My land of birth and my passion.

With so much to offer in one country, I thought I would write a few articles on what I believe to be the most incredible facets of this interesting and diverse nation.

With the environment, and the preservation of it, such a hot topic in today's world, what better place to start than with the world renowned Kruger National Park?

Founded in 1898 by the President of the Transvaal Republic, Paul Kruger, to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this Park that now covers nearly 20,000 square kilometres and has fenceless parkland integration with South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe (this happened when in 2002 it became part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park), is a true testament to what self belief, determination, hard work and the will to conserve our history for future generations can achieve.

Its diversity appeals to everyone because not only is it a nature lover's paradise, but it also has significant historical and archaeological interest too:

• It has an unrivalled diversity of natural life including 336 different types of tree species, 49 different fish families, 34 different amphibian categories, 114 different reptile classes, 507 different types of birds and 147 different mammal genus, not least including the Big Five - Lion, the king of the animal world, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant and Rhino.
• This all fuses beautifully with both the archaeological world, including impressive sights at Masorini & Thulamela, and the historical world where there is definitive evidence that Homo erectus, prehistoric man, roamed the area between 500 000 and 100 000 years ago and where many artefacts relating to the Stone Age man have been found covering the period from 100 000 to 30 000 years ago (which is quite impressive!), combine this with 100's of bushman (San) rock art paintings found in nearby caves and you have a historical paradise too!

Along with its advanced environmental management techniques which have over years preserved many endangered species of animals including the African Wild Dog, this Park is certainly one to be respected and emulated!

The Kruger National Park wants people to see, appreciate and understand the natural beauty of nature and its inhabitants and wants people to understand how best we can preserve this for future generations. To achieve this, they have set up award winning environmental programmes to teach visitors how to do this including: anti poaching training, game ranger training courses, environmental management courses and of course wildlife photography courses. All of these courses are designed to stimulate tourist's interests in natural preservation and are all accompanied by skilled and trained game wardens and rangers.

Having recently done the game ranger training course - all I can say is WOW! You must do it! It is a once in a lifetime experience and it is totally self satisfying to believe that your contribution might make some small difference in the world. Not to mention how puny you seem pitted against the great forces of nature. It truly is an emotional self learning journey that I believe has made me a stronger person within myself.

If however, you just want to relax and take in the spectacular sights on offer, the Kruger National Park and the surrounding private game reserves have accommodation ranging from basic chalets right up to super luxurious suites that will blow you away. Not to mention all the activities available in the area ranging from: game drives (safaris) in the Kruger National Park, walking trails with game rangers, hot air balloon safaris where you sail majestically above the Kruger Park surveying all below, animal tracking, photography safaris and much more.    

So, next time you want to go on holiday - and with the Rand being weaker against most other currency including the Pound, Euro and Dollar (which makes it a cheaper destination for foreign travellers) - why not think South Africa!

   

Hippos wallow in a hollow pool in the Sabie River - waiting for lunch perhaps?

  

Why walk through the bush, when man has made a perfectly good road for us, say the Lionesses

With a trumpet from the matriach, the stampeed is on! A whole heard of elephants cross the road directly in front of us, while on mother stands by protecting the little ones from us.

     

Get off my turf! This is the very clear message from this loner male elephant.

      

I can see you says the Lioness. Stay back!

Stretch! Thats what I need before we go off on our hunt!

   

Yes, I can still see you - even from up here!

Magical African sunset!

I took a room in a house in Calangute, not that far from Mapusa (or Mapça, whichever is in vogue now). There was a cluster of mud-walled, thatch-roofed houses sitting together in a palm grove that gave onto the beach. No electricity, no running water. An idyll. The family was most proud of one facility they had installed recently for the comfort of western travellers - there were no holiday-makers back then - they had installed a toilet. Pure, gleaming white porcelain it was, sitting like a throne on a raised mound of hard earth behind the house with a straw fence around for privacy. Never yet been used.

I think the family were a bit annoyed that I chose to use their own original arrangements on the first day - a hole in the ground secreted in a less conspicuous corner of the yard and screened off by a mud wall. I knew that as soon as I would have sat on the porcelain a crowd would have gathered to peer through the generous gaps in the fence to catch a glimpse of … well we get the picture, and it wouldn't have been a pretty one.

That night however I decided to ingratiate myself with my landlord so I ventured out to use his toilet. By then I knew that all the children were asleep and that no-one would have eyesight good enough to be able to penetrate the darkness well enough to see much. So off I went.

I took a torch, the one luxury item I allowed myself when travelling. I took my little jar of water as well, having forgone the luxury of paper.

My fear was snakes, and I intended turning the torch off once I had found my way to the toilet. Inside I shone the beam all round the walls and floor making sure no reptile was lurking. Then I turned the light into the toilet bowl itself just to be certain, and resting just where I would have expected water, was a large pink and black wet living thing. It moved. I moved. It wasn't a snake.

Round the back of the hut I found an enormous water buffalo, its tongue stuck into the open pipe leading from the toilet

The arrangements where that everything deposited in the porcelain bowl would slither on out the back of the hut into an open drain, which in turn led on into a stream that flowed into the sea. Problem was the buffalo had got there first.

Now I don't know how far a buffalo's tongue can reach, but I wasn't risking lowering my butt onto that seat.

The process of cheese making is basically the same no matter where you go. It is very simple and can even be tried at home if you are feeling adventurous.

Each country has it's own particular types of cheese and the names vary. Here is a small selection of the more interesting UK produced ones.

1. Buffalo

   This is a fairly recent addition to the UK market. It was first produced in 1996 and has a mild flavor with a touch of almonds. It is hard and made with unpasteurized buffalo milk.

2. Cornish Pepper

   This is a rich, creamy cheese which is liberally sprinkled with cracked peppercorns. It takes about five weeks to make and is soft and moist in texture.

3. Exmoor Blue

   This blue cheese is made from ewe and goat's milk. It is strong tasting and suitable for vegetarians and compares well to other blue veined Stilton type cheeses.

4. Gospel Green

   This is a hard, Cheddar type cheese made from cow's milk. It is unpasteurized and has a slight aroma of apples.

5. Stinking Bishop

   This hard cheese is made from cow's milk. It is washed in an alcoholic drink called "Stinking Bishop" which is made from pears. It has a very strong, ripe flavor and smell.

6. Tymsboro

   This soft cheese is made from goat's milk. The natural rind is dusted with black ash and covered in a light, white mould. It has a light after taste of lemon.