Hi, thanks for taking a look,

The background to this photo is a very dry Zambesi River at the famous Victoria Falls compare this one to the amount of water that was flowing a couple of years ago.(See the next photo on this page)

Both born in Scotland we emigrated to live in South Africa in 1984 and frequently visited areas such as Hwange National Park, Victoria Falls, Etosha, Kalahari-Gemsbock National Park, Okavango, Kruger National Park, etc whilst we lived there. Now living in Australia, since 1987, we still find that the draw of the African bush keeps us returning there about every 18 months or so depending upon the political situation. Everybody I know that has lived in Africa cannot get Africa out of their blood and they keep yearning to return. Visit the continent and see if you have the same experience.

If you are interested in a satirical look at the NEW South Africa read the daily cartoon appearing in the Electronic Mail & Guardian called "Madam & Eve".

Another site that you may be interested in is How to Make Real South African Biltong - a traditional South African delicacy which is a must for travellers. Real South Africans won't set off on a drive of any significance without a bag of biltong or droë wors by their side.

A bit of a difference. This picture was taken during the famous Flight of Angels over the Vic Falls and if you ever visit the Victoria Falls a trip on the Flight of Angels is a must, forget the cost the sights are breathtaking. Large quantities of water from the Zambesi River are used for irrigation by other countries and this must be restricted to preserve the flow of the river at, and below, the Victoria Falls. If you think this opinion may be at a difference to other pages on this site just go and visit Zimbabwe, Zambia, et al, and then tell me where you think the real environmental problems are. Australia or Southern Africa? Whilst in the area you might care to visit Gona Re-Zhou National Park in the south east of Zimbabwe, bordering Mozambique, where there are far too many elephants for the 7,500 sq km National Park. The recent fighting and poaching in Mozambique have resulted in the elephants migrating to the relative safety of Gona Re-Zhou National Park. This National Park can sustain a population of about 4,000 elephants not the current numbers of 7,000+. They are destroying the National Park but the culling of elephants is not permitted in Zimbabwe, unlike South Africa, where the potential over population of elephants is controlled. It may appear harsh to cull elephants but for their long term survival, and the long term survival of the other animal inhabitants of National Parks in Africa, it is essential. If you are interested in, or planning to travel to Zimbabwe contact the Zimbabwe Tourism offices pages - it's worth the time. (This is just a note added on 02.02.03 as this page was initially written 6 years ago - You would need a screw loose to visit this place now - the President (Mugabe) has gone bananas and the country is in total turmoil. Avoid this place like the plaque for the time being - Such a shame because it is a beautiful country.)

Sorry about the quality of this photo but it was taken shortly after dawn using ASA1000 film and it has also been compressed, it was taken using a Ricoh camera with a 400mm lens and a 2x converter.

What a magnificent sight we saw this morning. On the morning drive just before breakfast, we watched three lions bring down and kill two wildebeest in the southern part of the Kalahari-Gemsbok National Park in the west of South Africa bordering on Namibia. A sight to behold and I don't think we'll ever be so lucky again. Magnificent to see such nature in the real world. The lions were still protecting their kill three days later but the hyenas and jackals were close by waiting to move in on the leftovers, with vultures flying overhead. Eat your heart out and go see it all for yourself. Sorry to sound like a tourist advertisement but I love the African continent and the wildlife. Contact the South African Tourist Board for yourself or contact the African Travel Gateway for more information or just to wet your appetite.

Another interesting site, with a fair amount of statistics (good for comparative purposes), and well worth having a look at is this African Site. WARNING: This site can be a bit slow to download - it just depends who is peddling the bicycle in southern Africa! Information on every country on the African continent is available from this page - if you are interested it is worth the wait.

Take a look at a collection of African Signs. For some reason Africans have a knack for creating amusing signs.

African Sunsets with a G&T in hand are just perfect. . . . . . .

Have a look at the Photo Album and remember in southern Africa they also have less flies than Australia!

"Nokosi Sikele iAfrica" (God Bless Africa) is now part of the South African National Anthem.