Dumazulu Hluhluwe

... keeping an eagle eye out for the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom, recently sighted on a hyena near your tent?!! It was 1-0 to us though as the heat of the fire saw off the intruder and we retained rights over our dinner! <br> <br> A different park brings a different range of game, and we&#8217;ve enjoyed the diversity of seeing different parts of the country. This park is renowned for its rhino, and though they were a<br> little slow in performing for us we ended up seeing ...

... food. A guy approached him while he was half through getting money out and gave him some story about how there is trick to using the atm, he pushed him aside and started pressing buttons. At this stage the dutch guy realised this wasn't right and stepped back in to cancel the transaction. He got his card and got out of there quickly. Back on the bus a South African guy told us about how this scam normally works. Basically somebody watches ...

... performance could certainly be improved. Addressing foreign diplomats in Pretoria last month, Zuma said the African National Congress's main foreign policy aim was to strengthen South Africa's role in peacemaking, reconstruction, development and integration, especially in southern Africa and the African continent. "We must emphasise what our icon, Nelson Mandela, said in 1992: that the primary task of ANC international policy was to be a friend to every ...

... to the west. So you have beach and swampland within walking distance. We took a boat cruise through the St. Lucia Estuary and saw tons of crocs and hippos. The streets are full of exotic plant life and are very pretty to run through. Monkeys and meerkats roam the yards and streets. Also very nearby is Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve. We took a game drive and saw 4 of the big 5 (elephants, rhinos ...

... African city lives a life of scurrying from one safe haven to another, constantly afraid for loss of life or possession. With this in mind, we drove around Richard's Bay (which really is a fine small town, probably much more livable than most South African cities) assiduously aware of locking our car doors, leaving ample space at stoplights between our car and others in front of us, maintaining a vigilance as to what other cars were doing ...

... morning.' And now it is Saturday, and I can't wait. It has been raining for days, and I was worried that the waves would scupper us again. But today it is beautiful outside. The sun is high and the temperature is warmer than it has been all week. This is a good sign. The swells are a metre and visibilty is 20m. I simply can't wait - and it's so cool to be sharing it with my friends. Watch out fish, we're coming to look at you!

It comes to something when you have to be reminded of things that the greater population remembers instinctively. It made me realise how important it can be to check in with the real world from time to time. 'So Claire, we must talk later about tomorrow night' said T "Tomorrow night?" I replied, racking my brain. Was it someone's birthday? A braai perhaps? A national holiday? But all that my searching returned was a big 'We can't find ...

... time of all. As I walked away, the others drew near. As I glanced around I saw the venom fly through the air. Even in an incapacitated state, unable to move and gripped behind the head, the snake spat the death spray that would burn the skin, blind the eyes, and kill the body. Amazingly it missed the crowd, but that was all I needed to return to my desk. A bloody cobra on our breakfast chair! What next? Roll on wintertime when hopefully all the snakes will go to sleep!

... a tail when I had returned from holiday. I stopped myself wondering if it had succumbed to the same fate. Living with snakes is not my idea of happiness. As I returned to my forest tweedy, I noticed how many holes there were in the walls and ceiling and floor. The gap under the door would be perfect for a slithering beast to enter, but that was beyond my call. I was now installed. It had taken all day, but at least I could call myself the proud new resident of the Forest Palace.

I find it strange that an animal that could kill a human with one quick movement is inherently scared us - you, me - the human race (as am I on ocassion!) It was late - about 11pm when it we heard the leaves rustling by the corner of the house. We were sitting outside, enjoying the view across the valleys and the mountains under a clear star-lite sky. The advantage of winter and leaf litter is that you get a moments notice that something is on its way. As the ...