing/carrying/dragging a fully loaded bike through tropical rainforests.

7. Being attacked constantly for six to seven hours by hundreds of tsetse flies while cycling through a stretch of bush in Tanzania – a day of my life I’ll never get back.

8. The ongoing weakness of the rand!

9. Visas!

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that I’m living the life I’m meant to be.

chasing the next big job or business opportunity and leaving behind the pace, noise and connectedness of the ‘real’ world.

I have a long way to go, and not every day has been easy, and it certainly hasn’t been without its incredible challenges – but the challenges turn a journey into an adventure, and have given me a new perspective about what’s really important in life, such as water, food, shelter and health mostly.

It’s also been quite satisfying proving to myself what I’ve always deeply believed, but never until now genuinely put to the test myself: that even the most ordinary people are capable of achieving pretty cool things; high adventure and great physical and mental achievements are not reserved for the ‘elite’ or seemingly extraordinary people. If a ‘Fat Kid On a Bike’ can cycle through Africa, anything is possible!

How?

People struggle to consider how a journey of this nature is possible, when in fact it has turned out to be quite uncomplicated.

My bicycle is simple and cheap, powered by the most efficient engine there is – me! It is almost silent, emits zero carbons, and doesn’t require fuel, tax discs, paperwork or space to park. It doesn’t pay toll fees, can be maintained and repaired by almost anyone, and can be hauled onto a dugout canoe or lifted over a fence.

Its obvious space limitations ensure you carry only what you really need, and it’s the only vehicle that truly allows you to experience a place with all your senses: on a bicycle you can’t escape the sounds, the smells, the heat, the cold, the flies and

Ron Rutla n d

Now, 365 days, 18 000km and 30 countries later, and approaching the

mosquitoes, the dust, the mud, the mountain climbs and valley descents, the wind and the rain of a place – that’s living, that’s experiencing.

In looking for an adventure, I’m continuously drawn back to Africa: this incredibly misunderstood continent of ours is an amazing and wondrous place with a history of adventure and pioneering like no other. The desire to dispel the myth of Africa being a scary and inhospitable place; to see and experience it firsthand, to sleep under its stars, to be welcomed by its people, to taste its food and drink water from its rivers – that is what drives me.

The plan is to cycle from Cape Town, through every country on mainland Africa, to Egypt; then continuing on through the Middle East and Europe and finishing in London some 2.5 years later, in time to watch the Springboks begin their campaign of reclaiming the Rugby World Cup. Having always been involved in rugby in some capacity, and being a typical and extremely passionate rugby (and Springbok) mad South African who has attended many previous World Cups, there will be no bigger motivator in making sure I get up out of the tent each morning to complete the journey in time.

Pureness and authenticity are the ‘rocks’ on which this trip is built; with a limited budget and mostly alone (although guests from time to time will be most welcome!), this is a journey of discovery and adventure, and of believing that ultimately one will always be provided for.

Who is Lettie?

On 15 April 2013, an email from a friend,

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Ron Rutla n d

LEFT: The ride is dedicated to the two things that inspire Ron: Lettie and the Bokke! This is a snap from one of the first days on the road in the Western Cape, with Ron proudly wearing his Springbok jersey

A big thank-you

Charles ‘Zoog’ Haynes, changed everything. It described how he and his wife had just been dealt the massive blow that she had had a relapse in her cancer.

A short paragraph at the end of the email spoke directly to me. It read, “If you do anything with this incredibly shit news, then turn the heartache into positive, meaningful action: tell someone how much you love them, appreciate your health, vitality and mobility, get up and make a difference, respect another’s opinion, have the courage to resolve a difference and be kind.”

Nix “Lettie” Haynes and her one-of-akind (in a really good way!) husband have become great friends of mine over the last few years, and all of us who know the Haynes family have been inspired and humbled at their attitude, courage and spirit as Nix fought and beat her original battle with cancer two years ago. Now, as she and her whole family have started the hard fight again, friends, family and inspired strangers are banding together to support her.

It’s in this spirit of solidarity that the “Fat Kid On a Bike” expedition has become known as #LettiesRide and, even more importantly, I’m delighted, privileged and humbled that Nix accepted the invitation to take the ‘position’ of lead ambassador of my little African cycle expedition.

In addition to dedicating the ride to Lettie, it seemed to me a bit selfish or even a bit of a waste to undertake a journey of this nature without using it as an opportunity to give back something tangible.

A meeting with Francois Pienaar changed everything. His charity, the

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MAD (Make A Difference) Foundation, is an incredible organisation dedicated to developing desperately needed future leaders of our country. Not only was I inspired by the charity, but also by the fact that he offered to develop the fund-raising mechanisms and activations using my ride as the platform, and take on the responsibility of driving the fund-raising itself. In his own words, “Your job is to get from Cape Town to London alive and tell your story, and we’ll do the rest.”

There and then MAD became the official expedition charity, and news on our various awesome plans will be announced in due course on the Fat Kid website, but in the meantime please visit the site for more details and to make a contribution if you feel inspired to do so.

The Fat Kid publishes a diary entry on a weekly basis, where Internet connectivity allows, so feel free to sign up to his mailing list via his website at www.fatkidonabike.com, or keep in touch on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ afatkidonabike and Twitter: @RonRutland.

I could not be doing this trip without all the support and belief from my friends, expedition ambassadors and people I’ve met along the way, as well as my sponsors: Absa, DHL, Discovery, Cycle Lab, Itec, Big Eye Branding and Salomon. The ladies back home for handling my visa applications: Sue Anderson, Bianca Drummer and Ingram Casey. Every villager, local chief or headman, school principal, policeman, immigration officer, friend, friend of friends, stranger and everyone else who has allowed me to pitch my tent on their land or property, hosted me in their home, shared meals, and made my trip what it is. And, of course, the South African Embassies and their incredible staff with whom I’ve engaged and met along the route, and the Department of International Relations and Co-operation back home in Pretoria; they’ve been incredible and gone out of their way to assist me in so many ways possible, from before I even began the trip and all the way since.

Update

At the time of writing the article, Ron received the devastating news that Nikki “Lettie” Haynes had tragically lost her battle with cancer.

“On Sunday (13 July) I emerged from the ‘outback’ of rural Niger and the blissfulness that comes with being totally disconnected, to a deluge of messages informing me of the heartbreaking news that Nix ‘Lettie’ Haynes had passed away over the weekend after the bravest and hardest fight imaginable against the evil that is cancer,” he wrote on his blog.

“For those who have been following this ride, you’ll know that Nix has been more than just an extraordinary friend and the Lettie in #LettiesRide, but an inspiration beyond measure – not just to me, but to everyone who came in contact with her during her beautiful, special, but far too short life. It isn’t often in life you meet people who really deeply change your life, but Nikki Haynes has been one of those in mine. I’ve never met someone with such a unique and contagious spirit for life, and it affected me massively.

“Words can never express the true sense of loss, but my thoughts at this time are especially with Nix’s husband, Zoog, and their three delightful young children: Ty, Lia and Slater.

“I look forward to resuming #LettiesRide with more passion and vigour than ever, in Nikki’s memory, and attempt in my own tiny way to celebrate her life – and life in general.”

Note from the Editor: Ron took a break in his trip to fly back to KwaZulu-Natal to celebrate Nikki Haynes, her life and her spirit at her memorial service on 18 July.

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Hein’s

In

sight

Jo Kromberg marvels at how a visually impaired adventurer tackled the harshest marathon in the world – in Antarctica

Hein Wagner’s favourite colour is black (he thinks). He was born blind and, dear reader, before you think

©laura Kruiskamp

me gormless enough to pose such a question to a blind person, he says so himself on his website.

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J o Kr om ber g

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part from being blind (and evidently having a slightly dark sense of humour about it all), Wagner is no ordinary person. He was born on 24 May 1972 with a condition known as Leber’s congenital amaurosis, or LCA – an inherited retinal degenerative disease characterised by severe loss of vision at birth. There is no known cure at present.

Wagner had to learn to be resilient and tenacious from a very young age.

“At the age of five, my parents sent me off to the Worcester School (now Institute) for the Blind. At the time, I could not believe they dropped me off at the school at such a young age, and for days I got totally lost on the school grounds and in the boarding house,” he recalls. “But, in retrospect, that is the best thing they could ever have done for me. Struggling to find my way at such a young age taught me such valuable lessons.

“I’m inspired by people who find their passion and live fulfilling lives and at the same time making a contribution to society. My parents, both mom and dad, played a huge role in helping me believe in myself and being kind and generous to others.”

He started his career as a switchboard operator, but the development of technology inspired him to enter the information technology industry, which saw him working for companies such as MWEB and Thawte Consulting. Here he quickly worked his way up to international sales manager, managing a team of 15 sighted individuals.

Yet, Wagner still struggled with his disability psychologically, and decided to take up extreme sports events. Some of his adventures include sailing from

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them, they pulled me in to the very centre of their icy cold. My mind was racing ahead to frostbite and amputations, when I told myself to snap out of it – motivating myself by realising it was just the beginning, so I forced myself to focus.”

Wagner continues: “In a brutally honest way, Antarctica reflects the ever dramatically changing world we live in, as no five minutes down there are the same. A beautiful, sunny morning at zero degrees Celsius can very quickly change into a snowy ice wind and rain, with a chill factor of minus 15 to minus 25 degrees. I’ve never experienced anything colder than Antarctica. It had me shaking to my very core!”

He participated to promote the abilities of those living with disabilities, and to raise funds and create awareness of the Vision Trust – a non-profit organisation he founded in mid-2008, which strives to make the world as we know it a more accessible place for persons living with disabilities.

“Since I can remember, I’ve had a fascination with the North and South Poles, and when Mike Bailey (his running partner) came up with the idea to try

and get an entry for the Antarctica Marathon, I jumped at the chance!”

So how does Wagner prepare for events such as the Antarctica Marathon?

“It is tricky to simulate the conditions in sunny Cape Town. We spent some time in a cold room at minus 18 degrees to acclimatise. I decided not to do many off-road miles or trail runs, as being blind leaves me a lot more exposed to ankle injuries than the sighted.

“Nothing I did back home could ever prepare me for what we went through in Antarctica. My approach on the day was one step at a time.”

He does not consider himself an

PREVIOUS PAGE: Hein having a laugh in the company of penguins ABOVE: Hein Wagner and Laura Kruiskamp kayaking in Antarctica OPPOSITE: Wagner and Nick Kruiskamp crossing the finish line

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©Nick Kruiskamp

Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro in the Cape to Rio Yacht Race, skydiving, participating in IRONMAN events and completing the Absa Cape Epic. In 2009 he set the World Blind Land Speed Record at 322.52 km/h.

He also completed the 15th Antarctica Marathon in March this year (colloquially described as the harshest marathon on the planet), the first time ever that a blind person participated. Nick Kruiskamp, well-respected athlete and race champion, was Wagner’s guide.

“I always knew the Antarctica Marathon would be a test of endurance, mental strength and perseverance. However, I never thought that being on the seventh continent – surrounded by ice-capped mountains, glaciers, icebergs, snow, penguins, whales and other wildlife – would be so emotionally overwhelming,” says Wagner.

The treacherous race covered the most rugged terrain comprising mud, ice and sludge. He describes his perilous start of the race: “Within a few minutes, we tracked through the first bit of snow, followed by loads of mud. This quickly turned into a series of small water streams and, although we tried to jump over

Pippa de Br uy n adrenalin junkie, however. “I guess I’m just hooked on great experiences and life has so many to offer.”

Wagner says that accepting his blindness unconditionally has certainly been his most challenging expedition and achievement to date. “Just when you think you get it, you’ve got it, you have it – the mountain is just a little higher.

Accepting the one thing I cannot do –

known as Dinner in the Dark, and his website describes it thus: “Dinner in the Dark is the perfect dinner event to open the eyes of those who are simply too lazy to see.”

“I’ve been working in the corporate entertainment industry for many years, but this event really moves people deeply.

Many funny things happen in the dark, like highly educated guests arguing with

“I believe fear is the one thing that stands between disaster and us.”

see – allowed me to open my mind to so many other opportunities. The Absa Cape Epic also came close as my second biggest challenge, though.”

His unique experiences and outlook on life have afforded him numerous invitations to share his story and, in 2004, he decided to take up motivational speaking as a full-time career.

Another of his initiatives is a concept

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me over the fact that I gave them white wine and they asked for red wine. When the lights come on, they avoid me like the plague!” Wagner says with a laugh.

It is not all fun and games, though, and he has been faced with a few life-threatening situations in the course of his adventures. So how does he cope with fear? “I made fear my friend a long time ago. I believe fear is the one thing

that stands between disaster and us.

Make fear your friend, acknowledge it for what it is, take from it what it is trying to point out to you, and get on with it.”

He says his team is the most important part of all his adventures. “Without my team’s backup and support, I cannot do what I do. Somehow I manage to find amazing people on my journey who are willing to help, support and get involved, and I’m most grateful to all of them.”

So what are Wagner’s plans for the next couple of years? Any exciting quests?

“At this time, I’m training very, very hard to try and qualify for the South African para-cycling team to represent South Africa in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. A long, hard road ahead – however, I’m willing to give it all I have.”

When I ask him what message he most wants to impart to people through his life’s quests, this remarkable man says the following: “Anything you believe is not possible is actually possible; you just have to change the way you look at things. If you do that, the things you look at will change.”

Visit www.heinwagner.co.za for more information.

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Paradise found

Angus Begg discovers a gem destination on the Eden to Addo hiking trail

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As the hadeda flies, it’s not more than 15 kilometres from Plettenberg Bay, the glam holiday spot of the southern Cape coast. The catch is that travelling that short distance to Takamma by vehicle from Plett will take two hours.

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An gus B egg

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akamma is a guesthouse, a campsite, an escape, surrounded by a fynbos fairyland. But, most importantly, for those intrepid explorers among us, it is a gateway to inaccessible wilderness. That’s what drove David Mostert to buy the land in the first place. And cut out the road to where his large wooden cabin now stands – built by himself and his three sons.

Profoundly contrasting and quite addictive, this is one of my three top South African ‘finds’ of the last five years.

One of the distinguishing features of the BBC Africa series shown on television around the world last year was that it revealed parts of Africa never before seen. It’s some claim for a continent that the developed world is only really discovering now.

Which brings me in a roundabout way to this wild piece of South Africa. One could say Plettenberg Bay is to this country what Cannes is to France – a lifestyle destination as much as anything else. So it is very much seen.

But as so often happens, it’s across the road and over that hill where the real destination gems are waiting to be found.

And that’s pretty much where we found it.

It is unvisited wilderness, a landscape dominated by gorges and ravines cut through and separated from all familiar infrastructure by the Keurbooms River.

When the river is in flood, the only road to this part of the world can’t be crossed.

I came across Takamma on one of South Africa’s newest hikes, the Eden to Addo. It’s ‘slackpacking’ if you consider that your tents and clothing are transported between overnight stops. But that’s as slack as it gets.

The kilometres walked aren’t for tender feet, and it’s cold by night.

Sleeping arrangements involve sharing a two-man tent. It happens only once a year – and if you’re a hiking enthusiast, you want to do this.

A major attraction for me is that this is the closest South Africa gets to that wonderful, long-established English hiking culture of ‘right of way’: an age-old principle of following established footpaths wherever they may take you through the country, which could even be through a farmhouse courtyard. This

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An gus B egg could be tricky in the South African context, but after years of negotiation with landowners of similar mindset – among them farmers, forestry companies and national parks – Eden to Addo cofounders Joan Berning and Pam Booth have hit the hiking jackpot.

They have established a significant biodiversity route, aimed at reconnecting the indigenous forests of Knysna (the Garden Route National Park) with Addo Elephant National Park, some 400km to the east. It’s a route that once would’ve been walked by the elephants and loads of other living things that have since been wiped out or removed by modernisation.

Berning wants to see elephants walking this route again, and this hike is part of an awareness and consciousness drive to make it happen. With elephants living in the greater Knysna Forest (five of them still call the forest home), and Addo offering among the most accessible wild elephant activity to be seen anywhere, it’s a dream worth chasing.

Ninety minutes after being collected from George Airport, I arrived with fellow hikers at a clearing a good few bumpy dirt-road kilometres from the tar of the national road. We were late.

It was September, with spring not quite

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here and the sun sinking rapidly. There was a campfire surrounded by bare legs, beanies and thick socks. All wrapped in thick puffy jackets.

I’d last been dressed like that 11 years ago. This time the inners for my socks had joined my beanie and head-lamp as left-behind-in-the-bloody-vehicle. So much for leaving – and arriving – in a rush.

The light fading, I was quickly introduced to the bloke with whom I’d be sharing a tent. Luckily, he was a nice bloke from that mammoth non-governmental organisation, the WWF. Sadly, he snored like a gruffalo.

The tents were in a row behind a mud embankment, on top of which was a plantation of exotic wattle trees, reminiscent of those long-drop toilets that were a feature of basic training in the army. It was already dark, and I couldn’t see a thing.

With the chill now serious, I decided I wouldn’t be changing into sleeping gear.

Such detail could wait for the next day, along with the shift in mindset that would accommodate this abrupt switch in daily lifestyle: like organising the tent before it gets dark, queuing to brush teeth, and deciding on whether to use the loo before breaking camp or using the shovel en route.

A typical plate-in-the-lap campfire dinner was followed by the ubiquitous selfconscious introductions ‘to the group’, and the emergence of a 78-year-old Liverpudlian Durbanite named John as the joker in the pack. We were instructed to make our lunch for the next day from the bread, peanut butter, salad and fruit spread out on the catering table.

This was then packed into the Tupperware we were supposed to have brought (note to self: read the bloody instructions next time). It was to become the routine for the next three weeks – usually before brushing teeth from a cup in the dark somewhere.

The next morning we headed into the lush, indigenous Knysna Forest – passing

PREVIOUS PAGE: You could be anywhere.

Looking toward Takama and the Outeniqua range beyond. Not more than 10km from Plettenberg Bay TOP LEFT: Diepwalle camping site TOP RIGHT: Time to tuck into breakfast and power up for the day’s hike BELOW LEFT: True Knysna forest; here lunching on a section of the Outeniqua Trail OPPOSITE, TOP LEFT: Stay in the main farmhouse at Takamma, in a tented chalet or camp OPPOSITE, TOP RIGHT: Hikers of differing stamina set their own pace – but you should be hiking fit OPPOSITE, BELOW LEFT: Not quite New Zealand, but the forest is home to the fern family OPPOSITE, BELOW RIGHT: The hike days around Takamma reveal deep, dramatic and quite possibly untouched gorges

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An gus B egg century-old woodcutters’ cottages, leopard spoor and bushpig diggings along the way.

Just a few kilometres from the N2 – a road I must’ve driven an honest hundred times – this was all new to me. We were on a section of the renowned Outeniqua Trail. It was a Monday, it wasn’t a holiday and I had a feeling we’d see no one else on the trail.

Mossy ravines became a dominant feature, and the trail involved a few long downhills – followed by the inevitable steep inclines. Everyone quickly fell into their own pace. Some concentrated on their ankles, while others marvelled at massive mushrooms, birdcalls bouncing off the leaves and spider webs anticipating happy shafts of sunlight.

A few hours in, among the ferns and immense hardwoods, we lay down and ate our lunch. A few closed their eyes.

The last few kilometres making up the 23 for the first day were a bit tough – especially if your toes weren’t used to putting in the hard yards in a pair of hiking boots pulled out only for such occasions.

The hard forestry road to the Diepwalle forest area camping site – the last stretch – was a long uphill.

The fire was going strong by the time we arrived. I filled a bucket with water

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from the fire and set about showering myself behind a plastic camping gizmo wrapped around a tree.

I’m fussy about two things: 49 drops in my espresso, and putting my feet back down on the sand after I’ve washed them.

But the cold was setting in, and the beer and supper were waiting. And worse than dirty, newly washed feet was the thought of feeling my way around a tent without a torch.

The next day would see us leaving the forest and the national park. It rained that night, and was still drizzling after breakfast as we made our lunch. I was looking forward to using the new ‘waterproofs’ that would keep my pants dry.

It was great. The rain didn’t bother me, and I wasn’t wet. It was just something I was walking in. We set a brisk pace, first through hip-high wet grass – which would be crap without the waterproofs – then onto a road lined by plantations.

We passed a bakkie down a grassy slope which looked like it had careened off the road the night before. Turning up onto private farmland, we cut our way through wild montane grassland. The sun came out.

The cold waking from that morning had been forgotten. It was suddenly very hot.

It was September spring, and the

scent was gorgeous. By the time we passed through a forestry workers’ village around a few bends and over the odd hill, it was raining again. There were schoolkids, box-like wooden cabins and tiny, pretty gardens.

For lunch we stopped at a farm called Bavaria. The farmer joined us in his shed, among the tractors. The lunch we had packed at breakfast was devoured.

That night our tents were pitched on the banks of the Palmiet River, a tributary of the Keurbooms. Our portable toilet was a hole in the ground with a shovel, covered by a fly screen – looking right at the river.

The water was rushing Septemberfresh from upstream. It was cold.

The next morning we forded the river and hiked up the steep dirt road onto hilly grassland. Without the numerous pine trees that dotted the mountainous landscape – the result of seed scattered by the wind – this would be true wilderness. This was Takamma.

I’d only done four days of the hike, and we’d already passed through three biodiversity corridors: the Robberg, Bitou Wetland and Keurbooms River. There were two more corridors and over 300km of discovery to go.

I loved what we’d done, and was already missing the next couple of weeks.

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Peter Ay ub

on a

roll Robbie Stammers chats with intrepid chef and hot dog aficionado, Peter Ayub

This inspiring chef has a fear of frogs, dotes on his French bulldog named Batman, loves beer and his Harley-Davidson, and is passionate about

t

teaching and sharing his cooking expertise.

Photographs Myburgh du Plessis

here is no doubt that Cape Town-based chef Peter Ayub is a force to be reckoned with – as his 27 years’ experience in the food and hospitality industry affirms.

He is a busy man, being owner-chef of Sense of Taste Catering and On A Roll Dog Kitchen, as well as co-owner with chef Angie Boyd of the Sense of Taste Culinary Arts Cooking School, which offers a two-year City & Guilds internationally recognised Culinary Arts Diploma Course. Chef Ayub is also finalising his first cookbook, which will be on the shelves in October this year.

Chefs Ayub and Boyd offer fun and informative lifestyle cooking courses that are held at the Sense of Taste Kitchens for those who want to learn more about food and become masters of their own kitchens at home. Corporate Cook-offs are part of their repertoire, where companies get together and have a day or evening event, cooking up a storm together. What an excellent platform for team building!

Chef Ayub trained in Scotland and worked in numerous international kitchens before finally settling back home in South Africa. To date, he and his team have had the privilege of catering for such distinguished guests as Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Kim and Khloe Kardashian and Kimora Lee Simmons, with a birthday celebration for the late Professor Jakes Gerwel.

In 2012 Peter was the guest chef accompanying Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille and her delegation to Turkey, cooking in Istanbul and Izmir for honoured guests in a bid to start trade relationships between that country and South Africa.

A huge honour and privilege was to personally prepare the favourite meal (oxtail stew) of former president Nelson Mandela during the opening of the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront. And for the same event, Chef Ayub and his team catered for 2 000 guests on this memorable occasion.

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Peter Ay ub

On A Roll Dog Kitchen is the brainchild of Chef Ayub, who had a vision of turning the lowly hot dog into a gourmet meal. After all, as he says, “the hamburger has been in the spotlight for long enough – now it is the humble hot dog’s turn.”

His retro 1950s diner has 23 gourmet dogs on the menu, mostly named after icons, music and movie themes of that era. One can choose from the Frank Sinatra, Donna Summer & The Supremes Trio, Marilyn Monroe, Chubby Checker and some quirky ones such as Big Oink, Rug Muncher and the Pavement Special. There is even a gourmet dog named after Ayub’s own canine, Batman!

The chef’s personal favourite is Sex, Drugs & Rock n Roll, which is a bratwurst sausage topped with lashings of smoked salmon, caper berries, crème fraîche and watercress.

Fresh rolls are paramount to making a superbly delicious dog, and so Chef Ayub and his team bake soft, white, sesame-crusted rolls – as well as a rye version – every day.

We asked the chef to share some of his thoughts and favourite recipes: You trained in Scotland and have travelled extensively – what are the top three destinations you have visited?

Istanbul, Moscow, Las Vegas (in no particular order – all so fascinating).

What can’t you live without?

Windhoek Draught®, my wife Debs and my French bulldog, Batman.

Why did you decide to open a professional chef school?

Long-time friend and colleague, Angie Boyd, and I decided it was time to share our love for teaching and share our knowledge. We realised that too many newly trained chefs entering the industry for the first time lacked the basic skills to function properly in professional kitchens and found it difficult to deliver the standard of work expected by employers and executive chefs. We offer students the opportunity of been trained in a ‘working kitchen’ under our skilful guidance and with our years of expertise.

If you were granted one last meal, what would it be and why?

A pole dancer wrapped in bacon – I leave the ‘why’ to you…

You own a Harley-Davidson. Tell us when the love of Harley’s began – and what would be your ultimate bike journey?

I’m a bike fanatic, and having a Harley has always been a dream!

I have had my fair share of speed bikes and even a retro Vespa.

I guess I finally grew up and a Harley was the perfect choice. My ultimate bike journey would be Route 66 in the United States!

How did you come up with the idea for On A Roll?

Street food has always intrigued me, and in my opinion the hot dog is the king of street food! But I wanted to turn the hot dog into a gourmet experience, combined with a retro, relaxed and nostalgic feel of a ‘50s diner.

What is your favourite food destination?

That’s a hard one, as I have many – but I think I would say the Far East, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. Asian flavours are so fresh and aromatic. And making Asian dishes is a lot less complicated than you think!

Why did you name your French bulldog “Batman”?

Because he’s a superhero – just like his dad…

Which authentic South African dish do you like best?

A really nice home-style beef boerewors on the braai, still slightly pink in the centre, with a fresh baguette and butter – and, of course, an ice-cold Windhoek Draught®.

What is the weirdest food you have ever eaten – and what would you never eat?

Frog legs! I thought eating this would dispel my dreadful phobia of frogs – how stupid was that! It only increased my phobia. I dislike butternut intensely, and I never eat it.

Previous page: Chef Ayub with his beloved Harley, with the licence plate “CHEF WP” Left: This is Batman, the real superhero in Chef Ayub’s life

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Here are two of Chef Peter’s recipe suggestions to The Intrepid Explorer readers:

Chilled Cucumber & Prawn Soup (serves 4)

Ingredients • 2 medium English cucumbers, washed and sliced in half – discard the seeds and cut into pieces • 3 cups (750ml) double-cream Greek-style yoghurt • 1 cup (250ml) milk • 3 tablespoons finely chopped dill • ½ cup finely diced red onion • ½ cup finely chopped spring onions • 1 teaspoon lemon zest • 2 tablespoons lemon juice • 1 ½ cups chopped poached shrimp meat • 1 2 poached and shelled black tiger prawns – 3 per person (remember to de-vein the prawns) • C hopped chives, to garnish • G ood quality extra-virgin olive oil (a generous glug), to garnish • S alt and pepper, to season Method Put the cucumber pieces, yoghurt, dill, milk, red onion, spring onion, lemon zest, lemon juice and shrimp meat into a Kenwood Multipro® or similar food processor, and blend until all ingredients are smooth and creamy. It should be thick, but not porridge-like. If it is too thick, add some more milk.

Now taste the mixture and season generously with salt and pepper. Keep chilled until

you serve the soup. When you are ready to serve, mix the soup well and spoon into bowls.

Lightly season the shelled poached prawns and garnish in the centre of the soup.

Finally, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped chives.

Baked Chicken Roulade (serves 4) Ingredients • 4 medium-sized free-range chicken breasts • 4 to 6 large blanched Swiss chard leaves (or whole spinach leaves) • 1 ½ cups of finely chopped, blanched spinach leaves and feta, mixed together • F reshly grated nutmeg, to season the spinach and feta mix • 1 ½ rolls of ready-made puff pastry (I recommend Today®) • S alt and pepper, to season • 1 lightly beaten egg, to ‘egg-wash’ the pastry Method Butterfly the chicken breasts, cut from smallest to biggest, being careful not to go all the way through. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken breasts on the blanched whole spinach leaves. Season the spinach and feta mixture with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Place the spinach and feta mix onto each chicken breast.

Roll the chicken into a roulade, then wrap in spinach to make a parcel.

Use a lattice cutter to form a diamond pattern on the puff pastry which is big enough to form a cage over the top of the chicken, and cut off the excess pastry. Do not put any pastry under the chicken, as it will not bake properly and will end up soggy.

Egg-wash the pastry and bake in the oven at 180°C for about 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is golden-brown.

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Chef’s tip

You can do any filling of your choice: Mozzarella, bacon and Peppadew® works well; mushroom and ricotta cheese is another good filling. Remember to chop the filling ingredients finely and mix well.

For more information or to contact Chef Peter Ayub, email chef@senseoftaste.co.za or chef@dogkitchen.co.za. Or check out these websites: www.senseoftastecookingschool.com, www.dogkitchen.co.za and www.senseoftaste.co.za.

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tand-up paddleboarding (SUP) has opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities, adventure and exploration; I have only discovered this over the last four years, while juggling work and life on the side like everyone else. It allows you to get a great workout, while being in the sun and the sea – and can take you literally anywhere.

I had a work trip to the United Kingdom planned last year in August – some meetings for a new brand I was looking at taking on for my own business – so I thought I’d see if I could add on another little adventure to make my trip more worthwhile and exciting at the same time. I thought if I could paddle the Thames while I was there, it would be a pretty cool adventure, so I started researching the prospect further.

The more I researched, the bigger the project became and the more involved the adventure and logistics became – in turn, the planning escalated into Project Code Red. It became the first official Source to Sea Adventure: I would run from

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the source, over 21 kilometres to Cricklade, then get on the SUP for 243km, through more than 40 lochs, to Putney Bridge where I would change to a bike and cycle the last 46km to the Thames Barrier, where it enters the sea. It would all be in aid of charity: The Lunchbox Fund, to feed hungry kids in South Africa.

After missing the first window to do the adventure, as some of my equipment arrived late (as often happens with organising adventures in foreign countries), the run started at 7am on 3 August, from under an old ash tree in the middle of the Cotswolds, all the way to Cricklade. I took a five-minute break and then managed to change out to launch my SUP into the river with barely enough water to float me – literally 6 inches deep.

I then paddled through swamps and marshes, under trees, logs and bushes, while paddling over 90km daily and paddling pretty much through the night, stopping for two 45-minute power naps when I got close to delusional with sleep deprivation and fatigue on the first night.

I would stop next to the side of the river

between 2-3am and sleep on my board.

Once asleep, I would only wake up 45 minutes later, hypothermic and shivering from the cold, and would have to get up and carry on paddling to raise my core temperature, even though it was the toughest thing to do at the time, as the only thing one’s body and mind crave is sleep.

It became a constant mental battle to fight the fatigue and sleep deprivation; the further I went into the second day, the second night and the third, my body just wanted to shut down. I realised that every night I went with less than three hours of sleep, the harder it became to battle the fatigue – sleep deprivation starts playing tricks on your mind and you start losing the ability to think rationally.

On the second day, I managed to get diarrhoea from the river water and lost five kilogrammes in the four days, while also experiencing mild sunstroke and dehydration.

I’d definitely underestimated the many lochs, a total of 47, over which I had to carry my 17-foot SUP and all my gear. I

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When you are driven by a passionate belief in something and have the courage and heart to be able to follow it through, anything is possible if you really set your mind to it.

Fortune favours the bold Chris Bertish set three stand-up paddleboarding world records in five months

also had to deal with rain and headwinds that really slowed my progress, which was a huge struggle while I was already fatigued and massively sleep-deprived.

I made it to the SUP finish point at Putney on the Sunday evening, but with the night closure of the Thames Path in Central London after 9pm and two punctures in my bike, I was forced to abandon the cycle at midnight, as I wasn’t able to make it to the Barrier until morning.

I had to go back to the beginning to do the final leg, from Putney Bridge, once the bike was repaired and complete the last 42km to the Thames Barrier.

I was aiming for under 60 hours from start to finish, and although it took a little longer than expected, due to all the lochs and the bike malfunction, this was undoubtedly one of the most difficult, physically and mentally challenging undertakings I’ve ever done; I doubt if many others will be rushing out to try and replicate or better my time – 4 days, 321km, with less than nine hours of sleep, to complete it from start to finish.

My support team had to head back to

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Cornwall that morning before I finished the final leg, so only once I’d completed it later in the day did I realise I had no one to get me back to my van, which was still all the way back in Putney – so I had to cycle another 40km!

As I packed up my bike, I received a reminder on my phone that I had booked the English Channel crossing for the following morning. I jumped into a pair of jeans and put on a fresh T-shirt, ran across the road, bought a couple bottles of water, some bananas and three pasta salads, and headed four hours east to Dover, to get in just before midnight. I prepped my hydration/food and gear until 2am, got four hours of sleep, woke up at 6am, gobbled a quick light breakfast and headed out to do the world record attempt at crossing the English Channel on an SUP – 12 hours after completing the Source to Sea four-day adventure!

The conditions looked so good that even though I didn’t really feel up to it, I knew that sometimes in life you only get an opportunity like this once and you need to man up, dig deep and give it your

best shot – there’s no such thing as failure, only failure to try.

I met the support boat down at the dock at 7am, loaded up and headed out for the White Cliffs of Dover… here we go again. The goal was simple: do whatever it takes to break the previous record of 5 hours 38 minutes. At 08h27, Project Code Red part 2 was officially a go.

Despite waiting for three ships to pass, and doing an extra 1km by mistake on the GPS, I still managed to break the existing record by 12 minutes, setting a new SUP Channel Crossing World Record. After 38.1km paddled, at an average speed of 7.1km/h, the new record time was 5 hours, 26 minutes and 1 second.

I then packed my gear back into my van and headed seven hours down south to Cornwall, straight to my work meeting at 8am the following morning. Just another day at the office, I guess.

In December, the latest challenge I decided to tackle was something I’d been working toward for two years: the 12-hour Open Ocean World Record, which supposedly stood at 120km, set by an

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C h r is B er tis h PREVIOUS PAGE: Chris greeted by a pod of humpback whales during his 12-hour Guinness record Above top: Battling the wind, the waves, elements & the ships Above: Battling the fatigue and sleep deprivation on Project Code Red Above right: Battling the Channel and heading for the White Cliffs of Dover

American in 2013.

In my planning and research, I worked out that the Cape Southeaster would help me if I could stay upright for 12 hours straight while still being able to keep my average speed above 10km/h for the entire route. I applied for Guinness World Record recognition, and was given a three-week window in December to get it done.

Even though we had almost pulled the trigger a couple of times to do the attempt, the standby period was tough, looking for the right conditions. On 17 December, the WindGURU website promised 20-30 knots in the direction I

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was looking for – it was go time!

I had been up until 1am the night before, preparing all the logistics that come with doing a Guinness World Record, which is more than anyone can imagine. I got four hours of sleep and was up before first light to meet the team and give the third record attempt the green light.

Upon approaching Kommetjie, before starting the wind seemed a little on the light side, but the direction was ideal – perfectly out of the southeast. The plan was to start 2km off Slangkop and then follow a rhumb line past Cape Town outside Robben Island and straight up the coast to Saldanha and Langebaan – 120km up the coast, to hopefully achieve my dream and break a world record at the same time.

Within the first 30 minutes from the start, I was immediately surrounded by a pod of humpback whales, which followed me for 15 minutes. The wind was 15-20 knots, which was enough to set an initial blistering pace of 12.8km/h for the first four hours. This was a promising start, but I had to keep reminding myself that I had to do another 60km in order to complete my task without a break.

At the 70km mark, I hit a major obstacle as I started falling a great deal; my core temperature started dropping dramatically and I began getting mild hypothermia, losing feeling in my hands and feet. I stopped for a minute to put on more neoprene over my existing wetsuit to keep warm and get my core temperature up as quickly as possible.

By the 100km mark, my body was craving protein shakes and biltong; I started cramping continuously and the decreasing power meant I was falling more often and missing runners, as the power to get on them was waning by the hour. Despite this, I still managed to maintain an average speed of over 10km/h for the full 12 hours, to break the record by 10.1km. The new Guinness World Record is 130.1km, at an average speed of 10.82km/h for 12 hours.

We can always find excuses for why we can’t do something, but all we need to do is focus on one reason we can and then make it happen. Fortune favours the bold and those willing to live with the courage to try.

Chris is a Cape Union Mart brand ambassador

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When boo king please quo te Intrepid Explorer 12 3

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conserving a vanishing way of life

R on n ie M uh l

A tragedy on Everest brings Sherpa climbers and the rest of the mountaineering community closer

brothers on the rope

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t wasn’t long afterward that the sun started warming our tent and it was time to get up. It was a very beautiful morning in Base Camp as I made my way down to our mess tent. I then noticed that our Sherpa team were all huddled together outside the kitchen tent, staring up into the Icefall. As I made my way toward them, I became aware of solemn despair. This group of Nepali climbers was quiet and detached. They informed me that the avalanche I’d heard earlier had killed many of their friends – our friends.

In the following hours, the entire Everest climbing community, Sherpa and non-Sherpa alike, came together in one of the most involved and seamless rescue operations imaginable. Shock and adrenalin turned to despair as the rescue came to an end. Brothers, cousins, friends and tent mates were counted among the deceased, with the final number being 16 climbing Sherpas.

Ironically, not one Western climber was in the vicinity when this huge collapse occurred, the worst accident in a single day on Everest and the worst on any Himalayan peak to date.

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Out of respect for the entire Sherpa climbing community, every team decided to refrain from continuing any climbing operations for the next five to seven days.

Eventually all the despair and sadness turned to mourning, as the bodies of the deceased were flown off the mountain for their funeral rites.

As the days passed by, numerous meetings were held among the Sherpas and we became aware that a list of demands had been created and that these had been dispatched to the Ministry of Tourism. The demands were about increased wages, a share of the exorbitant permit fee and improved life assurance, to mention but a few. None of these was entirely unreasonable, and all were supported unanimously by Western operators.

The media started having a field day with sensationalism about a spiritual, social and economic rift developing between the Sherpa climbers and the rest of the mountaineering community.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. Four days after the fateful day, more than 300 people representing the Sherpa community, foreign climbers and commercial logistics operators came

together for a puja ceremony in Base Camp to honour those who had died.

Many people of various cultures spoke, and the overwhelming message was one of togetherness – there was an acknowledgement that we were all “brothers on the rope”.

As a whole, no group in mountaineering is more respected than the Sherpa climbers. Their extraordinary strength, performance at altitude, work ethic and generosity of spirit are beyond measure.

The rest of us mere mortals admire their place of ownership on Everest.

On the mountain there is no room for rift, prejudice, feud or anything else other than a full-blown effort, year after year, to get climbers to the summit and safely back down again. Logistics operators who compete for clients’ business become steadfast allies when they arrive in Base Camp. Logistics are discussed in open communal meetings and, when a crisis occurs, everyone pitches in to assist each other. The pain and terror of death is something we all feel.

The topic of Sherpa wages on Everest comes up regularly, and we could all do with a pay rise, but climbing Sherpas can earn up to 20 times the average Nepali income from

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At 06h45 on 18 April 2014, the sun had not quite hit our tent, when I woke to the thunderous roar of a massive avalanche somewhere close by to the Base Camp of Everest. Such a scary event in the Khumbu Icefall is common, with as many as 10 occurring in a 24-hour period, so I thought nothing of it and rolled over and went back to sleep.

a single two-month expedition on Everest.

In relative terms, they are highly paid. They aren’t forced labourers, and they clearly understand the risk involved with high-altitude mountaineering.

As the days passed, it became increasingly evident that a small group of militant Sherpas had started threatening their climbing companions and Western leaders with violence if they elected to enter the Icefall and continue their expeditions. I met with our Sherpa team, who were completely torn between climbing and not climbing. They wanted to continue working on the mountain, but the threats of violence permeated all of

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Base Camp and they feared for their lives and the lives of their families.

In an emotional meeting with our climbers and our Sherpa staff, we joined the rest of the climbing community and decided to go home. It was a sad farewell.

Our climbing team had spent thousands of dollars on their expedition, which had come to an end – beyond their control.

Climbing permits can be carried forward for another two years, with a vague promise that it may be extended for a further five years, but this represents only a fraction of the cost of a full-service Everest expedition. Equally, our climbing Sherpas had been deprived of their earning ability. They would lose out on load carry fees, tips and summit bonuses.

Unfortunately, we were all losers in this very unfortunate battle.

In the days to come, the international climbing community must continue to assist the climbing Sherpas to improve their working conditions in what is clearly a dangerous profession.

Perhaps the greatest challenge the entire Everest climbing community faces is the ability to remain engaged in the cause over time. It is easy to get caught up in fashionable sympathy when these

tragic events flash across our screens and appear in the newspapers, but it is an entirely different thing to keep the torch of reform burning in our hearts and minds next week, next month and – for those of us whose relationship with Everest is not over – in all the years to come. Only then will proper homage be paid to those who died on Everest this year.

Ronnie Muhl is an author, professional speaker and managing director of Adventures Global – a company designed to take you on life’s greatest adventures.

You can reach him on www.adventuresglobal.net.

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The Intrepid Explorer issue 7

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going nowhere,

slowly The Tankwa Karoo makes for a serene winter getaway – as long as you remember the essentials, writes Shan Routledge

The Tankwa Karoo National Park is home to the brightest stars in South Africa, the most beautiful landscapes and the deepest silence. To get there you need to drive along South Africa’s longest dirt road, without civilisation in sight – even my GPS seemed determined to tell me I was on my way to “imminent tyre failure” and in the middle of nowhere. I took the skull and crossbones as a sign that I was going in the right direction and would soon leave the bustle of urban life far behind me.

A

four-hour drive from Cape Town, the Tankwa is the perfect winter escape, as it’s often unbearably hot in summer. So although the nights may be cold, you’ll be treated to the most perfect winter days.

With amazing 4X4 trails, bird-watching and fauna and flora, whether you’re looking for a budget camping trip or a more luxury weekend away, the Tankwa is ideal – as long as you don’t forget the essentials!

Stanley Classic Vacuum Flask 1.0L

Essential for any winter trip, this flask is vacuuminsulated and will keep drinks hot for 24 hours.

Whether you’ll be making coffee to keep you awake for the early morning road trip or a double round the campfire and want to keep that second cup warm, you can’t leave home without a flask.

The Stanley Flask is made from stainless steel so it won’t rust, and is leak-proof so it won’t mess in the car or in your luggage. It even has an insulated lid that doubles as a cup.

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Fully Equipped

The Fort at Shamballa Sanctuary is an incredible mountain retreat in the Tankwa Karoo, perfect for a 4X4 weekend away. With four bedrooms, a bath, inside and outside shower as well as fully equipped kitchen, you’ll feel right at home in this French Foreign Legion-like fort.

The Sanctuary provides a secluded base camp within the 1 200 hectares of the Tankwa Karoo plains and will truly make you feel you’re the only people in the world. Never have I seen stars that shine so bright or a quiet that settles so completely over you.

Other accommodation facilities at Shamballa are Tierkloof (the original homestead), Dragon Rock overlooking the river, and The Shack which is an ideal couple’s retreat.

As one guest described, “Words cannot easily convey the magic of this lonely and enchanting veldt – a secret kingdom, a mountainous fortress, an unspoilt wilderness blessed with tranquility, serenity, peace and seclusion.”

For further information, telephone 023 316 1944 or visit www.shamballa.co.za.

K-Way Women’s Bonnie Rain Jacket

The Bonnie Rain Jacket is the female equivalent of the Franklin Rain Jacket and has the same amazing features that make this an ideal item for a winter road trip.

Whether you’re sitting round a campfire on a chilly night, enjoying sundowners from the deck of your lodge, or taking a midday hike in the winter chill, this jacket will keep you warm and dry.

K-Way Kilimanjaro 2 ThermaShift Sleeping Bag

No matter where you decide to go, your kit list is never complete without a sleeping bag. The Kilimanjaro 2 ThermaShift is an expedition-class sleeping bag with variable

of trustworthy waterproof leather hiking boots. There’s nothing more comfortable than a pair of Merrell Men’s Chameleon 4 Mid WP Boots: the midsole gives you flexible comfort, and external and instep stability arms keep you rock-steady.

Hi-Tec Women’s V-Lite Altitude Ultra WPi Hiking Boots

For women, my choice in hiking shoe would be the Hi-Tec V-Lite Altitude Ultra WPi Boot, which is lightweight and fully waterproof to keep your feet comfortable in even the harshest weather conditions.

This boot has a special Vibram rubber outsole, which adds traction and durability to keep you grounded on varied terrains – it’s perfect for the female adventurer.

Cape Union Moon Chair R599 Mobicool P24 AC/DC R1 399 Cape Union Commando Chair R699

K-Way Men’s Franklin Rain Jacket

With unpredictable winter weather, you always need an ace up your sleeve – or, more accurately, a reliable jacket tucked in your pocket. The K-Way Men’s Franklin Rain Jacket is a 100% waterproof, vapourpermeable and seam-sealed shell that is packable into the hood – so it really can fit in your pocket! Special features include two hand-warmer pockets so that your digits don’t get frostbite, and adjustable hood hem and cuffs to keep out the chilly air.

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down channels that allow the down to be shifted horizontally, effectively giving the user control over the insulation distribution.

Extremely versatile, this sleeping bag can be fully unzipped and wrapped around; it also has a cowl and neck collar for those extra-nippy nights.

Merrell Men’s Chameleon 4 Mid WP Boots

What trip is complete without a hike or two in the great outdoors? And no winter hike is complete without a pair

Kovea Fireman Stove

Endurable and practical, the Kovea Fireman Stove is the perfect outdoor accessory to store in your car for a trip. Lightweight and tiny, it’s easy to carry so you could heat up some coffee as you settle down to watch the sunrise or cook some dinner if you’re stuck without a fire. This little stove has a unique spreader that gives better heating performance than its competitive equivalents, as well as an elaborate adjusting valve to make it easy to adjust the flame.

This product is compact and convenient.

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Bare basics

Langkloof in the Tankwa Karoo National Park is a rare find. Almost completely isolated, this campsite is only accessible by 4X2 or 4X4 vehicle. Surrounded on three sides by the beautiful Roggeveld Mountains and the expansive Tankwa plains to the southwest, you will be blown away by the sheer vastness of the landscape and breathtaking scenery.

The camp consists of two sites that are situated next to an old renovated farmhouse, which houses a bathroom (hot shower and flushing loo) as well as a kitchen area with wash-up sink. There are no cooking facilities except for a braai area; you must bring your own grid, so come prepared.

This is the ideal location for stargazers, adventurers, birders and those looking for a silence that reaches deep into your soul.

K-Way Kilimanjaro 2 ThermaShift Sleeping Bag R2 999

Telephone 027 341 1927 or go to www.sanparks.org/parks/tankwa for more details.

PowerTraveller Solarmonkey Adventurer

The PowerTraveller Solarmonkey Adventurer is the perfect accompaniment to any trip where power is a scare commodity. With the perfect combination of solar-charging ability and battery capacity, you’ll never be stuck without a power source for your electronic devices such as tablets, cellphones and GPS. Packed with protection features, this is a sturdy product and can charge in just eight to 12 hours – it even continues charging in low light.

Cape Union Moon Chair

If you’re planning on spending time at campsites or accommodation that isn’t furnished, you’d want to pack in some

weight of up to 120kg, this chair is hardy and durable – perfect for any trip.

Mobicool P24 AC/DC

Another road trip essential, particularly when going to campsites or other locations with limited access to electricity, is a high-quality cooler box. The Mobicool P24 AC/DC is a thermoelectric cooler that’s operated using your on-board 12V or 24V power supply. While small and compact, this cooler box can fit standing 2L bottles and still has space for the rest of your ‘keep-cool’ essentials. With a smart handle that can lock the box closed or hold it open for quick access to your goodies – using minimum power to seal in the cold – everything stays fresh.

K-Way Gradient 25L Daypack R899

K-Way Men’s Franklin Rain Jacket R999

Kovea Fireman Stove R275

PowerTraveller Solarmonkey Adventurer R1 499

folding chairs. It may seem a luxury, but after a long day or after an arduous hike, you’ll definitely appreciate being able to sit down and put your feet up. The Cape Union Mart Moon Chair is ideal for this, as it’s comfortable and folds up easily for storage in your car.

Cape Union Commando Chair For a chair that is a little larger and offers a net side pocket that can be used as a cup holder, I suggest the Cape Union Mart Commando Chair. Able to support a

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Stanley Classic Vacuum Flask 1.0L R675

K-Way Gradient 25L Daypack

For all mini-adventures within your road trip, make sure you have a small backpack to take along. The K-Way Gradient 25L Daypack is ideal for hikes, day trips and local exploring. Made from durable Ripstop and designed to ensure optimum comfort, it’s ideal for carrying all your essentials without any fuss or bother.

With an assortment of features and different pockets, you’ll be equipped and ready for anything.

K-Way Women’s Bonnie Rain Jacket R999

Hi-Tec Women’s V-Lite Altitude Ultra WPi Hiking Boots R1 699

Merrell Men’s Chameleon 4 Mid WP Boots R1 999 The Intrepid Explorer issue 7

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boys to

The Amy Biehl Leadership Camp helps youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds to realise their dreams

men

In a project developed with the Amy Biehl Foundation, adventurer and philanthropist Braam Malherbe took a group of disadvantaged boys from Cape Town on a wilderness camp in the Cederberg mountains to foster their

T

leadership skills and teach them about conservation. He shares his experiences and the lessons learnt.

hrough the Amy Biehl Foundation, I was tasked with selecting 20 individuals who would most benefit from taking part in one of my leadership camps. One of the requirements of the selection process for the 40 semifinalists, chosen for their outstanding commitment and motivation to better their lives, was to

write an essay on their dreams.

While some of these dreams were concerned with becoming professional soccer players, others wrote of their desire to be astute leaders in business or politics.

What stood out overall was a desire to rise above often dire circumstances and make an extraordinary success out of their lives.

Explaining why they would like to attend a leadership camp such as the one I was offering, many expressed an

appreciation and striving for personality traits such as responsibility, leadership by example, the ability to work as part of a team, having a vision, as well as honesty and trustworthiness.

Having to select 20 from the group of 40 was a daunting and emotional task!

After a lengthy selection process, however, we had our 20 finalists for the camp.

There was much excitement when the boys arrived at my holiday cabin at Beaverlac. The area is stunningly beautiful and nestles in the Groot Winterhoek mountains of the Western Cape. I immediately knew this was not going to be an easy camp, as the boys were loud, not good listeners and appeared undisciplined. But I enjoy challenges.

My approach was to give structure and consistency. Our motto on camp was: “Respect self. Respect others. Respect nature.”

Nature’s lessons

I discussed how, when we embrace some of nature’s lessons in our own lives, we grow. Mother Nature is not fair; she is ruthless and can be very cruel.

I told the boys, “Don’t expect life to be fair. You are masters of your own destiny and that destiny is determined by the

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Opposite: Saying goodbye to a young guy with a new vision for his future Above: The guys about to ‘get rid of their burdens’ Right: Facing fears – teaching some of the guys to swim for the first time

dreams you set for yourself now, then the changes you are prepared to make in order to make those dreams a reality.

“Expect setbacks, but don’t become despondent and discouraged. It’s not about having the greatest idea or finding the easiest, quickest way to achieve your goals. It’s about how you deal with and respond to disappointments and obstacles that really sets apart the people who achieve extraordinary things from the masses.”

I explained further, “Respect for yourself is where it starts. If you can’t respect yourself, have compassion and an appreciation of your own individuality, then you can’t respect others. But once you can value yourself and your uniqueness, you will understand how to extend the same to other people, their views and opinions, and the environment that provides for us all.”

For me, leadership begins with a big dream or vision, and the realisation that

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each of us has a special, unique gift to contribute. When we come together as a team and work as a collective, our different abilities complement and support each other like the interconnectedness in our Earth’s natural systems. After careful planning, setting time frames and retaining a positive attitude despite setbacks is vital to success. The more you plan, the more you minimise risks, I stressed to the boys.

“Another attribute of a good leader is to take ownership, delegate where necessary and be constructive in criticism as opposed to blaming,” I added.

The weight of unburdening

The group had to carry out various practical tasks, one of which was to carry a fairly heavy river boulder wherever they went – for 24 hours. The idea was for them to think about the burdens that were holding them back in life or weighing them down emotionally, preventing them from realising their full potential. Many of these children were battling with problems resulting from abuse and neglect in early life.

I lined up the boys and pointed out 20 round river boulders, each almost the size

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Br a a m M a lh er be Above: Reward of a cold Coke after a strenuous activity Right: Learning knots so that they can build stretchers to ‘save lives’

of a soccer ball. Every boy had to select a rock and write his name on it. “This rock is not your friend – it is your burden. It is the thing or things in your life that hold you down and prevent you from reaching your fuller potential,” I explained. “I ask you to think what this could be. Could it be blame, could it be lying, could it be substance abuse, peer pressure? I want you to carry this rock everywhere you go until I tell you when you can throw it away.

“If you have negative thoughts about yourself and destructive habits, it is important to recognise them and then to find positive replacements. Think of the rock you are carrying as your negative self-image, doubts about your capabilities and obstructive patterns in your life,” I suggested.

After the 24 hours, they were all to ceremoniously throw their rocks (symbolic of their personal burdens) into the river, one at a time, and imagine their load lightened. Newly available energy could now be used for more productive behaviours and working toward the realisation of their individual goals.

The following morning the group went for a hike, armed with their boulders.

They arrived, sweating and tired, at a pristine rock pool. It was time to get rid of the rocks. They lined up, each one holding his burden. In total silence, one by one, each boy stood with his back to the others, facing the water. Some stood for 10 seconds, others for 30 seconds, before throwing their rock into the river. Most were silent, but a few shouted out their ‘burdens’. It was an emotional and humbling experience for everyone.

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Survival of the fittest

Another lesson I shared with the boys related to the concept of survival. Most of us know about the concept first introduced by Charles Darwin: survival of the fittest through natural selection.

Darwin saw survival inextricably linked to change. He said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

All life has evolved and adapted to fit in with complex systems. The Cape’s floral kingdom called Fynbos is made up of about 8 000 species. They have adapted to live in leached soils and extremes of temperatures – hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters. The myriad faunal species, too, have adapted to these extreme surroundings. It is only we, the human species, who resist change and disrupt intricate natural systems for our own greed and gratification, destroying our own resource base in the process.

On the camp I tried to push the values of moving away from purely selfish survivalist thinking to that of survival through co-operation, ubuntu and selflessness. I have always said that one of our greatest gifts as individuals is the ‘gift of giving’.

I shared my story of loss and resilience, from losing two brothers to substance abuse, losing my business and subsequently feeling suicidal. I shared that how, on my planned last night of my life, it was nature that brought me to my senses. I was lying on my back, looking at the majestic blaze of stars that is our southern night sky. I remember how insignificant and inadequate I felt. And

I wept for the first time in a very long time.

I realised in that moment that the greatest courage I could ever face was to go back to Cape Town and live. And I have never looked back.

In sharing my story and being vulnerable and honest with the boys, they opened up and shared some of their difficult stories with me.

On camp, the boys learnt first aid, teamwork and caring skills. They learnt that through sharing a load, everyone can make it through a tough situation.

This was demonstrated when they learnt how to make stretchers and carried an ‘injured’ friend for a fair distance.

Are you an asset or a liability?

At the end of camp, there were numerous requests to return to learn more. It hadn’t been an easy journey. Despite a few problems, the camp was a great success, with many of the boys having publicly made a conscious decision to be an asset to society and to their peers.

‘Hope’ is an important asset in life and I believe that we, as South Africans, need to embrace it while striving daily to be better citizens and role models.

I urged them to always remember Madiba’s wise words and to make choices according to what he said: “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

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R ya n Sa n des

the ultimate high

Ryan Sandes improves his climbing abilities – and hallucinates helicopters – on the Drakensberg Grand Traverse

I do love a challenge, so when I was presented with the opportunity to take on some of the highest peaks at the southern tip of Africa, I didn’t hesitate to accept my greatest one yet.

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hat was back in October last year, and my deal to partner with fellow trail runner Ryno Griesel led to three recce runs up in the Drakensberg, each one teaching me another lesson about the necessity of respecting the mountain. I’ve made mistakes in big races before, but this one would be downright dangerous if I didn’t get everything just right.

Some of those mistakes have taught me that preparation is key; thankfully I was able to adapt my original plans, put in the altitude training, and arrive at the Drakensberg Grand Traverse confident that I was ready for the attempt on the

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record – but, more importantly, feeling psyched to take on the mental challenge that lay ahead.

I knew the going would be very slow.

When I run something like the Western States Trail, I finish the race in less than 16 hours at a pace of 10km/h. Now I had to plan to run at a much slower pace – closer to 5-6km/h. I knew the slow slog was going to play on my mind, and that the mental challenge was going to outweigh any other aspects – provided the weather behaved itself and didn’t deliver something too extreme in which to head out.

Fortunately, the weather gods and the mountain gods got together and decided

not to put anything too hectic in front of us. We started at midnight and, although obviously a bit nippy, the dawn presented a perfect day for running. A good thing, too, as we would be running right through those 24 hours and most of the next day.

The previous record stood at 60 hours; our goal was to get closer to 48 hours.

An ambitious task, we were told by those who had completed the 220-kilometre route before – and by some who had not, but who volunteered an opinion anyway.

It was such hard going from the start.

Everything was in slow motion. Every time I put my foot down, there were either hard, high tufts of grass, rocks or some

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Race-day details

kind of obstacle that made the word ‘route’ utterly inapplicable. There was no route – no single track or even vague path.

I couldn’t have been in better company, though. No one knows the Drakensberg Mountains like Ryno. We ended up sleeping only twice, the first time for half an hour. I didn’t sleep deeply at all that time. The second sleep was just for 10 minutes, and I needed it badly. It was 3am and I was so dizzy that I started hallucinating, seeing helicopters in the night sky.

The sleep deprivation and slow pace were like a form of mental torture, and that was quite rad(ical) to experience. I

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feel I’ve added a skill, something that will help me in the future when I go to those ‘dark places’ where endurance races take my mind.

What I took away from it will stay with me forever. It’s given me a certain amount of confidence for the 100-mile races to come. The mental side was the most valuable, but I also got to do more of the longer, sustained climbing than ever before.

Before this run, and the TransGranCanaria, I didn’t think I had the climbing abilities that others have for the races that are crammed with ascents; now I feel confident to take them on.

Ryan and Ryno accomplished their goal, with a vast improvement on the record. They climbed 8 197m while covering 207km. The new record for the Drakensberg Grand Traverse stands at 41 hours and 49 minutes – but in his old age, Ryan will remember the hallucinations of helicopters more than his recordbreaking time.

History of the race

First ‘officially’ hiked in February 1999

by Gavin and Laurie Raubenheimer, in a blistering time of 105 hours and 39 minutes (4 days, 9 hours and 39 minutes), the Drakensberg Grand Traverse has induced 15 failed record attempts, and three official records set since.

It is an unmarked route of approximately 220km, running from the north to the south of the Drakensberg mountain range and spanning parts of the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as the mountain kingdom of Lesotho.

The previous record was set in April 2010 by Ryno Griesel and Cobus van Zyl in a time of 60 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds (2 days, 12 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds).

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On the

wild side We give you the inside scoop on the outside world. We look at some of the astounding feats that are being

accomplished by intrepid people and places; new developments and books on offer; and a host of events on the calendar to diarise in which you, The Intrepid Explorer reader, can become involved. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and make the most of the outdoors!

Compiled by Robbie Stammers and Shan Routledge

Tunnel vision

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our de France 2013 winner Chris Froome has become the first person to cycle from the United Kingdom to France, under the sea.

As the world’s leading professional cyclists departed the UK after three days of enthralling Tour de France action, Jaguar released a short film titled, Team Sky – Cycling Under The Sea, which documents the Team Sky leader riding from the Eurotunnel Terminal in Folkestone on England’s southeast coast, to Calais in France.

Froome rode through the tunnel at a training pace, completing the world-first ride in a time of approximately 55 minutes and reaching speeds of up to 65 kilometres

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per hour.

Reflecting on his world-first ride, Froome said: “Cycling under the sea was an incredible experience. Opportunities to become the first person in the world to achieve these kinds of feats are extremely rare nowadays, especially as a pro-cyclist. To become the first person ever to cycle through the Eurotunnel was right up there with some of the most iconic rides I’ve ever done; this must have been one of a very few ‘world-first’ rides left!”

Watch the video at http://newsroom.jaguarlandrover.com/ en-in/jaguar/videos

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Stayin’ Alive at Shamwari

Long-time friend and guest, John Travolta, and his family – wife Kelly Preston, daughter Ella and son Benjamin – came to visit Shamwari Game Reserve again recently. They are as passionate about the African bush and conservation as we are and they had some great quality downtime, relaxing over lunch and going on several game drives throughout the reserve.

During this visit, the Travolta family enjoyed all aspects of Shamwari Game Reserve, including a visit to the Animal Rehabilitation Centre. They had the opportunity to meet with Dr Johan Joubert, wildlife director, and his wife Isabelle.

City Sightseeing South Africa has won two more prestigious awards for its Johannesburg and Cape Town tours. City Sightseeing Joburg & Soweto won an award for Best New City Sightseeing Operator of the Year, while City Sightseeing Cape Town won the award for Best Customer Services.

The awards were announced at the 2014 annual City Sightseeing Worldwide Conference held recently in Malaga, Spain.

City Sightseeing Joburg & Soweto and City Sightseeing Cape Town also recently won esteemed awards as Top Performers from TripAdvisor – the world’s largest travel site – making this year an extremely successful one in terms of accolades achieved by these world-class tour operators.

In Cape Town, City Sightseeing runs two exciting routes – the Red City Tour and the Blue Mini Peninsula Tour – which stop at renowned spots such as the V&A Waterfront, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Groot Constantia and Hout Bay. The City Sightseeing Red City Tour is undoubtedly the best way to get to Table Mountain – one of the internationally recognised New7Wonders of Nature.

In Johannesburg, the City Sightseeing bus follows a fascinating and groundbreaking route through the Johannesburg CBD, visiting stops such as Gandhi Square, the Roof of Africa at the Carlton Centre, the James Hall Transport Museum, the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City, the Mining District, the World of Beer, Newtown Precinct, Origins Centre at Wits, Braamfontein and Constitution Hill. There is also an exciting Soweto Tour extension on offer that takes visitors to the most culturally rich and historically significant places in the township of Soweto.

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The wheels on the bus go round and round…

For more information on City Sightseeing, the tours on offer, ticket prices, special offers and more, visit www.citysightseeing.co.za

ABOVE: Travolta with his son, Benjamin, discussing the rehabilitation process of returning this black eagle into the wild LEFT: John Travolta and wife, Kelly Preston, with Dr Johan Joubert and his wife, Isabelle

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Surf’s up?

Are you thinking of heading to the coast this summer holiday and not sure what the beach and surf conditions will be like?

Gain access to Wavescape’s new live streaming webcam, situated in over 10 regions along the South African coastline.

Webcams are not a new phenomenon, but live webcams for oceans users are – especially in South Africa. So many people use the beach or the ocean on a daily basis for sport, work and play. Wavescape (the authority on surf and beach reports in South Africa) is now offering its website users the chance to log on and watch as the waves form and crash onto the beach, the wind blow and change direction, or even see when the shark flag is being raised – all in real time!

No need to waste time packing up the kids, the surfboards, kiteboards or other surf toys without knowing the actual conditions on the beach. This is also a great tool for first-time visitors to an area along the coast.

With just a click of a button, you’ll get access to not only live video streaming of your favourite beach but information about wind speed and direction, swell height and direction, as well as peak interval to low and high tides, moon phase and water temperature.

Check out www.wavescape.co.za

From farm stalls to markets

MapStudio’s new book, Farm Stall to Farm Stall, by Jennifer Stern is a collection of the best farm stalls and markets for food lovers and avid farm stall trawlers in South Africa.

Each stall has been individually visited and researched, and ratings are given on the best coffee, tea and local food. There are also a number of great recipes for several of the delectable delights! The book covers accommodation in the area, the nearest town, contact details and operating hours.

Farm stalls are listed in route order, and the handy quickfinder and overview maps will enable you to plan your stop according to child-friendliness or pet-friendliness, if you are on a family outing.

The back of the book lists annual markets and festivals as well as what to expect from each, with handy websites and contact details.

This book is an absolute necessity for any food lover who wants good, wholesome food or who wants to meet the locals and buy quality products.

The book will be out in August, at a price of R220.

Order online at www.mapstudio.co.za.

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Carina swims for hope Luxury home away from home

If you, like many of our Intrepid Explorer readers, hate the idea of having to weather the bustle of a large hotel where you are ‘just another number’ on a trip to Gauteng, then your prayers have been answered.

AtholPlace is a small luxury boutique hotel located in the cosmopolitan northern suburb of Atholl in Johannesburg.

Contemporary-classic glamour and understated elegance meet here, ensuring an unforgettable stay. Guests are invited to enjoy everything from their comfortably furnished library with built-in fireplace to the large swimming pool. Their beautiful garden is the perfect place to unwind after a long day, or they can join the hosts for a drink in the bar area. Each of the stylish suites has been individually decorated to lend a sense of relaxed elegance.

Another wonderful Relais & Châteaux property, AtholPlace Boutique Hotel has a thoroughly unpretentious atmosphere, a home from home where you can kick off your shoes and curl up on the couch, and everyone – regardless of age or predilection – is made to feel welcome.

AtholPlace is one of three in the Morukuru Family stable, the others being Ocean House in the De Hoop Nature Reserve and Owner’s House, Lodge and Farm House – luxury accommodation overlooking the Marico River in Madikwe Game Reserve.

For more details on the Morokuru Family stable, visit www.morokuru.com or see the AtholPlace website at www.atholplace.co.za

Carina Bruwer – lead player of South African Music Award-winning instrumental pop group, Sterling EQ, and record-holding marathon swimmer – has returned from Italy with the new record for the longest swim by a woman in the Strait of Messina. She successfully completed a quadruple (four-way) crossing of the strait, swimming from Sicily to Italy and back twice, in three hours and 59 minutes.

This swim, which was done only four days after completing an extreme 15-kilometre crossing of the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica (France) and Sardinia (Italy), makes her the first female to do more than a double crossing of the famous European strait, known for its strong currents and tides. The total distance swum was 14.2km; although the shortest distance across the strait is 3.2km, swimming a straight line is impossible due to the currents.

The Strait of Messina is characterised by strong tidal currents, which have established a unique marine ecosystem. A natural whirlpool in the northern portion of the strait has been linked to the mythical Greek sea monsters, Scylla and Charybdis.

“The four-way was challenging in terms of its routing and dealing with the tides and currents. The local support team was fantastic; without them I probably would have landed up in the Tyrrhenian Sea!” Bruwer said. “I was happy to break four hours for the swim; considering the conditions, this was a great time for me. I was also thankful that my shoulders could take the distance after having done Bonifacio just a few days before.”

This record-setting ‘Swim for Hope’, in support of the Little Fighters Cancer Trust (a South African organisation that supports children with cancer and their families), came just four days after Bruwer completed a dramatic crossing of the Strait of Bonifacio in four hours and 28 minutes, swimming 15km from Corsica to Sardinia in extremely rough conditions, fighting high seas and strong headwinds for the last 6km of the swim.

This swim had been done before by a few Europeans using aids (wetsuits, flippers etc.) and by only a handful of swimmers according to international open-water swimming rules (which entail swimming without a wetsuit or any other aids).

For more info, go to www.swimforhope.co.za

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Win with The Intrepid Explorer and NHU Africa Films

What if you could talk to animals and have them talk back to you?

Anna Breytenbach has dedicated her life to what she calls ‘interspecies communication’. She sends detailed messages to animals through pictures and thoughts.

She then receives messages of remarkable clarity back from the animals.

(See article on page 52 of this edition.)

2 lucky readers can win a copy of The Animal Communicator, the first full-length documentary film on the art of animal communication.

In this DVD, Anna can feel the scars hidden under a monkey’s fur; she can understand the detailed story that’s causing a bird’s trauma; she transforms a deadly, snarling leopard into a relaxed, contented cat…

The whole animal kingdom comes alive in a way never seen before: wild birds land on her shoulders; fish gather around her when she swims; and wild, unfamiliar baboons lie on her body as if she were one of their own.

To stand a chance to win, send the answer to the question below along with your contact details to taryn@intrepidexplorer.co.za by 10 September 2014. Winners will be notified by telephone.

Question: What type of cat does Anna transform in The Animal Communicator?

1000 LITRES OF CLEAN WATER IN YOUR POCKET

Upon the purchase of any LifeStraw® products, a child in Southern Africa is ensured clean drinking water for the period of one year.

LifeStraw® is an award-winning personal water filter, designed to provide safe, clean drinking water in any situation. The lightweight filter is ideal for hiking and camping, travel emergency preparedness and survival.

It makes contaminated or suspect water safe to drink.

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More mountain biking

More Top MTB Trails by Jacques Marais covers over 100 trails in the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West. The book focuses on 31 top trails with detailed mapping, including GPS co-ordinates of the start point, 63 other recommended routes and 49 minor trails. Six of the top routes in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland are also mentioned.

Each trail has up-to-date route information, GPS co-ordinates, great photographs and all contact details, along with African Mountain Bike Association approval where applicable.

An overview map of South Africa at the beginning of each section pinpoints all the trails.

This is a great book for experienced as well as aspiring mountain bike enthusiasts, and is the perfect companion to Top Mountain Bike Trails, which covers the three Cape provinces.

The book will retail for R250.

Order online at www.mapstudio.co.za.

pioneering journeys Tanzania Uganda through africa Kenya Wildebeest migration

Tel: 011 702 2035 or 072 927 7529 Fax: 086 689 6759 reservations@wildfrontiers.com www.wildfrontiers.com

Rwanda Ethiopia Botswana Namibia Zambia Zimbabwe

Give someone a fighting chance

“We all have hopes and dreams. By purchasing a bandana for R25, you could make a difference and offer those fighting leukaemia and other life-threatening blood disorders a chance of a future,” states Tarryn Corlett, chief operating officer for The Sunflower Fund.

You can purchase a bandana from your nearest Pick n Pay or local Round Table, including in Namibia, and wear it to show your support of the brave fight that these patients face on a daily basis when they lose their hair as a result of chemotherapy treatments.

Funds raised through National Bandana Day go toward paying for the expensive tissue typing (DNA) tests for new donors to join the South African Bone Marrow Registry.

The Sunflower Fund relies heavily on this fund-raiser to continue testing donors to help patients suffering from leukaemia and other life-threatening blood disorders, who require a bone marrow transplant in order to survive and live a longer and healthier life.

“Please support this campaign and help make a difference, as together we can save more lives – we cannot do this without your support,” implores Corlett.

For more information on National Bandana Day and The Sunflower Fund, call the toll-free line on 0800 12 10 82 or visit www.sunflowerfund.org.za

A F R I C A T R AV E L S P E C I A L I S T S

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5 i the big

Robbie Stammers gives us a guided tour of the new, exciting vehicles that have been spotted on our roads recently

Like the Big 5 in the bush, these vehicles have unique characteristics: some may be featured for their strength and speed, and others for their comfort and size.

n Africa, the Big 5 game animals are the lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros. The term ‘big five game’ was coined by big-game hunters, and refers to the five African animals that are most difficult to hunt on foot.

All is forgiven – Range Rover Evoque 2014

When I was invited to the Paris Motor Show in 2010 to witness the unveiling of the Evoque, I was over the moon. However, my smile ran away from my face when they lifted the tarpaulin to reveal something resembling a Range Rover on which an elephant had plonked its derrière! I hated it. At first, that is.

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Subsequently, the term was adopted by safari tour operators for marketing purposes. For our purposes, we have chosen this quarter’s five preferred vehicles to review. Some would be ideal for an intrepid adventure into the bundus, while others would be more suited to the concrete jungle and the school run.

The Evoque then grew on me – and by now, with the 2014 model, it has grown and grown on me until it’s made me feel like Jack who’s reached the top of the beanstalk and found the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Yes, it’s very popular with the female market, I admit (and this was the manufacturer’s plan to begin with – let’s be honest) but

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Hit th e r oa d, J a c k this car has surpassed my wildest expectations!

Firstly, this thoroughbred wants for nothing and, in fact, represents a major step forward in terms of technology: the 2014 Range Rover Evoque models to be introduced have the honour of bringing a nine-speed automatic to market – this makes the Range Rover Evoque the first SUV in this country with a transmission of such an advanced design and with this many ratios.

The chief benefit of the groundbreaking ZF-9HP transmission is lower fuel consumption, achieved by enabling the engine to operate in the most efficient part of its rev range more often.

In the case of the SD4 turbo-diesel derivative, this results in a reduction of 5% in fuel usage and a 4% drop in carbon dioxide emissions.

Enhanced performance (thanks to the wider spread of ratios, especially off-road, due to a significantly lower first gear) and greater comfort (gearshifts are virtually imperceptible, whether shifting up or down) are further advantages.

The box also has an ultra-fast response time, described by ZF as “below the threshold of perception”, and an adaptive shift programme that quickly aligns with the driver’s actions.

The Pure model introduces two of a six-pack of new driver aids available on the Range Rover Evoque, which significantly enhance its value proposition by giving consumers the ability to choose from the very latest electronic systems that make driving more efficient, simpler or safer – sometimes all three.

In addition, a Torque Vectoring by Braking feature further enhances agility and safety by redirecting torque between all four wheels to counteract understeer. It features in the Evoque’s standard four-wheel-drive system which, along with Terrain Response, gives the Evoque unrivalled breadth of capability across the widest possible spread of driving conditions.

The Pure can be identified by its 18-inch ‘Sparkle Silver’ alloy wheels, and subtle badging changes including the Evoque nameplate in black. While configured to offer exceptional value, the most affordable Range Rover Evoque isn’t short of comfort and convenience features and the cabin boasts leather upholstery, a 380-watt Meridian® sound system, cruise control (which, along with the sound system, can be controlled from the leather-rimmed steering wheel), USB connectivity and

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Bluetooth with audio streaming.

Pure models are also equipped with useful features such as keyless entry, front park distance control and front fog lamps.

The 2014 Range Rover Evoque range is powered by Land Rover’s range of economical and lightweight four-cylinder engines, with a choice of either the 2.2 diesel 140kW SD4 engine or 2.0 petrol 177kW Si4 engine.

There’s no doubt that with its incredible price (excluding CO2 tax), this Evoque – if not being bought by the ladies – will certainly ensure you grab their attention!

Price tags Si4 (petrol) – R598 000 SD4 (turbo-diesel) – R602 000

Built for endurance – Isuzu KB 300

Let’s face the facts: bakkies in South Africa are a big deal. If you like a good braai, biltong and the Springboks, chances are you have a double cab of sorts in the driveway.

This General Motors bakkie is not just a workhorse – it’s actually quite stylish and had many of my mates drooling over it. While I’m not really a big bakkie fan, I do admit the Double Cab certainly ticks the testosterone box.

The KB 300 comes with a variety of engines, ranging from a 2.4-litre petrol up to a 3.0-litre diesel. The 3-litre that I drove produces 130kW and 380Nm of torque and claims a fuel economy of 7.9 litres/100km. This may seem as if the manufacturer took a bit of ‘poetic licence’, but I drove a lot in the week that I had the Isuzu, and the fuel consumption was excellent.

The interior is pretty impressive for a workhorse and there is enough leg room for the tallest of passengers. The top-ofthe-range LX specification includes projector headlights, LED rear lights, chromed grille, door handles and side mirrors.

The interior benefits from a leather steering wheel with satellite controls and cloth trim. LX models have cruise control, park distance control, climate control (Extended Cab and Double Cab) as well as front and curtain air bags (Double Cab). LX models are fitted with 7J X 17 alloys and 255/65 R17 AT tyres.

On the Double Cab variants, the load box is 135mm longer

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(1 550mm) and 105mm longer at the top (1 485mm). Internal width is up by 70mm to 1 530mm and, as with the Extended Cab, load box height is down by 15mm. The load bay is kitted with four tie-down brackets and 10 rope hooks along the side.

The LX 300 4x2 Double Cab has a payload of 1 133kg – well ahead of its opposition.

I found the gearbox extremely good for a ‘bakkie’ and, although it is a big vehicle, the power steering makes parking and turning quite simple. On the negative side, I found the rear of the bakkie hampered visibility in the rain.

In summary, the Isuzu KB 300 continues its rugged nation-building reputation with a model that’s big, bold and ready to be put to work.

Price tags KB 300 Double Cab LX – R410 400 KB 300 Double Cab LX Automatic – R423 400 KB 300 Double Cab LX 4X4 – R464 400

off-road prowess. Maximum ground clearance has been increased by 51mm to 278mm, although the air suspension allows up to 115mm of regular variance.

Two distinct permanent four-wheel-drive systems will be on offer, allowing you to choose essentially between ‘sport’ and ‘slightly-less-sport-but-more-bundu’. In the former case, you get a lighter single-speed transfer case with a Torsen differential, while the latter option is a more traditional two-speed case with low range.

Inside the Range Rover Sport, stylists aimed for purer treatment with more soft-touch surfaces throughout the cabin and a configurable mood lighting system. To emphasise the vehicle’s more athletic nature, there’s a smaller and thicker steering wheel, although practicality was high on the agenda, too – the Sport boasts 24mm more rear knee room than its predecessor.

Drivers will find more in the way of gadgets. In addition to all the Terrain Response adaptable damper functions, the Sport can be ordered with Wade Sensing, which actually indicates how deep you are when wading through water. And, like a young boy, I loved the night light that shone on the ground adjacent to the vehicle each time I approached the Sport.

Simply put: if you have the dosh, you can’t go wrong!

Price tags SC V6 S (petrol) – R824 500 SC V6 HSE (petrol) – R1 057 100 SD V6 S (diesel) – R885 800 SD V6 HSE (diesel) – R1 151 300 V8 SC HSE (petrol) – R1 263 600

Beauty of a beast – Range Rover Sport

I’ve said it before in The Intrepid Explorer and I will say it again: I love Range Rover. In fact, I was counting down the days till this baby would be all mine (well, for a very brief time, but mine nonetheless).

While the Range Rover is the older, more sauve brother, the Sport is the cheekier, quicker, younger brother – and what’s not to like? Sports car-like performance is on the agenda for those ordering the 375kW/625Nm flagship 5-litre supercharged V8 model, which will dash from 0-100km/h in only 5.3 seconds.

You can also choose between two ‘tamer’ 3-litre V6 models in the form of a 250kW/450Nm supercharged petrol in the SC V6 and 215kW/600Nm turbo-diesel in the SD V6. Both models run to 100km/h in 7.2 seconds, according to Land Rover, and reach a top speed of 210km/h. I can assure you, this is more than correct. Claimed combined fuel consumption is pegged at 13.8 litres/100km in the case of the V8; 11.3 litres/100km for the SC V6; and 7.9 litres/100km for the SD V6.

To achieve the best possible cornering characteristics, given the vehicle’s centre of gravity, the Sport is endowed with fully independent suspension at both ends, with double-wishbones doing duty at the front end and a multi-link layout at the back.

Its upgraded air suspension and Terrain Response system also aim to seek the best balance between on-road agility and

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A Kruger Park essential – Nissan NV200

I made sure I’d organised to review this people-carrier for the exact weekend I planned to travel to the Knysna Oyster Festival this year – and, if I do say so myself, what superb thinking it was on my part!

This seven-seater didn’t let me and my crew down. At first glance, it seemed even the six of us travelling from Cape Town to Knysna might be in for a bit of a squeeze, but we all had ample room. And once this Nissan hits the open road, it‘s a pleasure to drive and/or be a passenger in.

The tried and trusted 81kW 1.6-litre petrol unit with its 153Nm

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Hit th e r oa d, J a c k of torque available at 4 400rpm made it a breeze (a 66kW 1.5 dCi unit with 200Nm is also available). The low weight of 1 408kg and light steering also helped with the easy manoeuvrability of this vehicle. The fuel index is listed as 8.64 litres/100km – and it lives up to Nissan’s word.

The trip was hassle-free and, while the interior is quite basic, it’s extremely comfortable. The only very perplexing concern for all the passengers was that there were no windows that could be opened in the back of the van – why Nissan did this is beyond me.

All in all, passengers and driver alike were well taken care of thanks to ABS with EBD, vehicle dynamic control, Isofix child seat anchor points as well as driver, passenger and front side air bags. The elevated position of the vehicle is ideal for gamedriving and scenic holiday trips.

We had no problem loading the luggage for our troop in the rear, with room to spare. It really made me think that perhaps it was time to get a family carrier like this – it just makes road trips all the more fun.

Price tag R246 400

The Green Machine – Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid

First let’s talk about the one major perk that my family could not get enough of: the massaging chair options! I honestly felt like I had gone off to a superior spa each time I drove this vehicle, with a Swedish masseur telling me to relax as she grinded away at the knots in my back. What a pleasure! And it just gets better, to be honest.

You can select how hard you want the lateral bolsters to hug you in the bends. You can decide on the intensity of the fragrance diffuser through the air-conditioning system.

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The lumbar support adjustment offers no less than 10 options.

This is not a car for the indecisive.

The feeling of luxuriousness is unbeatable. One feels cosseted and ensconced by those large chairs. Surrounded in acres of wood and leather, very little can irk you from inside the S-Class.

But the rear is undoubtedly where you want to be – unwinding as your chauffeur ferries you around.

The S400 Hybrid on test here has enough power to give brisk and dignified pace. Its electric motor helps save juice when coasting along and allows the S-Class to creep around parking lots in eerie silence. Kick the power pedal down and the V6 engine emits a faint growl as it breathes into life. It will dispatch the standstill to 100km/h dash in around 6.8 seconds – nothing to be sneezed at.

The S400 uses a lightly reworked version of Merc’s existing 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, with a new cylinder head, lightweight pistons and a re-profiled crank, although it does without the direct injection that Merc uses in other applications.

This new-generation S-Class is as close as a production car has come to having full autopilot – the stuff of science-fiction dreams. It’s able to brake, accelerate, steer, keep a safe following distance, park, and even avoid collisions – all without the help of the driver, as part of Intelligent Drive.

Along with rear seat belts that have built-in air bags, this is the world’s first car to do away completely with light bulbs, and all the exterior and interior lighting is by LEDs. Don’t even get me started on the sound system. There’s really not enough space to go through everything this car has to offer – it just stresses me out! I need to go sit down and get a massage now...

Pure, unadulterated driving pleasure.

Price tag R1 252 201

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Ph oto es s a y

lens

life through the In this edition of The Intrepid Explorer, we showcase the works of some of the participants in the 2014 Wild Shots Wildlife Photography Symposium Wildlife photography is hugely popular in this country, and southern Africa is every wildlife photographer’s dream. Stunning photos of iconic wildlife and amazing wild places are encouraging us to explore further and spend more time outdoors in our wonderful natural heritage. The incredible popularity of top wish-list locations such as the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Sossusvlei and the Vulture Hide at Giant’s Castle is no doubt due to the images we have all seen.

With the advent of digital cameras, photography has become so much more accessible, and we have more budding photographers than ever before. South African photographers are also growing in dominance on the international stage. Seven South Africans were placed in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 awards. Indeed, the overall winner of last year’s competition was South Africa’s very own Greg du Toit.

Wild Shots is South Africa’s first centralised wildlife photography event, bringing together amateurs and professionals alike, to learn from – and be inspired by – the best in the business. In its third year, Wild Shots is now Africa’s annual gathering of wildlife photographers, where the central theme is harnessing the power of photography to educate, inspire and conserve and celebrate Africa’s wildlife and wild spaces.

The conference’s aim is to explore how nature photography promotes a greater public appreciation of biodiversity and conservation of nature. Wild Shots plays host to top nature photographers and industry practitioners, who present their work and inspire the public through seminars and discussions.

The next Wild Shots takes place in Cape Town on 15 November, and speakers already confirmed for this year include Greg du Toit, Isak Pretorius, Albie Venter, Dale Morris, Marsel van Oosten and Morkel Erasmus.

For more info, visit wildshotsevent.com or email: info@wildshotsevent.com.

Marsel van Oosten: “Resurrection” – Deadvlei in the Namib Desert

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Greg du Toit: “Essence of elephants” – Mashatu, Tuli Block, Botswana

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Albie Venter: Wild Dogs: “one of the most exciting animals to try and photograph”, Northern Kenya Isak Pretorius: Bearded Vulture, photographed from the hide at the Vulture Restaurant, Giant’s Castle

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Morkel Erasmus: Elephants at Mana Pools, Zimbabwe Dale Morris: Juvenile leopard, watching his mum hunting – South Luangwa, Zambia

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store listing western cape STORES Bayside Mall (021) 556-3861 bayside@capeunionmart.co.za Blue Route Mall (021) 712-5979 blueroute@capeunionmart.co.za Canal Walk (021) 555-2846 canalwalk@capeunionmart.co.za Canal Walk Adventure Centre (021) 555-4629 cwac@capeunionmart.co.za Cape Gate Shopping Centre (021) 982-2000 capegate@capeunionmart.co.za Cavendish Square (021) 674-2148 cavendish@capeunionmart.co.za Constantia Village (021) 794-0632 constantia@capeunionmart.co.za Gardens Centre (021) 461-9678 gardens@capeunionmart.co.za Mill Square (021) 886-4645 stellenbosch@capeunionmart.co.za Mountain Mill Mall (023) 347-1484 worcester@capeunionmart.co.za Paarl Mall (021) 863-4138 paarl@capeunionmart.co.za Somerset Mall (021) 852-7120 somersetwest@capeunionmart.co.za Tygervalley Shopping Centre (021) 914-1441 tygervalley@capeunionmart.co.za V&A Waterfront Quay Four (021) 425-4559 quayfour@capeunionmart.co.za V&A Waterfront Travel & Safari (021) 419-0020 waterfront@capeunionmart.co.za West Coast Mall, Vredenburg (022) 713-4113 weskus@capeunionmart.co.za GArden route Garden Route Mall (044) 887-0048 gardenroute@capeunionmart.co.za Knysna Mall (044) 382-4653 knysna@capeunionmart.co.za Langeberg Mall (044) 695-2486 mosselbay@capeunionmart.co.za The Market Square (044) 533-4030 marketsquare@capeunionmart.co.za

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EASTERN CAPE STORES Riverside Mall, Nelspruit Kolonnade Shopping Centre Greenacres Shopping Centre (013) 757-0338 (012) 548-9811 (041) 363-1504 nelspruit@capeunionmart.co.za kolonnade@capeunionmaart.co.za greenacres@capeunionmart.co.za NORTH WEST STORES Mall@Reds Hemingways Shopping Centre Waterfall Mall (012) 656-0182 (043) 726-0908 (014) 537-3651 redsmall@capeunionmart.co.za hemmingways@capeunionmart.co.za waterfall@capeunionmart.co.za Menlyn Park Walmer Park Brits Mall (012) 368-1015 (041) 368-7442 (012) 250-1909 menlyn@capeunionmart.co.za walmer@capeunionmart.co.za brits@capeunionmart.co.za Nicolway Mall Vincent Park Mooiriver Mall (011) 706-7573 (043) 726-2900 (018) 293-1788 nicolway@capeunionmart.co.za vincentpark@capeunionmart.co.za mooiriver@capeunionmart.co.za Northgate Shopping Centre Fountains Mall LIMPOPO STORE (011) 794-1022 (042) 293-0005 Mall of the North northgate@capeunionmart.co.za fountainsmall@capeunionmart.co.za (015) 265-1067 KWAZULU-NATAL STORES mallofthenorth@capeunionmart.co.za OR Tambo Boardwalk Shopping Centre International Airport (035) 789-0321 GAUTENG STORES (011) 390-3245 boardwalk@capeunionmart.co.za Atterbury Value Mart, Pretoria ortambo@capeunionmart.co.za (012) 991-3171 Galleria Mall atterbury@capeunionmart.co.za Rosebank Mall (031) 904-2318 (011) 442-1959 galleria@capeunionmart.co.za Brooklyn Mall rosebank@capeunionmart.co.za (012) 460-5511 Gateway World brooklyn@capeunionmart.co.za Sandton City (031) 566-5111 (011) 884-9771 gateway@capeunionmart.co.za Carnival Mall sandton@capeunionmart.co.za (011) 915-0470 La Lucia Mall carnivalmall@capeunionmart.co.za The Glen Shopping Centre (031) 562-0523 (011) 436-1300 LaLucia@capeunionmart.co.za Centurion Shopping Centre theglen@capeunionmart.co.za Midlands Mall (012) 663-4111 (033) 342-0152 centurion@capeunionmart.co.za The Grove midlands@capeunionmart.co.za (012) 807-0642 Clearwaters Mall thegrove@capeunionmart.co.za Pavillion Shopping Centre (011) 675-0036 (031) 265-1666 clearwaters@capeunionmart.co.za Vaal Mall pavillion@capeunionmart.co.za (016) 981-5186 Cresta Centre vaalmall@capeunionmart.co.za Westville Mall (011) 478-1913 (031) 266-6049 cresta@capeunionmart.co.za Woodlands Boulevard westwood@capeunionmart.co.za (012) 997-6960 Eastgate Adventure Centre woodlands@capeunionmart.co.za NORTHERN CAPE STORE (011) 622-8788 Diamond Pavillion Centre egac@capeunionmart.co.za BOTsWANA STORES (053) 832-3846 Game City, Gaborone diamondpavillion@capeunionmart.co.za East Rand Mall 00267-391-0948 (011) 826-2408 gamecity@capeunionmart.co.za Kathu Village Mall eastrandmall@capeunionmart.co.za (053) 723-2736 Riverwalk Mall, Gaborone kathu@capeunionmart.co.za Forest Hill City 00267-370-0040 (012) 668-1030 riverwalk@capeunionmart.co.za FREE STATE STORES foresthill@capeunionmart.co.za Mimosa Mall, Bloemfontein Francistown, Pick n Pay Centre (051) 444-6059 Fourways Mall 00267-241-0398 mimosa@capeunionmart.co.za (011) 465-9824 francistown@capeunionmart.co.za fourways@capeunionmart.co.za Loch Logan Waterfront, Bloemfontein (051) 430-0230 Greenstone Mall NAMIBIA STORE lochlogan@capeunionmart.co.za (011) 609-0002 Maerua Mall, Windhoek greenstone@capeunionmart.co.za 00264-612-20424 MPUMALANGA STORES windhoek@capeunionmart.co.za Ilanga Mall Hyde Park Corner (013) 742-2281 (011) 325-5038 OUTLET STORES ilanga@capeunionmart.co.za hydepark@capeunionmart.co.za Access Park, Cape Town (021) 674-6398 Irene Village Highveld Mall accesspark@capeunionmart.co.za (012) 662-1133 (013) 692-4018 highveld@capeunionmart.co.za

irene@capeunionmart.co.za

Middelburg Mall (013) 244-1040 middelburg@capeunionmart.co.za

Killarney Mall (011) 486-4253 killarney@capeunionmart.co.za

Woodmead Value Mart, Johannesburg (011) 656-0750 woodmead@capeunionmart.co.za

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welcome to the

wetsundays

W

e flew into Hamilton Island, the main gateway to the Whitsundays set in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef. Landing among the lush palms on the island, you’d end up in the drink if the pilot overshot the spectacular runway that ends in the sea.

“Welcome to the ‘Wetsundays’,” quipped our host. We were there at the tail end of the monsoon season, known locally as ‘the big wet’. The forecast was for heavy rain and 30-knot winds over the next three days, returning to bright and sunny on the day we left. (It’s funny how the weatherman seems to know I’m coming whenever I go on holiday anywhere.) While travelling around Queensland, where the rainforest meets the reef, we sure learnt how the rainforests of the wet tropics got their name.

The Whitsundays, an archipelago of 74 volcanic islands, was actually named by Captain Cook, who passed this way aboard HMS Endeavour on Whitsunday (Pentecost) in June 1770. Most of these lush tropical islands in the giant marine park are uninhabited – while a handful such as Hamilton, Hayman, Daydream and Long Island are renowned resort destinations.

If you’re looking to make the great escape, you can make like castaways for $5 (R50) a day on your own idyllic island.

“Scamper”, the local ferry service, will take you to camp sites on remote islands where you can play Survivor.

Old sea dogs and pirates wash up on the shores of the Whitsundays. Over a tropical gin infusion at Abell Point Marina, tapas bar owner David Paddon told me a hilarious story about the local Shag Island Cruising Yacht Club, which is named after a tiny island in the Whitsundays inhabited

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Howe to tr a vel

The last laugh

Out on the Great Barrier Reef, Graham Howe meets the local shaggers, enjoys a pale blonde and tells tall tales about a tall ship

by shag cormorants. It’s the only yacht club in the world where every member (called a “shagger”) is made vice-commodore to qualify for reciprocal membership of every yacht club around the world. The Whitsundays is home to 2 500 shaggers – who own 300 boats – and some who never even sail.

The islanders have a quirky sense of humour. On Daydream Island they hold an Elvis Festival every year, when 20 Elvis impersonators perform to find the real one.

On a hot day in the tropics, I ordered a ‘pale blonde’. How often can you do that the second you step onto an island? She was ice-cold when she came with a light head of foam on top. You guessed it: a Pale Blonde is a popular local lager. It’s not the only strange name for a beer around here; they also serve Ruby Tuesday, like the old Stones song.

We sailed with Explore Whitsundays, which operates a fleet of luxury yachts and a vintage tall ship, Solway Lass. On a dark and stormy night, we puttered under motor down to a sheltered anchorage in Funnel Bay. The skipper warned, “You should have taken your seasickness pills already.” I was beginning to regret having eaten mounds of tapas at the marina before setting sail. To make sure I didn’t make like a penguin and regurgitate the lot, I took two pills, and soon couldn’t remember which end the snorkel went and how to put on my ‘stinger suit’ (a wetsuit to stop jellyfish stings).

Solway Lass is a 28-metre ship restored with brass, mahogany and teak fittings and a comfy saloon for late-night drinks and tall tales. The old lass has an amazing history: Built in Holland in 1902, she was seized by both the British and Germans (who renamed it Adolf) for use as a troop,

decoy and supply boat in the first and second world wars; she survived mines and shipwrecks, and ended up in the South Pacific. The tales she could tell.

She’s one of the oldest working tall ships of her kind in the world. Rod Stewart recorded a music video on the boat – but not “Sailing”. Beats me…

Sailing under full sail in the Whitsundays, like “Mr Midshipman Hornblower”, I was disabled by vertigo, seasickness and a hangover – but watching the crew working high in the riggings was an inspiring experience.

Skipper Tim de Jager says tall ships do not have a keel, and that walking on the bottom of the steel boat feels like walking on the bottom of a bathtub. He says you can hear whales talking through the steel hull. All I could hear in my cabin was the buzz-saw snore of my bunkmates who kept me awake all night long. I thought I’d fallen asleep reverberating in the engine room.

One of the highlights was a scenic flight out to the outer reef in the Coral Sea on an Air Whitsunday seaplane on floats. Sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, I was renamed First Officer Howe – but was told to keep my feet off the pedals and my hands off his joystick.

The aerial views of the turquoise tapestry of the Great Barrier Reef were incredible.

We landed in the surf and waded ashore at Whitehaven Beach – rated one of the top 10 beaches in the world – and walked along 7km of silica sands. It stopped raining, the sun was shining, and I dived into crystal-clear, aquamarine waters…

Graham Howe attended the Australian Tourism Exchange 2014 as a guest of Tourism Australia, and Tourism and Events Queensland. See www.australia.com and www.queensland.com.

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the last word The Intrepid Explorer goes behind the camera with eco-warrior

and TV personality, Michelle Garforth-Venter

What are the top destinations on your ‘bucket list’ of places to which you’d like to travel?

I would still like to travel to Hawaii and the South Pole.

Which favourite places have you already ticked off your bucket list?

My ‘been-to’ places that are incredibly memorable are: Cuba, Alaska, Belize, Saint Paul Island in the Bering Sea, Lapland in Finland (where Father Christmas lives) and The Grand Canyon.

What is the weirdest food or drink you have ever tried?

Snake is the wildest thing I have eaten.

Are you an adrenalin junkie?

Yes, I am; it sharpens the mind and keeps you real.

If you consider your upbringing, were/are you a bush baby or a city slicker?

Bush baby.

Braai or sushi?

Sushi – with warm sake (rice wine).

What is the most memorable experience you have had with wildlife?

There have been so many. Probably running up a thorn tree, away from a charging rhino, would be one of them.

If you were stuck on a desert island, would you know how to make a fire without matches, and how to catch dinner?

Absolutely, I would. I think I’d be great at surviving and would make a pretty neat

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island home, too! I’m very resourceful. I have started fire by rubbing hardwood into softwood – and I can catch dinner to cook!

do you hold in high esteem?

Dr Jane Goodall – and I am proud to say I’ve spent time with her and interviewed her.

What is your tried-and-tested signature dish you serve your friends?

Dirty Martini’s and Oysters grilled with cheese.

Do you think the new generation is more ‘green conscious’?

Yes, I do. I think a whole generation has grown up with the green, eco and wildlife conservation awareness, especially now that they are being made aware of all these important issues at many of the schools. Plus, there is so much information on the Internet and, of course, TV shows.

What are your top tips for living ‘greener’?

Change your 50W downlight bulbs to 2W LED bulbs; install a geyser timer; and only use cold wash cycles on your washing machine – it takes loads of energy to heat water, which doesn’t make your clothing any cleaner. People forget just how much they can save by living a greener existence.

Camping or luxury lodge?

I would have to say a luxury lodge.

There’s nothing better than a good old pampering from time to time!

You and your husband are ‘eco-warriors for sustainability’. What do you think is the biggest challenge people need to overcome in order to achieve sustainability?

‘Green’ is about how you see the world and change old habits. It’s not about having money to buy green products and technology.

Beer or wine?

Definitely a good Cape wine!

Whom did you see as your inspirational role model when growing up, and whom

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why?

I would change the world’s greed! It should be more about ‘us’ and ‘our’ rather than a ’me, me’ attitude.

What are your pet hates/dislikes in people?

Dishonesty, stupidity and self-gain.

You have spent 24 years of your life on air – how has it changed and influenced you?

Whenever anything interesting or funny happens in day-to-day life, I automatically look for a lens to share the experience with!

You have been awarded many amazing accolades. What has been the highlight of your career?

The biggest accolade – better than any award – is when people under the age of 25 know me from TV and say respectful things.

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OGILVY CAPE TOWN 67674/1/E/POWER

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