This serves two people. As the name implies, better cooking will be achieved in summer. Gather all ingredients over the course of a couple of weeks. If you are missing a few, don’t sweat it. You will sweat later. Mix in well. Watch out, sand gets everywhere. Consume while in the oven. Keep cameras handy. […]

The ominous web site crisis seems ongoing. I have found the entry point – or rather the target – of some evil Sith attacker, but not the method. I will do my best to keep the site clean by watching everything carefully on a daily basis but if you, the reader, ever get a warning or signs of malicious […]

We had been casually dreaming about this trip for months and then actively planning our route for weeks but it was only on the eve of departure, as various gear items and supplies piled up around the house awaiting to be loaded into the 4×4, that we fully realized what was happening: we were about […]

Waking up by the Orange River the next morning, I glanced at South Africa on the opposite shore and launched into my breakfast-preparation ritual, only to find that our gas burner thingy was too large to accommodate the cheap but larger stove-top espresso maker we’d acquired at Woolworths to spare the wonderful Bialetti. Fiddling with […]

We awoke to the chirping of birds everywhere. Our tree didn’t host a nest but the sociable weavers lived nearby and they flocked in for an early visit, cunningly sensing that a breakfast was about to happen. These weavers are quite remarkably friendly birds (see previous post for picture). They inhabit huge colonies patiently built […]

Sossusvlei lies in the middle of the Namib Desert, 60 km west of its port of entry, a tiny outpost called Sesriem, and another 70 km from the coast. This is a place where heat prevails, where sand is king and ruler of a magical, changing world. The Namib is said to be the oldest […]

We stayed in Sesriem for 3 days. On our last day, we embarked on a quest for diesel after finding out that the local gas station had none. The small town of Solitaire, some 80 km north, was the nearest station as per the map and we decided to push beyond it and drive around […]

That night seemed to drag on forever. We didn’t sleep much. The heat was brutal, still above 40ºC, and I had to keep my bed wet by splashing myself with lukewarm drinking water from a bottle, in a futile search for some coolness. The air mattress felt spongy and wobbly. We tossed and turned and […]

Leaving behind us such amazing places as the Namib and the Kgalagadi turned our drive south into a bit of an anticlimax. We aimed for the town of Upington through which our old friend the Orange River flowed on its way towards the ocean. There too, the water’s presence drew a singular line of luxurious […]

We further explored the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve just in case, found many other great camping spots, mostly deserted, but the first one prevailed. The air was thick with moisture, the ocean calm and the temperature comfortable. We pitched right on the beach, 5 meters away from a small bay. Light wind carried many ocean […]

That day, again, it was a short drive inland to the Kersefontein farm, where we had booked a night. The farm came highly recommended and had been upgraded into a hospitality establishment by owner J., an member in good standing of the Cape Aristocracy who had been reported to be the star of the show. […]

Digging into my 2009 image bank for a book project, I am finding little rough jewels that didn’t make the cut back then but are making me sigh today… Sunrise in Sossusvlei, Namib Desert Approaching the heat-blurred Namib Desert from the south

Below is a graphic representation of the pace at which my current bookmaking project is moving along. It will be a self-published feature to start with but I am planning on using it to try and get an official bite later. The 13×11 in. 100-page photo book is called Roasted in the Namib and is […]