Lighthouse keeping – a nostalgic job
Living under the beam It’s a job for loners, for salty seamen with good land legs who relish wild weather and remote places. Since the world turned modern with automation and GPS, just a handful of lighthouse keepers of old remain who can tell enchanting stories of their lives lived close to the sea, of shipwrecks and ghosts that also love lighthouses. “Just look at this lighthouse, how beautiful it is,” muses senior lightkeeper at Cape Columbine on the West Coast, Japie Greeff. Standing tall as a tower, with his hands on his hips, Japie gazes in awe at ‘his’ lighthouse with the wonder of...
Read MoreIreland – unusual attractions
Exploring roads less travelled Ireland means something different to each person who visits there. Otherworldly and ancient heritage sites, quirky folklore, rugged and wild beauty all live here along with the warm-hearted Irish people. There’s plenty of whiskey and Guinness too, with Irish music and dancing that’s completely irresistible. It looks like a huge flying saucer that landed in farmland and the locals have hurriedly tried to disguise it with instant lawn. Only the front facade of white stone alludes to anything more than this being a massive grassy mound. All around white woolly...
Read MoreNamibia – rare desert elephants
The survival experts The unique desert elephants of Namibia have adapted to survive in a parched, desolate landscape. There are only about 180 of them, which makes tracking and seeing these particular pachyderms a coveted wildlife experience. By Keri Harvey Under a morning sky of candyfloss pink, long-horned Nguni cattle walk in single file in search of grazing for the day. Here in Damaraland, the earth is scorched and the remaining grass is bleached yellow and brittle. Namibia is mostly bone dry and there are times both man and beast struggle to survive. While the desert-adapted elephants...
Read MoreMozambique – traditional dhow safari
Silent sailing through the Quirimbas The northern Mozambique coast is washed by tepid turquoise waters and sprinkled with islands so beautiful they could be living postcards. These are the islands of the Quirimbas Archipelago, and sailing them in a traditional dhow makes you feel just like a modern day African explorer. But with no rough edges or bags to haul along. by Keri Harvey He’s a dolphin whisperer, and a master sailor who reads waters rather than books. He knows how to tack through a storm and where rare crab plovers live, and he can sail with his knee while eating lunch. To Captain...
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