Life has been hectic! We have been very busy with new enquiries and many past clients returning, I am constructing a "granny flat" at home and we have also been busy with the annual Tourism Indaba - apart from other happenings in my life! So it is with these reasons that this edition of Dean's Diary is a rather delayed one - my apologies to those of you who might have checked the website frequently to read the next one. For those you who are surfing around and reading this edition for the first time, welcome - please read paragraph two of the previous edition of Dean's Diary. I still hear of colleagues who are trying to arrange trips to various parts of Southern Africa and have no idea of where or what their clients are requesting - it is worse than the "blind leading the blind" - rather deal with somebody who has experience of Southern Africa, afterall, you are going to be spending your hard-earned money and need to know you will get value for money.

In this edition, I shall give some feedback on recent trips completed by our clients, on Nik & Angie's wedding which we attended, Hitesh visiting relatives, Arno & Annemiekie' s trips, Jim & his ship mates from the cruise liner, Marc & Francoise safari to the Greater Kruger Park area, Jim and Judith's African exploration, Jane & David's special anniversary safari, Dave and his colleagues trip to Sun City, Heather and Graham going to Swaziland for a wedding, Jean-Francois & Caroline's 3 lodge safari and then we also had a few flights with the Zululand Flying Service. We were also honoured to organise Nik & Angies wedding at their favourite game reserve.. see all the details below! We have a few safaris within next few months, during this low season and also some folks are wisely planning their trips months in advance.

Hitesh had read the article about our company in the UK National Guardian paper and kept the article - and then contacted us shortly before he arrives in Durban. We arranged a short self-drive safari for him, from Durban - where he was visiting relatives for the first time. He was very nervous about driving himself around, but after reading through our directions we always give our self-drive clients - he set off from Durban with greater confidence and had a great time, prior to flying down to the Cape to end his holiday. His comments were: "Dean. I arrived in Cape Town yesterday from Durban. Durban - it did surprise me - pleasantly. Jo'burg was rather constrained (and not much to see really) although my younger cousins did their best to show me around in the eves. But Durban felt much freer to walk around - although still alert for crime. The mix of Asian and imperial surroundings makes it seem less like a typical African city (without wanting to make that sound offensive), and it conjures images of history. It truly reflects the diversity of cultures inherent in the city.
The camp itself was good, both the first night accom and second night - and of course for Brits offers excellent value for money. There is never a queue for the showers - which can often be an issue in hostels. And the staff were excellent.
For future visitors, be prepared to encounter animals as soon as they drive. Within 5 mins of driving into the reserve, I came across about 5 white rhinos on the tar road. And of course, I instantly froze. Having known there was a tour drive behind me, I waited for them to pass first. It may be useful to offer a simple guide to visitors on how to react/respond to seeing animals on the road. But all in all, a good place to spend time. I left on Weds morning and passed on to St Lucia on the way back to Durban for a cruise for hippos and crocs - not quite as much fun, but worthwhile as it is nearby. Thanks for arranging things. I hope my comments are useful.
Hitesh"

Arno and Annemiekie arrived in Durban - and I spent the better part of one day with them, showing them around some of the attractions of Durban and then they treated me to a lovely dinner at one of the luxury beachfront Indian restaurants. I had given them tonnes of information on places to see and visit, on their self-drive vacation - and off they went, dropping us e-mails from various destinations and bringing us up-to-date with their adventures. After returning to Cape Town, they then joined their first overland safari through Namibia and Botswana, ending in Vic Falls. They did not feel comfortable or safe in Zimbabwe, having just ended the corrupt elections - so returned to Cape Town for 2 weeks, prior to their next overland safari - from Vic Falls to Nairobi. Unfortunately, they did not seem to mix too well with the group and the vehicle also had some technical problems in the middle of nowhere, so they were delayed by almost two days - when they reached Malawi, they opted to leave the safari and fly back to South Africa. I have had a couple of e-mails from them, which they have sent to their mailing list - but being all in Dutch, I cannot fully understand everything - but gather that they have been modelling in Cape Town on catwalks!! They were scheduled to return to the Netherlands in July, so not sure what their plans are now - the Cape is experiencing the usual terrible winter storms, so the weather is not good there! I look forward to hearing from them about the finale for their holiday!!

Jim contacted us from his cruise liner, which was in the Far East at the time - and as they were only going to be in Durban from sunrise to sunset, he and a group of the officers on board were wanting to go on a short safari to a game reserve - so we booked a coach and one of our Guides, met them at the harbour and after customs and immigration clearance, 25 of them set off to Tala Game Reserve for a morning game drive and traditional braai lunch, followed by a visit to the Valley of 1000 Hills and a raptor bird display before returning to the ship and setting sail for the high seas. We had a brief e-mail from Jim when they docked in their next port: "Dean, What a fantastic day - everything was first class. Will send you a longer "thanks you" tomorrow. Please give our best to Rob & Sam Jim & the gang"
Unfortunately this would be Jim's last voyage on the Seabourn Sun, as it has been sold to another company and so the majority of the crew will join other ships and the rest will be retired or retrenched. We wish you all well Jim.

We also had the luxury cruise liner, Amsterdam, call in to Richards Bay harbour - and a travel agent in the USA had a few guests on board, and we organised a day's game drive with our Richard Bay colleagues into Hluhluwe-Umfolosi Game reserve. We believe they had a great time, as the guide reports that they saw plenty of animals and the ladies were very satisfied.

Marc & Francoise were friends of Eric (who travelled with us in February) - and they came out for a week, dividing their time between two different luxury game reserves in the Sabi Sands reserve. We organised their flights and transfers from Johannesburg to the reserves and in between the lodges, and they had a marvellous time according to Eric. Eric was kind enough to co-ordinate the arrangements and e-mails on their behalf.

Jane & David as mentioned earlier, came out to KwaZulu-Natal for their 10th wedding anniversary, and Shiney was our Guide for them. They spent the first night in Umhlanga Rocks and then headed north to Lake Sibaya, spending a few days at the beach and on the lake, before enjoying a half-day game drive in Tembe Elephant Reserve and then had the following three nights at White Elephant Lodge and Mkuze Falls Reserves. Shiney then took them through the Anglo-Zulu battlefields before heading into the mountains at Cathedral Peak. Returning to Durban, they flew down to Cape Town for a few days of self-drive holiday before returning to the wet and windy UK!! Jane e-mailed us shortly after their return, with her comments: "Hi Dean. Thank-you for organising such a terrific holiday for us. We've travelled all over the world and this was our best trip yet. Shiney was the perfect companion for us and really added-value - I hope I've made a friend. Thank-you also for the anniversary present, which was very thoughtful of you both. We didn't like Cape Town much - Seapoint is a rather seedy area and it was extremely noisy at night. So, we just took off and found ourselves a guesthouse for the last couple of nights in Noordhoek in the Cape Peninsula, which was more to our liking. No problem! I'd be delighted to act as a reference for future clients and will recommend you to our friends and family. I'll be in touch again soon.
Cheers, Jane.
For many months, we had corresponded e-mails with Jim & Judith, with them having give us a few months to recover from their last adventurous safari to Southern Africa - and then finally it happened again - they arrived! This delightful and extremely witty couple from the UK flew from Johannesburg to Namibia and after one night in Windhoek, they enjoyed the luxury train journey through the Namib Desert to Swakopmund - the coastal resort of Namibia. Spending a few days exploring the coast and the skeletons, they then headed inland to a game lodge for a few nights and enjoyed some great gameviewing, before returning to Windhoek and flying to a private lodge in the Okavango Delta for the first number of nights in Botswana. They entertained the wildlife by going on game drives, walks and boat rides, before pushing their plane out of the mud on the airstrip, so they could fly to Maun!! (We have had unconfirmed reports from the wildlife in the area, that these British are crazy!) Then it was off to a favourite lodge of theirs on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans - where they were to witness and enjoy the annual migration of tens of thousands of Zebra and Wildebeest. Along with these animals are the hyenas, lions and other predators, so they certainly had an interesting stay there. To shake all the dust and bush off them, after making new friends with Marina - our guesthouse owner in Johannesburg, they flew to the island of Mauritius to lap up the sun, sand and tranquil waters of Blue Lagoon for a week, returning to Johannesburg and phoning us for the last time after spending another night with Marina and enjoying a few hours shopping (as their plane back to the UK was delayed.) What a super trip and super people. We had great complimentary e-mails from the lodges, thanking us for sending such super people!! Not often a lodge thanks us for sending such nice guests - but I try and explain to the lodges that all our guests are nice - well, I guess Jim & Judith are just a little nicer!
Judith's feedback took 3 e-mails, so I am going to edit it a bit, but feel free to ask for the full version!
My Lovely Chums,
Back home again, despite all the efforts of KLM we had to leave your lovely country, thank you thank you so much for everything you did, you are absolute gems. The B/b in Windhoek OK - nothing special The train fantastic. The lodge in Swakopmund, good location on the beach - disadvantage - about 15 minutes out of town so the car was a blessing. The room was lovely big round window looking straight onto the sea. Magnificent viewing of a million cormorants (no kidding) a mile line from the shore - got good video footage. Our tour to Sandwich Harbour - worth every penny. Great trip, lunch on the dunes overlooking the sea - magic - highly recommended.
Easy trip to the game lodge until we left the tarred road, then 15 Ks of boulders - 4 x 4 would have lifted Jims bum off the floor. Trifle worried but we made it. Great hostess Gisella, superb room made most welcome. Game mostly antelope and plenty of birds, spent happy hours with obligatory G & T in the hide. Xakanaxa on the Okavango - lovely best game-viewing so far. Steve (guide) superb, eyes like a hawk (christened him the Sergeant-Major) magnificent viewing of lion-kill. Great company, met a couple from the Arctic so many stories around the fire at night. Then excitement here, pushing the plane out of the mud, bonus was a low-level game-viewing flight back to Maun - thank God it was`nt a 747!!! The at the Magadikgadi, lovely to meet up with old friends again, a very warm welcome. Missed the bloody migration again by about two days, the valley was eaten clean but various dead bodies littered the water holes - pongy!!! Had a laugh We had this couple who tried our guide sorely, they simply had to photograph every single impala (all 2000 of them - plus horns, bums hooves and tails) and they decided on a night sitting safari. Who says vengeance is`nt allowed, he sat them for 3 hours downwind of the rotting carcases. They did`nt see anything and we saw lions nah nah nah!!! Onward to Mauritius. Which got better as time passed. The hotel was in a fabulous location, but the room and food was not good - but believe it or not - would go again. The Guest Relations girl was a real sweetie (Anita), by eating out and doing a marathon with the shower and mopping up the swimming pool in the bathroom - it was OK. The snorkelling was good and the Mauritian people lovely.
Finally your B&B in Johannesburg - A gem of a find - definitely would recommend, send all your stopovers there (but only if they are nice) Marina a super lady and her food (to die for). She is extending to provide suites. Arrived as guests, departed as very good friends.
And there you have it. We have enjoyed every single minute, made loads of friends, and not a damned hiccup anywhere - you really are failing us here. Simply cannot wait to return !! Darlings, thank you for everything, including the invitation to Durban (you don`t know what you might let yourselves in for). All my Love, Auntie J.

And then we had one of our colleagues forward an enquiry to us, as he did not deal with Johannesburg and Sun City areas, and Dave and some of his work colleagues had a weekend to occupy their time, prior to meetings and conferences in Johannesburg, so we booked them into a private lodge in the Pilanesberg National Park, which adjoins Sun City - and they had a great time with their own game vehicle and Ranger to enjoy the drives at their pace. Whilst Dave was in Johannesburg, he sent us a brief note: Dean- It was great! For me, the best part was seeing a cheetah charge after an antelope. For the other three guys, it was their first game drive and they really loved it. We really appreciate what you did for us. The next time we're here, we'll contact you again.
Dave.

Heather & Graham are one of my first camping safari clients, and also friends of mine and at the same church. They went off to a private lodge in the Sabi Sands reserve for a few days and then we booked them into a hotel in Swaziland for a night, as they had a friends wedding to attend.

Eric, one of our past clients in France, organised some other friends to come on safari using our services, and Jean-Francois & Caroline spent their vacation at three different private lodges in the Greater Kruger Park area, and they have enjoyed their visit so much, they plan to return in a few months time! Here is Eric's comments from them:
Hi Dean, Thank you for your mail, Jean-Francois and Caroline are very pleased of their trip !! It was the first time in Africa for Caroline, and she already want to go back. Maybe we go with them to South Africa in September. I shall tell you, as soon as I have more information. Have a good day. Bests regards. Eric

Just as Jane & David were leaving South Africa to go back to the UK, so Nik & Angie arrived in Durban. This is Nik's third visit to Durban as last year he brought Angie out and I was thrilled to be able to Guide them around Zululand for 10 days, prior to them exploring some of the Cape on their own. Nik, you might remember, proposed to Angie in a helicopter over the Victoria Falls last year - well, they decided at the end of their safari last year to return to Durban and to get married at their favourite game reserve in Zululand - Thula Thula. So, we set about organising the minister, the flowers, the cake, the Zulu dancers and singers, the reception and then of course, their Honeymoon.
Nik phoned me a few weeks before the wedding and requested that I be their Bestman - what an honour!! So, when they arrived in Durban, I was at the airport to meet them and then the following day, Charmaine, my Mum and myself went to a lovely dinner with the couple to a great restaurant on Umhlanga Rocks beachfront, for dinner. Then on Monday 20 May, we all drove up to Thula Thula for the day - to enjoy the great wedding. Janice, who is one of our freelance Guides wife and a professional photographer, joined us and what stunning photos she took. Nik & Angie had arrived the previous day and boy did they look so smart and beautiful - and to top it all, the weather could not have been better. Not a cloud in the sky and an ideal temperature. Like true Zulu tradition, the dancers and singers arrived hours late, so we started without them - and after the romantic ceremony, we sat down to a stylish and sumptuous Thula Thula wedding dinner - served and catered for with true upmarket culinary skill. We were just about to tuck into the main course, when the dancers arrived, so we stopped eating whilst the Zulu impi consisting of young Zulu men and boys, performed a wedding dance - full of energetic moves and action and then they sang a few traditional songs to end off the perfect performance. Before the sun set over the hills, Janice took the wedded couple into the veld (savannah grasslands) for some super photographs and then we finished the reception meal on our return to the lodge. By now it was dark, and those of us returning to Durban, did so. Alice and her husband, Philip, had decided to spend the night at Thula Thula, so they remained and enjoyed the hospitality. A couple of days later, Nik & Angie, in their rented car, drove off to explore Maputaland, following our directions, they spent a couple of nights at Lake Sibaya, Tembe Elephant Reserve, Pongola Game reserve and Mkuze Falls Reserve, before spending their final night in South Africa in Johannesburg. They then jetted off to Botswana for a few nights - to enjoy the migration that I mentioned earlier and also to have a flight over the Okavango Delta. And so ended a perfect wedding and Honeymoon. Nik gave some feedback to me, via SMS and also e-mail - and some of his comments are below.
Firstly, or should I now say "thirdly"!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the third holiday that has been organised for me by ABS. The outstanding organisation, communication, personal service, friendliness and unbelievable knowledge offered by African Bundu Safaris is second to none. This is a company that should be up for every global tourism award going and even if I am slightly biased I think my belief is justified. Once again, thank you so much for a faultless holiday - next date will be April 2004!!!!!! Get thinking!!!!!
Thula Thula - You were there - you saw - they spoilt us rotten and we loved every single second of our time there - truly the best SA has to offer!!!!! This will always be a very special place to us and we cannot fault them on anything they do from the moment you arrive to the time you leave. The time we spent with Lawrence and the elephants was the most amazing experience, watching the Bark Spider eat its web, the Chameleon and the Tawny Eagle and Owl. Tembe Elephant Park Wow!!!! A must for anyone travelling anywhere near Maputaland. The tents are very comfortable, the camp fire is fun, the game viewing is spectacular, the hides are great, the food is ok. Mark, Theresa & Erica are great people who make you feel very welcome and look after you brilliantly. The elephants really put the fear of God up us the first night, just after we got back to our tent! Even Mark had to come and check for himself that they weren't in the camp!!!! We saw so many Red Duiker!!!! Sibaya Lake Lodge This was an interesting place - the chalets were basic and the place is in need of renovation, which was being started whilst we were there. The boat trip was really relaxing and great fun, although the boat had to be bailed out before the return trip as the boat had a hole in it, which made us laugh! The food really was excellent and for book readers this is an idyllic place. White Elephant Lodge. This is a luxury Lodge, not a game reserve lodge, the food was magnificent and the tent was pure luxury. It was great to walk along the path and have Nyala and Warthogs running around you. They have Warthogs the size of baby Rhinos!!! Mkuze Falls Game Lodge This is right up there with Thula Thula and Tembe - it was fantastic. The food, the tents, the service, the reserve, the game. Again, Wanita and Sean spoilt us rotten and organised a starlight dinner just for the two of us. Getting charged by a Hippo, following the Cheetah, seeing 8+ Warthogs come piling out of one hole was hilarious!!!! I finally got to show Angela a perfectly clear sky with no moon!!! She saw 2 satellites, several shooting stars and the whole arc of the Milky Way that is visible on eart h - breathtaking!!!!!! Leroo La Tau. A great place - fantastic setting - comfortable tents - good food - great game. The trip to the Nxai Pan was fantastic and well worth the journey. Great bush breakfast after a bush walk on the last morning! Listening to the Lions each night was amazing and the Hyenas, but the thunder storm that nearly blew the tent apart was unbelievable! Highlights have to be seeing 2 Aardvarks, Jackals, Steenbuck and the huge numbers of Zebra and Wildebeest. Okavango Delta flight - This is an absolute must for anyone who gets the opportunity, the views were amazing and the game we saw!!! Lion, Elephant, Hippo, Croc, Buffalo, Zebra, Giraffe, Wildebeest, Impala, Springbok, Nyala....... Thanks again for everything - speak to you soon. Lov'n'best wishes Nik & Angie

Nik has a website - showing photos of this trip and also last years trip - so if you are interested, here is the website. http://www.nikbarratt.com/

PRESENT & FUTURE SAFARIS:

During the months of June, July & August, we have Paul and Kirsten from Denmark here on Honeymoon. Keith shall meet them in Johannesburg and take them on a romantic safari for 2 weeks - into the Greater Kruger Park area, then Zululand and Maputaland, before he leaves them there to have a few more days, prior to them flying to Durban with the Zululand Flying Service. I shall spend the one day with them in Durban, prior to them flying back to Denmark. They were at Tshukudu and Chitwa lodges, the same time that Andy and his wife were, and I believe they have become friends now and shall be visiting each other in the future.
Mark & his girlfriend, January shall also be out here for a short safari, first going to Phinda and then flying down with our service to Durban and enjoying the warmth of Zimbali Lodge. I shall also spend a day with them, showing them in and around Durban. Fleur and her boyfriend are out here at the moment, having rented a car from us. They are friends of Annemiekie and Arno, so have got lots of ideas of what to see and where to go. I hope they shall have a chance to give us a tinkle when they are in Durban and maybe we can have lunch together. It is always nice to meet our clients if they are exploring the country and passing through Durban. During August, we have Tim & Sally from Hong Kong, doing a camping overland safari from Maun through to Vic Falls and then to Johannesburg, before flying off to one of the private lodges near Kruger National Park for a few days. Pierre and Titia are coming out from Belgium for a self-drive vacation, starting in Pretoria and taking them though Kruger, Swaziland, Zululand, Transkei, Garden route and ending in Cape Town. We are going to see them when they pop in to Durban for a day. Paul and Michael from the organisation Greenstar, will be in Johannesburg for over three weeks, attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development and we have assisted them with accommodation and other arrangements. Joy with be coming to Durban with her two daughters and Shiney shall be taking them to Zululand for 3 nights, and also celebrating the one daughters birthday in Hluhluwe Game Reserve. Adrian is returning to South Africa with his wife and children and they shall be exploring the Kruger, Swaziland and Zululand regions before arriving in Durban - so welcome back Adrian! In September we have Megan & Charlie who will be visiting various parts of Southern Africa and Keith shall be taking them on Safari from Johannesburg to the Drakensberg mountains and onwards to Durban, before they depart for the end of their vacation to Cape Town. For many months now we have been enjoying our correspondence with Joshua, who together with his wife and two children, shall enjoy a safari with Keith, and this shall include starting at one of my favourite game reserves in the Limpopo Province, and also in the Greater Kruger Park region, before they depart for Zululand and Maputaland region and end their safari in Durban, where Josh has a conference to attend.

GENERAL NEWS:

It is great fun and enjoyment to correspond with our future clients, for many weeks and months in advance of their safari - and we remain in contact with many past clients who we can say have become friends - many of whom we have never actually met! We build up such a relationship with our future clients during the planning of their safaris and vacations, we feel very much part of their family. This is what we have become successful at. We are not a company that has a range of set itineraries and set prices - we customise our safari to suit our client's budget and interest and we still find some prospective clients who try and compare our services and quotes with other companies. We have virtually no competition, especially based in Durban. There are MANY companies who call themselves Tour Operators and have websites - and it is astounding to hear how they operate and what they offer clients. Sometimes we are able to determine that a client is 'shopping around' and they have sent a similar enquiry to 5 or 10 other companies. When I meet our clients in Durban, they often tell me that they to had sent their initial enquiry to numerous companies - and ours was the first to reply and also offered that friendly and personal touch with prompt replies to their questions. Is this not what you would expect? I have stopped personally going out on the road and Guiding, as I have many years experience of this and it is only so many years that you can live out of a suitcase. I am now based in Durban, in our office so that I can answer your e-mails promptly and efficiently. We really appreciate future clients who check their e-mails frequently and answer them timeously as well, as we can then plan their vacation happily with them - and it saves them having to shop around and find somebody else who is far less experienced. We have only recently planned two different safaris for colleagues of mine, who knew that we would be able to assist their clients far more efficiently. Alice is our senior travel consultant and does a lot of correspondence and reservations to assist me. She has worked now for 4 years for me and I am lucky that she, together with her husband and children are fairly well travelled so they can also talk from experience of the various lodges and destinations that we send our clients to. We hear so many of our colleagues sending their clients to destinations or accommodations that they have never been to and do not even know how to get their themselves - all they are interested in is making money and marking up lodge prices and not sharing with the clients a lot of important and relevant information. We give all our clients on a self-drive vacation a very detailed route description, together with a handy travel/map booklet and we also issue vouchers. We were horrified to hear recently of other established companies who never offered their clients anything of the sort!

You might have notice that we now have two enquiry forms, a short one and a longer one - this is to assist those people who hate filling in forms, the shorter one is very brief, and we anticipate numerous e-mails will have to be exchanged until we have all the relevant information from the client, compared to the more detailed enquiry form which gives us lots of information to work from.
It is interesting to note our statistics, which we are able to assess who is visiting our websites, from which countries, how long they spend on our various pages, which pages are the most read and various other bits of useful information. The USA is still the country where most of our webpage visitors come from, and we also have most of our clients from the USA, followed by the UK. I guess it is due to these countries having the greater number of English-speaking people who own computers?

Zimbabwe - you would have heard that they had their elections earlier this year, and as far as we are concerned, they were not "free and fair", with a tremendous amount of pre-election intimidation taking place. We hear of some terrible stories that have taken place in our neighbouring country - from farmers being murdered in cold blood, along with their pets and workers, to farms and houses being looted and burnt and then the latest is the land along with the buildings and equipment having to be abandoned by the farmers as the government has confiscated it and now these farmers, mainly white, are left with nothing. They and their parents spend their life savings when they bought the land from the government 30 to 150 years ago and have worked hard to bring the soil and farm fertile and successful and now that idiot of a Prime Minister, Robert Mugabe, as 'declared' war on the white farmers and is giving the land to peasants who have no skills, no educational nor funds to farm the land! The country is a beautiful one and it is going downhill very fast - a great pity. Personally I think that nobody, anywhere in the world, should be allowed to remain as the head of a country for more than 10 years - that way, you get fresh people frequently enough and just dictators, which is what happens!
We recently hosted the formation of the African Union in Durban and boy, what a 'banana republic' we looked! They cordoned off the ICC where the meetings were going to be held - which I have no argument against, to give those delegates privacy and security, but to have from 4 to 26 cops on motor bikes, plus a cavalcade of from 4 to 8 luxury BMW and Mercedes per head of state and then at the same time to stop and clear ALL traffic from the chosen route of this convoy - well, that is totally ridiculous. If the heads of states or leaders feel so threatened that they are going to be shot, then they should not be the leader! People should be voted as a leader, as they people of their country like what they represent and promise they will do, so why should their lives be in jeopardy? When Gudafi from Libya arrived, we read in the newspapers that he had 60 vehicles in his convoy; his own limousine was nearly 5 tonnes in weight, due to the armoured plating used in the construction. We also heard that his convoy blocks all radio frequencies within 50 metres of it, so that no radio-controlled bomb can be detonated as they drive past - and so when he travelled around, anybody within 50 metres lost their cell phone reception! There were numerous other gimmicks that this dictator had on his convoy's vehicles - totally un-necessary!! I feel embarrassed to be art of Africa when I hear of the really nonsensical precautions and antics that our government and other African governments get up to. The money that is spent on security and life-protection and then functions, parties and meetings, could be put to much better use. We have recently had a nationwide strike by municipal workers who were wanting a minimum wage of R2 200 a month and it was just a month ago that they appointed a Manager for the greater Durban city with a salary of R46 000 a month! Where is the justice I ask!
One good thing that hit the headlines a few months ago, our President Mbeki acknowledged that Aids and HIV were related and that Aids was a sickness that people who were HIV positive could contract. He used to dispute this and was quoting statistics and facts that he had personally found on various websites on the internet. It turned out later that his articles he found were from research that was now outdated, but he seemed to think because it was on the Internet, it was gospel!
Very often when clients meet me, they ask where I am from, as I am a white South Africa and I then get the impression that they think that I am an immigrant. Nope, I was born in South Africa, in fact Durban and I have never moved from my first house! Both my parents were born in South Africa and most of my grandparents were born in South Africa. So I guess I am a South African born third generation citizen - or something like that! An interesting fact is that my grandfather was born IN the Cape St Blaize lighthouse as his father (my great grandfather) was the lighthouse keeper. Whilst I was cleaning out the garage at home a couple of months ago, after we had built the new garage in preparation for converting the existing garage into a Granny Flat for myself, I came across a brass plaque mounted on a piece of hard-wood - and the name on the plaque - "St Blaize", and so my new granny flat has a name! I shall be going to Cape Town during July for a few days and shall make a journey to Cape St Blaize light-house, in Mossel Bay, to try and do some research on this aspect of our family history. As a white South African, and born in the 1960's, I grew up during the apartheid struggle and was subject to various rules and regulations, which our parents did not agree with, but it was the government of the day that enforced these rules - and just being a white person did not make us racists - which lots of foreigners seem to think. We are now living in the new South Africa and officially apartheid is done away with, but like in all countries around the world, there is still some racial differences, though it is much more tribal differences and political differences when you hear of any violence or unrest on the news. We all try and live a clean and happy life now!

FAMILY & FRIENDS:

A good few months ago one of my old shipmates, Tom, along with his wife, Johness and daughter Dominique and friend Wessel, sailed out of Durban harbour on their yacht - for destination unknown! Well, in fact they are planning to make it to the Caribbean and also Alaska at some stage - and I had a phonecall from them when they had passed Port Elizabeth and an e-mail from them when they reached Cape Town. Tom was offered a 6 month consulting job in Cape Town, so they are now tied up on Hout Bay harbour, until further notice. I shall pay them a brief visit when I visit Cape Town in July. I had an e-mail from a past pupil, Duncan Aitken, who was working in the UK and had been looking at returning to South Africa for a brief visit and came across our website when looking for car rental. Good to hear from you Duncan - stay in touch! Greg Swift, one of my past Scouts from many years ago, has stayed in touch and we often bump into each other. Greg in fact lives in a block of flats which has views over our backyard - as they are situated on top of a hill and us in the valley, so he can always see when I am at home or away! Greg has been a very supportive friend and I appreciate this Greg. Good luck in your travels to the UK starting in July. Zoe, my lady friend who used to work for one of the hotel chains, contacted me again earlier this year, after having lost touch of each other for a while. She is such a pretty lady with a nice personality, so great to have her as a friend again. We both started studying a Zulu course earlier this year, not that I have remembered all that much, and we hope to attend another course soon. She has fallen in love with a super chap she met a few years ago, and there are talks of moving to New Zealand. So I have lost out again!) Charmaine is another great lady friend of mine. We attend church together and also bible study group. Charmaine is initially from JHB and has been in Durban for a few years now. Both our lives have been rather hectic of late, so we have not had much chance to socialise much, apart from a few movies and meals together at the Gateway Shopping centre. Claudia is still in Germany and I am not sure when or if she will be coming out to SA again. Every few months she seems to have made another decision- but she is working hard and I thinking about to start studying again. I still think of the two great visits she had with me here and what a super time we had together.
I used to do a lot of housesitting for various friends and people during my years of study and some people I became regular house sitters for. One couple, Jos and Elma, live in a lovely house overlooking Durban bay - about 25 minutes drive from my house, but I used to look after their house every year when they went to visit family and friends overseas. Well, this year in April and May, I had the opportunity again. This was ideal as I was attending a birding and a Zulu language course at the university, which was just around the corner from their house. Jos is a retired orthopaedic surgeon and he unfortunately is at the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease - and so every Thursday I take the day off, to spend with him. (I feel I work long hours and most weekends, so do not feel guilty about having Thursdays off!) We have been to various places in and around Durban, including museums, parks, the beach, movies, shopping centres and even exhibitions - so a fun and educational time for both of us. We get on so well with each other and Thursdays according to Elma, is a highlight of his week, which is normally spent sitting at home reading or watching TV.

In May this year, Durban hosted the Tourism Indaba Trade Show - and we have also been awarded the show until the year 2006, so that is good news - as it really puts Durban on the map for the various Tour Operators from different parts of the world. I never display at the show, as 98% of our clients come direct to us and not via their local travel agent or Tour Operators - and thus make a huge saving. I however do attend the Indaba, to collect the next seasons rates and brochures from the many lodges, hotels and reserves that do have a stand there, and at the same time, refresh my friendships with the many people who I have worked with over the past 5 years of our existence as an Inbound Tour Operator. The Indaba show is thus very important for us and we really look forward to attending on the one day, which is open for the local trade industry. I was treated to a flight in an Antonov AN2, built in 1957! Yip, a Botswana lodge that we deal with, have purchased this plane to offer a unique and truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of flying in this historic bi-plane. The safari shall be flying low and slow, to gain the most breathtaking views and will include Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. Accommodation shall be in private luxury lodges and many activities are planned en-route. There are four sections - so you are able to book for any combination of sections or the entire 28 day route! There shall be a maximum of 8 passengers per section and 1st class attendance shall be guaranteed. We have called this Flying Safari - Classic Wings over Africa - and if you are interested, please do drop us an e-mail and we shall furnish you with more details. My flight was from our local Virginia airport and after a few metres of travelling down the runway, we were airborne and then headed up the Dolphin Coast, flying above the beach, waves, hotels and wavering cane fields, before returning to land the plane in less than a 50 metre stretch of the runway! WOW - what an awesome experience!!

Jobs - for some reason or other, about twice a month, we receive an e-mail from somebody asking for a job (employment) - well, sorry guys, but we cannot offer anything. We do not employ pilots, we cannot employ foreign citizens to work in our office or as a Guide, we do not employ extra staff - i.e. no vacancies available !

Well, at long last - after trying to write this edition many months ago, it is finished - and if you have read all of this - well done! Send me an e-mail and tell me everything you read about and I shall buy a lotto ticket for you - so if you win, you can have your next safari to Southern Africa for free!!

Wishing you and your family everything of the best

Dean

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