Hobbies

Be cautious of the Cape cobra

The Cape cobra is one of the two snakes that account for the majority of snakebite deaths in southern Africa. Johan Marais from the African Snakebite Institute (ASI) talks about this nervous snake.

Golden perfection

“Sunrise looks spectacular in nature. Sunrise looks spectacular in photos. Sunrise looks spectacular in our dreams. Sunrise looks spectacular in paintings, because it really is spectacular!” – Mehmet-Murat Ildan, Turkish playwright.

Meet the attractive Gaboon adder

The Gaboon adder is one of the most colourful and attractive snakes in Africa, but is so camouflaged in its natural environment that it is rarely seen. While highly venomous, it rarely bites, says Johan Marais of the African Snakebite Institute

Find magic on the roads less travelled

Travel: A verb that means “to go to a place and especially one that is far away”. Far can mean long distances within the same country or to other countries. Trip: A noun that means “the act of going to another place and returning for pleasure”.
Journey: A noun that means “the act of going from one place to another”.
Coddiwomple: My favourite, and English slang for “to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination”.

After-dark magic

Most photographers will agree that shooting at night or in extreme low light is the most challenging part of any photographic journey. Marette Bennett of Refined Edges Wildlife Photography and Training gives us some ideas on how to keep shooting when it gets dark.

Ain’t no Mountain high enough…

Back in the 1940s, during World War II, General Patton declared that the USA’s single biggest contribution to the war effort was the introduction of the Willys Overland. Many still regard it as the first-ever off-roader, able to get you wherever you want to go… come hell or high water. That is precisely the mission of the DVR Xtreme 4×4 Rowwe Blixem off-road trip. The goal is simply to find an obscure destination and follow the most challenging route to get there. Anton Willemse Jnr went along for the rather rough ride.