Mpumalanga district, South Africa August 20, 2016 “How should I put it?” said the owner of a guesthouse in Graskop. I had asked her about the minibus combi to Nelspruit. She started out saying how they weren’t ‘official’, followed by a long winded explanation of how they lacked ‘papers’. She took pains to explain that … More Shades of Separation
Graskop, South Africa, August 18, 2016 The tarmac road winds through the highveld with vast stretches of woodland on either side. But these are not old growth forests, nor are they natural woods. Stretching across the rounded tops of the shallow hills and across valleys, these are pine plantations, entirely manmade solely for the purpose … More Bland River Canyon
Valley of a Thousand Hills, South Africa July 30, 2016 He saw her on her way to the river to collect water and has decided that she is the one. Being eloquent, he has convinced her to marry him. The wooing was spirited, indeed more haranguing than whispering sweet nothings it seemed. But he prevailed … More Eleven Cows and Not One Less
Durban, South Africa July 29, 2016 “If your husband likes another woman” she said, “You use this mixture here. You must stir it in boiling water, but mind, you must stir with a sharp knife. You must keep repeating the words as you stir. Continue doing it for two months and he will come back … More If Your Husband Likes Another Woman
Northern Drakensburg Mountains Bergville, South Africa July 23, 2016 I had a hankering to see Lesotho, and thought I had come up with a grand plan. Having no interest in Maseru or other big towns, I wanted to get to the rural villages in the mountains. Traveller lore has it that in the northern Drakensburg … More The Best Laid Plans of Mice & Men
May 22, 2016 Johannesburg, South Africa Recent history going back at least a couple of decades and possibly longer has always painted Johannesburg in shades of danger. I remember conversations with other travelers from more than a decade ago of how nobody stops at traffic lights because they would be shot at. Of how muggings … More Hackles at Half Mast
Johannesburg or Jo’burg or Jozi as it is called affectionately wears many faces. There is the affluent areas that reek of wealth, there are slums where people live in tin shacks, there are downtown areas getting recent facelifts, there are street markets and art on the street and in galleries and there is the sound … More The Many Faces of Jo’burg
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 