A New Day

On July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa, a child was born. He was named Rolihlahla, which means “pulling the branch of a tree” in Xhosa. Mor...

The last of my days in Africa slipped through my fingers. We returned to Cape Town and I managed to sneak in a few more visits here and th...

“The spring flowers are a sight to behold,” promised my uncle. He didn’t have to sell me on one last excursion though. The suggestion alon...

I signed back into Bob’s and was greeted by Terry’s familiar face. “You have returned,” he exclaimed. Yup, I made it. I was back in downto...

The dark stole over us all of a sudden like, as seemed to be the way in Africa. Springbok lay behind us, but Cape Town was still a long way...

Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation ; by John Carlin (© John Carlin 2008; Penguin Books, 288 pages) ...

Settling back into the familiar setting of Sable Lodge, I reflected on the last few days.  The warm sun shone on me again, as I lazed poolsi...

Pietersburg wa s a town. It had the same amenities you would find in most small-towns in North American; bank, grocery store, gas station. N...

We piled into our baby blue, hippie love van and sailed away from Port St Johns. The days could have quite easily flown by into eternity on ...

Being in Port St. Johns allowed me to stop and think. We had been travelling  with frequent stops for the previous month. We hugged the coas...

Here is my attempt at concrete poetry from many moons ago. I thought it was quite clever at the time. I share it here as an addition to my ...

In Port St. John’s, I discovered Africa. A new Africa, that I had not seen yet. A black Africa, where white faces were a minority in visibil...

I sat on the rooftop watching the night sky without seeing a star. I sat staring out the window of the moving van, missing all the wonders o...

Cape Town faded into the distance behind us. Mossel Bay was the destination point for us to lay our heads for the night. It seemed dream-lik...

I fell into my aunt and uncle’s arms exhausted, as the bus that had tortured my posterior completed its epic 14-hour journey across the coun...

   I stood on the edge of a growing group of people. Naude encouraged me to talk to someone, but I hung back not quite ready to commit mysel...

   I woke up to a sun-filled day in a new part of the world. I had briefly touched down in Johannesburg for a short layover before continuin...

   Despite suggestions by Weppie of flying to Johannesburg, I loaded up my backpack and headed to the bus stop. He made promises of cheap fl...

   As the burbles slowed, I looked out into my new world again. My eyes finally adjusted to the strength of the sun. I opened them onto adve...

   The first few days in South Africa were a barrage of experiences. I fell in love with the belly laugh of my Uncle Jock and felt at home i...