Nature's own flash cards

There are a couple of things that I unashamedly will admit I know nothing about...like the inside of a motor car's engine, the moves in a chess game.....and bird watching.  Despite my passion for the outdoors, I somehow never became interested in our little feathered friends.  Maybe they look too much alike and I never could bother to distinguish between the species, or maybe they never came close enough for me to see them properly. 

On a recent trip I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours in the presence of one of Vanrhynsdorp's keen bird watchers and tour guide, Salome Willemse. Salome was showing me around Gifberg, and my son was traveling along.  Funny thing though is that unlike myself, my son is into bird watching, has his own book on birds where he ticks the ones off that he has seen and knows the difference between a "mossie" and a dove. Ok, I know that too but I don't know the names of other bird species to make a better comparison.

As a child I always believed that only "old people" did bird watching.  When we went to the Kruger Park and stopped next to a vehicle to hear what they were looking at, I was always utterly annoyed when they said they see some sort of bird somewhere high up in a tree. I was hoping to see lions mauling a Springbok or something, not look at a bird that you can't really see. These people always used to be a bit older than me, maybe that is where I got this notion that it is only old people doing this. 

Whenever you see a car with a bumper sticker saying "Birder on board. Beware this car suddenly stops" or "I brake for birds", please do not take this warning lightly.  They stop when they see something move in the air...or when for the untrained eye there is nothing to see in a tree.  Yes, they could spot a bird in a tree when I am still trying to find the tree. Your chances of actually seeing the bird is very limited, because before you can look around the bird is gone.  This reminds me so much of the flash cards we had at school.  The teacher would show you a word on a flash card, remove it so fast that you could not even see the word. Then she would ask you to repeat the word and spell it. Some birds are like flash cards.  Before you can make out what it is, the bird is gone.  Your only luck comes when the bird is sitting still. This gives you enough time to see that it is in fact a bird.  Look down to your bird book to compare colours and feathers and size and when you look up the bird is gone.  Drive slightly forward to take a picture and the bird flies away. It's like throwing the flash cards through the window, like a buddy of mine did in Grade 2. All the required information to identify the bird flies away with the bird.

Because I am someone who tries everything, I have to say there is something special to this activity called bird watching as well.  Listening to someone who knows the birds better than what she know's her son's last exam results really make it a pleasure to hear the stories, to learn the differences between the last two birds that I obviously missed and to see that there are people who has so much passion for what they're doing.  Salome impressed me with her knowledge and she obviously knows more about the Vanrhynsdorp region than just its bird life.  She managed to find 16 new "lifers" for my son and still had time to show me some of the most amazing scenery Gifberg has to offer. For you ill-informed, a "lifer" is a bird that you have spotted and identified for the first time. It get's a tick in your Bird Book and you are supposed to add where you spotted the bird.  I saw Salome every now and again jumping on her phone when she had seen a bird.  At first I thought she was bored seeing the same bird again and texting a friend instead, but it turned out that she maps the sightings making it easier for other birders to come and find one that they have not seen yet. I though bird tend to fly away to other countries.  Typical what I would do if I was a bird, but apparently some hang around for longer. 

If you ever want to learn about birds, want to see them and want to have an enjoyable experience, contact Salome. Her contact details are on her facebook page. She has lovely cottages to overnight in. If you use olive oil you will find that too, specially pressed form her own olive orchards. Oh, and let me not forget to mention her Full Monty breakfasts. All round a delicious experience.

Birdie birdie, look this way please, I want to identify you.....

Picture courtesy of my son (c) Kai Photography

What Boys Should Know

So how long does it take to teach a 9-yr old boy to use a SLR camera? Well apparently not very long...

I took my son on his first "adventure photography road trip" with the hope of slowly introducing him to photography.  I was a bit skeptic because it took me a while to figure out the difference between aperture, ISO and exposure and I did not expect a child to master that in one trip. Also, I didn't want to scare him off on Day One.

We were heading towards Gifberg. Our first stop was just past Malmesbury. I gave him a few tips on how to switch it on, hold the camera and to focus.  I mentioned something about aperture but kept it simple, real simple. It was the first time that he ever held a SLR in his hands, and he has not really taken any pictures with a point-and-shoot or a phone camera either. Nothing in any case where you had to zoom or focus. He took a few shots, asked me why this and that is happening and after a while got back into the car.  "It's over!" I thought to myself.

The surprise however came after we got in and drove off.  He started asking questions which reminded me of the time I started asking my mom questions and she shoved a book in my hand by Dr Jan van Elfen called "What boys should know". I took the opportunity and gave him a photography book I had brought along. The questions that followed convinced me that the game was not over yet. "Why were some shots too light and others dark?".  "Why was some blurry and some not?".  "How far can I zoom in?". "What are these other buttons for...?".  I started talking. The more I talked the more questions came. Close to Citrusdal he instructed me to stop. He saw a nice farm stall next to the road.  Thinking that he wanted something to eat, I stopped.  He got out with his camera and started snapping instead. I went in and bought Mineolas and rusks. He didn't want anything.

The day went on, we stopped at various spots, covered a lot of ground on the photography topic, climbed fences, took little roads, crossed rivers.  Every time we stopped he got out and started snapping away. Each time asking fewer questions and coming back with better pictures. "I want to take pictures of the stars tonight" he said.  "Oh my" I thought to myself, "not sure your camera can do that...."

We arrived at our overnight stop.  He got out, started taking pictures. By now I was at lesson 7 I guess. He asked me about lenses, auto focus and again, how does all this fit in when taking star shots? I was slightly worried. His camera does not expose longer than 30 seconds, but I will show him my "bulb" settings tonight...if he does not fall asleep before that. "We will go at 9:30", I said.

At 9:30 we took the car and drove off into the night. "We want a safe place away from the town, preferably on a farm road", I said to him.  Now I felt like Abraham taking Isaac to the mountain.  He does not have a "bulb" mode and he is super excited to take his first starry sky pictures. We set up, I showed him the steps but said nothing about "Bulb".  He took few shots and jumped up and down. "Cool, I captured the stars".  I felt a bit bad because I was going to take pictures too, but on "bulb". "They are awesome!", I lied, "but your camera is not good enough son, look what Dad's camera has. Mine has another setting called "bulb" and yours doesn't. I can get much longer exposures." Somehow that did not dampen his spirit.  He was super stoked about his first night sky shots  We went home, he still talked "photography".

The next morning he got up.  Before breakfast he took his camera and went outside.  He came back and said: "Guess what Dad, my camera DOES have a "bulb" setting. It is under "manual". I was totally surprised. I have never seen that before.  Ok, I never used that camera for night or star photography, but still.  "Oh, and look, when I shoot on 'Av', the Tv setting chances automatically, and, and....."  I was stunned, speechless.

The rest of the day we drove around, getting in and out to take pictures.  Knowing that he has a "bulb" setting was the ultimate reward.  He was going to shoot stars tonight, come hell or high water...

During the day he captured some awesome shots...and plenty bloopers too.  I told him about the rule of thirds, contrast, point of view. I was surprised at how much I knew myself, but more surprised at his curiosity and his capacity to absorb and process.  He completely skipped the other settings and was shooting on "Manual", occasionally jumping to Tv, Av and ISO. He asked me what "this little green symbol" stands for. I said "Automatic, but believe me, you're past that, you'll never use it." Something that took me years to master, he masted in less than two days. On day three we returned home and he started asking more about editing. He asked earlier but I told him "Baby steps, my boy". I was so naive.

When we arrived home I showed him Lightroom's editing capabilities. I created some folders for him, loaded his bests shots and said:" There you go, edit your best five shots and then I will create you a watermark."  He did all his editing by himself and gave me 8 images to watermark.  I added the watermark for him and asked him what he wants to charge for his pictures.  "I don't think anyone will like them.  I know Mom might buy a few, and maybe Kira (his 4-yr old sister) too.  Let's say R20 a shot or maybe a trade? I'll take any Angry Birds token for an image, or any sweets I guess".

Yes, it may sound like it but no, I am not just a proud father bragging about his son.  I am flabbergasted, I am inspired, I am amazed, but there lies more in this experience than his ability to understand a camera. I spend three amazing days with my son and learned more about him that I did in 9-years.  I did not only "kick-start" an aspirant photographer, I made a friend, a buddy to take on all my photography tours. I created a way to spend valuable time with him and teach him about about other things too, about life, about beauty, about nature. At the same time we will have more adventures, explore new places and meet more people. I'll leave "What boys should know" for later, he might surprise me there too in a couple of years. But, at the moment I am truly blessed.

Below some of his first images on his "new" SLR. All edits done by himself.  If you want to purchase any of his images, please let me know. You'll make his day!

Pinotage at Paternoster

It is widely believed that adventure starts outside of your comfort zone.  When a friend offered me a "beauty treatment" at one of South Africa's top spas at Paternoster I knew there were some sort of adventure on the menu. First of all let's not get excited about  the "beauty" part in my case, that ship has sailed and let us not get too technical on the definition of "adventure" because any kind of treatment aimed at improving my looks or well-being is outside of my comfort zone. The spa's brochure however states that these are "soothing therapies to guide your soul on a journey of profound peace within a renewed sense of gratitude".  Now that I can relate to, a "journey of profound peace". I was still two minded about the facial however. The body massage was enough motivation to get me on my motorbike and head towards Paternoster on a chilly 4degC morning. After all, it was at the spa that had recently received the huge accolade of the 2016 World Luxury Spa Award! They are also part of the Healing Earth brand which is a market leader in holistic African beauty and wellness care. I was already convinced that I was in for a treat.

Most of my friend's immediate reaction to this would be "Hypocrite!". They all know I still raise my eyebrows instead of pluck them when I hear the word "metro-sexual'. Secondly they also know that I believe the only natural substance on this planet that can cure anything from cracked heals to broken hearts and ultimately depression is the blue saltwater that surrounds our beautiful continent. But let's face it, the worse thing for your skin is probably prolonged exposure to a sun and sea water mixture. To prove that theory I can present my own evidence. When it comes to facials and exfoliation my routine stops at washing my face with some price-reduced soap that I conveniently buy in six packs from a well-know retail outlet. But don't ditch my natural salt therapy theory just yet because I see that there is also a Salt Therapy Room where you can "alleviate all stress by adding salt...". I was there for more than just a dip in the salt.

I have to be honest I am not familiar with the 'ins and outs' of spas. When I read through the menu I realized that making a choice could be a more difficult task than choosing a name for your first born. Fortunately that decision was already made for me and I was booked for a "Healing Full Body Massage". I was kindly asked by my lovely therapist if I wanted to "uplift, de-stress or detox?" After she noticed the vague look in my eyes she thankfully narrowed it down to "detox or just relax?"  To me detox is associated with the start of a new lifestyle and subsequently sticking to a healthier diet. After 120 kilometers on a motorbike in temperatures that dropped to near freezing point the 'just relax' option sounded brilliant and I was pleasantly surprised to find the massage bed already heated up.  I wasn't exactly sure what the difference was between the options, but I was yet again gently guided to the answer. Different types of oil is used for different types of massages, and for the relaxing massage the oil that she will be using contains Pinotage. It is also referred to as the "Anti-Ageing Vino Therapy". I already know what you are thinking when you hear "vino therapy" right, but I still had to drive home so I stayed with the "Pinotage-in-the-oil" version which had a similar effect on muscle relaxation but without the other unpleasant side-effects of alcohol. 

I never checked my watch because I din't want to massage to end, but after a relaxing 90 minutes or so it was time for the "High Performance Facial Therapy". Here I was completely out of my depth and slightly uncomfortable but I eventually surrendered to the soothing hands of my therapist.  I felt and smelled different kinds of lotion being applied to my face and gently being removed.  The closest I ever come to rubbing these amounts of lotion on my face is when I apply sunblock before a surf session... and only if I remember to do so. I was told that this was a "unique anti-ageing tri-enzyme/peptide technology that enriches the skin, healing damaged tissue and effectively decreasing ageing".  I was convinced that I arrived ten years too late, but according to my therapist this treatment can actually heal damaged skin and reverse the ageing process. I am not sure if there is any remedy on the market yet for my severe case of sun burnt skin, but I have to admit that I had a different tingling feeling after the treatment and felt quite rejuvenated.  I am sure that more skin therapies on a regular basis might just reverse the clock on a ticking time bomb.

Today I've had an introduction to metro-sexuality, but I am not converted just yet. I will however not be telling the truth if I do not admit that I had a wonderful 'day-at-the-spa' experience.  Not only is this spa part of the the 5-star boutique Abalone House Hotel with its wonderful restaurant and view, but the staff is equally friendly and helpful. When I look at the variety of natural products and how professionally they were displayed and utilized, I am sure anyone can get used to this kind of lifestyle. But more importantly I can see how one can benefit from these treatments and allow your soul to be guided on a journey of profound peace.  Maybe an adventure does not have to be outside of your comfort zone because here at the Abalone House and Spa one can really try out new experiences in a very comfortable environment. Life is short and you don't have to ride a motorbike to have an adventure, you can just head down to the Healing Earth Spa at Paternoster in your own preferred mode of transport and just ask for Pinotage...

Now you see him now you don't...

On the white water rafting trip in Uganda we were entertained by our very experienced yet very funny guide, Peter. A local Ugandan with an extraordinary funny sense of humor and a possible career in stand-up comedy should the rivers in Africa one day dry up. You can imagine that he obviously had a lot to say when we fell off and he stayed on. We managed a few rapids well but usually lost a person or two on most, sometime toppling the whole raft losing everyone, including the guide. He usually stayed on top or got back on first and pulled us in like we were castaways. While under his usual jesting comments we approached the last rapid. Being warned that we were guaranteed to go down on this one and end up in Cairo, we expected the worse. We cleared the rather tame rapid with ease, but when we looked back, he was gone! It was absolutely hilarious.....

Fortunately now I have the pictures to prove it. Guide-less and with priceless evidence!

The Nile Special - The Grand Finale

Last year September I wrote about my white water rafting experience in Uganda with Nile River Explorers. Despite the fantastic experience I did mention that I was rather disappointed about the photographs that was sold for a astronomical amount compared to the costs of the actual rafting. I decided to send a letter afterwards to Nile River Explorers to explain my dissatisfaction with the new photography selling policy. Mark from NRE Operations got back to me. He was blissfully unaware of this new arrangement and told me he will look into it as the photographer was actually from another company. After I told him that our guide could also have been a stand-up comedian, he knew exactly on which raft I was and said he will get back to me.

That was basically the last I heard from Mark. I just imagine that he either did not follow up or the photographer did not want to sell it for cheaper. 

In December I got an email from Mark:

Hi Justasurferdude, hope you are well.

The photo CD of your rafting trip, that we sent you in September, has been returned to us as “unclaimed”.

The address we used was,....

I nearly fell off my chair. Not only did he reply after 3 months, he actually send the pictures to my signature address on my email. But what was even more amazing was the fact that the CD arrived in South Africa, was send back and reached Uganda again.We are talking about Africa here, this stuff only happens in First World countries. I was absolute amazed, but also very disappointment at the same time. We discussed other postal options and he finally told me that one of their crew members are coming to Cape Town for a week and he will deliver it to me mid-February.

On the 25th of February I send a mail:

Mark

I have not heard from Jacques or Celia. I assume they could not find time to deliver?

Regards

His reply:

Hi Justasurferdude, oh dear.

(Excuse me while I put my head on the desk and weep!)

Jacques and Celia arrive back in Uganda today, so I will find out what happened.

Sorry about that, but I will get back to you.

That same afternoon I wrote:

STOP THE CLOCK!!!!

Mark, this is absolutely amazing. Yesterday I thought about the photo’s and send the email. They have just arrived at the reception!!!

Please stop weeping, lift your head and feel proud because I now can only add this to a story I tell many times that was already wonderful. You guys are amazing!!

Thanks so much again, I will promote your business and good name wherever I travel. So much appreciated!

Regards

Justasurferdude

Minutes after I received his mail the CD arrived at our reception. It had been posted a week before from Malmesbury a town close to Cape Town. 

It is amazing to know that some people still care. They go the extra mile not because there is anything in it for them, but just because they are good decent people. I think I will delete my "disappointment" part from my first post and change it to "most memorable" part.

Thanks to the guys at Nile River Explores.

Weekend in paradise

I was fortunate to spend a couple of days in Pemba, Mozambique. Over the weekend I managed to capture a few pictures with my iPhone....

The Nile Special

The flight from Johannesburg arrived at Entebbe at 7pm. The 120 km drive to Jinja where the Nile exits Lake Victoria took 4 hours to complete. As the gates at the Nile River Explorers camp opened someone was ramming a perfectly roadworthy SUV into a semi-demolished brick building. A cheering crowd of young shirtless travelers made sure they had the event captured for posting on YouTube later, most of them wearing a flag of some sort around their necks. We've arrived at our destination but we clearly missed out on the party. After 15 hours of travel I was not going to join in now. I downed one Nile Special just to check out the scene but more particular to make sure that I don't have any of the current party goers on the same raft as me the next morning. Apparently rafting and seasickness goes hand in hand for some and I was sure in this case they were all going to be "some" tomorrow.

The next morning at 7 I was awaken by the call of a Fish Eagle and monkeys playing in the trees. I got up and started looking for a place to charge my phone. The tent that I slept in had no electricity due to the SUV's destruction work the previous night. Kicking a path open through the cans and empty beer bottles I managed to find a working wall socket. Four die-hard survivors from the previous night's party were still sipping on their last beers. I was rather relieved to hear that they were "overlanders" traveling through Africa and were not part of the day's planned rafting excursion. I guess the "overlanders" make full use of each and every pit-stop along their route to Cape Town to build up enough aversion to alcohol for when they actually go back home and start "REAL" life.

The truck to the starting point left at 9am. After a quick breakfast at the rafting equipment storage facilities, we headed down to the river. There we got a safety induction. Even though I think it was a bit over-exaggerated, when drowning is a possible outcome of the activities to follow one can probably expect that. I guess the one rapid called "The Dead Dutchman" justifies it. There were enough people for three teams and we were told to make sure that we choose our partners carefully. I went for the "crazy group" hoping that we might follow a more extreme route than the "cautious group"...with the middle group heading nowhere I guess.

I had no idea what was waiting for us. All I knew is that we had a raft and locally made wooden oars, a chatty guide called Peter and some 9 rapids ahead ranging from grade 1 to grade 5. The grade 6 rapid along the route is not allowed for commercial rafting and we were going to walk around it. I guess grade 5 was going to be our biggest challenge then. Once in the water we did a few safety maneuvers like flipping the boat, diving under an overturned raft and getting out again, flipping it back again and climbing back on. Also a few other safety maneuvers to make sure we don't "end up in Cairo" as Peter repeatedly warned we would be doing if we don't follow his instructions. Then it was off to the first rapid.

One of the only two disappointments of the day I guess was the fact that the river wasn't flowing at full strength. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but it definitely alters the possible routes over the rapids. Apparently it does not change the grading, but I feel that with a full flowing river we might have had more fun...or scary moments. The crazy guys managed to tip the boat on the first rapid, but we all got back in safely with only our pride injured. This tipping thing was going to repeat itself a few more times, so it was good later on that we had a few practice runs. Crazy had nothing to do with it. You basically have no control over the raft and the turbulent currents decide where it wants to flip you. The safety training does help when you all of a sudden find yourself alone floating down a river that goes all the way to Cairo.

In between the rapids were long stretches of flat water. These sections were quite honestly very boring. I did not sign up for that but I did pay for it, so I used these moments to enjoy the scenery and locals doing their washing on the river banks. It also allowed enough time for a voluntary dip in the warm water, many jokes and getting to know fellow rafters.  We had a German, two South Africans and three Pommies on board, with a very pleasant Ugandan as our guide. In one of the flat stretches we managed to have lunch on the raft which consisted of sweet pineapples and biscuits. The biscuits however I suspect might have been teething biscuits for babies. The food was delivered by the safety raft. This raft, much larger than the one we were on, was steered by one guy with two huge oars and massive pecs. You could see in his upper body physique that he does this quite often. Although his raft takes the rapids much easier due to its size, he still managed to make the rest of us all look a bit amateurish. He later transported two passenger who were not prepared to face another dunking in the Nile and he managed to do this all by himself. Next time I am taking that raft and plenty of ice cold beers. I might even consider a braai on-board.

The memory capturer of the day who used to sell photos for 10 US realized soon after taking up the position of chief photographer that technology was a bitch and he suffered losses because of piracy. One guy on a raft buys a CD and copies it for the rest, simple. The solution to save his business he reckoned was to sell only one copy to the team for 80 US and then they can sort it out between themselves. We had a look at the pictures and even though some of them were really cool, my fellow team mates who mostly are poor students doing charity work in Africa decided that they were not interested. I tried to deal with the photographer for a lower price for myself, but he didn't budge. He was prepared to leave empty handed that day (none of the other teams bought their's either) just because of his "all-or-nothing" business plan. So the second disappointment of the day was that I also left empty-handed. Memories in this digital age that costs more than half of the whole experience in my opinion was a bit over the top. 

The last rapid is named after the local beer...Nile Special. Our guide warned us all along the way that no raft survives this rapid. We were the first raft heading for the rapid to test his theory. As we hit the second huge wave we saw a blue object floating past us at a tremendous speed. The highlight of the day turned out to be our guide falling off and overtaking us in the rapid. We just had enough time to grasp air for a good burst of laughter when the Nile decided it was time to join him. Further downstream while clinging onto the raft we managed to pick up the pieces and oars that went flying along with our guide. From there we drifted slowly ashore recapturing quite an eventful and exciting day. 

When we arrived at our final stop, we had a good buffet and cold beers. From there we took a shuttle back to Kampala where I was booked in for the night. The 70 km trip to Kampala took another 4 hours. By the time we reached Kampala I was still peeved off with the photographer. My action photos will never be published anywhere and might as well have gone down with the Nile to Cairo. The experience was great, the adrenaline level however not nearly as high as I was hoping for. I've had worse experiences in water before and never really felt like I was going to drown soon. Isn't that the whole idea? If you weren't the one running to your mother when your cousins pushed your head under the water in the swimming pool, you are likely to survive this too. I am pretty sure there are more dangerous rivers around the world where a grade 5 might give you a run for your money. The grade 6 rapid where we walked past did look a bit more intimidating, but the rafting we did in the upper section of the Victoria Nile was rather tame. The two passengers on the safety raft however might not agree.....

(*The pictures you see on this site I shamelessly pirated from the Internet. It is not me on any of the rafts, but it does give an indication of what the rapids look like)

Friday the 13th

I don't know if Friday the 13th had anything to do with it, but when I got my GoPro ready for my next adventure, it bombed out on me and haven't started since. As a matter of fact I tried each and every advise I could find on the Internet and just as I got my hopes up, it died again.  At the moment it is on its way to Johannesburg while I am on my way to Uganda.

I haven't traveled for a while. The reason being that my job changed and I am not required to do as many travels as I did before. The traveling was getting hectic and the advice to be careful what you wish for was not taken seriously, so after changing positions in an attempt to travel less a serious bout of cabin fever set in after a month or so. When this opportunity came up to go to Uganda I grabbed it with both hands.

What I have learned over the past couple of days is that you probably lose your "frequent traveler" status within 3 months of your last flight. The skill of packing a suitcase in 1 hour, online check-ins, having all your electronic gadgets ready and still have time to kiss your wife and the kids goodbye somehow disappears very quickly. Add to that a GoPro that decided to stop working the afternoon before your travel and you are bound to realize later than you have left something important at home. I managed to get through check-in this morning on my first domestic flight to Johannesburg, so at least I know that my e-ticket and passport is with me. My final destination is Jinja in Uganda, via Entebbe. Passport - check, Forex - check, second-skin - check, sunscreen - check, GoPro........f*cked!

So, I am heading on an adventure down the Victoria Nile and I don't have any means of capturing it. My GoPro is still under warranty, so at least there is some hope of having it fixed (hopefully replaced), but capturing the experience I'll have to do in my memory. The iPhone will not work in Grade 5 rapids, as a matter of fact, my phone is not even charged and will probably not see Jinja before the battery runs out. Friday the 13th is behind me, but I still feel the effects. Hopefully by tomorrow when I splash down that river clinging on for dear life all of this would make sense to me....

Mtwara Evenings....Bliss

I took these pictures with my iPhone after I had an afternoon snorkel close to the Msemo Hotel in Mtwara, Tanzania. The water was so warm that it made me feel uncomfortable at times. Having a beer afterwards and watching the sun go down added to the amazement of the day....